Zoe looked up at Tom. He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “I forgot to mention. I’m not the only one giving you away.”
She came back to Harry. “I don’t mind at all.”
Harry switched his cane to his other hand and offered an arm. With one hand tucked into the crook of his elbow, the other clinging to her bouquet, Zoe watched as Tom positioned himself opposite Pete’s dad, a hand on the small of her back. The transition was so smooth, they had to have rehearsed it.
“Ready?” Harry asked.
“Ready,” she replied and lifted her gaze to the church pews and her and Pete’s friends.
Most gathered toward the front. One man sat alone in the back row.
Scott rose and turned, wearing a tux and a smile. Zoe gasped. Harry and Tom stopped, and Scott stepped into the aisle. “I see you don’t need me to give you away, but I wanted you to know I’m here.”
Her mind swam in a sea of emotion. Happiness. Gratitude. Disbelief. Tom and Scott. The man who’d raised her after her father’s death and the brother she’d only recently met. Neither of whom she’d expected to be here on her big day.
Harry gestured behind Zoe with his cane. “The more the merrier, son.”
She caught Tom’s nod of agreement.
Scott stepped behind Harry, one hand resting just above Tom’s and the other on Harry’s shoulder, steadying the older man.
Zoe laughed. She wondered if her brother’s appearance was part of the plan and they’d worked out the details of who stood where, three of the men in her life escorting her toward the fourth.
“Let’s do this,” Scott said.
The aisle stretched before her. Large red and white satin bows decorated the ends of each pew. Zoe caught a fleeting glimpse of Pete before the guests rose from their seats, blocking her view. The music guided her forward as she scanned the faces in the crowd. Mr. and Mrs. Kroll, her former landlords, and their son, Alexander. Seth and Abby, reconciled and a couple in love once again. Kevin and Nate from the Vance Township Police Department. All of her old crew from the ambulance service, including Earl and his wife and kids. Sylvia Bassi held a tissue to her face. Logan and Allison stood next to her. In the front row, Kimberly beamed on the left side. Nadine, Pete’s sister, with her husband on the right.
But all the faces became a blur when Zoe grew close enough to see her groom. She knew Patsy and Rose had taken their places, while Rose’s husband, Miguel, and Wayne stood next to Pete, but in that moment, her groom—the most handsome man she’d ever known—was the only one she could see. And she knew, no matter how long she lived, she’d never forget the look of adoration in his eyes.
The organ fell silent and the minister looked at Zoe and Pete and then out at the congregation. “Welcome, everyone. We are gathered here on this lovely Saint Valentine’s Day to celebrate with Zoe and Pete as they proclaim their love and commitment to one another in front of you, their family and friends. We gather to rejoice with them and for them, in this new life they now undertake as one.” He brought his gaze to Zoe. “Who gives Zoe to be wed to Pete?”
In unison, Tom, Scott, and Harry said, “We do.”
She wondered if they’d had their own private rehearsal, one she hadn’t been invited to.
Scott guided Harry to his seat with Nadine before joining Tom and Kimberly.
Pete moved to Zoe’s side, his face lowered toward her. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
Not part of the script. Her cheeks warmed.
The minister looked at them. “You have chosen to write your own vows. It’s with these words you express your binding promises to love, honor, and cherish one another. I invite you to now face each other and declare your intentions.”
Zoe handed her bouquet to Rose before facing Pete and taking his hands. All part of the rehearsal. But they hadn’t recited their vows at last night’s practice.
Pete cleared his throat. “Zoe, my love, I promise to be with you through the good days and the bad. Through the inconveniently timed emergencies and through the cases we solve together.”
A ripple of laughter rolled from their gathered friends. Zoe smiled. Some of them knew the truth of those words while a few only saw the humor.
“In sickness and in health,” Pete continued. “Or in our case, in bullet wounds and poisonings. I guess we make a pretty good pair. I get shot and you patch me up. Which I have to say, I much prefer over you being the one in harm’s way. But you know I will come to your rescue anytime you need me. I vow to give my life to keep you safe.” He tipped his head closer. “And I will spend every breath loving you and protecting you until the day I die.”
She hadn’t thought it possible to love him more, but right then, looking into his icy blues, she knew better.
“Zoe?” The minister said. “Your turn.”
She fought to remember the words she’d rehearsed over and over, every moment she’d been alone for the last month. “Pete, I will walk at your side in the sunshine and in the rain.” She winced. “That sounded a lot better in my head.”
Pete smiled, and a titter of laughter floated over the congregation again. “Just talk to me,” he said, his voice soft and husky.
Zoe drew a breath. Calmed the clamoring inside her brain. And spoke. “I love you more than I can ever say. I think I fell in love with you that first time we met, searching for a little boy in a blizzard, but I settled for being friends. You’ve been with me through thick and thin. You taught me to trust. Thanks to you, I know I can do
