Avery looked down at the photo in her hands.
“Wait. What’s that?” Shanna pointed behind Tucker at the canvas sheet. “Is there something under there?”
“Yeah,” said Avery, and sniffed. “Show us what’s under there, Tucker.”
He tugged the cover off to reveal the logo. The dog, the cat, the horse. Below it, neat letters read ANIMAL CLINIC.
A smile spread across Avery’s face. “You found the drawing?”
“Out in the snow one day.”
She put a hand to her heart. “I thought it had been thrown out. I never expected to see this again.” Avery came to stand next to him, taking in the sign at close range.
Avery looked at the sign for so long that Shanna came to stand next to her, wedging herself between the two of them. She put a hand around Tucker’s waist and gripped his flannel shirt.
“But Tucker…” Avery’s voice was thick with tears. “Why is there an empty space at the top?”
“Well, back in the day, your original plan was for it to say Well. I think we talked about that, oh, a hundred times.” He couldn’t keep the smile from his face. “And I know it’s much too soon to expect anything like this from you, but if you’d give me another chance, I’d like it to say Wells instead. And I’d spend every day making sure I was worthy of both you and Shanna.” He turned Avery to face him. God, she was gorgeous. He’d never meant anything so intensely in his life. “Every day, Avery.”
She looked down at her daughter, who clung tight to Tucker’s side. He felt, rather than saw, Shanna nod.
“Yes,” Avery whispered. “Please.”
He leaned forward and hugged her as tight as he could, pressing kiss after kiss to her lips. Tucker broke away far sooner than he wanted to so that he could bring Shanna in on the embrace. The three of them held each other close, out in the cold. For the first time in his life, Tucker had everything he could ever want, right there in his arms.
Finally, Shanna pulled back.
“I’m freezing.” She rose up on tiptoe and let herself back down. “Aren’t you guys cold? I’m going inside. Race you!” She ran off, taking the porch steps two at a time. The door slammed behind her before Tucker could even think about moving.
He used the brief moment of privacy to do something he should have done the very first moment he saw Avery. He kissed her, deep and slow, and when he pulled back, he looked into her eyes.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. Then she pulled back, laughing. “Shanna’s right. We should go inside.”
He tipped her chin up so he could see the light in her eyes. “After one more kiss.”
Epilogue
Early summer had made Benton Ridge, and the mountain valley was green and lush and filled with the bright promise of warm days and long evenings. Tucker stood on the top of a slope, wearing a tuxedo and holding Avery’s hands. Wildflowers bloomed around their feet. The grass swayed in the breeze. It was, without a doubt, the most perfect wedding day to exist. The weather was the ideal combination of warm and breezy. Fluffy white clouds dotted a blue sky. A rain the night before had washed the meadow clean. Tucker couldn’t have asked for a better setup if he tried.
They’d waited a little under a year and a half to get married. It had been Avery’s idea, and though Shanna had begged for the wedding that very first summer they were together, there was too much to do first. They needed to work through those old hurts, and on top of that, Tucker and Shanna needed time, too. It was one thing to spend a couple of weeks talking about Animorphs books. It was another to get into a real rhythm together. How did he fit into her life? How did she fit into his? All these things had shaken out over the past months. There was still shaking to do, of course—there always would be. But he’d never felt contentment like this.
He’d never stood in a field, preparing to make vows to his daughter and his fiancée before. Shanna stood nearby in her own white dress, a crown of flowers in her hair. The rest of their families had gathered around them in neat rows of chairs with white ribbons tied around each one. It had been a project, getting all the decorations out here, but when Tucker glanced over it now, he saw how perfect it was.
The pastor’s voice floated over him, and though he tried to focus on the words, he couldn’t quite let them sink in. The emotions of the day overwhelmed him. The feeling was what mattered, and at any rate, he knew that Avery would remember every moment. He just wanted to focus on her.
Avery was stunning. Her dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and she wore the most beautiful wedding gown he’d ever seen. It looked like she’d waltzed out of a fairy tale, if that fairy tale had been set on the Wells Ranch. The gauzy fabric gave him hints of her body that drove him wild. Her own flower crown was made from tiny pink roses. Tucker had never thought much of flower crowns before, but he’d never forget this one.
Her parents had made the trip, along
