Liberty

“You are . . . breathtaking.”

Standing at the altar in the little chapel near Oak Grove Plantation, I smiled up at Jacob. His eyes were wide and admiring as he squeezed my hands.

“Thank you,” I whispered in response under the cover of the piano music accompanying the soloist to our right. “You look pretty dang good yourself. I can’t believe we’re really here getting married. It felt as though this day would never get here.”

“I know.” Jacob’s thumbs rubbed the back of my hands. “A long engagement was a bad idea. A very bad idea.”

I giggled. “But we decided we wanted to wait for the chapel, and this was the first open date.” I cast a sideways glance at the pews that were filled with our family and some friends. “I think it was worth the wait.”

“You are worth the wait,” Jacob murmured. “This morning, I was reading Mitchell’s letters to Mariana again. I thought about how long they were apart, how hard it must have been, not knowing if the other was alive or dead. And I realized how lucky we are.”

I caught sight of my brother’s face over Jacob’s shoulder. As best man, he stood up here with us, holding Sunny’s hand. She was the most excited flower girl in the history of weddings.

Patrick, though, raised his eyebrows at me and narrowed his eyes. I knew he was trying to tell me that Jacob and I shouldn’t be whispering to each other during the solo.

But this was my wedding, and who was he to boss me around? I rolled my eyes and stuck out my tongue at him, causing a ripple of quiet laughter from the first two rows of guests.

“We are lucky,” I agreed with Jacob. “Even if my pushy brother tried his hardest to keep us apart.”

“But we found each other anyway.” Jacob flickered his eyes to the minister, who was paying close attention to the woman singing. “I wish I could kiss you right now. I don’t want to wait. Because I want you to know that I’ve never been happier in my entire life—and I plan to spend the rest of my days loving you, Liberty Deborah Smith.”

I blinked back sudden tears. “I love you, too, Jacob. Now and always.”

The solo finally ended, and the minister cleared his throat, preparing to lead us in taking our vows.

But we’d already promised everything that mattered, and I knew beyond a doubt that we were going to love each other with all of our hearts and souls as long we both should live.

And we did.

Keep the Small Town Love Sizzling!

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