Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Crystal nodded and picked up her cell phone. In a minute, she returned. “I’ve alerted security. They’ll keep an eye out for that car, but don’t worry. No one who isn’t on the guest list will get near this house.”
At a nod from Crystal, everyone took their seats. Nobody bothered about bride’s side or groom’s side, they just all sat together. And then Damien picked up his Martin acoustic guitar and began to play, along with the string quartet. It was time.
Crystal had arranged for a white gazebo, and Archer stood under it with the same minister who’d christened all the Davenport kids. He was a silver-haired man of seventy who looked so much the part he could have been cast in one of Arch’s movies.
At Crystal’s signal, Tessa came slowly downstairs, and Betsy slipped out to join Howie in the front row.
Erin, Mila, and Tessa had a final hug and all whispered at once, “Good luck,” to one another.
“You won’t need it,” Margaret assured them. “Big smiles. Take your time.”
“Exactly,” Crystal agreed.
And then they were off. Erin first, because she was the tiniest, partnered with Nick, and then Mila followed with Finn. She caught Herschel’s glance from where he was sitting, and she felt her heart actually swell. And then they reached the gazebo and turned.
There was a tiny pause, and then Damien and the string quartet struck up a rock ‘n’ roll version of “Here Comes the Bride.”
Everyone stood to watch Tessa walk up the short grass aisle, which had been covered with a red carpet. The dress looked phenomenal, so classic and chic. Erin had done a wonderful job of enhancing Tessa’s natural beauty with makeup. She was a stunning bride.
Mila glanced at Arch and thought she’d never seen such an expression on her brother’s face. On screen, he’d pretended to be in love probably a hundred times—and was good at it too. But the reality of Archer Davenport deeply in love? He couldn’t fake that. He glowed with happiness, and that glow was shared by the woman who was about to become his wife.
When Tessa reached the altar, Margaret kissed her cheek, and then Arch took her hand and whispered, “You look so beautiful.”
“So do you,” she whispered back, making Mila smile.
Tessa handed her bouquet to Erin and turned to give Arch both her hands.
The minister began to speak. He talked of love and commitment and all those other words that used to scare Mila so much, but somehow they didn’t seem quite so frightening anymore. Love and commitment. She’d thought for a while she couldn’t do it, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe she just hadn’t found the right person before now.
The minister paused and, turning to the guests, said, “Tessa and Archer wrote their own vows. I’m looking forward to what they have to say. I hope you are too.”
Tessa went first.
“Arch, in the tapestry of my life, you arrived as a brilliant stroke of color on a surface I had left untouched, fearing the world would not understand the depth of my dreams. You saw in me not just a painter, but a soul with a vision, a voice yearning to be heard. You nurtured my hidden talent, giving me the confidence to embrace my true identity. Today, I stand before you, and I vow to be your sanctuary, a source of peace and inspiration, as you have been mine. I promise to support your dreams, to walk beside you as we navigate the ebb and flow of life, painting our future with strokes of courage, passion, and undying love. I choose you, Arch, as my partner, my muse, my husband.”
Mila felt her eyes fill with tears. She was so proud of Tessa. Her voice was clear, and although her words were emotional, she had managed to say her vows without crying. In fact, she was pretty much the only one who wasn’t. Even Mila, who considered herself not the mushy type, was sniffling and surreptitiously wiping the tears from her face. Good thing Crystal had thought to put tissues in each of their bouquets. She pulled one out, knowing that her tears weren’t all for Tessa and her brother.
Her mind and her soul were completely full of Hersch. She couldn’t hide from herself any longer. She loved him. She loved him with all her heart.
And then Archer began to speak. “Usually, when I talk about love, I’m spouting rehearsed lines that somebody else wrote.” He took a shaky breath. “But these are my words, my real words and my true feelings, and I’ve never been so nervous about giving a speech in my whole life.”
Mila’s heart melted. Her big, tough, movie-star brother suffering a bad case of nerves? She found it charming and adorable. Erin had told her that she’d offered to help him write his vows, and he’d turned her down. Even though Erin was a professional writer, Arch had said it was really important that he come up with his own vows. Mila respected that. Archer usually had anything he said in public written for him by scriptwriters or PR people, so it was really something to hear him offering Tessa his love and his heart in his own words.