“I’m not sure how to do this.” I pause, still unsure of what I want to say. Diving in, I say what’s in my heart. “McKnight, I don’t really expect that you are here, but I hope in some way, you hear me. I would like to respond to the letter you wrote. Most importantly, I hope for your blessing of Cate’s hand. Just so you know, I asked her father and he approved, but I need your approval as well.” I blow out a breath. The guy wrote a letter that could have moved a mountain. “I can’t reply to your letter with words on a page, so here I am. You’re right that Cate is someone special. And I know that part of who she is today has been shaped by how you loved her. I’m grateful for that role you played in her life. I promise you I will treat her like she is the last of her kind because she is. I plan to only love one woman and she’s the one. She’s my bird and I promise to keep her heart safe and love her with all of me, the same way you did. She had no idea why we came, by the way. But it was important for me to tell you that she’s in the right hands before she walks down the aisle. I don’t ever expect her to stop loving you. I’m not that petty or jealous because I know she’s capable of loving both of us. You mean the world to her and I plan to do my best to make her as happy as you did. You are sorely missed and this woman, our hospital, this world was a better place with you in it. And without you, there is a part missing. I expect you to watch over our girl when I can’t. And may we meet again one day sometime very far in the future.”

Still holding Cate’s hand, I watch as she lays a bunch of flowers at the foot of the headstone. I didn’t ask why she chose the flowers she did. I figured they meant something and according to the web, they did. The white carnations represent remembrance. The purple lilacs mean first love and the gladiolas represents strength of character. They are great choices for everything I know about the man.

I hand Cate some tissues from my pocket. She gives me that shy smile she gave me the first day we met. Then I knew there was something special about her, but she’d been a colleague’s wife. Today, she will become mine.

We get to the church on time, but Cate’s mother still hustles her away. Something about me not seeing the bride on her wedding day.

I’m sent to the boys’ room where I find Mitch, Dave and Ben sitting around talking, looking hung over.

“Where have you been? Jenna’s furious you both missed the brunch buffet.”

“I had business to take care of,” I say offhandedly. Ben was Drew’s best friend, but what Cate and I did this morning is between us. If she chooses to share, she will.

Mitch laughs. “That’s code word for banging his bride before the wedding.”

He’s wrong about that. Jenna convinced Cate that us not having sex the month before the wedding would be good for the honeymoon. As much as I’ve tried to explain to Cate that my balls in fact do appear to be blue, she’s been unwilling to give me a second opinion. She tells me she’s just as needy as I am.

“No sex, thanks to his sister.” I point an accusatory finger at Ben.

He shrugs. “She has all kinds of stats on that shit.”

Dave just looks amused and changes the direction of the conversation. “Your sister is really hot. Is she still dating that guy?”

Ben’s eyes grow horns and appear as though they are glowing red. “I’ve heard enough about you two to know neither of you should ever think about my sister.”

Mitch laughs. “All’s fair in sex and booze at a wedding.”

Ben’s about to say something, but Dad knocks on the door. “Time.”

The guys eye me, but I’m not nervous. I want Cate with every fiber of my being. My only wildest fear is if she’ll break her promise and run. And even that fear has diminished over the last several months. I trust her completely.

At the altar, when they begin to play that familiar tune, I stand and stare at the door opening. I wait until Cate appears and when she does all the air is sucked out of my lungs. She’s so fucking beautiful I can only blink. Mitch taps my back and I remember to breathe.

Her hair is pulled back in some elaborate way I can’t focus on because her face is radiant and I still can’t quite believe she’s mine. My gaze lowers to the dress I hadn’t been allowed to see, let alone hear about. It isn’t quite white and has fabric that hangs purposefully off her shoulders, leaving her collarbones exposed. That skin alone is enough to get my dick hard. Like the sex deprived guy I am, I focus on the little amount of cleavage she has on display and lick my lips. I feel like an asshole as I try to hide my hard on as my gorgeous bride walks toward me with tulips that look almost white in her hand. But from what I overheard the bridesmaids say at the rehearsal dinner, they are actually a pale yellow. Knowing what I do about Cate, I’d searched for the meaning and yellow tulips means hopelessly in love. She has no idea that she’s talking about me because I’m just that far gone when it comes to her.

When her father hands her off to me, I don’t hear the minister. He spoke at the rehearsal, so I know what he plans to say. I stand in awe of my bride feeling like the luckiest bastard on the planet. Then I have a moment to say a prayer for feeling guilty. If not for Drew McKnight passing from this world, I wouldn’t have this opportunity. I know what I have to do. When it comes time, I am ready.

I take her hands in mine and stare into the windows of her soul because she needs to know I’ve never felt this way about anyone else and I never will. She is my first and my last, my only and now is the time to not only tell her, but tell the world.

“Cate McKnight, I knew when I met you I wasn’t your first love. That honor belonged to Drew McKnight. And his shoes won’t be easy to fill. I’m thankful to him for encouraging you to love again, thus giving me the greatest opportunity of a lifetime to spend it with you.” I want to glance at his parents who sit somewhere in the pews to the left of me, but I refuse to take my eyes off my girl. “I knew this when I decided you were the one with whom I wanted to share my life. Your beauty, your heart, and your mind encourage me to be the best person I can be. And I vow that I will do whatever it takes to be, if not your first, your last love. I promise to love you without reservation, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you, comfort you in times of distress, always be open and honest with you, cherish and be faithful to you for as long as we both shall live. For this is my promise and my solemn vow.”

I see Cate’s tears and reluctantly, I let her hand go to produce a tissue from my pocket. This is something I did the first day we met and it seems as important. She smiles at me in a way that tells me she remembers as well, and dabs her eyes with it. Then she takes my hand again and it’s her turn.

“Drew Mercer, I didn’t think I could love again or even want to. When you came in my life, you came with your patience and understanding. You offered friendship and encouragement in my time of need. Our love wasn’t hurried. It came over time in a way that scared me at first, but made me feel secure in the end. Drew McKnight did leave big shoes to fill and not because he wore a size fourteen.” That gets a few laughs and even a chuckle from me. “But I know Drew would approve of you knowing you could handle the job. I promise from this day forward I will give you all my love and you will not walk alone. Your love is my anchor, your trust, my strength. I give you shelter for your heart and may my arms be your home. I willingly give you all that I am and all that I will become. My love for you has no beginning or no end. For this is my promise and my solemn vow.”

I want to kiss her now. I want to take her in my arms and tell her that her words are my own. But I wait as the minister has us say a few more things before he finally lets me kiss my bride. Her lips are my lifeline and I have to break it off, otherwise I’ll have a serious tent in my pants. When she pulls backs, she leans up again. Her lips slide against my cheek and up to my ear.