Chapter 38

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

" I 'm happy for you. Seriously."

Derrick laughed at Michael, who'd ground out the words through clenched teeth. "Sure you are." Hiding his grin, he turned away from his brother, facing the full-length mirror somebody'd propped against the wall in Sam's den. He didn't miss Michael's scowl in the reflection.

Dad was leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, hiding his own grin but not getting involved.

When Derrick and Jasmine had chosen to marry just a couple weeks after he proposed—the Saturday between Christmas and New Year's—he'd figured he'd be wearing his best suit for the ceremony. Okay, fine, his only suit. He'd just hoped Leila and Sophie would be able to talk Jasmine into getting a more fitted dress than the potato-sack-shaped things she usually wore.

Not that he minded, obviously. He'd fallen in love with the woman inside those shapeless dresses, but he did hope to persuade her during their lifelong marriage that it would be all right to show her figure every now and then.

He adjusted his tie, then smoothed the vest beneath his tuxedo jacket. He'd been directed to wear this, which meant surely Jasmine had found something better than a slightly fancier potato sack for the small ceremony his family had put together.

His tie was straight. His hair was combed back from his face. He'd offered to get it cut for the wedding, but Jasmine had asked him not to. She liked it long. And he liked the way she played with it, her slender fingers brushing against the skin on his neck. They'd spent almost every waking moment together for the past two weeks, eating and laughing and planning and just…being. Watching television and reading books and talking about their days. He'd taken her to his condo, a tiny two-bedroom on the outskirts of Shadow Cove. She'd never been there, and he'd worried she'd be disappointed. It wasn't as nice as Michael's house, where she'd been living, with its three bedrooms and two bathrooms. And it was a pale comparison to Sam's house, this palatial home with all the space and windows and ocean views. Derrick's condo was a tiny place that shared walls with neighbors and had a pathetic little yard.

He'd been embarrassed as he'd watched her take it in, afraid he'd see disappointment on her face. He should've known better.

She'd been delighted. "This whole place is yours?"

"Ours."

She'd launched herself into his arms and kissed him.

She'd gone from reticent to enthusiastic about kissing, but that day, alone in the house they'd share, nobody looking over their shoulders…

Oh boy.

He'd practically run out the door into the cold December morning, leaving a very confused, slightly hurt Jasmine behind. Hurt until he'd explained, and then she'd blushed and gotten all shy and …

Why anybody waited months for their weddings, Derrick would never understand. As far as he was concerned, the ceremony couldn't happen fast enough. And did they really have to stay here and entertain guests afterward? Because he could think of a few better things to do.

"You okay over there, bro?" Bryan was seated on one of Sam's leather sofas, his bum leg propped on the coffee table.

"I'm fine."

"'Cause your face is a little flushed. Thinking about anything in particular?"

Derrick glared at him. "Thinking I should've asked Grant to be my best man. Less talking."

Bryan just laughed.

"Be nice, son." Dad used his behave yourself voice. He and Bryan both wore dark gray tuxes, like Derrick's, though while his tie was the same dark gray as his suit, theirs were pale blue.

As if it had decided to coordinate with Jasmine's color scheme, the sky beyond the wall of windows was also pale blue, the sun not quite at its zenith. Fresh snow covered everything in a few inches of powder, making the hillside between Sam's house and the Atlantic below fresh and pure.

Perfect for Derrick's bride.

Bryan pushed himself up and leaned on his cane. "Michael might not say so, but I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a little annoyed."

Michael leaned against the door, crossing his arms. Funny how similar he was to their father, who stood in almost the exact same posture just a few feet away. Michael wasn't in the wedding party—only Leila and Bryan would stand up with Jasmine and Derrick—but he'd donned a suit for the occasion.

Glaring at Bryan, Michael said. "You and Sophie just met. I've been with Leila for a year, and we aren't getting married for months. She wanted to put it off so Jasmine wouldn't be pregnant at the wedding. Which was fine, but now the maid of honor's gonna be a matron, and my baby brother's beating me to the altar."

"As long as you're not annoyed," Derrick said.

"Shut up."

Dad shook his head, Bryan laughed, and Michael, though he was trying very hard to play the part of the irritated brother, couldn't completely hide his smile.

"Do you guys need anything?" he finally asked. "Mom wanted me to make sure there were no pre-wedding jitters."

Derrick turned, anxiety spiking. "No jitters here. Why? Is Jasmine?—?"

"She's fine." He crossed the room and clamped his hand on Derrick's shoulder, eyes twinkling. "I heard her tell Leila the clock has never moved so slowly."

Derrick couldn't stop his grin.

Michael gave him a quick hug, slapping him on the back. "You got a good one, bro." He stepped away and checked his watch. "T minus fifteen. As soon as you hear the music, get in place. You remember everything you need to do?"

"It's just the family. It's not that complicated."

Michael was chuckling as he walked out.

Derrick glared at the closed door, then turned to Dad and Bryan. "You'd think we were performing for the president or something."

"Son." Dad peered at him over his glasses. "This is the most important day of your life—and your bride's. Don't screw it up."

Yeah. Dad was right. "I'm not going to. Not the wedding. And not the marriage."

"That's my boy." Dad squeezed his forearm. "I'm sure your mother is looking for me. You boys good in here?" At Derrick's nod, he said, "I'll see you out there. "

The door closed behind him, and Derrick checked his watch. Just a few more minutes.

Bryan perched on the arm of the sofa while Derrick settled in one of the club chairs.

"You're gonna be a husband," Bryan said. "And in a few months, a father. Are you ready for that?"

Derrick had blurted his marriage proposal before he'd really thought about it. Yeah, he'd planned to marry Jasmine almost from the first second he'd met her. But a baby? One that wasn't his?

There hadn't been a lot of time to process—or pray about—that.

He'd spent a lot of time in prayer after he'd proposed. Hours on his knees, asking God for guidance. Because if he wasn't up for the job, or this wasn't God's plan for his life, then he needed to back out now, before it was too late.

As much as he wanted Jasmine, and as much as it would hurt both of them, he wasn't about to make a promise he couldn't keep.

The more time he spent in prayer, the more certain he was of his path.

"The kid's not going to look like me," he said, "or have Wright blood in her veins. But she's mine."

"She?" Bryan's eyebrows lifted.

"Yeah." Derrick hoped she'd resemble his beautiful bride. "We found out a couple days ago. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. We're gonna do the whole gender reveal thing after the honeymoon."

"A cousin for Grant's little girl."

They'd learned that news on Christmas when Summer and Grant had presented a snow-white cake that, when cut, had spilled pink M&M's all over the table.

Bryan was grinning. "Your secret's safe with me. "

"It doesn't matter who her biological father is. She'll be my daughter. She's meant to be my daughter. She is my daughter." He considered his brother's question again. "Am I ready?"

The music started—a CD playing over Sam's sound system because they hadn't been able to find a single suitable musician available on two weeks' notice in the middle of the holiday season.

Derrick popped to his feet. "Can you ever be ready for something like this?"

Bryan pushed off from his perch. "I suppose if you thought you were ready, that would only prove arrogance."

Maybe. Derrick didn't know if he was supposed to feel confident or terrified or what.

All he felt was eager to make Jasmine his wife.

As he followed Bryan down the hall, he inhaled the scent of flowers. Jasmine. Sweet and strong, just like the woman who'd chosen the name when she'd escaped her past.

One side of the formal living room was open to the foyer. The Christmas tree towered in the corner, and beside it, a low fire flickered in the fireplace. Flower arrangements in blues and whites draped from stands that had been placed around the seating area. Bows made of puffy white fabric adorned every surface, and a white carpet stretched down the aisle created by the chairs.

Derrick had no idea how his family had pulled this off so quickly. At first, he'd thought it was silly to have a fancy wedding with only a few weeks' notice, but now, seeing the beauty of it, he understood.

They'd all pitched in, these people he loved so much, to honor him and his bride. They'd always loved him so well, and they'd already made Jasmine one of them.

Mom and his brothers and their wives, girlfriends, and kids were seated in the first few rows. Besides Jasmine and her twin sister, only Eliza and Levi were missing, but they'd come soon enough.

Behind Derrick's immediate family, Uncle Gavin sat at the end of the row beside his oldest daughter, Alyssa, and Aunt Evelyn. Funny how similar Alyssa and Evelyn were with their long silvery-blond hair, though Evelyn's was more silver than blond these days. The rest of the sisters sat in the row behind them. Delaney, Brooklynn, and Cecelia were bent over one of their phones. Kenzie, the youngest, seemed not to mind that her sisters paid her no attention. She caught Derrick's eyes and smiled.

In the next row of seats back, Logan sat with his girlfriend, Darcy, who'd come as his date. Or were they engaged now? If not, they would be soon enough. Logan was the caterer for the retreat center where Leila and Jasmine worked, and both he and Darcy had gone out of their way to make the twins feel welcome in Shadow Cove.

Derrick nodded to them and the other guests, who were all beaming at him.

His heart rate spiked for the first time all morning. These must be the jitters everyone kept asking about.

He took his place between the minister and Bryan. And waited.

Finally, Levi came down the stairs and around the corner, holding a little black pillow with the fake rings. The ones Derrick and Jasmine had chosen were safely tucked in Bryan's pocket. Eliza guided the now five-year-old, whispering in his ear, and he practically skipped down the aisle toward Derrick.

The kid was so cute in his tiny tuxedo and those little blond curls, and Derrick stifled the urge to muss his hair.

He sat beside his dad, and Eliza scooted down the outside edge of the aisle and settled on his other side. They were the perfect little family .

Leila came next, pretty in a shimmery pale-blue dress. Funny how everyone said the twins were identical. They were, but Derrick could tell them apart in an instant. Leila was pretty, of course. But she was not his beloved. As she passed him to take her place on the opposite side of the minister, his almost sister-in-law gave him a smile that said, just you wait.

Finally, the music changed.

And then, there was Jasmine, on his father's arm.

Holy moly.

Somehow, in a couple of weeks, she'd found a gown. Pure white and…gorgeous. Above the bodice, the lace rose to just below her neck and stretched down her arms, showing off her gorgeous dark skin. It flowed out from her waist in a wide skirt and trailed behind her. It was beautiful and modest and absolutely, perfectly Jasmine.

She was…

Wow. Just…

Wow.

He swallowed, swallowed again. Swiped moisture from his eyes to keep her image from blurring. This was a picture he never wanted to forget.

This…this woman. He was marrying this woman.

She gave him a shy smile. Her eyes were bigger, her lips redder. Her cheekbones higher. Her black hair was in some sort of updo with little bits curling down by her face. Her veil hung behind her like…like a halo.

And okay, maybe he was going too far, but he didn't care. He saw what he saw. Beautiful, holy, pure, and perfect.

His bride.

She walked slowly, and he savored every moment.

When she reached him, Dad kissed her on the cheek and stepped back.

Derrick took her hands .

"Who gives this woman in marriage?" the minister asked.

Leila, her twin and her best friend, answered. "My sister owns herself, chooses for herself, and gives herself, and I stand with her in her choice."

The minister knew enough of her story to offer a nod and a supportive smile. "Let's pray."

Derrick tried to focus on the words, but his eyes kept catching on Jasmine's, and she kept smiling at him, and he kept smiling at her.

They spoke vows. They exchanged rings.

And then, "You may kiss the bride."

Derrick wrapped her in his arms and did just that, a sweet, tender promise of forever.

Around them, the room erupted in cheers.

Reluctantly, he started to release her, but she clung to him.

Worried something was wrong, he held her tightly and whispered, "Are you all right?"

"All right?" She backed up, pressing her hands to his face, seeming delightfully confused. "I am much better than all right. I am yours."

"Yes, you're mine." He smiled down at his bride. She was small in stature and huge in courage. She was everything he'd ever wanted. "And I'm yours. Forever."