Page 183 of You Found Me
Della found herself scanning the tree line for signs of Ward. He wasn’t in the wedding party, so he wasn’t supposed to be inthis set of pictures, but it seemed wrong not to have him there. She wanted him with her.
Finally, she spotted him standing under a palm tree just ahead of them. Watching and waiting.
“Mattie? Do you mind if we get some group shots with Ward?”
“Yeah, I want some with Blake too,” Piper said.
“I want shots with all of us. Get everybody here. Carrie too.” Mattie waved at the rest of the men. “Where’s Renic?”
“He’s helping Carrie get dinner ready,” Lizzie said. She pulled her cell phone out from somewhere in her dress and started texting. “I’ll get them.”
Della ran to Ward. “Come on. The bride wants group shots with all the guys.”
“The bride? Or her bridesmaid?” He walked with her back to the group.
“Both.” She grinned at him.
“Okay,” the photographer said, “let’s wander back to the arch but this time with the guys. We can do one big, posed shot there with the lights.”
“I really feel sorry for her,” Della said. “It’s hard enough with a normal family to get people to sit still for photos.”
“We’re not normal, true, but we’re family,” Piper said.
“Yes, we are,” Adam agreed. “Though I think my parents are still too starstruck over Blake Ryan to consider him one of us just yet. Pretty sure they watched him more than me today.”
“No, they didn’t,” Mattie gave him a little nudge. “They both were crying during our vows. I saw your mother hand your dad a tissue. It was super sweet.”
“Piper, have you two set a date yet?” Lizzie asked. “It’s been months since Blake proposed.”
“We’ve been too busy to nail it down. Besides, I’m pretty sure we’re just going to elope.” Piper wrinkled her nose. “This is too much work.”
“No, it’s not,” Mattie protested.
“It’s a little work,” Lizzie admitted. “But it’s worth it. Don’t worry, I’ll help you put it together. That’s what I do.”
“Let’s just focus onthiswedding for now.” Piper sounded a little panicked. “I don’t need all the people and the fancy stuff. I just need Blake and you three and maybe a cake.”
“Amen to that,” Ward muttered.
Della’s stomach grumbled. “Speaking of cake, is it time to eat yet?”
“Oh, we’re already late to dinner.” Lizzie laughed. “This is why I like to be running the wedding instead of being in it. It’s easier to wrangle. That’s okay. It’s our party. They’ll wait.”
It took another hour before the photographer and the bride were satisfied that every shot on the list had been taken.
They ate dinner on the deck, under the stars and twinkle lights.
Then it was time for speeches, and of course Adam sang a song he’d written just for Mattie. Della found herself swaying to the soft rhythm and sweet melody.
“This will go viral,” Piper said. “Especially if they use footage from actual weddings for the video.”
“Definitely,” Della agreed.
“Will they use this one?” Ward asked with a carefully neutral face.
Della wrinkled her nose. “Of course not. This is private. Just for us.”
“They should put it out there as a contest,” Piper said. “Win a surprise visit from the band for your wedding. It would be really sweet.”