Epilogue

“You’re going to have to pay to have that rut you’re putting in the parking lot fixed.”

Calvin cast an irritated glance at Pete and paused his pacing outside the Wolf Junction Christian Church. “You’re sure she’s still in there?”

Pete groaned and rolled his eyes. “For the billionth time, yes. Riley’s not going to run off. Chill out and enjoy your wedding.”

Calvin felt like a wuss, but he couldn’t help being anxious. “I’m trying, okay? It’s just that my first wedding day didn’t turn out so hot. My world exploded like a potato left in the microwave too long. You know, splat!”

Pete grinned at the way Calvin pantomimed a potato being blown to bits as he resumed pacing. “I do know. I was there to pick up the little pieces of potato-head Calvin.”

Calvin stopped in front of Pete. “I know, and I hope you know how grateful I am to you for always having my back.”

“No problem,” Pete said. “You’ve always had mine, especially when it came to helping me deal with my crazy family. Anyway, you don’t have anything to worry about. Riley completely accepts the truth about you and your family, and she loves you. Jenny did you a favor by leaving you at the altar. Marrying her would’ve been a huge mistake.”

Calvin took a big breath and nodded. “You’re right. I know now that it wouldn’t have lasted. Jenny wasn’t my shift-mate.” He turned his gaze to the church. “But Riley is, and it might sound sappy, but I’m going to love that woman for the rest of my life.”

Pete put a hand on Calvin’s shoulder. “It doesn’t sound sappy at all. It sounds fantastic. I hope I find that kind of love.”

The wistful note in Pete’s voice made Calvin’s smile dim a little. “Maybe you’re just not Tyra’s shift-mate, Pete. I know that might be hard to accept, but it might be true.”

“I know, but, hey, this isn’t about me. This is your wedding day, man!” Pete laughed. “Time to get hitched to your gorgeous woman and get blitzed at the reception so I can get you to do the Macarena.”

“Like hell I will,” Calvin protested.

Pete noticed Adam waving at them from the front door of the church. “We’re being paged. Thank, God. I’m freezing my balls off.”

Calvin chuckled as a fierce gust of late February wind lifted Pete’s long, crimson hair. “It’s not that cold out.”

Pete threw him a glare as they headed for the church. “Maybe not for you, but twenty-two degrees is cold for us non-shifters.”

“C’mon, you guys,” Adam said as they approached. “Pastor Carlson is getting antsy, and I think Riley is, too.”

Calvin looked at his watch. “It’s not supposed to start until one. It’s only 12:45.”

Adam’s brows rose as he held the glass door open for them. “So, you’d rather wait longer to marry Riley?”

Calvin was momentarily blinded as they left the bright sunshine and entered the darker interior of the church vestibule. He blinked a couple of times as his eyesight adjusted. “No, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to make sure that everyone was here before we started.”

“Trust me; everyone who matters is here,” Adam responded as they entered the sanctuary.

A pretty, middle-aged woman wearing a white clergy robe stood at the front of the sanctuary.

She smiled as the three men reached the altar. “Hello, gentlemen. Ready to get married, Calvin?”

“More than ready, Pastor,” Calvin replied.

“Glad to hear it.” She turned her blue eyes on Pete. “And you have the rings?”

Pete patted his right tux pants pocket. “Right here.”

Pastor Carlson said, “Good. I’ll have Mr. Crenshaw and Blaze start the prelude then.”

As she left them, Calvin’s heartbeat accelerated as he realized that he was minutes away from marrying the woman of his dreams. “This is really happening, guys. I mean really happening.”

Adam chuckled. “Yeah. No runaway bride this time, so calm down. I can smell your anxiety.”

“It’s not anxiety. Not now. I’m just excited.”

Pete said, “Here comes your mom and it looks like you’re gonna get hugged pretty hard.”

Calvin smiled as Delia came down the aisle. Tears stood out in her eyes even though she was smiling.

“Oh, just look at you! So handsome,” she said.

Calvin smoothed down the jacket of his gray tux. “Thanks.”

“I’m so glad you got a haircut.” Delia reached up to fix a small piece of his hair the wind had blown out of place. “There. That’s better.” A tear escaped her eye as she fussed with his tie. “I can’t believe my little boy is all grown and about to get married.”

A wry smile curved Calvin’s mouth. “That’s what you said the last time, too.”

“Well, it’s still just as true, but unlike the last time, your bride-to-be is chomping at the bit to marry you,” Delia said.

“I feel the same way.”

“And she looks like an angel,” Delia said as Trent came up behind her, followed closely by Abe, who wore an aggravated expression.

“Yes, she does,” Trent agreed. “I’m glad you didn’t mess up your tie. It took me too long to tie it because you had ants in your pants. As bad as a nervous horse.”

Pete and Adam laughed while Calvin scowled at his father.

“You know, they have ushers for a reason,” Abe groused as he stood beside Trent.

Trent turned to look at his son, who stood a couple of inches taller than him. “What are you complaining about? We know how to walk down the aisle.” His face relaxed into a smile as he met Delia’s eyes. “We did just fine at our wedding, didn’t we, babe?”

Delia slipped her arm through his and squeezed it. “We sure did.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Abe said. “Don’t start walking down memory lane. We’re just about ready to start. How about you take your seats so JJ can get Riley’s mom to hers?”

Delia turned around to see JJ standing with Joanne Flowers. “Oh, Jo! Your little girl is absolutely gorgeous.”

Joanne’s dark eyes lit up. “Yes, she is.”

Much to Abe’s consternation, Delia suggested, “Why don’t you and Ron just sit with Trent and me?”

“Mom, that’s not how it supposed to—”

“Oh, who cares? Come on, Jo.” Delia took Joanne’s arm. “We can cry tears of joy together while our husbands pretend to be too macho to cry.”

Joanne laughed. “Why not? Let’s do it.”

Abe threw his hands in the air and stomped back up the aisle. Calvin and his other brothers held back laughter as they listened to Abe grumble to himself. Delia gave Calvin a hug and kiss before Trent ushered her and Joanne away from the altar. Piano music filled the air and Calvin turned to see Scott Crenshaw playing the instrument with flair while one of Pete’s other friends, Blaze Stryker, came in on his electric guitar. The strains of Russell Dickerson’s Yours filled the church.

Pete surprised Calvin by stepping over to a mic stand. He knew Pete was a pretty good singer, but he’d never known him to perform anywhere except at karaoke.

Calvin leaned closer to Adam and whispered, “Did you know he was going to sing?”

Adam shook his head. “Must’ve cooked that up on his own.”

Calvin smiled in response and listened to the song, but all the while, his excitement to see Riley grew, and he trained his eyes on the doorway that the woman of his heart would soon walk through.

“Stop it, Dad!” Riley’s shoulders shook with laughter. “We’re not even married yet and you’re rushing us into having kids.”

Ed Flowers chuckled and made a dismissive gesture. “Your mother and I aren’t getting any younger. We’d like to watch our grandkids grow up and graduate from college, you know.”

“College? I’m not even pregnant yet.”

Ed pounced. “Aha! You said ‘yet’. That means you’re thinking about it.”

Riley was saved from answering by the sounds of music coming from beyond the door of the children’s Sunday school room they’d commandeered for a changing room.

“Sound like things are getting started,” Danni commented.

Riley turned to her best friend and maid of honor with a wide smile. “I want to go hear the prelude. Come on.”

“No!” Danni stepped in front of her. “You don’t want Calvin to see you before it’s time.”

“I’ll stay out of sight, but I want to hear Pete sing. I’m so glad he agreed to it. Now, let’s go,” Riley said.

Danni looked at Ed for help, but he shrugged. “No sense trying to fight city hall.”

Riley giggled, picked up her bouquet of ivory anemones, white tulips, and pale pink calla lilies tied with a pastel pink ribbon, and headed for the door. Ed opened it and motioned for Riley and Danni to exit the room ahead of him.

Riley walked quickly down the hallway that led to the vestibule but stayed well away from the open double doors of the sanctuary. Hearing Pete sing the song about being thankful their hearts belonged to each other brought tears to Riley’s eyes. It perfectly matched the way she felt about her sexy, nerdy cowboy.

Calvin made her happier than she’d ever been, and it amazed her that she woke up every morning loving him even more than the day before. It wasn’t just that she loved him with her heart and mind. Her feelings for him went much deeper than that and she now believed that soulmates were real—or shift-mates in her and Calvin’s situation. Their bond existed on a cellular level, something that was ingrained in their psyches.

“Red sings pretty good.” Danni adjusted the bodice of her light gray satin gown and patted her blonde updo. “He’s nice on the eyes, too. So are Calvin’s brothers. Is it something in the water around here that makes all the guys grow up sexy?”

“Shh!” Riley admonished quietly.

Danni made an apologetic gesture as Tyra joined them. She looked beautiful in her A-line bridesmaid’s dress that differed from Danni’s in that it had a fuller, longer skirt.