Southern Charm

Chapter 21

JESSIE

Let me tell you that getting kicked in the forehead by a damaged, abused horse is wild. I never thought something like that would happen to me, yet here I am and might I add with no brain damage. I'm still alive and breathing as I prepare to walk down the pathway created for my wedding at my family ranch. With the swelling and bruising down and a touch of makeup in certain areas to covering some bruising, I was wedding-ready. My bridesmaids wore baby blue, and the groomsmen wore gray short-sleeved shirts with black ties.

Our family ranch has two barns, one for the animals and the other a fully air-conditioned for such events. Thank the Lord it had an AC unit or else we would all be sweating bullets waiting for the whole thing to be over with.

My wedding was put together in a matter of days and was now going to be successfully pulled off thanks to my creative maid of honor, Bailey Boone. All of my bridesmaids had put in so much work and I couldn't have asked for anything better in a such a short amount of time.

"Are you ready, sweetheart?" Scott asked as he adjusted his tie with tears in his eyes.

I nodded. "Don't cry, Dad. I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be here even after we get married," I said, trying not to tear up myself.

"I know you will be. It's just you're so grown up and a beautiful young lady. Your mother would be so proud of you right now. I wish she could be here next to you, but I know she is in spirit."

"I miss her so much. Mom would have loved the wedding setup and the baby blue-colored dresses like she had for your wedding. Everything I picked was because it reminded me of Mom," I said. 

My four brothers walked in, and they all gasped at the sight of me, making me chuckle. 

Colton came over to me first and hugged me. "Jess, you look so beautiful. Honestly, I wasn't sure you'd ever get married due to your stubbornness. Trace is a good guy, though, and I am happy for you."

"Yeah, you're getting married before the rest of us, which is saying something. Jess, you are committed to Trace and aren't doing this because he saved the ranch and your life are you? If you need out, tell us," Bennett said.

I laughed. "I swear I am marrying Trace because I love him. He has not pressured me into anything. I'm fully committed to him."

Parker smiled. "Good. I wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt around here. There has been too much of that going on lately."

"Tell me about it," Dane said. Dane hugged me and whispered into my ear. "Mom would've loved everything you picked out."

Candace came into the room and snapped a family picture of me with my brothers and father. It was our first picture together since Mom died, and although it was sad she wasn't here physically, I knew she was spiritually, as my father had said. Veronica got in the next picture with us and so did Naomi. It was crazy to me that Parker was engaged to Naomi. They had been dating a while, but I always saw him as the player. I guess Naomi changed him for the better which was good. 

"Okay, now are you ready?" Scott asked. I linked arms with my father, who still had tears in his eyes. I squeezed his arm, and he glanced at me. "I won't cry, I swear."

I smiled. "Okay, but if Trace doesn't cry, we're turning around, alright?" My father laughed as the rest of the wedding party went on ahead of us.

I took some final deep breaths, and the traditional wedding aisle song played as we walked to the barn doors. They opened, and my eyes found Trace's straight away. He had the biggest smile I had ever seen, and he was crying! I didn't think he would, but this man was shedding some tears.