Trent Lane fidgeted with his bow-tie as he looked in the mirror of the church dressing room. His hands were shaking as he strove to mold the piece of silk around his neck into something-anything-that resembled a bow. Trent took a deep breath. What had gotten into him? He had had nerves before. Every gig he had ever played, he had had nerves. But he had never had nerves like this before. And this was his wedding day! It should have been the happiest day of his life.
There was a knock on the door and Jake Morgendorffer, father of the bride, entered. “Hey there, Trent, me boy-o!”
In spite of himself, Trent grinned. Jake never quite managed to garner the easy-going image that he wanted around the younger generation. Not without looking completely clueless, anyway. He and Daria agreed on that. “Hey, Dad,” greeted Trent.
“You should see it. It’s a packed house!” smiled Jake.
Trent’s stomach gave a violent jump. “Yeah, that’s great.”
Jake looked him over. “Nervous?” he asked. Jake wasn’t as clueless as he pretended to be, and now it was beginning to show.
“Yeah,” blurted Trent. Then he remembered who he was talking to. “Don’t get me wrong. She’s very special to me, and I love her. I just…”
Jake held up his hand. “Say no more. I understand completely. I was the same way with Helen. I don’t think anybody isn’t a bit anxious beforehand.”
There was another knock at the door, and Helen Morgendorffer, Jake’s wife, entered. “Jake, there you are! We’re almost about ready to start, so come on, already!”
“Sorry, honey,” replied Jake. “I just thought I’d check on the groom, here.”
“Consorting with the enemy?” Helen smirked. “Trent, I expect you to take good care of our daughter,” said Helen sternly. “Especially now that you have a real job writing for that magazine.”
“Yeah,” said Trent. “I’m really glad that Daria helped to get me that job. She’s an excellent writer. If it weren’t for her helping me along, I never would have landed it.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to thank her when we get to the dressing room. She and Quinn should both be there,” said Helen. With that, Helen and Jake left the room.
Five agonizing minutes later, an attendant called Trent to the alter.
It was a packed house.
Trent swallowed hard as he saw representatives of both the Lane and the Morgendorffer families. In front, he saw his mother and three of his siblings: Summer, Wind, and Penny. Jane wasn’t in the pews… and for obvious reasons.
On the Morgendorffer side were Daria and Quinn’s two maternal Aunts: Rita and Amy. Rita was dressed in a revealing blue dress in yet another attempt to show up Helen. Amy, who looked somewhat of a hybrid between the two Morgendorffer sisters, looked directly at Trent and stuck her tongue out at him. Trent smiled at her. Looking at Aunt Amy, some of his nervousness was relieved. Both she and his future wife shared a certain offbeat sense of humor, and if he looked forward to that, it might make him a bit less anxious.
Then, it happened.
The wedding march played.
The entire church stood up and looked at the far end of the aisle.
And then his bride appeared.
Quinn Morgendorffer strolled down the aisle on her father’s arm, dressed in a beautiful white gown and clutching a pink bouquet. Even through the veil, her smile was radiant.
As the priest began the wedding sermon, Trent gazed at his bride and realized that he was marrying the most beautiful and perfect woman in the world.