The reception was held in a giant tent with twinkle lights strung everywhere and decorations that made any other wedding I’d ever been to pale in comparison. It was perfection. Kaylee had ended up doing almost everything for the wedding. All the plans, the decorations, the cake, the photographer—she had taken care of all of it. She had done such an amazing job that a few people asked her if she would consider planning more events. I hoped she would give it some thought. I knew she loved editing books, but I could also see she was longing for something more. And Hamilton could use a good wedding and event planner.
Warm breath hit my neck, and I instantly melted into Brock’s body. The reception had been going strong for almost two hours, and things were beginning to wind down.
“Hey,” he whispered before kissing my neck. “I’d like to spend some time with you and Blayze for a bit, before exhaustion overtakes you both.”
I laughed. “That sounds wonderful.”
He winked. “I have an early appointment with the mayor’s office before we fly out to Nashville tomorrow. But I wanted to take you somewhere first. Me, you, and Blayze. You down for a drive?”
I spun around and looked up at him. “A drive?”
He nodded.
Blayze pulled on my dress. “Please, Mommy, please!”
My heart jumped to my throat. Blayze had called me Mommy. I fought to hold back my tears as I looked up at Brock. He was doing the same.
“O-okay,” my shaking voice said. “Let’s go for a ride.”
Brock announced we were slipping out to spend a bit of time together with Blayze. He helped me into his truck and then put Blayze in his seat. We headed down a dirt road that led to the mountains. After driving up a pretty winding and twisting road, we came to a clearing. I gasped at the view.
“Oh my goodness! This is . . . this is . . .” I faced Brock.
“It’s not the tallest mountain in the world, but it’s the tallest one on the ranch.”
Blayze chuckled.
With a wide grin, I said, “Let me out of this truck. I have some shouting to do!”
Brock’s eyes filled with happiness as he rushed to get Blayze out. We walked hand in hand with Blayze and stopped at the edge of the plateau. It overlooked the entire ranch valley.
“Why didn’t we get married up here?”
“I’m pretty sure my mother would have had a fit.”
“Pwus, it’s super windy!” Blayze added, clearly remembering all the comments Stella had made about the wind.
“You ready?” Brock asked me.
I nodded and pulled in a deep breath. Then, I screamed as loud as I could, “I’m Mrs. Brock Shaw!”
Blayze jumped up and down, screaming out what he wanted the world to know as well. “I have a mommy, and I’m going to be a big brother!”
I dropped down, pulled him into my arms, and held him. Brock had been talking more about Kaci to Blayze lately. He had always had a picture of her at the side of his bed, but now Brock had gotten into the habit of telling Blayze stories of when Kaci was pregnant with him. It made my heart so full, and I knew Blayze loved hearing about his mother.
Then Brock shouted, “I’m the happiest man in the world and married to the love of my life! Mrs. Lincoln Shaw!”
I lifted Blayze in my arms and let Brock engulf us both in a large hug. Burying my face into his chest, I cried tears of happiness.
Nothing would ever top this moment in my life.
The next morning, Brock had stopped by the mayor’s office to finalize the plans for the park that he was helping to raise money to build. It was going to be an amazing community park, named in Kaci’s honor, with a playground, a skate park, and an arena for kids to show their animals as well as a large building that would house an indoor pool, a gym for older kids and adults, and classrooms for the agricultural-education students and local residents to use. There were even plans being set up to help people who suffered from depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues, which Brock was working on with Kaci’s parents.
Brock didn’t want anyone to know, but he had been a major financial contributor in getting the project for the community park up and going. It seemed to be therapeutic for him while he’d been recovering from his injuries.
As we walked out of the mayor’s office, Brock reached for my hand. “I think she would be proud of this project.”
I smiled. “I know she would be. Plus, it’s a great way to honor her memory, and one that Blayze will forever cherish.”
Brock simply nodded as we made our way to his truck. He stopped at the passenger door and paused.