Ken stood next to the fireplace and looked out at the chairs set up in his future living room. He fingered the knot of his tie to make sure it lay straight. His gaze roamed over the cathedral ceiling with the wood beams and the light fixture that helped him design this room. His mother had hung tulle bunting on the second floor’s balcony and placed a green wreath with white flowers in the center of the swooping material.

He crossed the room and went into the dining room. Against one wall, the two-tiered cake sat on a square table. Valerie had utilized the built-in sideboard to set out the finger foods Calla brought over a couple of hours ago. He crossed into the kitchen. Through the open pantry door, he could see Jon filling a silver tub with ice. He knew sodas and beer would go into that.

His mom rinsed strawberries at the sink. She looked over her shoulder when he stepped onto the tile floor. She smiled at him and said, “The next time we have a wedding, a completely unfurnished house is the place to throw it.”

He smiled. “I’ll remember that.” Furniture would arrive Monday morning. They’d scheduled movers to pack Daisy’s house Tuesday so they could see what she wanted to keep from her home to bring into their home.

Jon carried the tub in and set it on the marble top of the island. “Is Alex coming?” his mom asked.

His eyes darkened, but he smiled at her. “No. Too much going on this weekend. She’ll be home next month.”

“Oh. That’s a shame. I’m sorry she won’t be here.”

“Me, too.”

Ken stepped forward. “Hey, mom. Did Daisy get settled upstairs?”

Focusing on Daisy instead of Alex, his mom smiled and wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “She did. Her mom and her cousin and sister-in-law are up there with her now.”

He’d anticipated marrying Daisy Tuesday morning. When she asked to change plans, he hadn’t missed a beat. But he’d had to push aside the romantic wedding night plans he’d already started formulating. The last few days had crawled by.

They had filled the days, though, with plans and details. She had worked out travel arrangements for her brother and family, food with Calla, and flowers with Camila. Daisy had gone shopping three times for dresses and shoes. A whirlwind of organization all came together, culminating in this moment.

Calla came through the back door carrying a silver hotel pan. “Last of it. This will just need to go into the warm oven,” she said.

Ken took it from her, using the two cloths she used as potholders, and carried it over to the oven. Once he slipped it in, he turned to her and said, “That smells good.”

“Stuffed mushrooms will be filling. Nice to have something hot along with the cold.” Calla shifted her glasses on her nose and said, “I’m going to run upstairs. I have a dress to change into up there. Ian’s parking and should be right in.”

Brad and Valerie came through the back door. Ken had instructed his brothers to park in the adjacent lot, leaving the driveway and street available for Daisy’s family members. “It smells so good in here,” Valerie said, walking up to his mom and giving her a hug.

“Calla’s been at it, even though I told her to keep it simple,” Rosaline said.

“She probably did keep it simple; we just don’t have the same definition of that word.” She turned her attention to Ken. “How’s the groom doing?”

He smiled and brushed his lips over her cheek. “Really, really ready.”

“I bet you are.”

He and Brad shook hands. Brad asked, “Anything left that needs doing?”

Jon came out of the pantry carrying a wooden box filled with soda bottles. “Nope. Your timing is impeccable as usual, Mister CEO.”

Brad chuckled. “I try really hard, you know?”

Ken left them in the kitchen and wandered back into the living room. Marcus and Diego stood talking near the fireplace. They both looked at him as he entered the room. Marcus asked, “Ken, can we talk for a moment?”

“Yes, sir,” he said, extending his hand. Marcus shook it, his grip strong. “Diego, glad you made it.”

“It’s good to see you, brother,” his high-school buddy said, grinning. The two men hugged.

“What’s up?” Ken asked Marcus.

“I think we need to go over the order of ceremony again.” He gestured at a box laid across two chairs. “Camila made the lasso. Do you understand how that works?” Ken thought about the flowered garland fastened into a loop that Marcus and Diego would put around him and Daisy as a symbol of becoming one in marriage. He nodded. “Great.”

Ken checked his watch. Impatience clawed at him from the inside like a beast trapped behind his rib cage. Twenty minutes to go. He glanced up at the balcony and waited.

Daisy ran her hands across her stomach and rested her hands on the waist of her dress. She could tell, but Camila assured her no one else could. Well, not really. Her dress had spaghetti straps, a heart-shaped bodice, and a skirt that fell straight down from the waist to the floor. She’d gone with simple. She didn’t have a huge wedding party in a church, so she had no need for a long train.

Her cousin had pulled the sides of her hair back and twisted them into an elaborate bun, leaving the rest of her hair to fall in curled waves.

“Eyes,” Camila said, holding up the can of hair spray. Daisy grinned and shielded her eyes while Camila doused her hair. She stepped back and examined her masterpiece.

“Perfect,” her mom said, lifting the lace veil out of the box. Daisy’s grandmother had worn it when she married her grandfather in Puebla, Mexico, before immigrating to the United States and taking a position with a Bible college. Daisy stayed seated in the chair, and her mom fastened the veil to the bun while Camila took a dozen photos. Daisy held up the mirror and checked. The veil cascaded down the back of her head to the tops of her shoulders. It took her breath away to think that her grandmother had worn it, along with her aunt and one cousin as well.

Diego’s wife, Amy, unboxed the white satin heels and knelt to help Daisy slip her feet into them. Amy had gone to school with the Dixon brothers and had been friends with them and Diego all of her adult life.

“Perfect fit,” Amy said, grinning up at her sister-in-law. Daisy wiggled her toes. She wondered if she should have gone for a slightly lower heel. Before she could mention it, a tap on the door brought Rosaline.

“Oh, Daisy,” she said, walking around the chair, “how beautiful you look.”

Her mom ran her finger over the lace. “My husband’s family has had this veil for three generations now.”

“Such a treasure,” Rosaline breathed. She pulled a long jewel case out of her pocket. “I wore these pearls at my wedding. They were the first real piece of jewelry I ever owned. Valerie and Alex both wore them at their weddings. I would be so honored if you would wear them today.”

She’d been present when Rosaline offered them to Alex. Daisy teared up but didn’t want to mess up her makeup, so she waved at her eyes. “I was hoping you’d offer,” she said. “I would be honored to wear them.”

Rosaline secured them around her neck, then stood back, and Daisy got to her feet. The mothers held hands and admired her while Camila handed her the bouquet of white roses, white daisies, and rich green seeded eucalyptus greens.

“Ready?” Camila asked. She wore a dark blue dress with bright embroidered yellow, red, and white flowers along the bodice and the skirt. She’d put her black hair up in a loose bun, and tendrils fell in curls around her face, framing it. Daisy thought she’d never looked so beautiful.

Amy wore a bright red dress with blue and white flowers embroidered in the same pattern. Camila had pulled her blonde hair into a similar style.

Daisy nodded and took a deep breath. Even though the reality had almost nothing in common with her dreams of what her wedding day might entail, she could hardly believe this day had finally come. “Ready.”

Her mom came up and put her hands on her shoulders. “Thank you for waiting so we could all celebrate with you.” Rosaline echoed the sentiment.

She kissed both of their cheeks, still amazed at the way Ken’s family had simply accepted her as one of their own. She ran her finger over the heavy pearls, a little shocked at their weight, feeling like that sealed the deal and made her one of Rosaline’s children.

Camila picked up the bouquets of yellow and white daisies and handed one to Amy. “It’s time.”

Rosaline looked at her mother. “Ready, Rita?”

“Very much so.”

She opened the door, and her grandfather stood outside it. Daisy took his arm and walked down the hall. As they passed the balcony, she glanced down and spotted Ken standing next to his brothers in front of the fireplace. He looked up at her, and her heart raced in reaction to his handsome face. She hoped he always invoked that kind of response in her.

As she walked down the staircase and ran her hand along the rail and felt the smooth surface, she thought about how he’d built this house for her, about how much she loved him and how proud she was of him. Getting married here, in this structure that he had fashioned for them with his own strong hands, made all the sense in the world.

Her grandfather handed her off to Ken. Her father spoke the traditional wedding words, talking about love in a Biblical sense, holy matrimony as God intended in the beginning. Brad and Jon stood near Ken, and Camila and Amy stood near her. While he spoke, she looked into Ken’s gray eyes and felt solid, steady, not at all nervous or afraid.

Looking into his steady gaze, she realized that they’d build a life together in this home. They’d raise a family. They could walk to either Brad’s house or Jon’s house in minutes. Their children would all grow up in the same community, with the same schools and the same peer groups. It filled her with wonder how God had worked everything out with an obvious plan and purpose.

They repeated their vows and exchanged rings. Daisy stared at the gold band set with the line of diamonds and realized her dream had come true. After she slipped the thick gold band onto Ken’s finger, they still faced each other and gripped hands while Diego stood and carried the big gold box to her father. He opened the lid and pulled out the long loop of flowers made from white daisies, white roses, and greenery similar to the bouquet she carried.

Diego helped her father loop the strand over Ken’s head, twist it, then loop it over her head, forming an eternity symbol. The gathered family and friends murmured. Daisy glanced at the audience and saw smiles and tears.

“The wedding lasso represents the coming together as one,” her father announced. “Let us pray. God bless this union. We pray that Ken and Daisy continue to grow in faith and love as one for the rest of their lives. Amen.”

Daisy smiled up at Ken as her father said, “You may now kiss the bride.”

Ken smiled, flashing white teeth. “Finally. I’ve wanted to kiss you all day.”

Ken kissed Daisy with warm, soft lips full of promise, passion, and love. She heard the clapping and cheers, but even though they had an audience, she wanted this particular kiss, this special kiss, this one-of-a-kind kiss, to just go on and on. One of his hands rested on her hip, the other rested on her neck, and he gently pulled her closer, deeper into the kiss. Suddenly, she wanted to be much closer to him, much closer to her husband. She wanted every barrier between them to vanish. Nothing existed except for this moment.

He raised his head and smiled down at her as if he could read her thoughts.

Long after the last slice of lemon cheesecake disappeared from the rose-bordered platter, the family sat around the table and talked. Rosaline had offered to move into another room, but Valerie insisted that the dining room chair was more comfortable for her hip than anything else. The guests of honor, Wade Snyder and his wife Kristen, along with Wade’s campaign manager, Evan Strickland, had come in town today and readily accepted the dinner invitation.

A week ago, neo-Nazis had attacked Wade in his hotel room, shooting and killing a staff member and wounding five, including Alex. Jon had been on the phone with Alex when it happened, so he immediately responded. He and his brothers made a scary and harrowing trip to Indianapolis to reach her side in the wake of the shooting.

Daisy’s gaze roamed over Alex’s face. She’d refused pain medicine in the wake of her surgery because of the baby. Daisy knew she had some rough nights in the hospital but already looked so much better. Jon brought her home this weekend. She and Valerie had taken turns with Rosaline, keeping her company in between their work schedules.

She returned her attention to Wade and found her place in the story he told about starting as a freshman when he was twenty-one.

“How did you get a scholarship?” Valerie asked. “You weren’t exactly playing high school ball then.”

“I was playing on a community team. A scout happened to be going by the court and saw me. Took him months to convince me to go to his college. I was working part-time at a grocery store and had just registered for online classes.”

Kristin put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed, then ran her hand across his back. “Good thing, too,” she said, her teeth bright white against her chocolate-colored skin. “We met at Freshmen orientation. He grabbed my coffee shop order instead of his. You ever see someone’s face when they take a sip of caramel macchiato when they expected green tea?” She put a hand on her chest and laughed. “It still cracks me up.”

“I’m glad I could be such a continual source of amusement,” he replied dryly.

She turned her gaze to her husband. “And then you invited me to Bible study. You had my heart right then, Senator.”

He wound one of her frosted curls around his finger. “Good thing, too, or I’d never have made Senator.”

“Well,” Evan interrupted, “you did have me. I mean, I’m not as good a kisser or anything.”

Wade shook his head, “Not nearly as good looking, either.”

Everyone at the table laughed. Ken slipped his arm over her shoulder and leaned in. “You good?” he asked low.

She turned her head close to his. “Yeah. You?”

He brushed a kiss over her temple and nodded.

Kristen stood abruptly and held up her phone. “My new assistant.” For a moment, she paused. Daisy knew her assistant had died in the attack in Wade’s hotel room. “She has the kids. Excuse me.”

As she left the room, Alex asked, “How’s she doing?”

“She’s scared.” Wade sat back and ran his hand over his head. “We knew there would be racial issues when we started our run. We had a few issues during my senatorial campaign in Alabama. It was something we specifically prayed about before I accepted the nomination. I just don’t think either one of us expected the violence to actually enter our midst. I think we were arrogant in thinking that humanity was above that these days.”

Even the tips of Evan’s ears turned red. Daisy could feel the rage vibrating off of him. “Sometimes, I wish the shooters hadn’t died in the attack so they could face justice.”

Phillip cleared his throat. “I’m sure they’ve been receiving their due for a little over a week now.”

Daisy gasped, realizing what he meant. Ken shrugged and squeezed her thigh, conveying understanding. Kristen walked back into the room then and said to Wade, “Kennedy wanted help with her speech.”

Wade interjected. “Kennedy will be speaking at tomorrow’s fundraising dinner.”

Alex grinned. “Oh, she’s so funny.” She looked around the table. “She’s nine, but I’ve never met a more precocious child. She’ll be a hoot.”

Kristen returned to her seat. “She asked about you.”

“That makes me happy.” She picked up her teacup. “I miss those two.”

Wade narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re still planning to come back?”

“Just as soon as I can walk unaided. I pray that’s before election day.”

“We join you in that prayer.”

Evan looked at his watch. “I’m afraid I need to be a bad guy and break us up. We’re just under four weeks before election day. Wade has a lot more work to do tonight before I let him clock out.”

Rosaline stood and said, “I know carving out these two hours was a hardship on your schedule, but it was so good to see you again.”

“It was worth every minute. And dinner was amazing. I’ve heard rumors about your cooking,” Kristen said. She bent and hugged Alex. “You stay right there. Get that leg better.”

Brad spoke up. “Before you all leave, I’d like to pray over Wade and Kristen.” He held out his hands. Valerie took one, his father took the other, and soon everyone held hands in a circle. “Father God, we love You, and we love the chance to spend fellowship time with Wade, Kristen, and Evan. God, lay Your hand over this campaign. Guide Wade’s thoughts and actions. Instill in him pure wisdom beyond his years, and give him the power of Your Holy Spirit as he maneuvers through the quagmire of racism and intolerance. Protect Kristen and the kids the way You have protected Wade, and instill in their team a strength to get through even the roughest times. Amen.”

Daisy appreciated the power behind Brad’s words. When she raised her head, she looked around the circle and thanked God silently for bringing her into this fold. She remembered the way Brad and Ken had immediately taken Jon to the airport when Jon called them. She prayed that if she ever had to lean on them, she would remember their strength of character and know that they would follow through with anything in their power to help.