Chapter 1
“ D o you , Emma Jolene Price, take Caleb Matthew King to be your partner in the adventure that lies ahead?”
I paused, noticing a hush had settled over the three hundred people gathered in the cloistered, Renaissance courtyard of The Ringling Museum of Art for our wedding. Now everyone knew my middle name, which my mother had given me because she loved the famous Dolly Parton song. It used to embarrass me, but now, standing before all of Caleb’s friends, family, and business associates, I was proud of it. My mom had been different. I was unique, too, and it’s exactly what Caleb loved about me.
He’d just said his vows, and it took several heaving breaths on my part to get through his I dos because all I wanted was to sob with joy.
If only my mom had lived to see this day. I brushed a tear off my cheek with my index finger, recalling how she’d always told me marriage wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Maybe Caleb, with his blend of kindness and strength, could’ve changed her mind.
She had been wrong about marriage, and I replied to the reverend in a clear, loud voice, as if I was finally somehow challenging my own mother’s words. Maybe I was.
“I do.”
“Do you promise to walk by his side to the ends of the earth?” asked the reverend, an older, dark-haired woman named Laurie, who had a bit of a New York accent even after living in Florida for decades. We’d bonded over our love of romance novels, and the minute we met, I knew she would be the one to speak aloud our vows.
“I do.” I answered this quickly. I would go anywhere, do anything, for him.
The wind picked up, and my long, white veil soared behind me. I imagined it breaking free from my curls and flying past the bronze replica of the Statue of David, past the Greco-Roman columns, and over the multi-tiered, fondant-shrouded cake, toward the sparkling blue Gulf of Mexico where it would soar forever.
“To love, support, and encourage him in every endeavor?” Laurie’s kind glance was so welcome and calmed my nerves.
“Yes, I do.”
“Do you commit to opening yourself up completely to him and sharing with him your entire being?”
I glanced at Caleb, and he smiled, his blue eyes glinting in the late-day sun. I wanted to soak in this moment, absorb the golden light and the smell of lilies in the air, forever.
Imprint it all so I’d never forget until my dying breath.
Because this was the most difficult vow of all, and I’d thought long and hard about including it when we wrote our wedding program. Opening myself up emotionally hadn’t been easy for me during our time together. But I had to so Caleb and I would have a successful marriage. I had to for our baby. I was no example of an emotionally healthy person—I knew that. But Caleb had helped me open the door to a wider world.
Now I had to grow up and put someone else’s needs before mine.
As I hesitated, I felt a flutter in my abdomen. The baby. This wasn’t the first time our baby had kicked, but it was the strongest sensation yet. I took it as a sign, as if the baby was saying, Mom, don’t mess this up . I looked down and instinctively reached for Caleb’s hand so I could press it to my stomach. The baby kicked again. We stared at each other with wonder, grins spreading across our faces. And then I turned to the reverend, ready.
“I do.”
“Do you, Emma, promise to share memories and destinies with Caleb?”
“I do.”
Laurie turned. “Caleb, the ring?”
He spun to his brother, Colin, who surprisingly wasn’t wearing his usual ironic, wry grin. Looking the most serious I’d ever seen, Colin pulled the ring out of his pocket, then squeezed Caleb’s shoulder as he placed the platinum band in his brother’s outstretched hand. Caleb reached his other hand toward his younger brother’s face and cupped his jaw and neck.
I swallowed another sob. I was marrying a truly good man.
Caleb looked to me. His fingers shook as he took the band and glided
“ D o you , Emma Jolene Price, take Caleb Matthew King to be your partner in the adventure that lies ahead?”
I paused, noticing a hush had settled over the three hundred people gathered in the cloistered, Renaissance courtyard of The Ringling Museum of Art for our wedding. Now everyone knew my middle name, which my mother had given me because she loved the famous Dolly Parton song. It used to embarrass me, but now, standing before all of Caleb’s friends, family, and business associates, I was proud of it. My mom had been different. I was unique, too, and it’s exactly what Caleb loved about me.
He’d just said his vows, and it took several heaving breaths on my part to get through his I dos because all I wanted was to sob with joy.
If only my mom had lived to see this day. I brushed a tear off my cheek with my index finger, recalling how she’d always told me marriage wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Maybe Caleb, with his blend of kindness and strength, could’ve changed her mind.
She had been wrong about marriage, and I replied to the reverend in a clear, loud voice, as if I was finally somehow challenging my own mother’s words. Maybe I was.
“I do.”
“Do you promise to walk by his side to the ends of the earth?” asked the reverend, an older, dark-haired woman named Laurie, who had a bit of a New York accent even after living in Florida for decades. We’d bonded over our love of romance novels, and the minute we met, I knew she would be the one to speak aloud our vows.
“I do.” I answered this quickly. I would go anywhere, do anything, for him.
The wind picked up, and my long, white veil soared behind me. I imagined it breaking free from my curls and flying past the bronze replica of the Statue of David, past the Greco-Roman columns, and over the multi-tiered, fondant-shrouded cake, toward the sparkling blue Gulf of Mexico where it would soar forever.
“To love, support, and encourage him in every endeavor?” Laurie’s kind glance was so welcome and calmed my nerves.
“Yes, I do.”
“Do you commit to opening yourself up completely to him and sharing with him your entire being?”
I glanced at Caleb, and he smiled, his blue eyes glinting in the late-day sun. I wanted to soak in this moment, absorb the golden light and the smell of lilies in the air, forever.
Imprint it all so I’d never forget until my dying breath.
Because this was the most difficult vow of all, and I’d thought long and hard about including it when we wrote our wedding program. Opening myself up emotionally hadn’t been easy for me during our time together. But I had to so Caleb and I would have a successful marriage. I had to for our baby. I was no example of an emotionally healthy person—I knew that. But Caleb had helped me open the door to a wider world.
Now I had to grow up and put someone else’s needs before mine.
As I hesitated, I felt a flutter in my abdomen. The baby. This wasn’t the first time our baby had kicked, but it was the strongest sensation yet. I took it as a sign, as if the baby was saying, Mom, don’t mess this up . I looked down and instinctively reached for Caleb’s hand so I could press it to my stomach. The baby kicked again. We stared at each other with wonder, grins spreading across our faces. And then I turned to the reverend, ready.
“I do.”
“Do you, Emma, promise to share memories and destinies with Caleb?”
“I do.”
Laurie turned. “Caleb, the ring?”
He spun to his brother, Colin, who surprisingly wasn’t wearing his usual ironic, wry grin. Looking the most serious I’d ever seen, Colin pulled the ring out of his pocket, then squeezed Caleb’s shoulder as he placed the platinum band in his brother’s outstretched hand. Caleb reached his other hand toward his younger brother’s face and cupped his jaw and neck.
I swallowed another sob. I was marrying a truly good man.
Caleb looked to me. His fingers shook as he took the band and glided
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