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Even after he’d been injured and returned to the farm for rehab, he hadn’t wanted to stay. His parents had mistakenly thought that since his military career was over, he would have no other choice.

Zeke couldn’t begrudge them wanting another body on the farm. It seemed like the work never ended, and he remembered his father coming in, night after night, dragging, barely able to eat a meal before crawling into bed, then getting up before the chickens the next morning. Zeke knew that he had disappointed his father, but hopefully he understood how happy Zeke was now.

“It’s good to see you, son,” Matt said, slapping him on the back.

“Hey, D-dad. Good to see you too. Thanks for flying out.”

“Well, your brother Paul has been taking over more of the day to day. This was a good excuse to come out and take a break of our own.”

“You’re still heading to to the Al-l-laska cruise after this, right?”

His father nodded, excitement sparking in his blue eyes. Zeke was surprised when his father rested his hands on his mother’s shoulders, and pressed a kiss to her hair. His mother grinned up at him.

His parents had been married a very long time, and he knew they loved each other, but it had been a while since he’d seen them be so visibly affectionate. “I-I think the time away from the farm is already d-d-doing you well.”

His father pursed his lips and nodded. “Sometimes you get lost in the monotony of the days. It’s good to take a break.”

His parents grinned at each other, and Zeke felt a little uncomfortable. “So,” he said, drawing their attention back. “Ember should be here any m-minute. I’m going to go ch-ch-change into my tux and meet her out front. If everything goes right, I’ll lead her in through the w-w-w-wedding hall, and she’ll get ready in the back. Then p-p-eople will arrive, we’ll get married and have a p-p-party.”

He tried to sound excited, but that was another thing he’d been working on this week. Everyone here would be a friend or relative, but the thought of standing up in front of two hundred people was daunting, no matter the reason.

Zeke headed back to the groom’s area. He wasn’t surprised that Flynn was there, laying out his black and white tux and all the extra stuff. When it had come time to pick his best man, Flynn had been his first choice. Chad, Diego, Terrell would also be standing up with him, because if they hadn’t encouraged him to talk to Ember, none of this would be happening. Drew would also be one of his groomsmen.

Zeke’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out to scan the message. “Sh-sh-she’s on her way. We’ve got f-fifteen minutes, at best.”

Zeke started stripping off his clothes, anxiety churning in his gut. Months of planning had gone into the next half hour, and it would directly impact the rest of his life.

Oh, fuck. What if she didn’t like the venue, or the dresses? Or the flowers? Then he went still.

“What if she doesn’t want to get married?”

Flynn handed him the bright white shirt. “You’re joking, right? The woman has been in love with you, I think, since you first walked in the door of Frog Dog. Do you seriously think she doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life with you?”

Zeke sighed, giving his buddy a slight grin. “N-no, you’re right. I’m just a little n-nervous, I think.”

“Dude,” Flynn said, glancing at the giant clock on the wall. “You don’t have time to be nervous. Get this on!”

Zeke finished dressing and slipped the black leather wingtips on. Then he moved to stand in front of the floor length mirror, fastening the button to close the suit jacket. Okay, he did look pretty good if he did say so himself. He smoothed a hand over his head, smoothing down a little tuft of hair that wanted to stand on end. When the scar tissue had healed, he’d had this funky little cowlick. It wasn’t an issue when his hair was longer. Or when he wore his ball cap.

“You need to move, Foster!”

Zeke turned away from his reflection and headed out the door. But then, he had to stop. The hallway to the front door was lined with Lost and Found people. His groomsmen were on one side, all looking devastatingly handsome in their tuxes. And the women who were her bridesmaids stood across from the men, dressed in varying shades of pale, ice blue to lilac. Willow, Ember’s maid of honor, was dressed in a little darker purple dress, and she looked beautiful. Flynn went to her immediately, pressing a kiss to her lips.

Zeke had such a range of emotion rolling through him, and as he looked at his friends, he could only shake his head. “I love you guys. Thank you.”

Flynn prodded him and he headed toward the front door, his stomach turning. The next few minutes were going to be the hardest of his life, waiting for her to arrive. He watched out the window in the door, waiting for her father’s dark blue Chevy truck. And when it pulled into the passenger unload loop, it took him a minute to get moving.

“Zeke!” Flynn snapped. “Go!”

His buddy faded back into the hallway, but he had a feeling that if Ember came in, they would all be out here waiting.

Taking a final breath, his heart about to pound out of his chest, he stepped out onto the concrete.

Ember was questioning her father in the cab of his truck. Zeke could even see the words she said. She was asking him what they were doing there. He moved forward, until she looked up at him. Her head tilted, and she smiled. Then she glanced at his outfit, and the smile faded away. She blinked several times, as if trying to clear her vision.

Zeke stepped to the side of the truck and opened her door. Beyond the truck and the covered portico, snow fell softly. Reaching in, he took her hand and helped her down.

Ember was bundled in her favorite dark green coat, with maroon muffler wrapped around her neck. She looked very holiday-ish. Her dark hair was bundled underneath, but some hair flew around her face. She looked up at him, her eyes confused. “What’s going on, Zeke?”