Read Online Letters Home by Rebecca Brooke - Free Book Online Page A

Marissa.
    “Damn, that boy is a genius.” She walked all the way around me, taking in the entire picture. “The color and cut of the dress is perfect.”
    Once she came back around the front she wrapped her arms around me. “You look beautiful,” she whispered.
    “Thank you for being here today.”
    “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Now let’s go get you married.”
    I smiled and nodded. The dress was truly beautiful, and I felt a little like a fairytale princess. On the trip to the base, I couldn’t help but notice what a gorgeous day it was. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and just a light breeze to keep it cool. Nate had made arrangements with the guard and put our names on the visitors list for the day. Once we passed the gates we saw Colin waiting for us, dressed in full military gear.
    “Hi, Colin,” Marissa said.
    “Hey, Marissa, I see you got her out of the apartment on time.” Colin laughed.
    “Don’t you look handsome,” I said leaning up on my toes to kiss him on the cheek. “I didn’t know you could clean up so well.”
    “Very funny. Only for you would I go to this trouble,” he answered with a smirk. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders in a brotherly gesture. It made me miss the fact that my brother was missing this, but from the moment I met Colin he treated me as a little sister so at least I had some family around me. “You look beautiful. Nate’s gonna go crazy when he sees you.”
    That made me blush slightly. “Thanks. Is he here?”
    He chuckled. “Of course he’s here. He’s been pacing about for the last hour or so.”
    “Is he nervous?” I asked.
    “You could say that…but not for the reason you might be thinking.”
    Okay that was good, because my brain was coming up with some pretty awful reasons. “Okay, do you want to elaborate, because right now I’m thinking he changed his mind.”
    “Are you kidding?” He scoffed. “He’s in there hoping that you didn’t change your mind.”
    That melted my heart, knowing that Nate was as nervous and excited as I was. A warm tingling radiated through my chest. “I would never change my mind about marrying him.”
    “Well, then let’s get to it.”
    Colin looped his arm through mine and led me through the door of the chapel. I’m sure the chapel was beautiful, but my eyes were drawn to the man standing at the front in full dress uniform. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him in it, but today, something about him took my breath away. There was a sense of rightness in what we were doing. Nate’s eyes landed on me, wandering down to my toes and back up, the appreciative smile on his face just about buckling my knees. Thankfully, Colin kept his arm firmly wrapped around mine as Marissa stepped in front of us. She turned and handed me a bouquet of gerbera daisies—my absolute favorite. My eyes snapped up to Nate’s and he winked at me. He knew exactly what he was doing.
    Colin looked down at me. “It would be my honor to walk you down the aisle.”
    I smiled. “I love that idea.”
    We made our way down the aisle to where Nate, Marissa, and the chaplain were waiting for us. When we reached the front, Nate traded places with Colin and bent down to whisper in my ear. “You are more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed.”
    “Thank you.”
    “Danielle, this is Chaplain Hayes. Chaplain Hayes, this is my fiancée, Danielle.” He gestured between us.
    Chaplain Hayes reached out his hand. “Hi, Danielle, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
    I placed my hand in his. “Hello, and thank you so much for doing this for us on such short notice.”
    “It’s my pleasure. Should we get started?” he asked looking between the two of us.
    “Yes,” Nate and I said in unison.
    “Are the witnesses ready?” Chaplain Hayes asked.
    Colin and Marissa nodded and I noticed the glistening in her eyes. Since Marissa didn’t often get emotional like that, it just served as a reminder of how momentous of an occasion this