Unexpected Entanglement (Echo #3)

37. Chapter 37

thirty-seven

Rowan admired how beautiful Meredith looked in her wedding gown. They were getting ready in one of the main house rooms Rowan had secured for the bridal party, so they were closer to the wedding area, while the groom and his party were getting ready in a honeymoon cottage.

With a radiant smile, Meredith swished around, admiring how the dress moved. The flowery lace dress with loose bell sleeves draped over Meredith’s upper arms hugged her torso down to the waist before the full skirt flowed out to sweep the floor. Meredith wore her long strawberry-blond hair in loose curls. She really didn’t need more embellishment.

“You look like an elf princess from a fantasy world.” Rowan beamed. “Beyond gorgeous, Mer. Isn’t she, aunt Caroline?”

Meredith’s mom was dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “I can’t believe it. My baby.”

“Oh, Mom.” Meredith approached her mother, ready to hug her.

“Don’t. I don’t want to ruin your dress with my makeup.” Caroline stepped back.

“Your makeup is set, Caroline,” Daphne, Meredith’s maid of honor, said. “I used waterproof mascara, so even if you cry a river, you won’t look like a raccoon.”

“I hope you did the same with mine,” Meredith quipped.

“On all of us,” Daphne said. “I’m not stupid.”

Meredith smiled at her best friend. “Thank you. You’re a makeup artist extraordinaire. ”

“Can you stand together for a picture?” asked the wedding photographer Meredith had brought in.

After they took pictures of the bridal party, Rowan checked the clock. She quickly called Jane over the walkie-talkie for a sit-rep, and the event organizer confirmed everything was ready and on schedule. She was glad Chris had suggested to invest on the communication devices.

“It’s time,” Rowan informed the ladies.

“Oh, boy,” Caroline said.

“Can I have a quick minute with Rowan before we head out?” Meredith asked.

Daphne and Caroline nodded and took the bouquets with them, leaving Meredith and Rowan alone.

“Thank you for pulling this together for me.” Meredith held Rowan’s hand.

“Are you kidding? This has been the most memorable thing I’ve ever done for a long time.” Rowan’s mind jumped to Chris. “You have no idea.”

“I’m happy to hear that. I also want to apologize for inviting Richard. I see now that was a mistake,” Meredith said.

“I guess I was projecting my excitement of getting married to wanting you to be in the same place,” Meredith continued. “And I was used to seeing Richard as your plus one, y’know. But when I saw how Chris took care of you when you got sick last night, I knew he was the better man for you.”

Rowan recalled Chris’ gentle hands stroking her back to sleep this morning. He’d even made her a tasty hangover smoothie that Rae had told her to drink as per his instruction. Rowan hadn’t appreciated it earlier, but it did make her feel better.

“I just can’t picture Richard doing the same,” Meredith added with a laugh. “I remember you complaining to me what a crybaby he was when he got sick with a cold, needing you to look up his symptoms and all.”

Rowan laughed. “Richard can find someone else to do that for him.”

“Or he can do it himself, for crying out loud.” Meredith rolled her eyes.

She squeezed Rowan’s hand. “Again, I’m sorry. I see you deserve better. ”

“Mer, don’t worry about it. I’ll handle Richard,” Rowan said. “Now we’re going to get you hitched to that awesome man of yours, okay? And we’re going to party our asses off tonight.”

“Let’s go!” Meredith nodded excitedly.

Rowan opened the door for her bride, but before they walked out, Meredith said to her, “I love you, cuz.”

“I love you, too.” Rowan’s eyes watered. “Come on! You’re making me cry before we’re even on the aisle!”

“You ladies ready?” Jane asked when they got to the porch.

They nodded, and off they went. It took all of them to hold up Meredith’s hem so it wouldn’t drag on the grass. But at the staging area where Meredith’s dad, John, waited, Meredith told them a grass stain wouldn’t matter. It’d be a reminder of her wedding’s beautiful setting.

Jane set them up by the entrance sequence and signaled for music. A section of Clair De Lune started in the background. Gripping her small bouquet, Rowan waited for her turn as she watched Martin, Meredith’s little brother, escort their mother out. Then, she looped her hand onto Sam’s groomsman Dwight’s arm and walked out into the aisle lined by entwined twigs and wildflowers.

Seeing the garden transformed into the design Meera and Lily had drawn was surreal. It was the first time she’d seen it completed, with rows of white chairs fenced in with ribbons and more wildflowers. The guests were full of smiles, eager for the bride to make her entrance. Rowan couldn’t help but feel relieved.

Everything is beautiful.

Rowan gazed ahead to the mystical-looking arbor they’d erected at the top of the aisle. Sam was waiting there, standing tall and steady.

That’s a man who knows what he wants.

Rowan smiled at Sam. He returned her smile with a thumbs-up.

Everybody got to their feet as soon as Daphne stood next to her. Rowan couldn’t wait for Sam to see Meredith.

The second Meredith and Uncle John stepped into the aisle, Rowan saw Sam take a deep breath to settle himself. He wasn’t as unnerved as Rowan had thought. His eyes never left his bride until John passed Meredith’s hand to him.

The wedding officiant asked, “Who gives away this bride? ”

“I give myself to him,” Meredith answered with a smile.

“As I give myself to her,” Sam replied.

Rowan took in how right that sounded. She had a fleeting thought about being an orphan now and not having her dad to give her away. He would never walk her down the aisle, but when the time came, she’d make sure she gave herself to someone worthy of her.

As the officiant opened with a short rendition of Meredith and Sam’s love story, Rowan couldn’t help but scan the crowd’s edges. A waving motion caught her attention, and she stopped, only to see Richard smiling at her. Disappointed, she merely nodded once and turned her attention back to the wedding couple.

But as if her gaze was a magnet attracted to its opposite charge, it zeroed in on the person she was searching for. On the outside of the first row of the groom’s side, Chris stood in a custom-tailored blue suit, looking like she’d never seen him before.

Her lungs filled with air as their eyes met.

There he is.

Chris smiled appreciatively at her as his eyes took her in from the top of her head to her toes. He was making her warm with only a look. She still couldn’t understand how he did it. She was also still trying to understand how easy it was to trust today to him so she could be there for Meredith.

That’s because you know you can rely on him. Because he has your back.

Rowan’s heart constricted as she realized what she was feeling.

“Marriage is about love and more. It is about feeling safe, knowing that you can rely on your partner every step of the way. It is about feeling secure knowing that you possess the strength to be the best versions of yourselves with the help of one another. And it is about building a life together, a partnership, rooted in love, trust, and perseverance,” the officiant said.

The words struck a chord within Rowan as emotions churned inside her. She glanced away from Chris and focused her weeping eyes on the couple. She let the tears stream down her cheeks as Meredith and Sam said their vows to each other.

People cry at weddings all the time. She had expected to cry. She just hadn’t expected to cry from a broken heart.

The wedding ceremony had gone off without a hitch.

Chris was relieved now that the party was in full swing. After enjoying the main courses of roasted lobster pasta and beef tenderloin with port reduction sauce, the guests had hit the dance floor, following the customary bride and groom’s first dance.

“I think we’re almost in the clear, Boss,” Jane said. She and Walt flanked his sides as they watched the bride and groom dance with their friends.

“Almost. We still have the cake cutting and dessert,” Chris said.

Walt consulted his clipboard. “That’s happening in fifteen.”

“You know, I had fun working this wedding. It’s the most laid-back wedding I’ve ever been to. I refused to do weddings because I can’t stand bridezillas,” Jane said.

Walt laughed. “OMG. I have a story about a groomzilla at a wedding my ex-boyfriend was in.”

“I’m sure that’s fascinating, Walt,” Chris cut in with a chuckle. “But we should prepare for the cake.”

“What do you take us for?” Walt said. “All done, of course.”

The light dimmed slightly, and the fast-paced dance music faded into slow jazz. The DJ announced in his deep voice, “The bride and groom would like to invite all the couples in the house to join them on the dance floor. Let's come together in love, folks.”

Jane nudged Chris. “Aren’t you going in there?”

“What?” He glanced at his event manager.

“Yeah, Boss. Aren’t you engaged?” Walt reminded him.

Shit . He and Rowan didn’t discuss this.

Couples, older to younger, started walking onto the dance floor.

“Your fiancée is at one o’clock by the cake,” Walt informed.

“You better hurry. That creep who kept following her last night is approaching,” Jane warned.

“That’s her ex,” Chris said, annoyed.

“Go!” Walt hissed. “Save your woman, for goodness’ sake. ”

Without another moment of hesitation, Chris hurried to where Rowan stood. But Richard had beaten him to her and was already trying to get her to the dance floor with him.

Who the hell does he think he is?

“I hope you’ve thought about my proposal, Rowan,” Richard said, holding out his hand. “Let’s talk about it as we dance. Five years together must mean something, right?”

Proposal?

Chris stopped short behind Richard. Rowan looked up at Chris, eyes huge. He took that as a mayday.

“Hey, babe.” Chris slipped around Richard and pulled something out of his pocket. “You forgot this in your hurry to be with Meredith earlier.”

Chris took Rowan’s left hand and slipped an emerald ring onto her finger. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

“Oh, my god!” Rowan jolted, as her gaze flew to the ring.

“No harm done.” Chris smiled at her. “Come. They’re playing our song.”

Chris glanced at Richard, whose face had turned red. “Pardon us.”

With a hand on the small of her back, Chris led Rowan to the dance floor. He spun her before pulling her into his embrace. His left arm wrapped around her back while the other cradled her left hand.

Rowan stared at him, still wide-eyed.

“Hi.” Chris smiled at her and studied the top of her long silk dress. “I haven’t gotten a chance to tell you how beautiful you are tonight. This deep green really brings out your coloring. And I’m enjoying this V-cut a lot.”

Recovering from her daze, Rowan chuckled with a shake of her head. “Thank you. You look handsome yourself.”

He was glad to hear her laugh. “Feels like I haven’t talked to you all day.”

“The last time we talked, my head felt like a ticking bomb. I’m sure I wasn’t quite a conversationalist,” Rowan said. “Thanks for letting me sleep in and for the smoothie.”

“You feel better?”

“All good.”

Rowan put her hands on his shoulders, and her eyes caught the subtle glimmer of the deep green emerald on her finger. “Where did you get the ring? ”

“I thought we might need a prop,” Chris said. “Glad it fits you perfectly.”

“It’s beautiful.” Rowan laughed. “We’ve been engaged for two weeks without a ring. Nobody questioned it.”

“I thought Richard might need a little more convincing.”

“The poor man still looks in shock.” Rowan glanced over at Chris’ side.

“Serves him right. I wouldn’t let another man propose to my fiancée.” Chris studied her further. “Unless I read you wrong. Should I have let him take you to the dance floor?”

“No!” Rowan said quickly. “But he wasn’t proposing.”

“I heard the word proposal.”

“To return to the way we were, which I’m not interested in. I’d rather live here alone and be an old maid if that means living my life the way I want rather than catering to his goals, his dreams. He’ll never understand that Bright Head is my future. This is where I belong.”

“That may be, but you don’t have to do it alone,” Chris pointed out.

“He’ll never survive this island.” Rowan laughed, misunderstanding his meaning.

“I wasn’t suggesting Richard.” Chris smiled.

But before Chris could elaborate, Rowan tensed in his arms. “Shit. We’re in the couples’ dance.” She belatedly realized.

Chris moved them in a slow circle so she could see the people on the dance floor. Meredith and Sam smiled at them. Caroline and John looked a little perplexed but smiled at Rowan, while others simply minded their own business.

“I don’t think you need to worry about anything,” Chris said.

Rowan sighed. “I worry more about having to tell them of another break-up.”

“We don’t have to break up,” he suggested.

She looked at him with a smile. “We made a deal. You’ve more than fulfilled your end of the bargain. I have to honor the terms of the agreement.”

“I was actually thinking—” Chris started to say.

“Tomorrow, everybody’s leaving,” Rowan steamrolled over his words. “And you are free to go see your dad.”

Chris nodded. “He’s been texting me for five days straight now. ”

“I know you don’t want to, but you should go see him,” Rowan said.

“You’re right, I should,” Chris agreed. “But I was thinking, I can come back and help you with the reopening.”

“I’ve taken too much of your time and your kindness. I got it from here, Chris.” She patted his chest lightly over his suit jacket. “Kieran, Rae, and I got it. Thanks to you, the three of us are learning to be a family.”

“That’s… wonderful,” Chris said, taken aback by Rowan’s dismissal.

“You know I won’t keep our engagement over your head as if it’s real.” She laughed.

“Right.” Chris studied her face.

“I’m sorry. Our little ruse must've been a pain for you when girls hit on you last night,” Rowan joked.

Chris frowned. “Sorry. What are you talking about?”

“Those girls.” Rowan turned them around. “Meredith’s friends. I saw them flirting with you.”

Chris spotted the girls from the clambake. “Oh. They were drunk. I was just making sure they didn’t hurt themselves on the beach.”

Rowan nodded. “You don’t have to explain.”

“Hey.” Chris pulled her flush against him. “Let’s get something straight.”

Rowan gasped in surprise at his little display of dominance and met his eyes.

“We may not be engaged for real, but get this,” Chris said. “I only have my eyes on one particular woman, and that woman is you.”

Chris watched her pupils dilate, making her blue eyes almost dark.

“And I only have mine on you,” Rowan said.

Hope blossomed in Chris’ heart only to shrivel back.

“For one more day.” Rowan pulled him down to meet her kiss. “Let’s make tonight a night we’ll always remember.”