36. Lottie
LOTTIE
“ W hat’s going on?” Suze shouts from the front of the conservatory just as our double wedding is about to get underway. “Sam, what’s happening here?”
“Jed isn’t coming,” Sam rages as she wags her phone at the stunned room full of people. “He sent me a text and said he can’t do it. He’s already cleared his things from our rental and he’s left me.”
The crowd gives a collective gasp.
“So the double wedding is off?” Suze sounds crestfallen. “I guess it’s just a single wedding now.”
She tosses up her hands in defeat, and I get the feeling a double wedding was on Suze’s bucket list. She’s odd that way.
“No, the double wedding is still very much on,” Sam growls. “Noah, come here.” She waves him over and clasps her hand firmly to his, and the room gasps once again.
I’ll admit, I may have gasped the loudest.
“What the hell?” Everett mutters under his breath while ensconcing Lyla Nell’s ears between his chest and his hand.
I echo the sentiment.
Sam lifts her chin and juts her chest out a notch. “I’m marrying myself,” she announces at the top of her lungs, and the entire room breaks out into cheers. Although, honestly, we’re not entirely sure what that means. “The wedding will go on—and so will I!”
More cheers ensue.
The lights flicker, the “Bridal Chorus” starts up, and soon my mother is walking Meg down the aisle. And in truth, the black dress makes my sister look like the Goth fairy she’s been all along.
She has a snippet of a veil attached to that foot-tall beehive sitting on her head, a red ball of roses in her hand with petals so dark they almost look black, and with each step she takes, her combat boots peek through.
I can’t help but smile.
My sister is genuinely herself right down to the bone.
Hook wipes tears from his face as she makes her way to him, and there’s not a dry eye in the house because of it.
The lights dim, then rise once more, and the music starts anew, prompting the entire room to face the back once again.
Sam steps forward with Noah by her side, their arms linked together, and the crowd erupts in spontaneous applause.
I’m not sure why she didn’t ask Wiley to walk her down the aisle—most likely because they’re not all that close in general, seeing that he allowed Suze to give her away to her sister to raise. And well, Noah is her twin, so there’s that.
Sam makes her way down the aisle looking like the quintessential bride in her glowing white gown, a small pom of peach roses in her hand, and a veil that’s slung over her back and falls gracefully over her gown. And I’ll admit, Noah looks far too regal and handsome in his dark gray suit. It’s enough to make every woman’s heart in this room flutter at dangerous levels—including mine.
Sam steps up on the altar to the left of Meg, and as Noah lets go to step down, she yanks him back up and holds his hand securely to let him know he’s not going anywhere.
Soon the minister works his magic, and vows are exchanged between Meg and Hook. And as they exchange those precious words, Everett gives my hand a squeeze and looks lovingly into my eyes, as we telepathically exchange vows ourselves.
Next is Sam, who reads her vows out loud and changes all references to Jed to reflect her dedication to herself. Although it is sort of off-putting the way she keeps looking at Noah and nodding as she does so.
Everett shakes his head as he leans my way. “This doesn’t look right,” he whispers.
“Well, this is the Fox family we’re dealing with,” I whisper back, and a small radius around us chuckles.
Finally, the minister pronounces them husband and wife and asks them to kiss their brides.
Meg and Hook smooch like there’s no tomorrow. And well, Noah leans in to offer Sam a kiss on the cheek, but she moves, and he lands it on her lips instead.
The entire room goes from cooing to groaning in a single bound.
Thank heavens Lyla Nell is asleep on Everett’s shoulder. I’d hate for her to have witnessed the malfeasance.
“The birds,” my mother growls at Wiley. “You forgot about the birds!”
Wiley jogs over to the giant cage and opens the top of it, and to our delight an entire flock of white winged doves fly to the ceiling before one by one knocking themselves out.
“It’s a glass ceiling.” Everett shrugs as if it were expected on some level. And honestly, it should have been expected.
The twinkle lights rise a notch as my mother jumps out of her seat. “We did it!” she shouts, and the room breaks out into cheers, clearly unmoved by the flopping birds among us. “Now every last one of you, eat, drink, and be merry! Happy Valentine’s Day!”
“ Happy Valentine’s Day ,” everyone shouts right back.
Within seconds, everyone is following my mother’s merry orders. Lively music takes over, and couples are migrating to the front of the altar and busting a move as well.
The birds regain consciousness and begin to torpedo around the room, making little deposits on a few of the guests.
Screams ensue as people try to shield their heads. Expletives ensue, mostly from my mother. I’m just glad they’re staying away from my sweet treats. But that might have more to do with the fact Greer and the gang are doing their best to ward them away from that area.
One of the bigger birds starts to nosedive before gliding right over Noah’s mother and dropping off a rather gooey load.
“Oh, one just pegged Suze on the forehead,” I say with a gasp as Suze belts out a horrid groan.
Sam and Noah help round up the birds, as do Effie and Lily. And from the looks of it, they’re releasing them into the wild outside.
“At least they’re getting their own happily ever after,” I say, leaning into Everett.
I’m about to congratulate the brides and groom when I spot Evie in the back, and she’s talking to Conner.
“Oh, Everett, look,” I say, nudging him in the ribs. “They look like they’re having a heartfelt conversation.” The two of them hug just as I say the words. “I think they’re making up.”
“I won’t let him manipulate her like this. Conner Saint is just another Jed Silver in my book. And I’m going to put a stop to this before she ends up in Sam’s shoes as a single mother—and a single bride.”
Everett barrels over with Lyla Nell bouncing on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, still conked out. And I waddle along on his heels, hardly able to keep up.
“What’s going on here?” Everett riots at the two of them. “Evie, please take a step away from him. I’m going to shove him out the door.”
“Dad, stop,” she says, throwing herself in front of Conner as a shield. “He didn’t do anything wrong. That was his sister in the picture!”
“His sister?” Everett shakes his head. “Why would he be canoodling with his sister at the mall, right in front of the jewelry counter?”
“Because she was helping him pick this out.” She flings her hand in his face, and on her finger is the cutest pink heart-shaped ring you ever did see.
“ Aww ,” I coo, and Everett shoots me a wide-eyed look. “Sorry,” I mouth.
“Don’t be sorry,” Evie scoffs. “Mom, Conner was asking his sister’s opinion on which ring to buy. He wanted a girl there to stop him from buying me something weird like a skull-and-crossbones.”
“I was looking at those,” Conner says as he steps in next to Evie and takes up her hand. “So, as you can see, Mr. Baxter, I wasn’t cheating on Evie. My sister is my go-to person for decisions like this. I’m not good at all the romantic stuff.”
“No, you’re not,” Evie says, shaking her head at him. “You’re not good at it—you’re great at it.” She brazenly rewards him with a kiss on his lips, right in front of her father.
Evie has some cookies on her, and that’s my favorite part about her. After all, we raised her to be a strong, independent woman who makes her own decisions.
Conner nods to Everett. “So, is this how you run your courtroom? You ignore the evidence and turn into a one-man jury?”
Okay, so Conner Saint has a pair of cookies on him, too. I can see why Evie would be attracted to him.
Everett’s chest expands, and then he closes his eyes for a moment.
“No, I don’t run my courtroom that way. I’ll admit, that when it comes to my family, I tend to pounce without weighing all the evidence. And for that reason, I extend my sincerest apology to the both of you.”
Conner nods. “That’s why I like you. You really care about Evie and what’s going on in her life. You want to protect her. Well, I care about Evie, too, and I want to protect her. That’s why I couldn’t let this day go by without explaining to her what really happened.” He turns to her and takes up her hands. “I don’t want you to suffer an ounce of pain, and definitely not because of something that I may or may not have done. I’m sorry.”
“Please, he’s the delulu one,” she tells him. “You were totally innocent.” She lifts her ring finger, and that pink heart sizzles in the light. “And you and your sister have, like, totally good taste. I love it, and I love you.” She lands a kiss on his lips once again, and Conner hesitates at first, most likely because he likes his head attached, but then he goes for it.
“We should leave,” I whisper to Everett, but he’s hesitant to move until I yank him away. “All’s well that ends well.”
“All is not well while that guy is sticking his tongue down my daughter’s throat. It’s like he didn’t even care that I was standing there.”
“No, he didn’t,” I sigh. “That’s because they’re in love.”
A growl rattles through him, but I manage to calm him down as I pull him and Lyla Nell—by proxy—close and we begin to sway to the music.
The donut tower is a hit and so is the raspberry lemon champagne cake, the bouquets are tossed, and a good time is had by all.
All’s well that ends well. And as Sam has proven, sometimes you have to take happiness into your own hands.
A loud howl breaks out, and we all turn to see Lainey standing in the middle of the dance floor with Forest at arm’s length, and there just so happens to be a puddle at her feet.
She glances up at the crowd. “My water just broke.”