Chapter 22
Willa Rose had been to several weddings and had even been a bridesmaid at more than one.
Some had been elaborate church weddings that took a year or more to plan.
Others had been spur-of-the-moment ceremonies performed by a judge in a courthouse.
But she had never been as impressed with one as she was that evening at the Paradise.
“I told you so,” Ivy whispered when Brodie took his place in the front of the fireplace.
“That he was handsome?” Willa Rose asked in a low tone.
“Well, there is that, but mostly this place is filled with love. Even when two of them disagree, it doesn’t last very long. Can’t you feel it?”
“Yes, I can. I don’t know if it’s real or just the result of the Christmas season.”
Before Ivy could answer, Audrey entered the room on Joe Clay’s arm. White daisies were entwined in her dark hair, and she carried a matching bouquet sprinkled with baby’s breath and a few sprigs of wispy greenery. Her dress hugged her curves and stopped at midcalf to show off white boots.
“This is what I want when I get married,” Ivy said.
I’d just as soon go to the courthouse, or maybe a chapel in Las Vegas, Willa Rose thought.
The ceremony took all of twenty minutes, and there was even a song—“Forever to Me” by Cole Swindell—that brought tears to Ivy’s and Willa Rose’s eyes. Brodie bent his new bride back in a true Hollywood kiss and then it was over except for the applause and whistles.
You should at least have this much of a wedding so you will have some memories and pictures. Besides, family is important. Vada popped back into Willa Rose’s head.
“Parker is here. Shall we make this a double?” Tripp asked from right behind Willa Rose.
“What have you been drinking or smoking?” She fired back at him.
“Nothing yet. I’m saving the champagne for the honeymoon.”
“You are engaged?” Ivy gasped.
“No, we are not!” Willa Rose said.
Tripp laid a hand on his chest. “My heart is broken, Ivy.”
Bernie stopped in her tracks. “Who broke your heart? Have you been dating someone behind my back?”
Tripp draped an arm around Bernie’s shoulders. “No, but I’ve been sleeping with a gorgeous lady. Let’s go congratulate the bride and groom. You did a fine job of reverse psychology on them.”
Willa Rose’s hand brushed against Tripp’s, and for a brief second, he locked his little finger with hers. She was sure glad that Bernie was focused on Tripp and didn’t see the blush on her face.
“It wasn’t that at all,” Bernie declared. “When I got to know Audrey and realized that she wasn’t like her aunt Hettie, I figured Brodie would be a good match for her. Now who have you been carrying on with?”
Tripp stood to the side and let the three ladies get in line before him. “I don’t kiss and tell.”
Bernie stomped her foot on the hardwood floor, but there was enough noise in the room that it didn’t even turn a head. “You are enough to make a holy lady cuss, and I’ve never been accused of being that kind of woman.”
“Oh, no!” Tripp faked surprise. “I thought you had moved down here from a convent.”
“You”—Bernie poked him in the chest with her forefinger—“are a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You were just pretending to be all shy. I will have to rethink my approach to finding you a bride.”
Amen to him just pretending to be an introvert. Willa Rose could feel the vibes between them even though there was a foot of air between them.
“Please don’t tell me that you’re setting me up with another woman like the last one. If so, I’m moving to Alaska, or maybe Siberia,” he said.
“That woman has been blocked from ever putting a profile on my dating service,” Bernie assured him.
After what seemed like a hundred or more photos were taken, Mary Jane picked up a microphone.
“The actual annual Paradise Christmas party begins in half an hour, and there’s already a yard full of waiting vehicles.
So, Audrey and Brodie are going to cut the cake now and have their first toast—with a bottle of their favorite wine from Ophelia and Jake’s winery, of course.
Then Brodie will throw the garter to the next groom.
Knox, you and Tripp both can take your hands out of your pockets.
After that, Audrey will throw the bouquet. ”
“Aunt Bernie swears that she doesn’t want it.” Endora raised her voice.
“That’s right!” Bernie shouted. “And don’t tell me to take my hands out of my pockets. I’ve always been too much woman for one man to handle.”
Tripp moved up a few inches in the crowded dining room to watch the newlyweds cut the cake, feed each other, and then loop their arms together for a toast. I want this , he thought. Not just the excitement of the day, but a love like they have.
“What are you thinking about so hard that it makes wrinkles on your brow?” Willa Rose asked.
“You want the truth or a story about how much I love wedding cake?”
“The truth.”
“I want something like what Brodie and Audrey have,” he answered. “But I do love wedding cake, and I intend to have a slice before the party begins and I lose out altogether.”
“Then take your hands out of your pocket and catch the garter when he throws it. That will be an omen that you are next in line for a wedding.”
“I don’t need to be next in line. I’m not in a rush. Knox can have the garter. Maybe you’ll catch the bouquet. After all, you’ve already slept with him. You left me long before daylight, so he must be the more important brother,” Tripp teased.
Willa Rose bumped him with her hip. “Bernie can have that bouquet, even though I am partial to daisies, and just for future reference, I hate yellow roses.”
Tripp tucked that away in his list of things about Willa Rose and felt a slight puff of wind as the garter whizzed past his face. Knox reached up to grab it but instead batted it back at Tripp, who instinctively reached up and caught it.
***
Willa Rose was staring up at Tripp’s expression when Audrey crossed the room and handed off her bouquet.
“Aunt Bernie threatened me, so I have no other choice but to make you the next Paradise bride. No one wants to wait a decade for Ivy to grow up and get married.” She gave Willa Rose a hug and whispered, “Please don’t leave Spanish Fort.
Tripp’s eyes have never twinkled like they do when he’s around you. ”
“I’m not going anywhere, but don’t tell Aunt Bernie. It would ruin the rest of her holiday if she lost the bet,” Willa Rose said in a low tone.
***
Bernie nudged Tripp on the arm and frowned. “I wanted to catch that bouquet. But I guess Willa Rose should have it if I want to keep my matchmaking crown. It looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me. We’ll have two more weddings by this time next year.”
“Knox and mine, right?” Tripp asked. “He touched this before I caught it, so he gets to move up in line, right?”
“Hey, now,” Knox protested. “I wouldn’t think of taking your place, and you are the one holding it. So, Aunt Bernie, I will gladly wait my turn.”
“That’s good,” Bernie said with a broad smile. “Willa Rose, darlin’, don’t you worry, I’ll find a husband for you who loves potbellied pigs. But for now, let’s open the door for the party and reception to begin. Save a dance for me, Brodie.”
He gave her a thumbs-up sign, and when the people began arriving for the party, he and Audrey were having their first dance as a newly wedded couple.
When several of the sisters and their husbands joined them, Tripp put the garter on his upper arm and held out a hand to Willa Rose.
She put her hand in his and listened to the lyrics of the slow country song, “Me and You” by Kenny Chesney.
“I understand what wedding fever is now,” Tripp said as he drew Willa Rose into his arms. “My mama and daddy danced to this song on their wedding anniversary a few years ago. They would have loved to have lived long enough to see Brodie this happy.”
“What about you and Knox?”
“Absolutely, but he’s in the spotlight tonight, not us,” Tripp replied.
The song ended, and Joe Clay picked up the microphone. “Mary Jane and our family would like to welcome everyone to the party tonight. The buffet is ready, and the wedding cake has been cut, so feel free to have a piece of that. Y’all all have a good time.”
Willa Rose took a step back. “You were right. This is a big event. It’s more than a little overwhelming. How do you feel about dessert first? We could sneak away to the back porch…”
“Yes, but I’ve got a better idea about where to go.”
“Oh?”
“Just follow my lead,” Tripp said. “And by the way, you look gorgeous tonight.”
“I never know if you are joking or if you are serious.”
“I’m always serious. Ask either of my brothers if you don’t believe me. If you will get two pieces of cake, I’ll steal a bottle of champagne. I’m told that only family is allowed to go upstairs. Meet me at the top of the steps.”
She saw him pick up two flutes and a bottle and disappear up the staircase as she stepped up to the table and picked up two small plates of cake and added a spoonful of nuts and mints to each one.
Then, feeling like a little girl sneaking a fistful of cookies, she slowly made her way up the dark stairs to the second-floor hallway.
What am I doing? she asked herself when she reached the top. There’s nothing but bedrooms and a bathroom up here. I’m not sure I can trust myself with Tripp with a bed so close by.
Tripp reached out and pilfered a mint from one of the plates. “Just follow me. I’ve already got the champagne set up.”
“Are you sure about this? What if Bernie comes hunting for us?”
“She will find us on the balcony off the room I used to have when Brodie, Knox, and I stayed here,” he answered and led the way to a bedroom with an open door. “I didn’t think to grab our jackets, so we’ll have to snuggle up together under the quilts.”