Chapter 46
CHAPTER 46
T he day has been one big beautiful blur of smiles, laughter, and an obscene amount of dancing—mostly swaying in Ransom’s arms, which made it superior to any dancing I’d ever done before.
And that cake? Absolutely fantastic and heavenly in every sense of the word. Barbarian double cream with vanilla layers that felt like I was eating a fluffy cloud of happiness. And don’t even get me started on the stack of lava cakes for any and all to enjoy. Those were devilishly indulgent. And both Ransom and I did indulge.
But like all good things, this day, too, has to come to an end. Ransom and I are standing by the entrance of the theater, saying goodbye to the best group of friends and family anyone could ask for.
Lottie Lemon pulls me into a tight hug, her caramel curls bouncing as she laughs. “Trixie, you make a gorgeous bride. That dress is absolutely perfect—as are the two of you.”
“Thanks, Lottie. Coming from you, that’s the best compliment a girl could get.”
“Speaking of what you’re about to get,” Carlotta Sawyer, Lottie’s biological mother, says as she gives Ransom that broken elevator stare. She’s essentially an older version of Lottie. “What are you doing later, big boy?” She waggles her brows his way like she means it.
“And on that note—” Noah Fox laughs. “I think we need to get her out of here before she breaks something.”
“Yes.” Everett agrees and looks every bit like my handsome new husband. “Like you,” he teases as he slaps Ransom on the shoulder. “Don’t go breaking anything.” He winks. “You’re a lucky man. Take good care of her.” He picks up my hand and kisses the back of it. “Welcome to the family, Trixie. It’s nice to know that my cousin is finally making some sound decisions.”
We all share a laugh as we say goodbye.
Bizzy and her husband Jasper step up.
“The wedding was the best I’ve been to,” Bizzy coos.
Jasper nods. “And those are high marks coming from a couple of wedding crashers.”
We laugh and wave as they take off.
Hattie Holiday gives me a quick hug. “It looks like you get quite the happy ending, Trixie. You deserve it, even if you’re not moving back to Brambleberry Bay for some time.”
“Don’t worry, Hattie. I’ll come by for a visit, and I’ll even bring my new husband. He loves mysteries, too.”
Her boyfriend Killion chuckles. “Hope you can keep up, FBI man.”
“I’ll do my best,” Ransom shoots back.
He and Ransom exchange a friendly handshake before we wave goodbye.
Stanton finally meanders this way with Neelie on his arm, looking as if he’s swallowed a lemon.
I step up and give him a playful swat on the arm. “Come on, Stanton. It wasn’t that bad, was it?”
He gives a dramatic sigh. “It was like having my teeth pulled. But with heavy doses of whiskey and enough arm candy to make every man in this room jealous.” He pulls Neelie in close and her head looks as if it’s about to wobble right off.
“You treat her right,” I say sharply. “And Neelie, run fast.”
They start to take off and Stanton backtracks. “Congratulations.” He looks at Ransom. “You did good. ”
We kiss all of the kids goodbye over and over again as they waltz out of here in a happy-go-lucky mob along with Scarlett. Abbey is over the moon with Owen, and Kelsey is over the moon with Carter—and vice versa. And from the looks of it, Parker and Emerson are still hot and heavy. Not necessarily good news to Ransom—at least not the hot and heavy part.
Tinsley and Quinn stepped out unnoticed, but then we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future anyway.
Finally, there’s Bess, Nettie, Elodie, and Wes—our partners-in-crime so to speak.
Bess wraps both Ransom and me in a bear hug with tears lining her lashes. “Congrats to the best-looking bride and groom I know.”
Nettie wipes at her eyes before elbowing Ransom. “You’d better treat her right, Handsome Ransom. She’s one of a kind.”
“You have my word, Nettie.”
Elodie slinks over, looking stunning in a short red dress. “I can't believe we pulled this off. You two are simply perfect together. Now, no running off solving murders during the honeymoon, all right?”
“Can’t make any promises,” I say, giving Ransom’s ribs a tweak.
“How about we take an oath,” he teases and we share a laugh.
Finally, Wes steps forward, holding out a small, intricately carved box. He opens it, revealing an old-fashioned key.
“Do you know where this leads?” He holds up the three-inch gold key with two long notches that looks as if it belongs in the eighteen hundreds.
“Not anywhere on this ship,” Ransom says with certainty.
“You’re right,” Wes says, digging into his pocket and pulling out a ship-friendly keycard instead. “Try this.” He tosses it to Ransom. “This is to the honeymoon suite. You’ve got it for the next ten days. No interruptions. No mysteries. Just the two of you, a lot of room service, and maybe some sunbathing on the deck or in the private spa.”
I gasp as tears swell in my eyes. “Wes, this is too much. You’ve done way too much to begin with.” I fan my arm out at the venue .
Wes shakes his head. “Nothing is too much for the two of you. You deserve the best. Now, go make some memories.”
Ransom wags the key and gives Wes a grateful nod. Then he slips his arm around my waist, pulling me close. “Ready for the next adventure, Mrs. Baxter?”
I smile up at him, my heart swelling. “More ready than I’ve ever been.”