Chapter 25
One month later
Ophelia rolled over to find Jake propped up on an elbow staring at her. His eyes looked even dreamier when he wasn’t his wearing glasses, but then she thought he was sexy no matter what he was wearing or how little. She reached over and combed his hair back with her fingers. “I’m going to miss you tonight,” she whispered.
“Not as much as I’ll miss you.” He drew her to his side and kissed her on her neck, and moved up to her eyelids, then her cheek, and finally her lips. “I can’t believe all of you sisters are taking the whole day today and until sunset tomorrow to get ready for this.”
She glanced over at the clock and wiggled out of his embrace. “It’s the culmination of months of planning, and Mama says we are going to be pampered. And darlin’, I’m supposed to be there in fifteen minutes. Pedicures and manicures are on the agenda this morning for all of us and massages this afternoon. The living room is being turned into a spa.” She pulled on her underwear and then her jeans and shirt. “Hairdressers are coming in tomorrow morning, and the makeup ladies will be there at noon. After that, it becomes a dressing room for all of us.”
“I hope we have all daughters,” he said. “Sons just have to show up in time to stand in front of the altar and say vows.”
Ophelia bent to find her second flip-flop hidden under the edge of the bed. “Oh, really. So, we’re talking about children now?”
“I love you, Ophelia Simmons,” Jake said, “and I want to grow old with you, and have babies with you, and then sit on the porch and watch our grandchildren play. So yes, we’re talking about children. Do you want a big family?”
Ophelia shoved her foot into the flip-flop and kissed him on the forehead. “Hold that thought while I decide if I’ll settle with half a dozen, or if I want to go for the full twelve. I’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow evening. I’ll be the tall one with red hair.”
Jake blew her a kiss. “You, darlin’, will be the most beautiful one there.”
“No, Luna will be because she’s the bride, but I appreciate the compliment.” Ophelia kissed her fingertips and blew on them to send the kiss across the room before she left.
Tertia was waiting on the porch when she arrived at the Paradise. “It’s already a madhouse in there. I’d forgotten what it’s like to have all seven sisters at home at once. Noah has been begging me to move in with him, and I’m going to. Endora can share the house with Bo and Rae. Noah’s house is livable since we moved his bedroom furniture into the biggest upstairs bedroom, and Daddy took my stuff over there last week from my old place in Vega, so I’m saying yes as soon as this wedding is over.”
“When are we going to Las Vegas?” Ophelia whispered.
“How about the week before the café opens? Maybe the second weekend in September? Are we really going to do that?” Tertia asked.
“Jake says for me to name the day, and he’ll make the arrangements,” Ophelia sat down on the swing. “Are we crazy to even think of getting married after such a short relationship?”
Tertia sat down beside her and handed off her coffee mug that was half-full. “Probably, but then I love Noah, and he proposes at least every other day.”
Three cats were a blur as they ran past the sisters and huddled up together under a rocking chair. Pepper came around the end of the house in a dead run and went right on past the porch to the other side of the house.
“Too bad we aren’t like Sassy, Poppy, and Misty.” Ophelia chuckled.
“How’s that?”
“We could hide under a chair until sometime in September,” Ophelia answered. “But since we can’t, we might as well go on inside and have breakfast with the family. Who’s cooking this morning?”
“Endora, but everything else is catered after that. Mama says that she’s not paying out all that money for expensive mani-pedis to have us break or chip our nails while we’re cooking.”
“Our mother is one smart lady,” Ophelia said as she stood. “I wonder how many of the last three sisters will elope like we’re planning to do?”
Tertia got to her feet and opened the door for Ophelia. “Endora won’t. She’s getting so involved in the church that she’ll want a little service there when the time comes. Parker has asked her to teach children’s church, and she’s getting a quilting bee going a day a week for the older folks. And she told me yesterday that she’s in charge of the first ever Christmas program this year.”
“I can’t believe that she turned in her resignation at the school.”
Endora met them halfway across the foyer. “If y’all are talking about me, you can believe it, and I’m happy that I did. I told myself if a publisher bought my first children’s book that I would quit and devote my time to what makes me happy. It sold, so I did. Now you’d better come on and have some breakfast. We’re all around the table, and Luna is getting nervous.”
“Cold feet?” Tertia asked. “She should have just gone to the courthouse or eloped.”
“Not cold feet, but she hasn’t written her vows yet. Shane has had his done for weeks, and she’s afraid hers won’t be as good as his. I told her to just throw away any written words and speak from her heart.”
“That’s awesome advice,” Tertia said.
Endora gave her sister a gentle push toward the kitchen. “Go convince her of that.”
Ophelia opened her eyes the next morning and realized that it had been weeks since she’d had a nightmare. She popped up in bed so quickly that the room took a couple of spins before things settled down. “I’m happy,” she muttered.
“Yes, you are,” Tertia said.
At first she thought Tertia’s voice was just in her head, but then she got a whiff of coffee and turned to see her sister sitting cross-legged at the foot of her bed. She held out one of the steaming mugs in her hand. “Good morning, happy sister.”
Ophelia took it from her. “Thank you. I’m happy because I just realized that I haven’t had a nightmare in a long time. Jake has cured me.”
“No, darlin’ sister, love chased them away just like it kicked doubt and fears out the door for me and Noah,” Tertia told her. “I hope Aunt Bernie’s Universe tricks work on Bo and Rae.”
“Why not Endora?”
Tertia took a sip of her coffee. “She doesn’t need it. She’s carving out her own future and doing a fine job of it.”
Luna bounced into the room wearing a white silk robe with brIDE embroidered in hot pink across the back. She handed each of them an identical one with SISTER written across the back. “I’m getting married today!”
“So, we are not maids of honor, but sisters of honor,” Ophelia said.
“That’s right. I can’t believe that today is finally here.” Luna smiled, took Ophelia’s coffee from her hands, and helped herself to a couple of sips.
“You are welcome,” Ophelia said when Luna handed the mug back to her.
“Sisters share,” Luna said. “It’s already like a hive of bees in the living room. Granny and Grandpa Marsh were parked out in the yard in their RV. They must’ve gotten here late last night. Grandpa walked over to Noah’s house. The guys are all gathering there for breakfast. Granny and Aunt Bernie are off in a corner catching up. The aunts and uncles and cousins will be arriving in time for the wedding. They’re all staying in a hotel in Nocona.”
“Do you think the fellowship hall will be big enough to hold everyone?” Ophelia asked.
“It’s a beautiful day,” Luna answered. “We’ll put tables out in the yard if it gets too crowded. I wouldn’t mind having my first dance with Shane on the grass in my bare feet.”
“And beneath the stars,” Tertia said with a long sigh. “I wish I was getting married today.”
“Why don’t you?” Luna asked.
“No license,” Tertia reminded her. “And remember, you and Shane had to be together to apply and then wait seventy-two hours before you could file them.”
“That’s just for the government. You could get married today while everyone is here, get the license next week, and redo the ceremony at the courthouse. You would have two anniversaries, so maybe Noah would remember one of them,” Luna argued.
“You would share your wedding day with me?” Tertia asked.
Luna reached for Tertia’s coffee and took a sip. “Sisters share coffee, secrets, happiness, tears, and wedding days. So, do you want to get…?”
Tertia shook her head. “Thank you, but this is your day.”
“It can be my day,” Luna protested, “but it could be your night. After Shane and I have our first dance as a married couple, we could announce that there are going to be two more weddings tonight.”
“She makes a good argument,” Ophelia said and held up her pinkie finger. “But you’d have to propose to Noah and not even give him time to think about it.”
“He’s already proposed to me,” Tertia told her. “More than once, but this is entirely too fast. We’ve got a café to get ready to open, and our house still needs lots of work, not to even mention the yard, which looks horrible right now.”
“Well, if you change your mind, just let me know so I can tell Parker,” Luna said. “I’m off to deliver the rest of the sister robes. I love it that we’re all together.”
“Hey, did you get Mama and Aunt Bernie robes?” Ophelia asked.
“Of course.” Luna turned to leave the room. “‘Mama’ is on the back of hers, ‘Granny’ is on the back of Granny Marsh’s, and ‘Boss’ is on the back of Aunt Bernie’s. She loves it and says that it makes up for her not getting to be a bridesmaid.”
Ophelia waited until Luna was out of the room and she could hear her talking to Bo before she whispered, “I release you from our pinkie swear.”
“Thank you, but it’s so fast, and…” Tertia stopped and took a deep breath. “I might consider it if you and Jake are ready to jump over the broom too.”
“I’m not jumping over a broom. As clumsy as I am, I’d fall on my face.”
“If we got married tonight, it would be kind of like jumping the broom. It wouldn’t be legal in Texas until we redid it at the courthouse, but the ceremony would be done with, and…”
Ophelia butted in and finished Tertia’s thought. “We wouldn’t have to do all this planning when you’re going to have a café to run, and I’ve got something almost every weekend at the winery from now until September.”
“And we wouldn’t have to think about dresses or flowers. We’d each already have a bouquet and a catered dinner,” Tertia added. “But I shouldn’t spring this on Noah.”
“And I’m not going to…” Ophelia’s phone rang before she could finish.
Tertia slid off the bed and took a couple of steps toward the door. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
Ophelia answered the phone on the fourth ring. “Good mornin’.”
“Mornin’ to you, darlin’,” Jake said. “I just called to say I love you, and that I’m so jealous of Shane right now that I’m turning leprechaun green.”
“Oh, really?” Ophelia threw back the covers and slid out of bed. “And why is that?”
“Because he’s getting married, and I want it to be us,” Jake answered.
“Is this a proposal?” Ophelia asked.
“No, but if it was, would you say yes?” Jake asked.
“Ask me and we’ll see. The sisters all headed down to breakfast. I should go,” she said.
“I know the bride can’t see the groom until the wedding, but that doesn’t go for bridesmaids and friends, does it?” Jake asked.
“Not in my world,” Ophelia answered, “and Jake, I love you too.”
She followed the other six down to the foyer and listened with one ear to all the talk of the plans for the day. She heard something about Joe Clay and all the guys getting the gazebo set up out in the backyard. But her thoughts were on what a crazy idea it was to even think about Luna’s suggestion, and yet, she couldn’t get it out of her mind.
She didn’t stop at the table where breakfast was laid out but went out to the screened porch to take a peek. The gazebo was set in the right place and all the guys were standing back discussing something. The chairs had all been placed on two sides with a center aisle. Florists were like worker bees dashing around getting everything in order.
“It’s going to be beautiful, isn’t it?”
Mary Jane’s voice startled Ophelia so badly that she jumped. “You snuck up on me, Mama, and yes, it is beautiful. The whole yard looks like something out of one of those bridal magazines.”
“I always thought Luna and Endora would have a double wedding,” Mary Jane said.
The idea that she and Tertia had paddled in parallel canoes when it came to their love lives came to Ophelia’s mind. “Maybe they each needed to take a different path. They’re still close and share so much, but they need to have something separate, like Rae and Bo do.”
“You are right,” Mary Jane agreed.
“I’m surprised that you aren’t taking notes for your next book from all this wedding stuff.” Ophelia caught sight of Jake and waved.
“I’ve already done that. My next story is going to be about a wedding planner during Prohibition who runs a secret moonshine business on the side. It’ll be set in Texas in the nineteen twenties. The first wedding planners only started in 1919, so it was a brand-new profession at the time. I’m so ready to delve into it, and honey, I’ve gotten a lot of fodder for it from all this planning.”
“You amaze me, Mama,” Ophelia said.
“Thanks, honey, but I’m going back into the house. I see Jake coming this way, so I’ll give y’all a few minutes alone.”
Ophelia gave her mother a quick hug. “Thank you—for everything you do for all of us.”
“You are so welcome, but it would not hurt my feelings one bit if you just eloped. I used to think that I wanted every one of you girls to have a big wedding like this. Luna hasn’t even been a little bit of a bridezilla, but…”
“I understand,” Ophelia said.
“You are first one in line for the hairdresser in thirty minutes,” Mary Jane reminded her and then closed the door behind her.
Jake knocked on the door leading into the screened porch and then came inside. “It’s looking fancy out there, isn’t it?”
“Just beautiful,” she managed to get out before he dropped down on one knee, pulled a velvet box from his pocket, and opened it.
“Mary Ophelia Simmons, I feel like we’ve known each other for years, and I know that you are my soul mate. Would you marry me and make me the happiest man on earth?” he asked.
She stared at the set of rings and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.
That’s a sign for sure that you need to take Luna up on her offer,Aunt Bernie was back in Ophelia’s head and sounded over the moon with excitement.
Jake removed the engagement ring and slipped it on her finger. “I’ll let you decide when and how big of a wedding you want, but I sure wish I was in Shane’s shoes today,” he said as he stood up and sealed their brand-new engagement with a kiss.
“How do you feel about tonight?” she asked.
“Noah is here to see Tertia,” Endora yelled from the front door.
Tertia’s curly brown hair was up in curlers the size of orange juice cans. She was still wearing the red-and-white-striped boxer shorts and orange tank top that she’d slept in the night before when she heard her sister’s voice. But she didn’t care how she looked; she ran to the door with the silk SISTER robe flapping behind her. She pushed open the door, wrapped her arms around Noah’s neck, and kissed him.
“I missed you so much last night,” she whispered when the kiss ended.
“I don’t ever want to wake up without you beside me again,” Noah said. “You make me happy, and my life is finally complete with you. I’ve asked you to marry me a dozen times, but today I’m asking for real.”
“Yes, I will marry you,” Tertia answered.
“You said once that you didn’t want an engagement ring because of all the cooking we’ll be doing. I hope you meant it,” Noah said as he brought out a small box from his pocket. He popped it open to reveal two matching wide gold wedding bands. “I don’t want to be engaged. I don’t even care about a big wedding, but if you want one, I’ll wait for you to get it planned. I just want a life with you, Tertia. ”
“I love them!” she squealed. “I don’t care about a long engagement or a wedding. I want a marriage, and I want us to wear these rings that match. Luna came up with an idea this morning. If you don’t want…”
“If it involves marrying you, I’m all ears,” Noah said.
She hoped that Luna had been serious about her offer to share her evening with her, and that Ophelia meant it when she released her from the pinkie promise. Who would have thought that the double wedding would not be between the two identical twins, Luna and Endora?
Ursula led the way down the aisle just as the sun had begun to drop behind all the mesquite trees to the west of the Paradise. She took her place on the left of the gazebo, then each sister followed her, according to age. On the other side, Shane waited—a bit nervously—with Remy acting as his best man. Parker stood at the back of the gazebo with his Bible in his hands.
Bo stepped out of the line of beautiful women and picked up a microphone. Luna appeared like an angel in her white dress and a circlet of roses around her blond hair, flowing down past her shoulders. Bo began to sing a song that she’d written especially for the day titled, “Forever with You.” Everyone stood as Joe Clay led Luna down the aisle.
When the song ended, Bo laid the microphone down and took her place again.
“Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” Parker asked.
“We don’t give our girls away,” Joe Clay answered. “But we do share them, and we are glad to take the men they choose to live with for the rest of their lives into our family.” He kissed Luna on the cheek and sat down beside Mary Jane on the front row.
Ophelia heard a sniffle and noticed that Aunt Bernie was dabbing her eyes with a lace-trimmed hanky. Joe Clay had pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his eyes, and then handed it to Mary Jane. After all the planning and preparation for such a lovely day, the ceremony was over in a few minutes. Parker pronounced them husband and wife just as a gorgeous Texas sun set behind them. Ophelia hoped that every picture the photographer took at that moment turned out well, because her mother really liked her pictures.
“The family would like to invite everyone here this evening to the church fellowship hall for a reception,” Parker said as Luna and Shane made their way down the aisle toward the house. “The bride and groom will join all y’all right after they pose for a few more pictures.”
The photographer worked fast since she was losing light by the second, and in only fifteen minutes, she finished her job. “Y’all have been amazing to work with, and if it’s all right with the bride and groom, I would like to use some of these pictures for my portfolio.”
“Fine by me,” Shane said. “Shall we all go to the reception?”
“Yes,” Ophelia said and scanned the crowd until she found Jake. She locked eyes with him and weaved through the chairs until she was beside him. “Ready?”
“Never been more ready,” he said with a grin. “Why is Bo in such a hurry?”
“She has to get to the church before we all do. She is in charge of the playlist and has to introduce the bride and groom when they arrive. Man, I’m glad we aren’t going to go through all this.”
“Me too,” Jake whispered and offered her his arm, “but I’m even more glad that we aren’t waiting. Shall we go?”
She tucked her arm into his and nodded.
Folks were being served a plate dinner when the wedding party arrived at the reception, and Bo had the microphone in her hands. When Mary Jane gave her the nod, she turned it on and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Shane O’Toole.” Then she pushed a button on her phone and “From This Moment On” began to play as the bride and groom entered the room.
Luna let it play out through the first verse and chorus, and then she took the microphone from Bo and motioned for her to turn off the music. “I want to thank you all for sharing my special day with me. Thank you, Daddy, for walking me down the aisle and always being there for me. Thank you, Mama, for…too many things to even list. Thank you, Aunt Bernie, for getting me through some tough times. And thank you to all my sisters for sharing everything with me. Speaking of sharing, Tertia and Ophelia shared their coffee with me this morning, so it seems only right that I share my wedding cake with them.”
“I hope you’re sharing it with all of us,” Remy laughed.
“I am, but since it’s time to cut the cake so all y’all can have a piece of it after you have your dinner, well…”
Parker came from the back of the room and stood in front of the cake table.
“Well, what?” Joe Clay asked.
“All of you get to attend three Simmons sisters’ weddings tonight,” Luna answered. “Mine that you’ve just been to, and now you can share in the joy of seeing Noah and Tertia exchange vows, and Jake and Ophelia do the same.” She handed the microphone to Parker.
“I thought this was going to be after the first dance,” Jake said as he led Ophelia toward the front of the fellowship hall.
“I did too,” Ophelia said out the side of her mouth, “but I’m not arguing with Luna, and it is kind of nice that we have a wedding cake.”
“I agree,” Tertia said as she and Noah joined them.
“Thank you, Lord!” Mary Jane said somewhere behind them.
“Amen!” Joe Clay added.
Ophelia heard a few muffled giggles, and then Parker said, “Family and friends, we are gathered to witness two more weddings here tonight. I’ve never had a part in a triple wedding, but I understand there’s three more sisters who aren’t married at this time so it might not be the last.”