Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Dean threw his head back with a laugh, almost snorting with amusement over one of the stories his friend Keith from Main Street Auto had been telling.
He was surrounded by a group of his friends at the moment, mainly mechanics, and he thought to himself with a chuckle that it was odd to see them wearing dress shirts and suits instead of their work coveralls.
He took a deep breath, reveling in the fact that he still felt pain-free even after an evening of dancing and standing and talking on his feet for hours.
He knew part of his energy came from adrenaline, but for the most part it was simply his body doing its job well.
He felt full to bursting with gratitude for the fact that he was able to feel so good on his wedding day.
For a while, he’d thought things weren’t going to work out this way, but there he was. And his beautiful bride was—somewhere?
He glanced around the barn, looking for her.
A few minutes earlier, his sisters had ushered her off so that she could change out of her wedding dress before she and Dean departed for their honeymoon.
The crowd had thinned somewhat, since it was getting to be fairly late in the evening, so he could easily scan all corners of the large room. He didn’t see Noelle, however.
He chatted with his guys for a few more minutes, but he still didn’t see Noelle.
He was starting to feel impatient to leave so that he could be alone with her.
It had been the happiest day of his life, and he’d loved being surrounded by all their friends and family, but he was looking forward to it just being him and his wife.
He began to wander around the room, asking people if they’d seen her. The guys teased him mercilessly—“What, lost her already?”—and the women shook their heads and offered to check the women’s bathroom.
Finally he stepped up to Delilah, who was standing by one of the big windows, gazing up at the enormous moon that was glowing silver in the sky.
“Hey,” he said, thinking of all the times he’d seen her in movies during family movie nights as a kid.
Had she really traveled all the way from those old VHS tapes to reality, standing there sipping champagne at his wedding?
He wanted to laugh; it was so wonderful and outrageous. “Have you seen Noelle anywhere?”
“Yes,” she said, with such certainty that he felt sure he was about to locate his bride. “She went upstairs just now. I think she’s in the loft.”
“Awesome, thank you,” Dean said, and turned, ready to take the stairs up to the second level two at a time.
Then he paused and turned around again. “Actually, I have one more thing to thank you for. I know she’s already told you, but it meant so much to Noelle to have that dress.
I think she really had her heart set on it, and you restored that dream for her.
Actually, she said the new dress is even more beautiful than the original.
” He smiled, thinking of how Noelle had gushed to him that not only the dress, but their entire wedding, was even more beautiful than what they’d originally had planned.
The wait may have been tough, but the day had been sweeter in more ways than one because of it.
“It was my pleasure,” Delilah assured him. “I’m thrilled she loves it. It brought me a lot of joy, being able to play fairy godmother like that.”
“Well, Cinderella and I are grateful,” Dean said with a warm smile.
“Speaking of Cinderella, better go find her,” she said with a wink. “I hear it’s after midnight. Keep an eye out for glass slippers.”
He laughed and waved goodbye to her before heading up the stairs to the loft.
It was more dimly lit there, since the only light came from the glow of the twinkle lights on the railings and the chandeliers that were lit downstairs.
At first, he didn’t see Noelle, and he was about to turn around and head back down the stars when he stopped.
There she was, wearing a pink dress and a white coat, sitting on a hay bale in front of the window. Since the Turners’ farm was on a hill, the window offered a breathtaking view of Rosewood Beach, its lights twinkling in the darkness below like a small sea of stars.
“Hey,” he said, stepping up to her.
She jumped, startled, and as she turned to him he saw tear streaks on her cheeks.
“Are you okay?” he asked, suddenly worried. He grabbed her hands and sat down next to her.
She nodded, laughing breathlessly. “Oh, yes. Don’t worry. It’s not like that.”
“Why are you crying?” he asked softly, wiping a tear off her cheek with his finger.
“I’m feeling overwhelmed,” she admitted, “but it’s in the best way. I don’t even know what to do with all this happiness.”
He took her in his arms and held her tightly, thinking that he understood exactly how she felt. He had an answer for her, however.
“I think,” he said slowly, pulling back a little so that he could look into her eyes. “That we should enjoy it every day and never take it for granted.”
She nodded, smiling lovingly at him, and under the starlight, in view of the twinkling lights of their town, they shared another kiss.