Green’s the New Blue
Epilogue
Green's the New Blue
Delaney
In the cheerful little room, Tessa was frowning down at her phone. "You've got to be kidding." She looked up. "You won't believe what she just posted on her page."
Mom.
It had to be.
I couldn't help but laugh. "Why do you even look? It's just gonna make you mad." I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, I know."
Maisie gave Tessa a perplexed look. "And why are you checking your phone at all?"
Good question.
After all, this wasn't an ordinary day.
I shifted in my seat, the layers of my white wedding gown settling around me in a soft rustle that made me smile as sunlight streamed in through the room's high window. My bouquet rested nearby, a lovely arrangement of white roses and perfect pink hydrangeas.
When I reached up to brush a hand against my necklace, Tessa said in a teasing tone, "You do know that's supposed to be blue, right?"
I glanced down at the stunning emerald pendant, a surprise gift from Maddox. "No, it's not. Emeralds are supposed to be green."
"I know," Tessa laughed. "But that's not how the saying goes. It's 'something blue,' remember?"
Actually, I'd been planning to wear my mom's pearl necklace, but after Maddox had surprised me with this one last night, I couldn't bring myself to take it off – and not only because it was so incredibly gorgeous.
Even now, I could still see the look of love in his eyes when he'd said that he wanted me to have something just as genuine as me.
Just thinking about it made me go all misty.
With a smile, I told Tessa, "Haven't you heard? Green's the new blue."
She gave the emerald a good, long look. "You know what? I think you're right." She smiled. "And you're absolutely beautiful."
Funny, I felt it, too.
Tessa and Maisie had taken over the room like it was mission control, with bags, shoes, makeup, and hairpins spread across every available surface while I sat in the middle of it all, trying to convince myself this was actually happening.
Somewhere beyond the door, the day was already in motion. I could feel it in the air – the quiet anticipation, the sense that everything was lined up and waiting, even the island itself, still thawing out after the long, cozy winter.
My wedding to Maddox would be the very first of the season – just like Maisie's had been the first, this time last year.
And in the same church, too.
No matter how you sliced it, it had been one heck of a year – filled with all kinds of surprises, including a baby on the way, not that Maisie was showing yet.
Okay, it was showing a little – not in her figure, but in her face, because she couldn't stop smiling.
Just like me.
And Tessa, too.
She and Ryder had said their own "I do's" in January on the mainland, because they hadn't wanted to wait. She'd had two bridesmaids – a matron of honor, Maisie, and a maid of honor, me.
Right from the start, Mom had been over the moon, telling everyone who'd listen that Tessa had made the most wonderful match ever…until she found out what was going on with me.
It wasn't that she thought Maddox was better – even if I personally believed he was the very best. No, it was the fact that, in Mom's eyes, I'd totally bested the daughter of my mom's favorite nemesis.
Was it shallow and silly?
Absolutely.
It was also vintage Mom.
As for Sloane Hayworth, she was on the interview circuit yet again, promoting her latest book, The Girl Who Came Back, in which she blamed her friends, her mom, and even the weather for the crazy PR plan that had gone completely off the rails.
For once, she wasn't blaming Maddox.
I'd even spotted her on TV the other day, sitting across from a sympathetic host, telling her story all over again. She'd gotten choked up at just the right moment, her voice catching, her eyes glistening, and her mascara somehow staying absolutely perfect.
It was impressive, in a way.
And also a little terrifying.
As for Devon and Sierra, they had beaten all of us to the altar, getting married mere months after his odd proposal to Maisie.
Now, between Chicago and the island, I'd lost track of where they argued more.
Weirdly enough, it seemed perfectly on brand, complete with enough drama to keep the rumor mill well-fed.
That reminded me of something.
I looked to Tessa. "Wait…aren't you gonna tell us what Mom posted?"
She grinned. "I knew you'd ask if I waited." She lifted her phone and turned the screen in my direction, so I could see it for myself.
I nearly choked. It was a blurry, clearly zoomed-in shot of Maddox in his tux, standing near the front steps. It was cropped too tight and slightly off-kilter, like it was taken from behind a bush.
But it was the caption that nearly did me in.
Look at him. Handsome, successful, and ACTUALLY at the altar. So happy for my Delaney. (Sorry, Cynthia.)
Maisie moved closer to take a look for herself. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Who's Cynthia?"
I shook my head. "Sloane's mom."
Tessa said, "Yeah, they were sorority sisters, remember?"
As if anyone could forget.
I looked back to the photo. Blurry or not, he was still all Maddox – handsome, sweet, and just a little dangerous, but never to me.
Absently, I said, "But…he's not even at the altar."
I wasn't even a little bit worried. I still had fifteen minutes before I'd be walking down the aisle. But more than that, I didn't have a single doubt that Maddox would be there, just like he'd promised.
Tessa pulled back her phone and turned to Maisie with a laugh, "And just for the record, I had to check my phone. Someone was threatening to stop by."
That made me pause. "Threatening?"
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. When we all turned to look, I heard Ryder's voice, loud and clear, talking through the gap. "Hey, just so you know, he actually showed up."
Tessa called back, "It's not funny." But then she laughed. "Okay, maybe it's a little funny."
It was even funnier when a second voice joined the first. "Hey, Delaney!" It was Griff.
I called back, "What?"
"Just so you know, he's here."
Oh, for God's sake. "I know he's here."
This time, it was Ryder again. "Because you can see him?"
The idea was so ridiculous, I laughed. "No. Because I know he is, that's all."
Tessa called out in their direction. "Plus, Mom's been posting on social media."
Ryder groaned. "Again?"
I knew what he meant. These days, Mom posted about me non-stop. This wasn't a good thing. But it was funny, because the way it looked, she was trying to make up for years of doing just the opposite.
She'd even repaid that money she'd "borrowed" – plus a little interest.
Shocking?
Totally.
But during the past year, her social media presence had become surprisingly lucrative – or at least that's what the numbers suggested.
I mean, it's not like I had a million followers.
Then again, it's not like I ever posted. Me? I was still content to fly under the radar, even if life with Maddox made that a little tricky – even more so when his mom decided that I was good for his brand, whatever that meant.
Still, I wasn't in any rush to jump in the spotlight. And neither was Maddox – which was why we'd decided to spend more of our time here on the island, where we'd built a house a stone's throw away from Griff and Maisie – and from Tessa, whenever she and Ryder weren't in Chicago.
Speaking of Ryder, he was still at the door, calling out, "Hey! Guess who's sitting with Walt."
I didn't have to guess. It was definitely Franny. Just last night, I'd seen the two of them walking together down Main Street – making so many googly eyes, I was pretty sure that fishing wasn't the only thing they were doing.
Tessa got up and marched to the door. She cracked it open and peered out. With a laugh, she said, "Hey, don't you have some best-manning to do?"
"I already did it," Ryder said.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Mostly I got him to the church on time."
From somewhere outside the door, Griff added, "Plus, he told us to take a hike."
Maisie called out, "Really? Why?"
Griff replied, "Apparently, he has to make a phone call."
What the heck? I called out, "To who?"
But just then, my phone chimed on the nearby shelf. In half a heartbeat, it was in my hands. I smiled. Maddox.
I answered softly. "Hello?"
In a teasing tone, he asked, "So…whatcha doin'?"
I snickered. "You can't guess?"
"I can guess what you will be doing."
"Oh, yeah? What's that?"
His voice softened. "Making me the luckiest man in the world."
Just like always, my heart turned to mush. "And me the luckiest girl."
"Yeah. And I'm gonna make sure of it." He paused. "Delaney?"
I suddenly realized that everyone else had gone quiet. But in that moment, I hardly cared. "Yeah?"
"I love you. And I always will. See you at the altar?"
I nodded so hard my veil nearly slipped. "Definitely. And Maddox?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you, too."
A soft breath came through the line, like a smile I could almost feel. And then, he said, "Lucky me."
"No, lucky us." I looked up, meeting the tender gazes of my best friend and sister, who both looked just as awestruck as I felt. When they smiled, I silently added, Lucky all of us.
Griff and Maisie.
Ryder and Tessa.
And me with Maddox.
It had been a long road to get here, but somehow, we'd all ended up exactly where we were meant to be.
And honestly, life didn't get any better than that.
The End