Chapter Thirty-one
Beckett
Sadie and I turned to see Isaac walking toward us, carrying a pair of fairy wings.
“Today?” I asked as I set down my squirming niece. “Today today?”
“Today.” Isaac shrugged. “Guess they’re going to beat some of us engaged folks to the altar.”
So far, Vanessa and Logan were the only two Hartley kids to have actually gotten married.
Isaac, Joshua, and Darius were still only engaged with wedding dates set.
It had been a tough schedule to put together with all of them wanting their own ceremonies and none of them biting when I suggested a group wedding.
“Why not?” I’d asked. “All the same people are going to be invited as we saw with the two weddings we’ve already had. Why not make the rest of them convenient?”
There had been a few speeches—particularly from the womenfolk—that weddings were not to be organized out of convenience but out of strict adherence to lifelong fantasies they’d all had about their wedding days.
They may not have agreed with me, but they all loved the family wedding database I’d created so they could at least make the planning more convenient.
And speaking of planning . . .
“How are Mom and Jimmy pulling off a wedding a day after getting engaged?” I asked.
“They’re keeping it simple.” Isaac wrestled the fairy wings onto Amelia’s back. She ran off toward Jimmy who was, at this moment, on what was apparently his wedding day, pruning some bushes on the side of the farmhouse that faced the decorated archway and log benches.
“So simple that Jimmy is doing the landscaping himself.” Sadie patted my arm. “I’m going to see if he needs some help.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll be over in a minute.”
With a light kiss on the cheek and a wave to Isaac, Sadie walked toward Jimmy.
And yes, I watched her until Isaac nudged me.
“We’re going to be adding your name to that wedding database, aren’t we?” He grinned at me like an idiot.
I jammed my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “No comment.” But maybe I’d checked out a few engagement ring designs online. Just for research.
“Who is going to do the ceremony today on such short notice?” I asked.
“Well, Mom called Georgia at Ye Olde Wisdom Bookshop to gush about getting engaged,” Isaac said as he led me closer to the farmhouse, “and Georgia said she knew an author over in Maplehaven who was an ordained minister.”
“That Marco Vieira guy?”
Isaac snapped his fingers. “That’s the one. He owns Cups Café in Maplehaven too so he’s bringing some pastries as well, I guess. Carina also told Ellen and the two of them have been at Sugar Rush Bakery since we found out about today’s wedding, baking appetizers and a cake.”
“And when did you find out?” I asked. “Am I the last to know?”
“There was a group text earlier this morning,” Isaac said.
I pulled out my phone, and yup . . . there it was.
Mom: We’re getting married today! Be in the yard at 3PM!
“How did I miss this text?”
Isaac chuckled then pointed to Sadie who was currently raking up what Jimmy had cut off the bushes. “I’ll bet it has something to do with the princess.”
I gave him a shove, he shoved me back, then we both entered the farmhouse.
Where my remaining family members were all engaged in some wedding-related task. Vanessa and Spencer puzzled over fitting some autumn flowers into a bouquet I assumed Mom would be holding. Little Ben sat in a high chair, his tiny grabby fists out as if he wanted some of the blooms.
Logan and Ashley huddled over a laptop, putting together a playlist of love songs and dance tracks.
“Hey, Beckett,” Logan called. “Can we get that sweet little DJ setup you used at the All Hallow’s Eve Walk back up and running?”
“Sure. I’ll grab the components in a second,” I said.
Joshua and Sylvie rummaged around in the linen closet, looking for tablecloths, while Isaac pulled out Mom’s fancy dishware. Darius and Flora were by the sink, washing and drying wine glasses.
In the living room, Hunter practiced singing a song about true love that I figured he planned to perform for the newlyweds, and honestly, the kid sounded spectacular.
And calling my mother and Jimmy newlyweds felt odd though I’d seen this coming and had been the first to accept our town’s rumored serial killer as our stepfather.
From the looks of things, however, it appeared the rest of the family had accepted Jimmy as well.
Otherwise, my siblings and their mates wouldn’t have been throwing themselves into the wedding preparations with so much focus and care.
With everything looking handled inside, I stepped outside to find Amelia ordering Dasha, Merlin, and Maggie around.
“You have to stay in a line, doggies!” she shouted. “And remember to smile.” She then proceeded to march forward, her fairy wings flopping on her back.
And wouldn’t you know it? Those dogs did follow her in a line, their tongues hanging out as if they were, in fact, smiling. Amelia definitely had whatever animal connection Isaac had that made him such a good veterinarian. Like father, like daughter.
“Not letting my mom change her mind, Jimmy?” I asked as I came to stand next to the man.
He wiped sweat from his forehead and squinted in the sun at me. “No, sir, I am not.” He rested the pruning shears against his leg. “But I gotta tell you, Beckett, when I suggested we get married today, I didn’t think she’d actually go for it.”
“Beth Hartley likes to get things done,” I said. “I guess that goes for her wedding too.”
“Well, it’s a beautiful day.” Jimmy held his hands out to encompass the side yard. “Perfect for a wedding.”
“This is so exciting!” Sadie dumped some leaves into a barrel. “I’ve read about American weddings in romance novels, but I’ve never been to one.”
“I don’t think this one will be typical, but I’m sure it will be fun,” I said. “My DJ system has been requested so I’m going to grab that.”
“Okay,” Sadie said. “I’m going to finish helping Jimmy here then head inside to see how I can make myself useful.” She offered me a bright smile.
I pulled her up against me and kissed that beautiful smile. “I love you even more for being so willing to dive right in to help my crazy family.”
“I’m happy to be included,” she said. “Your crazy family is wonderful.”
Yeah. They were wonderful and the Hartley family had only gotten better with the addition of Ashley, Carina, Sylvie, and Flora.
Spencer made it better too, but he’d always been one of us, having been our friend since we were all kids.
Amelia, Hunter, and Little Ben increased the awesomeness, and I knew Jimmy had his special brand of magic to contribute to the family as well.
I took another few seconds to watch Sadie helping Jimmy, loving how she fit right in though she was an actual princess.
Her ability to be both royal and engage in a simple landscaping task was impressive.
I’d been upset that she’d lied about being a princess at first, but seeing her now, observing her blend so seamlessly into my family, I understood why she’d kept that part of her a secret.
She was just a woman looking for people who saw her for what she was—princess title or not.
Sadie was a kind, intelligent, loving, beautiful person whose radiant aura had turned mine from gray to full-wattage bulb bright—the latest LED bulbs because those bad boys were efficient.
And I was certain there would be days when our auras dimmed because life was sometimes tricky, you know? But we’d be there for each other to make sure that burnout wasn’t permanent. We’d rally each other and get back up to full glow together.
I walked back to my house, having a ridiculous urge to skip there such was my mood.
I refrained, however, because if one of my siblings caught me in the act, I’d never hear the end of it.
I grabbed my tablet and special DJ Bluetooth speaker system, piled them in my car, and drove back to the farmhouse with everything.
With the help of Logan and Ashley, we had the speakers set up around the side yard and the playlist my brother and his wife had made shared to my tablet.
As morning shifted to afternoon, the women of the family collected in the farmhouse with my mother to get her and themselves ready.
At first, Sadie had hung back with me as we helped my brothers and Spencer set up a tent that a few tables and chairs would go under for reception time, but my sister wasn’t having any of that.
“C’mon, Sadie.” She hooked her arm around Sadie’s and tugged her toward the farmhouse. “We need the input of a princess to make Mom and the girl gang look magnificent.”
I gave Sadie a wave. “Have fun.”
“After you’re done setting up, make sure the men get into their best suits, Beckett,” Vanessa ordered. “I’m putting you in charge because you have the best fashion sense out of the group.”
I saluted her. “Yes, ma’am. I’m on it.”
With a nod, Vanessa bustled Sadie into the farmhouse with the rest of the women. I missed having her with me, but I couldn’t wait to see her dressed up for the wedding.
My brothers, Jimmy, Spencer, and Hunter made quick work of organizing the reception space.
“Who the heck is coming to this thing anyway?” I asked as I tucked in the final few chairs around one of the tables.
“I don’t know beyond you folks,” Jimmy said. “I’m not exactly popular for the right reasons in town so I don’t have a guest list. Anyone who shows up is due to your mother being so well-loved.”
“Well, shit, then,” Logan said. “We probably don’t have enough tables and chairs.”
“True,” Darius said. “It might end being a standing-room-only situation if everyone who loves Mom finds out about this wedding today.”
I arced my arms out. “It’s not as if we don’t have the acreage to accommodate. Hartley’s Nest is big enough to host the whole town.”