Chapter Thirty-one #2
And as guests trickled in after I’d fulfilled my promise to get the menfolk looking sharp, it appeared the whole town was RSVPing.
The best part was the small-town custom of bringing food to functions because every guest who meandered over had a dish or platter or pan of something yummy.
Logan had to make a few makeshift tables out of plywood and sawhorses to hold all the incoming food.
Patty from Patty’s Pit Stop ambled over to me and I actually stumbled back a bit.
“Patty! You have legs! I’ve only ever seen you from the waist up behind the counter at your store,” I said.
She looked down at her black dress pants and black boots, wiggling her legs a bit.
“You should see the two size-9 indentations on the floor behind the counter where I’ve spent way too many years standing.
” She scanned the decorated yard and the assembled guests.
“It feels good to come out into the world. Especially for such a great occasion.”
I took the brownies she’d made, set them on the food table, and guided her to one of the log benches. That sequence of events repeated itself as I took on the role of usher at this impromptu wedding and welcomed our friends to the celebration.
Then Sadie came out of the farmhouse with the rest of the girl gang—except for Mom—and my brain could register nothing else but how exquisite she looked. She wore a harvest orange dress with a cropped, matching jacket that accentuated all her assets.
And man, her assets were many.
Her hair had been curled and half was pinned back so her face was unobstructed and the curls cascaded in layers down her back. Her makeup was subtle and tasteful. Just enough to highlight her natural beauty.
Her lips . . . Good God, her lips had a shiny gloss over a peachy-pink color and I wanted to kiss that until I made a genuine mess of it.
I was honestly mesmerized by her beauty, and when her green eyes finally landed on me, I was happy to report she looked a bit bespelled as well.
Slowly, she walked over to me, a single sunflower tied with green, cranberry, and gold raffia in her grip.
I instantly forgot we were in the presence of probably the entire town. At that moment, only she and I existed.
“Vanessa will be pleased if the rest of the men look as good as you do,” Sadie said.
“They’re trying their best, but I’ve set a high bar.” I ran my hands down her arms and closed them around her wrists. “As have you.” I pressed a kiss to her cheek, not messing her lipstick as I’d fantasized doing. “You look incredible.”
“Let’s take a picture. I’ll show it to Orla and Fionn the next time I go to Verdalach,” Sadie suggested.
I pulled out my phone, snapped a selfie of the two of us huddled together, and sent it to Sadie. “You miss them, don’t you?”
Sadie nodded. “They are my only friends back home.” Sadness overtook her for a moment, but when my sister and the other women, except for my mother, came outside, we knew this shindig was ready to start. They also wore dresses in various shades of deep orange and carried single sunflowers.
“Your mother isn’t having a maid of honor,” Sadie said, “but she asked all of us girls to stand along one side of the aisle while you guys stand on the other side. Except for Darius who she asked to walk her down the aisle to Jimmy.” She looked down to the ground for a moment. “Is it okay that she asked me to join?”
“I’m thrilled she asked you to join.” I squeezed her hand and she smiled. I then extended my elbow to her. “It looks as if we’re almost ready for showtime. Shall we?”
She looped her arm around mine and we joined my brothers and their gals along the aisle.
A few moments later, Jimmy took up a position in front of the archway and Marco from Maplehaven joined him as the officiator.
Jimmy had on the suit he’d worn to tell us kids he wanted to marry Mom, but now his tie was a solid harvest orange to match the décor and autumn vibe.
A lovely, string-quartet version of “Here Comes the Bride” came through my Bluetooth speakers.
Then . . . my mother appeared.
She was a vision in an orange dress that was several shades paler than what the other women wore.
Her dark hair was up in a twist with a few orange and cranberry mum blossoms tucked into her tresses.
She clutched the bouquet Logan and Ashley had assembled in one hand, her other one hooked on Darius’s elbow.
We were all so accustomed to seeing our mom look like .
. . well, a mom. One that often had cargo pants on with pockets full of snacks for the animals we serviced at Hartley’s Nest. Flannel shirts, T-shirts, and Hartley’s Nest fleeces usually covered her torso.
Her feet were mostly clad in work boots or muck boots.
She wore hats to keep from getting a sunburn after hours spent working outside.
This version of our mother, however, was classy and stylish, and if the smile on her face was any indication, eager to marry Jimmy Slater.
Darius guided Mom down the aisle, handed her off to her groom, then he sat with Flora as the rest of us paired up and found a seat on the log benches as well.
We witnessed Mom and Jimmy say I do to each other, and the moment they kissed to seal the deal, upbeat, swing music erupted from the Bluetooth speakers.
Upbeat, swing music that Logan and Ashley had not put on the playlist.
But I knew who had selected that tune of celebration. Someone who loved electronics as much as I did. I glanced up to the blue autumn sky.
We’re happy for them too, Dad.
With his blessing on the union, Marco declared Mom and Jimmy husband and wife, and Greenridge partied well into the night at Hartley’s Nest.
“I loved everything about today,” Sadie said as we arrived back at my house.
“Equal parts unexpected, fun, and romantic.” She sighed as she spun in a circle, her fancy dress billowing a bit around her.
“I knew those romance novels I borrowed from Orla weren’t just stories.
Real love like what’s on those pages exists.
I’ve seen it with my own eyes.” She came to stand in front of me. “I’ve felt it with my own heart.”
I drew her in close. “Me too.”
We kissed for long, glorious moments then Sadie craned her head back a bit to look at me.
“When you came to Verdalach, you said you wished for me,” she said. “I wished for you too, Beckett Hartley, and I’m so glad that wish was granted.”
I brushed another kiss to her lips, knowing that we had many more wishes to make together.