Chapter 42 Coco
Coco
When I get home from work, it seems like a cloud has descended over the cottage. It feels dark, drab. Or maybe it’s just me and my mood.
I don’t expect Stone home for a while, so it’s no surprise when he’s not there. What is surprising is the large white box lying on the rickety kitchen table.
A car? What the . . . ?
I open the box and find an evening gown encrusted with crystals. I suck in a breath. Never in my life have I seen such a beautiful piece of clothing. And Lord, is it heavy!
I pull it from the box, and more gasping occurs. It’s strapless, with a sweetheart neckline and a fitted bodice that gives way to a silk skirt that flows like water under my fingers.
Holy shit. This is gorgeous. Are we going out on the town—maybe out of town? Is this gonna be like in Pretty Woman when Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to the opera and she gets to wear that beautiful necklace?
Is there a beautiful necklace hidden somewhere?
My gaze scours the table. No more boxes. Dang. I really wanted a necklace.
But hell, if there’s a driver, there might be a private jet.
He is a Maddox, which means he’s got all sorts of money.
Giddy about the dress and pushing aside the feeling in the pit in my stomach, I take the box to the bedroom. I quickly shower, put up my hair, apply fresh makeup, and slide into the gown.
It fits like a dream, and the skirt rustles when I spin.
I turn this way and that in the mirror, getting a view from all sides. It’s the most elegant piece of clothing to ever have graced my body. It shimmers when I move, sending rainbows of light dancing over the walls.
What does Stone have planned?
I put on heels and am ready to go when, at seven, the doorbell rings.
The last thing I expect is Ron in a suit wearing a chauffeur’s hat—but that’s what I get.
“Hey, Ron.”
“Hey, Coco. You look nice.”
“Thank you. So . . . I don’t suppose you’ll tell me where we’re going.”
“Mum’s the word.”
“Hmm. Suspicious.”
“You ready?”
“Never been readier.” As he escorts me down the sidewalk, I pepper him with questions. “Are we headed to the airport? Is there a jet waiting on the tarmac? There’s a jet, isn’t there? Is Stone wearing a tux? You’re not flying the plane, are you?”
Ron doesn’t answer as I jabber at him. He opens the back door of a sleek black limo and I get in, half expecting Stone to be sitting in the back.
Who am I kidding? Stone never would’ve waited in the car. He would’ve gotten out and retrieved me himself.
However, even though he’s not present, there’s another note on the opposite seat. I do a little happy clap. Maybe it’s a clue!
I slide out the card and take a look. I’m sure you’re starving, and we’ll eat soon. Hang tight just a little bit longer.
Okay, so are we flying to New York for dinner? Maybe California? Probably California, given the time difference. Oh, this is so cool!
As Ron pulls the sedan away from the house, my gaze skims the familiar streets. Tonight, my town sparkles, and it isn’t just because of magic. It’s because someone wrapped twinkly lights around the lampposts. It’s enchanting, and looks like the set of a Hallmark movie.
Is Hallmark filming in Mystic Meadows?
The lights sparkle all the way to the end of town, where a small white building is decorated with bright pansies popping out from window boxes and tulips sprinkling the front garden.
My excitement turns to horror as Ron pulls up in front of the building.
“Ron,” I whisper, “we’re not stopping here, are we?”
He doesn’t answer, but comes to a halt directly in front of the door. My insides shrivel and die.
Oh no. No no no no no!
Icy dread fills my stomach, and the glowing lights, the ones I thought looked so beautiful only moments before, now mock me.
My core tightens and a charge builds on my fingertips. No. I’ve come too far to lose control of my magic now.
I could run. I could leave this very moment. It would allow Stone to have a future without the wreckage of my truth.
But that wouldn’t be fair to him.
I exhale. It’s time to face the truth head-on. Maybe this place, this scenario, isn’t the curse I think it is.
Maybe it’ll be a blessing in disguise.
Or my complete downfall.
Ron gets out and comes around to open my door. I whisper a prayer, asking for strength. I’m about to need every last ounce I can muster.
Within seconds, my door opens and Ron helps me out.
I now stand directly in front of the building, and it’s dazzling. Torches line the sidewalk, their flames licking at the night. Pink and red flowers scale latticework attached to the front of the facade.
I inhale a deep gust of air. I’m ready.
Ron walks me to the front door and he pulls it open.
I get my first glimpse and my knees buckle. The air smells like lilies and candle wax and the terrifying feeling of being loved too much.
I thought I was prepared for this, but I’m not.
Inside, the chapel’s decorated just as beautifully as the outside, with hundreds of candles lighting up the interior.
The pews are filled with people—Cristina, Clarice, my book club ladies. Even my family is here.
My mom cries quietly.
And standing at the very front is Stone, wearing a tuxedo (I had that guessed right), and beside him is Isaac, who is apparently officiating my wedding.
Stone brought me here to get married.
This beautiful gown, one I couldn’t have picked better myself, is a wedding dress, and Stone has planned the most gorgeous venue, better than I could have imagined—even if it is in Mystic Meadows.
He winks playfully. My throat squeezes. It’s all so beautiful that my heart overflows. Would Stone beam at me if he knew the truth? Would I still feel this way? Do I deserve this slice of happiness?
It feels like I’ve known Stone my entire life, not just a few weeks.
It’s insane. Absolutely nuts. People only get married when they’ve known one another for years, when they’ve had time to witness the ups and downs of a person, see their moodiness, understand what to do when that person has a bad day.
But Stone has unlocked something within me, and I’m more me with him than I’ve ever been. I certainly unlocked something within him. It seems the magic potion actually unlocked his true self—who he was always meant to be.
Beside him, Hercules bleats, “Baaaaaaa.”
I completely concur.
Music kicks up. My dad approaches, and he walks me down the aisle as a hundred gazes are glued to us.
“This is pretty fast, isn’t it, hon?”
“It sure is.”
“Are you really going to do this?” he asks, sounding worried. “I like Stone, don’t get me wrong. But it feels a little sudden.”
I pat his hand. “Don’t worry.”
We reach the front and Dad kisses me on the cheek before handing me over. This moment is akin to being on a TV show—the kind where you’ve only known your fiancé a week and must choose to marry him or end the relationship. Except there are no cameras here.
This is real life.
Stone grins and I force myself to smile back.
Tears prick my eyes. There’s so much love in me for this man.
Yes—love.
I didn’t think there would or could be. But there is, and for the next few seconds I want to sit in this.
“Too much?” Stone asks, humor lacing his voice.
I burst into laughter. Always, he’s so funny. “It’s perfectly you,” I reply, meaning it. “Surprising me with this is simply . . . you.”
“I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”
“You should.”
Isaac speaks. He doesn’t do the whole “Dearly beloved” thing. It’s more about two souls joining as one and people finding their people.
Hercules bleats a lot as if to corroborate everything Isaac says.
Then he says, “Stone . . .”
Stone looks at me, his jade eyes filled with warmth, his sharp features softening.
“Coco, I don’t really have fancy words for this. I mean, I tried to write some down, but they all sounded like a Hallmark card and not like me.”
Everyone laughs. A tear falls down my cheek.
“So I’m just gonna talk to you the way I always do—straight up.
” Love fills me to bursting as he continues.
“Ever since I met you, it’s like something in me clicked.
Like I didn’t know I was lost until you found me.
And I didn’t even know I could feel this settled.
This seen. This stupidly happy watching you laugh at everything you laugh at, which is mostly me. ”
Chuckles fill the chapel. “You make life feel like a home. Not a house. Not a job. Not a title. But something warm and real and good. With you, I don’t feel like I have to perform or earn my place—I just get to be yours. And that’s the best job I’ve ever had.”
My heart spasms against my rib cage.
“I don’t know what’s coming. We’ll probably fight. I’ll probably say something dumb, multiple times—but I promise this: I’ll keep showing up. I’ll keep choosing you. Every day. Even on the days when we’re tired or grumpy or I track mud in the house after you’ve just mopped.”
His eyes shine and mine blur with tears.
“I love you, Coco. All of you. The way you love your job, your life. The way you make me feel like the man I always wanted to be. So here I am. A guy in a tux, totally wrecked in the best way. Ready to spend forever figuring out how to love you better, every single day.”
I knuckle tears from my cheeks. Never has anyone said something so gut wrenching and yet so uplifting to me.
And the thing is, I feel the same way—like he sees me, knows me, and is ready to fight for me.
Isaac looks at me. “Coco, do you have anything you’d like to say?”
I nod. “I do. Sto—” His name breaks off in the back of my throat, and I have to push through to keep going.
“Stone, ever since you appeared in my life, nothing has been the same. Life has taken on an entirely new meaning. I can truly be myself and let you see the parts of me I’ve shielded from everyone—except you, that is. ”
A sob clogs up my words. Oh, God. This is so stupidly emotional.
“But even with all of that, and how much I feel, and how much I love you, there’s something you have to know, and it can’t wait a second longer. It has to be said.”
Stone’s face twists in worry. “What is it?”
I exhale a shaky breath. “The day that you—”
The door flies open with a bang.
Heads turn and my jaw drops.
Pane Maddox storms in, his face twisted in confusion and worry. His wife, Rowe, follows quickly behind.
He takes one look at the rows of people, at the two of us, and demands, “Stone, what the hell is going on?”