Chapter Thirty-four
O n New Year’s Eve morning, Wren slept in, excited that for the first time in sixteen years of law enforcement, she had both Christmas and New Year’s off. She got out of bed and went to use the bathroom, spotting a note on the mirror as she walked by. She pulled the letter off the glass and sat down to do her business, reading.
Good morning, Birdy.
I had to take care of something this morning, but your family is going to pick you up and bring you out to the Winters’ farm for a New Year’s Eve party. I love you.
Sam
What New Year’s Eve party? She’d told Sam that she wanted to stay in and have a quiet New Year’s. Instead, they would not only be with her family but also his surrogate family, and they would probably be on the road when all the drunk people were leaving the bars. This was the whole reason why she hated New Year’s. She’d spent way too many nights filing police reports on crashes and drunk drivers, and she just wanted to chillax.
Plus, she wasn’t drinking, just in case one of their earlier sexcapades had taken root.
When her brothers and dad showed up a few hours later, she was fit to be tied and told them, “You might as well leave, because I’m not going to any party. I want to stay home, veg out, and eat junk food.”
“You can do all that after the party,” said Elizabeth, who came around the back of Garrett’s truck looking shiny as a new penny in a black dress that flowed over her burgeoning belly. She hooked her arm through Wren’s and cajoled, “Come on, Wren, it’ll be fun.”
Wren groaned and went back inside to get ready while her family crowded into her living room. When she came down in a simple red dress and heels, her family applauded, and she waved her hand like she was Miss America.
“Let’s get this over with,” she said.
She rode in Elizabeth’s van with her and Lukas while the boys rode in Garrett’s truck. When they pulled up to the Winters’ Family Christmas Tree Farm, she noticed the twinkling lights decorating the outside of the tree tent.
“Is that where they’re having the party?” Wren asked. “It’s eighteen degrees outside.”
“They’ll have heaters inside,” Elizabeth said impatiently, motioning for her to get a move on. “Come on, come on.”
Elizabeth got out of the car and retrieved Lukas, handing him off to his father. When her sister-in-law came around the car and took Wren’s hand, pulling her toward the house, Wren stopped her.
“What is going on?” Wren asked, her gaze sweeping over the Winters’ home. “Where are you taking me?”
“To get ready.”
“I already got ready for the party,” she protested, frowning in confusion.
Her dad cleared his throat and handed her a white envelope. “It’s all in the letter,” he said.
Wren took and opened the letter and started reading.
My Darling Birdy,
You’re probably wondering what I’m up to. Well, the truth is, you told me to hurry up before you changed your mind, so this is me hurrying up. The Winters’ agreed to let us have our wedding on their farm. I have all the papers, and they’re ready to be signed. There’s a nondenominational pastor waiting in the tent. All that’s missing is you and me. Our family and friends have gathered to eat and celebrate with us. What do you say? Do you want to get married today?
I love you,
Sam
Wren wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked at her dad. “Is this real?”
“I got my dress uniform hanging up in the back, ready to go,” her dad said, beaming. “The question is whether you want this to be real.”
“Because if you don’t wanna do this, I’ll drive the getaway car,” Pete broke in.
Wren laughed tearfully, going to each of her brothers and Elizabeth to hug and thank them before she stopped at her dad and gave him a hard hug.
“Did you help make this happen?” she asked.
“I had a little hand in it,” he conceded, wiping away her tears with his thumb. “I wanted to make up for some of the wrong I did.”
“You have, thank you.”
“Come on. Your bridal party awaits.”
Wren let Elizabeth lead her into the house where Millie and the Winters women were waiting for her.
Millie had a garment bag, and when she unzipped it, Wren gasped.
“It’s just like the gown we saw at that bridal boutique when we went shopping for your bridesmaid dress for Elizabeth’s wedding,” Millie reminded her. “I thought since you loved it so much then, you might still love it now.”
“You went all the way to Twin Falls to find this dress?”
“No, I looked online and found the dress and had it express shipped.” Millie shrugged when the room full of women all stared at her. “It was cheaper than gas money.”
Wren laughed, and suddenly she was surrounded. She was plucked, straightened, curled, and cinched up. She had enough makeup caked on her face to paint a canvas, but when they turned her around and Wren stared at her reflection, she didn’t speak for several beats.
She looked beautiful. She looked happy. She looked ready.
Her dress was off the shoulder with long, gauzy bell sleeves and a beaded bodice that hugged her curves. The dress fluffed out into a ball gown style, and the snow boots they’d given her to wear to the tent were white with little seed pearls on them.
“And we know you’re not gonna dance in heels, so I bought you a pair of white Hey Dudes,” Elizabeth said, holding up the simple slip-on shoes with a grin.
“Thank you,” Wren choked, tears welling in her eyes. “All of you.”
“You are very welcome,” Holly said, waving her hands in front of Wren’s face. “No crying, or you’re going to mess up your makeup!”
“Here is your ‘something new,’ a gift from Sam.” Millie pulled out a velvet bag and opened it to reveal a white gold necklace with two hearts encrusted in diamonds. Holly took it from Millie and put it around Wren’s neck, while Millie tossed her the ‘something old and borrowed.’ It was a pearl comb Millie’s grandmother had given her before she passed. Wren knew how precious this was to her friend, and her eyes pricked with tears.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll put that in your hair,” Elizabeth said, sliding it into Wren’s updo of curls.
“And ‘something blue,’” Victoria said, handing her a blue silk garter. “It’s a tradition in our family, and since you’re marrying my unofficially adopted son, that’s what you are to me.”
Elizabeth beamed at Wren. “I think that’s everything. Are you ready?”
Wren nodded and they helped her out onto the front porch where her dad was waiting for her in his dress uniform. He held his arm out to her, and the other ladies rushed ahead, giving them a moment of privacy.
“You look wonderful.”
“Thank you,” she sniffled, trying the fanning trick Holly did to stop herself from crying. “I feel wonderful.”
“In that case, we should probably get you down to the tent before your boy paces a hole in the ground.”
Wren’s heart beat faster the closer they came to the tent. The minute they crossed the entrance and she saw Sam waiting for her at the end of a white walkway, all her doubts melted away as she stared.
Sam stood in front of a white arch in a black tux, looking dapper and handsome. He froze when their eyes met, and he watched Wren walk down the aisle, his jaw slack, with Clark’s hand on his shoulder. She finally got close enough to see the tears streaming down his cheeks, and her breath caught. Her own eyes stung again, and she was afraid that if she started crying, all the ladies who’d helped her get ready would pitch a fit about her makeup running, but she couldn’t help it. While Wren had never imagined getting married until the last few weeks, she had to admit that Sam had put everything together exactly how she would have planned it. Simple. Intimate. Beautiful.
But the best thing of all was seeing the man she loved, the “player” of Mistletoe, with all his walls crumbling because he saw her coming down the aisle in her wedding dress.
It was the most perfect moment she’d ever witnessed.
“Who gives this woman?” the pastor asked.
“We do,” her brothers and father chorused.
Millie and Elizabeth stood on her side, both beaming. Her father gave her hand to Sam, who took it. When Robert put his hand on Sam’s shoulder, Sam leaned over and gave him a hug.
Wren heard him say, “Thank you,” before they broke apart and Sam faced her.
As they stood in front of the pastor, Wren reached up and wiped the tears from Sam’s cheeks.
“You’re supposed to cry after the wedding,” she said.
“Watching you come down that aisle was like seeing the sun crest the mountains for the first time.”
Now her eyes were burning again. After they went through their vows and had their very first kiss as husband and wife, she pulled away and said, “You do realize I wanted to have a quiet New Year’s Eve, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” Sam said, bringing her hands to his mouth and kissing her knuckles, “but I figured this would be the best excuse for us to stay home on New Year’s Eve for the rest of our lives and celebrate our anniversary.”
Wren squeezed his hands, joy bursting in her chest. “Good thinking.”
“That’s why you married me. Because of my brains.”
“Something like that,” she said.
“Ouch, can I claim spousal abuse yet?”
“You might wanna wait until you see what I’ve got going on underneath this dress before you have me locked up.”
Sam chuckled. “The anticipation is going to kill me.”