Chapter Twenty-Four
Today is a new day.
Holly stared into the mirror, her fingers running along the smooth material of the wedding dress her mother had brought from the Philippines. It really was stunning, and Holly felt proud to represent her heritage on this special occasion.
She turned her head to inspect her hair. It was swept up into an elegant twist that flattered her neck. Every strand was perfectly in place. Her veil—which she had luckily taken home before the boutique fire—was pinned to the back of her head, flowing down to the middle of her back. The Mason family brooch was on display on the front of her dress.
Her makeup was impeccable, and her white, satin shoes didn’t pinch her feet.
So far, so good.
Holding a hand to her stomach to still the jitters, she stepped out of the changing room and into the hall.
Her guests’ voices drifted up to her from the chateau’s entrance. Friends and family greeted each other, commented on how lovely the venue was, and exchanged small talk.
Holly kept out of sight in the upstairs hall. She paced back from the banister, taking slow breaths and ignoring the heavy beat of her heart.
Today is a good day.
Whispers found her ears. Spotting Rachel and Lucy at the end of the hall, Holly held her breath. Their set jaws and lowered brows triggered alarms in her head. The whispers were theirs, but when they noticed Holly, they stopped talking and straightened.
No, no, no. Today’s supposed to be a good day.
Holly walked toward them, the hold on her stomach tightening. “What? What is it?”
Several scenarios zipped through her mind. At the top of the list was the possibility that Nick had decided not to marry her.
“Oh, Holly.” Lucy smiled, all traces of apprehension gone. “You look beautiful.”
“Lucy, thank you, but please tell me what’s going on.”
Lucy looked at Rachel, seemingly lost for what to say.
Rachel gently took hold of Holly’s arm. “Don’t freak out, okay? Sheriff Barnes called to inform us that Grayson’s been spotted around Silverwood. Some citizens phoned in to report sightings, but Barnes’s officers couldn’t find him.”
“He’s eluding them,” Lucy added. “But they’ve got roadblocks set up on all the roads leading here, so I doubt he’ll get through.”
Holly didn’t agree. She knew Grayson would stop at nothing to see his plan through. But she didn’t want to get worked up. Think positive . “Okay. Okay.”
Lucy and Rachel exchanged a look.
Holly’s shoulders slumped. “There’s more?”
“Just a few delays.” Rachel shook her head. “Nothing you should stress about.”
“Delays?” Holly wrung her hands. “Tell me.”
“The florist called because someone tried to cancel the flower delivery.” Lucy put her hand up, palms facing Holly. “But it’s a good thing we know the florist, who also happens to be a guest. Melissa knew the wedding hadn’t been canceled. She alerted the shop and un canceled the order. They should be delivering any minute now.”
“But the guests have already started to arrive.” Holly bit her lip.
“Don’t worry,” Rachel said. “We’ve kept them in the main room and won’t allow them in the winter garden until the flowers are set up. Kim is keeping them entertained. And I think she’s enjoying the limelight.”
“We have to wait for Father William anyway.” Lucy cringed as soon as she said it.
Holly’s eyes widened. “Wait for him? What do you mean?”
“He got stuck at his apartment. Apparently, he has two flat tires.”
“But we’ve got it under control,” Rachel said. “Eddie called one of his buddies to drive out and give him a ride.”
“They’ll be here soon,” Lucy added.
Holly rubbed her neck, which felt unbearably hot. “This is all Grayson’s doing. I can’t believe this. I wish I’d never met the creep.”
“Holly, breathe.” Rachel held Holly’s shoulders. “We’ve got it under control. He’s not going to ruin the wedding.”
Nausea reared its ugly head. Holly covered her mouth and ran toward the changing room, slamming the door behind her. Oh, God. He’s doing it, isn’t he? Grayson’s ruining my wedding. Pressing her back against the door, she fought to catch her breath and not empty her stomach.
She couldn’t get any air. The walls were closing in. There were two windows in the room. Despite the chilly weather, Holly hurried and opened each, but it was still too hot. Holly wasn’t sure what hyperventilating felt like, but this had to be it. She paced the small room, pushing down on her abdomen to get the churning to stop, all while sucking in deep gulps of oxygen.
Is there even air in this room? It didn’t feel like it.
A knock at the door made her jump. With everything going wrong, she was glad her gasp hadn’t caused the bodice of her dress to rip.
“Holly, are you okay?” Her mother cracked open the door and peeked inside. “Rachel and Lucy said you went pale. Kim thinks you’re climbing out the window and running back to New York.” Vivian glanced at the open windows. “Maybe she’s more intuitive than I thought.”
Holly’s knees felt weak. She wasn’t convinced her legs would hold her up anymore. She settled in a chair, forcing herself to take deep breaths.
Vivian stepped into the room and shut the door. She wrapped her arms around herself. “It’s freezing in here. Is it okay if I close the windows?”
Holly nodded, biting her lip.
Vivian’s dress swished as she moved. “That’s better.” She sat next to Holly and ran a hand down her arm. “Now we just have to get the chill out of you.”
Holly blew out a shuddered breath. It was only a matter of seconds before the threat of tears spilling over onto her cheeks would become a reality. “Mom, do you believe in signs?”
Vivian took Holly’s hands in hers. “Holly, these are just hiccups. Maybe even little tests. Things go wrong. You can’t control everything. But you can choose what to do with the hand you’re dealt.”
“This is supposed to be the happiest day of my life. I didn’t want to believe Grayson could ruin it, but look at all the chaos he’s created.”
“Think of it as failed attempts,” Vivian said. “Whatever he threw your way was overcome. We matched him, play by play, move for move. Don’t focus on what’s going wrong. There’s always a way to turn it around.”
“You don’t think this is the universe’s way of telling me I shouldn’t be getting married? I mean, Nick and I have only been together for a year. Maybe we rushed into this.”
“No. Not at all.” Vivian trailed her fingers along Holly’s veil. “If I were certain of anything at all, it’s that you and Nick belong together. I’ve seen how he looks at you and you at him. I can practically feel the chemistry. It checks all the boxes.”
Holly mustered up a small smile. “Really?”
“Definitely. Couple goals, as they say.” Vivian chuckled. “You know how long my parents—your lolo and lola —knew each other before they got engaged?”
“No.”
“About six weeks. And they got married two months later.”
“Wow. Okay, that’s fast.”
“And they’re still together. Because they knew it was right.”
Holly grinned.
“As for all the little glitches,” Vivian said, half-shrugging, “I heard an adage once that stayed with me. You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to swim .”
Holly scoffed. “Maybe I’ve exaggerated it all in my mind, but I feel like I’m barely keeping afloat.”
“Honey. You’re sailing.” Vivian adjusted Holly’s veil. “So, no. I don’t think there are any signs saying you shouldn’t get married. I think the signs are saying you and Nick are strong.”
A knock at the door interrupted them.
Vivian patted her daughter’s hand and stood. “Who is it?”
“It’s me,” Nick answered.
Holly jumped to her feet and hurried to the door. “You can’t come in.”
“I know,” he said. “I’m not going to tempt fate. Don’t worry. I just wanted to check on you.”
Holly and Vivian exchanged a look.
“We can crack the door open,” Vivian suggested. “Only enough so you can hear each other. But no peeking.”
Nick laughed. “No peeking, I promise.”
Vivian turned the knob and opened the door an inch. Then she backed away, sitting on the chair at the far end of the room to give them space.
“So I take it you heard,” Nick said.
Holly held her hands to her chest. “I did. And I’m sorry. I told you I have baggage. This is what happens when you have baggage.”
“This isn’t your fault, Holly. You are the victim here. And everything’s been dealt with. We’re battling off the hurricane.”
Vivian wrinkled her brow. Holly waved a hand at her.
“He’s trying to intimidate us. That’s all,” Nick said. “Don’t let him. You know the saying, ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.’”
“Sounds like something your dad would say.”
“Actually, it’s Eleanor Roosevelt.”
Holly sighed. “I don’t want him to ruin our day.”
“Say the word, and we’ll run away now. Elope.”
“You’d do that?”
“For you? Yes. In a heartbeat. I would marry you in a monsoon. I would marry you in a landfill. All that matters is that I get to spend every day with the love of my life from here on out.”
Holly traced the carvings in the door with her finger. “That’s all I want, too.”
“Holly, I can’t wait to marry you. I can’t wait to share a thousand adventures with you. Because no matter what life throws at us, I know that with you, it will be incredible.”
The churning in her stomach disappeared, replaced by hope. “Then I guess we should get married.”
Nick chuckled. “Sounds like a plan. Rachel will tell you when everything’s ready to go.”
“Nick?”
“Yeah?”
She rested her head against the door. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”