Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Julia’s bedroom was full of all of the women she loved. The final touches on her hair were just being completed when Lacey peered through the curtains of the window, scowling when she turned to look at Julia. “I thought you said this was going to be just a small thing for family.”
Gen, Julia’s hairdresser and good friend, shared a look with Julia through the vanity mirror Julia sat in front of.
“Family and close friends,” Wendy reminded her mom.
Julia smiled at her niece, grateful she’d said something, and then went back to admiring the work Gen had done. The woman was truly a hair genius. The loose French twist was the perfect style for Julia’s wedding day.
Wedding day. It felt surreal to even think the words. Julia could hardly believe that this day had finally come. She was getting married! She had dreamed of how this day would go so many times over the years.
From her childhood dreams of a giant, poofy white dress to her young Hollywood dreams of throwing the biggest party on the planet to her final dream of the day . . . what she was getting to experience right now.
The day had dawned with a little rain but had transitioned to a perfect, cloudy afternoon on the island she’d come to love, the only place she would ever call her true home. She’d be celebrating with the very best of the people in her life, those who had stayed by her side through thick and thin. And most of all, she was wedding a man she loved more than she could have ever imagined, who loved her with all that he was.
“But there have to be a hundred people out there already and seats for nearly twice that many,” Lacey replied.
“What can I say? Our Julia is quite popular here on the island.” Wendy gave her aunt a hug from behind while Gen hovered nearby in case she needed to do any repairs to the hairstyle.
“Huh,” was all Lacey replied as she continued to take in the view.
Lacey wasn’t completely in the wrong though. Julia and Ellis had originally thought the affair would be quite a bit smaller. But as they started truly thinking about who they wanted to invite, the numbers had climbed much higher than Julia or Ellis had initially wanted.
With Whisling being their new home they both had quite a few people who lived on the island they wanted to share in their big day. Then there was all of the cast and crew of the movie Julia was filming. And though Julia hadn’t invited everyone, she’d invited all those she had a personal relationship with, those she truly wanted there with her. And that hadn’t been an insignificant number.
Then there were the family members and friends from over the years who had to be there but didn’t live on the island. Apparently one was able to accrue quite the collection of people in their lives by their fifth decade.
“Are all of these guests people working on your movie?” Betty asked, meeting Julia’s gaze in the mirror.
“Some are. But I would say the majority are actually from the island. People who could never replace family but have become important to us over the years.” Julia chose her words carefully, not wanting to offend or hurt her family. Especially today of all days.
“And we feel the same way about Julia. We sure are grateful to her family that they’re willing to share her with us,” Gen said as she twisted a curl before placing it gently to the side of Julia’s face.
“Well, I’m grateful to you folks for treating Julia as one of your own. She hasn’t lived with us for a long time, and that’s hard on a mom. But that doesn’t keep me from worrying about and praying for her every night,” Betty said.
Julia’s mouth dropped open but she closed it quickly, pretending she was just . . . she didn’t know what she was pretending but it wouldn’t help the situation for Julia to appear so shocked.
But her mom worried about her? Prayed for her? Every night?
Julia tried to appear unaffected as Gen said, “I totally get that as a mom myself. It would break my mama heart for my babies not to be under my roof, much less across the country. I know it’s a part of growing up. That if they are out on their own and thriving it means I did my job right. But I’d still miss them with all that I am.”
Betty nodded, appreciation filling her features.
“It’s hard as a sister too,” Lacey added.
“I’m sure,” Gen commiserated.
Wendy shot Julia a smirk and Julia fought the urge to grin back at her niece’s silent teasing of her mother’s need to join the conversation. And honestly the mockery, however light, wasn’t fair to Lacey. It wasn’t just that Lacey didn’t want to be left out. Julia believed she really had been hurt.
Did Lacey deserve to keep holding that hurt against Julia? Julia probably wasn’t the right judge or jury to decide that.
“But if she has to be anywhere other than Travers, I’m glad she’s here,” Lacey said, fluffing her curls as she stepped away from the window.
Say what? Julia wanted to reply but kept her thoughts to herself. This really was a day of revelations. All Julia had to do to hear all of this was get married.
She couldn’t wait to tell Ellis.
Julia grinned at her reflection.
Ellis.
The man she’d get to spend forever with after today. The thought thrilled her to her core. Julia had always imagined she’d have some semblance of cold feet on her wedding day. She’d always had a hard time committing to relationships; she’d always thought she’d wonder if there was someone yet better for her out there. But Julia had never been more sure of anything in her life. Marrying Ellis was not only the right move, it was the only action she could make to ensure any kind of future happiness for herself.
“So are we, Mama. So are we,” Wendy said in a tone that bordered on facetious.
Julia shot her niece a warning look and was rewarded by a wide-eyed innocent face in return.
“I think that’s it,” Gen said after one last dousing in hair spray. Thankfully she was using the good stuff with an extra strong hold but not too many fumes.
“It’s finally time for the dress,” Wendy squealed.
Julia hadn’t been too fussy with anything about wedding prep. Ellis had been the one to decide her yard was too small for the event, even though it was a full acre, so he’d rented the backyard of one of Julia’s neighbors—who thankfully spent most of the year off of the island—for the month surrounding the big day. Ellis, with the neighbor’s permission, had knocked down the fence between the two yards and hired a team of gardeners to add full-grown trees and flower bushes all around both properties. The place looked like a veritable Eden, and Ellis would have to have the fence rebuilt after the wedding but to him it was all worth it to make Julia smile.
One of Julia’s best friends, Bess, was a chef and she’d said having the best food was imperative, so she’d gone all out with the meal for the reception. Others in Julia’s life had insisted on certain décor or flowers.
But all Julia had cared about was her dress.
And with Wendy’s help she’d, for the first time in her life and career, achieved dress perfection.
The off-white figure-forming dress wasn’t what Julia would have first tried on. It was a bit young, in her eyes, but of all the many choices at the bridal boutique in Seattle, Wendy had said this was the one the minute they’d walked into the store.
So Julia had tried it on. For Wendy’s sake.
And as soon as the dress had touched Julia’s body, she’d known she’d found it.
The dress was floor length, going beyond Julia’s feet, and had long sleeves. The top layer was completely made of lace, allowing it to be highly breathable just in case the weather didn’t cooperate and the wedding afternoon had ended up being hotter than Julia would have liked. Under the lace was a simple silk sleeveless sheath slip. The lace long sleeves ended in a point that was incredibly flattering but the piece de resistance was the part of the dress Julia had been the most tentative about. The wide open back. She didn’t have the back of a twenty-year-old bride. And yet it had worked. In fact, if Julia could say so herself, it was kind of showstopping.
The dress in the showroom of the boutique had fit like a glove and Wendy had burst into immediate tears. Julia was close to follow. She’d thought as a more mature bride she wouldn’t get that moment, but she had. And it was beautiful. So she had to buy the dress; there had really been no other choice.
And now the time to wear her stunning dress had come. Julia was both looking forward to and was slightly terrified of putting it on again. She’d loved it. It had been perfection. But what if the dress couldn’t live up to its initial impression? What if she now thought it was just okay, or it didn’t fit the same after that amazing rehearsal dinner? Worse, what if Ellis didn’t like it?
Though Julia had to say that last fear was pretty unfounded, considering Ellis had told her she’d looked beautiful a few evenings before when she’d been out in her yard, helping the gardeners while wearing her rattiest pair of cut-off sweats and a t-shirt she’d had since she was thirty . . . but still.
Wendy reverently lifted the dress off of the hanger as Gen protected Julia’s hair and makeup by draping a towel over Julia’s head just before Wendy and Betty lifted the dress and then it fell in a rush of softness over Julia’s body.
Wendy then stepped behind Julia in order to do up the few buttons that ran along the butt of the dress.
Julia avoided her reflection in her full-length mirror, suddenly feeling unsure. The dress felt the same against her body as it had before. It still made her feel pretty even though she had yet to look in the mirror, but what if she looked at herself and hated it?
She knew it shouldn’t matter. The day wasn’t about her dress or even the way she felt in her dress. She could be in a literal potato sack and she’d still want to marry Ellis. But fifty years of expectation couldn’t be forgotten.
“Stunning,” Lacey breathed and Julia didn’t realize it until her sister had spoken but the whole room had been silent for at least a minute after Julia had had the dress on.
Lacey’s reaction was uncharacteristic. She hadn’t even told Julia she’d looked pretty on the night of senior prom, so could that mean . . . ?
Julia finally glanced in the mirror, her eyes starting with her hidden feet at the bottom of the dress.
So far the lace was as breathtaking as Julia remembered.
“So gorgeous,” Wendy added.
Julia already knew Wendy was a fan.
Julia’s eyes continued their way up her reflection and so far so good. The dress was hugging just the right places, whimsical yet structured.
“Oh Julia,” Betty gushed and Julia knew she had to hurry and view the rest.
Julia’s reflection showed her smile as she took in all of her. Imperfections, insecurities, and all. And even though Julia could still see the bump on her forehead she’d sustained from a bike fall in second grade as well as the little pooch of her stomach, she truly did feel beautiful.
Julia glanced around the room to see tears in the eyes of all of the women she loved. Tears as well as something she’d been craving for over thirty years.
Acceptance.
She saw that her mother and sister had accepted her choices, who she now was and how she was choosing to live her life.
And though she’d always known they’d loved her, despite the things she’d done or who she’d become, now she saw that they not only loved her, but at last they seemed to understand her. Or were at least trying to. And that meant everything to Julia.
So though she knew their future together would never be free of speed bumps and probably a detour here or there, her family loved as well as accepted her and her choices.
And what a blessing that was.
Amber kicked off her shoes after dancing for nearly an hour straight. The chunky heels had borne her well, but even the comfiest of heels had an expiration on them, and these heels had just hit theirs.
She grinned as she watched Alan spin one of his daughters in his wheelchair. The thing really was handy on the dance floor. Lily laughed as her older daughter tried to jump onto Alan’s lap mid spin. The family seemed as happy as ever and though Amber had heard that there were still tough days with leg pain and other challenges, they were overshadowed by the triumphant ones. Ones where he was able to go to work to support his family, where he was able to attend his daughters’ events, and most of all where he was able to still be the man Lily had fallen in love with. Things had changed forever for them, but they’d learned to work with or through every hurdle that had come their way.
Lily’s older daughter gave up and began to swing back and forth as she took Olivia’s oldest daughter by her hands. Olivia, her youngest on her hip, leaned in to say something in Lily’s ear and both women laughed hysterically. Dean danced with Olivia’s middle daughter, her feet on top of his, as they swayed to one of Ellis’ classic songs.
According to Nora, Olivia was adapting to being a mom of three girls rather well. She had definitely been heard to say more than once being a mom to a baby had been much easier in her twenties, but that was always followed up by how grateful she was to experience all of this again. Dean was thrilled for a daughter who was related to him by blood, but he continued to adore Olivia’s daughters from her first marriage like they were his own.
The two younger girls left their respective dads and joined the older girls’ circle, leaving their fathers to find their wives.
Amber grinned as both had to adapt their dancing styles, Alan pulling Lily into his lap and Dean and Olivia carrying their baby between them as they rocked to the music.
“You have the right idea,” Gen said, as she took the seat beside Amber and likewise kicked off her heels. She’d been more ambitious than Amber, opting for stilettos, and Amber’s feet ached just a bit more even thinking about wearing such high shoes.
“Your handywork is quite impressive. Julia is a beautiful bride,” Amber complimented the stylist behind Julia’s look.
“She is beautiful no matter what her hair and makeup look like, but it was fun to get to be a part of it all. It was especially fun seeing her mom and sister gush over her and how much they love her,” Gen leaned over to tell Amber.
“No.” Amber’s eyes went wide. Thanks to Wendy, most of the island knew how difficult Julia’s sister and mother could be when it came to their favorite Whisling Island starlet. But to hear that they’d been complimentary that day made Amber’s heart warm for her friend.
“Right? Miracles do happen.”
Amber looked across the dancefloor to where Piper also danced with her baby boy and husband Carter. The two of them coming together after the loss of their daughter had been quite the miracle indeed. Gen was right, and it felt like Whisling often got more than her fair share of those mighty miracles.
“They do,” Amber said softly.
Gen followed Amber’s gaze and her eyes also landed on Piper and her adorable son. “Did you know he was born on Kristie’s birthday?” Gen asked Amber.
Amber’s mouth fell open. What?
Gen nodded. “It helped Piper to feel reassured that not only did Kristie approve of her parents getting back together, but she’d handpicked this little boy to join their family.”
“I really think she must have.” Amber imagined God and Kristie getting together to find just the right child for Piper and Carter. Not that the little boy was meant to heal their hearts. That would be too much pressure on any person, much less an infant, but a baby was always a bright ray of light straight from Heaven and Amber was sure that light would help their family to grow in just the way Kristie hoped it would.
Amber turned back to her friend. “Where are your girls?” Amber asked, when she realized Gen was sans her daughters.
“Dancing with their dad and Uncle Dax somewhere,” Gen said with a sigh.
Amber laughed. She knew Gen’s girls were a handful and they each had their dad and uncle wrapped around their pinkies. The girls had only to say jump and the men who loved them would ask how high.
“At least you know they won’t settle for any man who can’t give them the moon,” Amber said, thinking about her own failed relationship. How little she’d expected of the man, yet he’d been happy to slash even those low expectations into oblivion.
“How are you all doing?” Amber asked, shaking her mind free of thoughts of her ex. He didn’t deserve another second of her time.
“Learning how to adapt to life with one more baby. Loving her to pieces and yet pulling our hair out because sometimes the crying just won’t stop.”
Amber smiled. She didn’t know what that was like, but had a hope that one day she would. A hope she hadn’t allowed herself after she’d broken up with her ex until very recently. Josh had opened not only her heart but her dreams to so many possibilities as she healed from the damage done to her self-worth.
“Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. Heaven knows I prayed for each one of my girls for years on end.”
Amber nodded. Gen’s fertility issues weren’t a secret.
“But dreams coming true still mean hard work.”
Amber stilled. She liked that. She hadn’t ever thought of it that way, but wasn’t that the truth? Getting that fairy tale ending, that happily ever after, was in reality just the beginning. Yes, dreams came true, but real life was just starting. A beautiful real life, but reality nonetheless. It would do her well to remember that.
“Speaking of dreams coming true . . . ” Gen grinned at Elise, who flopped down on Amber’s other side, the giant rock on her finger glistening under the twinkle lights of one of the many tents Julia and Ellis had installed in Julia’s backyard for their wedding reception.
“What were you saying?” Elise asked as she settled in with a sigh, her own sandals joining the slowly growing pile of discarded shoes in front of them.
“Just admiring that blinding bling,” Gen teased as she nodded toward Elise’s hand.
“It’s a bit much though, isn’t it?” Elise asked, but the way she held her hand out to admire her ring told Amber she didn’t care if it was too much.
“No. You’re marrying Aiden Christensen. If that rock wasn’t nearly the size of this island people would say he didn’t love you enough,” Gen replied.
Elise huffed. “Isn’t that the truth? Though I’ve actually stopped reading all of that drivel.”
“Really?” Amber turned to her sister. This was news to her. Amber had made the same decision because Josh’s name graced headlines much more than she would have liked, but she hadn’t realized her sister was doing the same.
Elise nodded. “It only ever makes me unhappy. No, that’s not fair. Sometimes there will be some article that speaks nicely about me and I’ll be thrilled for point two seconds until I read the comments and see all of the ‘she’s unworthy’ messages.”
Amber scowled. She couldn’t imagine anyone thinking those things about her sister, much less writing them on a public forum. She’d love to find each one of them and talk some sense into them if she could. But she couldn’t.
What she could do? Keep letting her sister know just how incredible she was.
“Eh, jealousy,” Gen said with a wave of her hand and Amber knew it was the truth. But it didn’t make the words sting any less.
“You all are geniuses,” Alexis said, happily kicking her heels off as well.
She didn’t even bother with a chair; she sat her cute butt down right on the edge of the dancefloor so that she could face her friends.
“Amber started it.” Gen gave credit where it was due.
“My feet wouldn’t allow for anything else,” Amber replied.
Elise rubbed one of hers. “Right?”
“So how is married life going?” Gen pried into Alexis’s newly married status as soon as she could.
Alexis’ returning smile said it all.
“That good?” Amber asked.
“I thought it would be tough, adjusting to living with a man after living with my mom for so long and then alone, but I kind of love it. I mean, only if the man is Jared, but I love it. He does the laundry, cleans the bathrooms, and he actually smells nice. Not just like for a man nice, but nice nice.”
The women laughed. “You got a good one,” Gen said, pointing to her own man. “I got a good one too but I have to say his socks can reek.”
Amber nodded. She adored Josh, but couldn’t say he had the most pleasing scent after a hard session at the gym or playing hours of basketball, but even so she kind of loved it. He smelled like a man. Her man.
“And I also thought it would be tough going right into being a stepmom to teenagers, but I think we got so many of the wrinkles ironed out while we were dating that it really isn’t too bad,” Alexis gushed.
“Incredible,” Elise replied.
Alexis put up a hand. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. We all still have our moments, but they are mostly pretty great. At least so far. We’ve only been married a little over a month so we’ve got a bit longer on the trial period.”
The women laughed together, gazes meeting as they connected in that way only women who loved one another could.
Alexis turned her attention to Jared, who was across the room speaking with Luke, and his teens who were talking and laughing with a bunch of other kids their age. “But I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world. Though I am grateful that I had my little backyard wedding before Julia one-upped everything the island has ever seen with this bash.”
Amber chuckled. When she’d first heard Julia’s wish to get married in her backyard the way so many on Whisling did, it seemed unlike the giant movie star. But being here tonight, it made a bit more sense. Not that the party was over the top, but it was befitting the Julia Price. Okay, maybe the newly created ponds in her front yard that were being graced by live flamingos that were the exact same pink her family wore was a little over the top, but still it was a small affair compared to other parties and weddings Josh and Aiden had attended.
“She really does make the most stunning bride though,” Alexis added.
“Present company excluded,” Gen said about Alexis since they’d all just witnessed her blushing moment a few weeks before.
Alexis shook her head. “I know my wedding was pretty and even I was pretty, but I didn’t hold a candle to any of this.” Alexis waved to the décor surrounding them.
“Whose wedding could?” Elise asked, each of the women in awe of the bride they were celebrating that day. There was something magnetic about the wedding, reception, and especially Julia. Probably that same something that had made her America’s sweetheart for so long. Though . . .
“I think your wedding might, considering I’ve watched Aiden taking notes ever since he walked onto the property,” Amber confided to her sister.
Elise’s jaw dropped. “No.”
“You might want to check his phone, but I’m pretty sure I read over his shoulder ‘gold chairs during a ceremony are quality.’”
Elise rolled her eyes. “That sounds like him. If that man is trying to one-up Julia Price?” Elise ended up laughing. “I guess we’ll have a fun time trying.”
“What are you all laughing about?” Nora asked, kicking off her shoes without a word about it.
“Elise’s wedding rivaling this one,” Gen teased.
“It won’t, Mama Nora,” Elise corrected before rumors could begin. “And I might take a page from your book and just elope.”
Nora grinned. “It was perfect for us.”
“And how is dog mom life treating you?” Alexis asked.
Nora’s smile fell a notch. “He’s keeping us on our toes. I love him, but I also want to give him away some days.”
“Sounds like raising teenagers,” Alexis said under her breath.
“Can we join the party?” Deb asked as she curled an arm around her sister’s shoulders, her shoes joining the ever-growing pile.
Bess kicked off her own pair and stood on Deb’s other side.
“You are more than welcome,” Amber said to her Aunt Deb as well as to Bess.
Amber glanced around the swelling group and saw that it was full of women she admired. Some she’d known and loved all of her life, like Elise, while others had joined her circle more recently. But she looked up to each of them all the same.
Seren quietly slipped into their group; the small but mighty firecracker had seemed a bit subdued that day. Amber had heard that it was two days after the anniversary of Seren’s son’s passing, so her bearing made sense.
During the ceremony Amber had been astonished when she’d seen Seren across the aisle, but was glad that she had made it.
“I heard Deacon has officially become a Whisling resident,” Bess said to Seren, the woman smiling in return.
Seren nodded. “He has.”
“And Max is still unhappy about it?” Deb asked the question the rest of the women wanted to.
Seren nodded again. “But Max is bound to be unhappy about something. I have to live life the way I see fit and not be afraid of how others will react.”
“Hear, hear,” Bess replied, raising her glass in the air.
Anyone in the group who also had a drink joined her, and the others who didn’t raised their hands in a fake toast.
“And Deacon makes you happy?” Bess asked in her quiet way that could never be offensive.
Seren nodded. “Really happy. He’s the one who got up early two mornings ago and packed a picnic so that we could spend hours at Milo’s grave. We spent the day reminiscing about the boy he was and a little bit of time dreaming of the man he could have become. I cried a whole lot of tears, but also feel freer than I have in a long time.”
Amber held her breath, the beauty of Seren’s experience touching her. Amber couldn’t imagine losing a child. She’d only ever lost her Grandpa Ed and that had been a blow. But your offspring, the child you carried within your own body and then nurtured and cared for? Yet Seren and Piper had both endured it incredibly. Amber had once heard that the pain of that kind of loss never goes away. It never lessens, it never dulls, one just learns to live with it.
Amber couldn’t imagine living with that pain day in and day out, yet Piper and Seren had both done it. Were both doing it. Somehow finding not just the strength to go on, but the will to be happy again, to find new joy in life. One had to admire that.
“But enough about me. I heard you might have an addition in your home soon?” Seren said to Bess.
Amber watched as eyes around the group went wide, then fell to Bess’s belly.
“Oh no!” Bess held a hand over her flat stomach. “That place is closed forever.”
The women chuckled but were still curious.
“Lindsey is moving home soon. She’s going to take over the business side of the food truck for me since things have been growing bigger than I could have ever imagined.”
Amber nodded. The food truck was always incredibly busy, the line long, yet people still continued to frequent it.
“We’re actually looking into a brick and mortar location,” Bess said, her voice full of wariness.
“Congratulations!” came the automatic reply from the group. Everyone knew Bess had no reason to fear. Her business had needed to grow for a while, as a small food truck could only serve so many. This would be the perfect way to do it.
“It’s so scary, but it’s time.”
“And thankfully she has the most supportive husband known to man and at a time others would be clamoring for their wives to retire, Dax has bought a series of aprons so that he can join Bess in the kitchen,” Deb boasted about her best friend’s husband.
Amber laughed. Of course Dax had.
Lou duckwalked through the group to plop on the ground next to Alexis, her shoes joining the pile.
“And while we’re talking about incredible achievements, Deb has something to share,” Nora said, her eyes twinkling.
“Oh you mean that Rich just divorced his flight attendant mistress?” Deb joked.
“That’s not the piece of news I was referring to, so let’s talk about the true achievement and then get back to the mistress,” Nora said.
The women nodded.
“It’s silly. It’s just some small business award,” Deb waved her hand in the air. “But the Rich news is huge. I guess his mistress cheated on him with another pilot. A younger one who still had all of his hair.” Deb cackled with delight and her friends joined her. It did feel a bit like sweet justice.
“Karma,” Gen said with a grin.
“And it goes both ways. That small business award is the most prestigious in the entire state and has only ever been won by men until our Deb came onto the scene,” Bess bragged.
The group cheered, garnering attention from those around them, but the others were back to partying the instant the cheering was done.
Amber loved this group of strong women she’d been adopted into. All of them enduring deep heartbreak, yet all of them coming out on top.
She watched as Lou was joined by her little Hazel sitting in her lap. Jax stood off to the side, offering Lou a reprieve, but Lou just smiled at her boyfriend who was always there when she needed him.
Jax nodded and then joined some of the men who were gathered on the other side of the room, probably talking about how amazing their girlfriends were since Josh was a part of that group.
“Look at us, accomplishing big things,” Nora said about their group that had gathered as well as their friends who were still on the dance floor.
“And looking amazing while doing it,” Alexis said, flipping her hair behind her back.
“Yes we are, girl!” Deb agreed.
They truly were.
And Amber loved that long after each of their stories was written and over, the women of Whisling would continue to thrive, continue to achieve, and continue to find the best of themselves on the island they all were lucky enough to be able to call home.