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That just about makes her little heart burst. “And you get to be the flower girl,” Noelle tells her.
Scout flings her arms around Noelle, and nods happily, so there isn’t a dry eye in the room.
“I’m guessing you have a lot of work to do, son,” Dad says. “That arbor won’t build itself.”
I nod. “Noelle knows everyone in town, most of them are coming to the wedding, and she already called in a few favors with the husbands of the women who own the bakery. Clive and Ansel are headed out to get started on it already. We dropped off the plans on our way here.”
“Do you think you can help me today?” Noelle asks my mother.
Mom is wiping her eyes. “Oh, sweetheart, anything. Just anything.” She hugs Noelle and even though the entire morning has been emotional, this is the moment that makes me choke up the most. I know how much my darling Noelle has longed for a mother’s embrace. And I know it’s not her own mom. We all know this is her family now. We are a family, forever.
The women get their things, helping Scout into her snow boots and winter coat before leaving in Mom’s car to begin decorating at the lodge for tomorrow’s reception. I stop to ask Dad for the one thing I’ve been needing to ask since I got down on my knee earlier today.
“Can I have Granny’s engagement ring?” I ask him.
Dad claps me on the back. “Of course. And then, we need to go find you a house.”
I chuckle. “You think any realtors are working the day before Christmas Eve?
“I think we can find something.”
He’s right. Turns out realtors are working any day a man is willing to buy a house.
“This the one?” Dad asks me after we toured a few. “You sure don’t need to ask your bride to be?”
“Who are you marrying?” the realtor asks.
“Noelle, she works at the bakery.”
The realtor grins. “Okay, this is the perfect house for her. You’re right.”
“How’d you know? My dad asks.
“The bright pink coat of paint, for starters,” she says.
“Just to be sure, I’ll call her.” I step outside, the frosty afternoon air sending a shiver over my body, but she picks up right away, and instantly my heart warms.
“Everything okay?” she asks.
“More than okay. But I need to ask you something.”
“What is it?” she asks, her voice still so new to me, yet so perfect to me.
“How would you feel about me picking out our house, without you seeing it?”
She laughs. “Um, well, actually, considering I picked out our entire wedding without asking you a single thing, I think this is fair.”
“So, you trust me, completely?”
“Yeah,” she says. “I do. Crazy as it sounds.”
“We can be crazy together.”
“I love you, Brooks.”
“I love you too.” I run a hand through my air, feeling like my smile couldn’t get any wider. “How is Scout?”
“She’s in heaven. Maggie and Hazel are here, from the bakery and they brought their kids, so she is happy as a snowman.”
“And the wedding, everything is coming together okay?”
“Yeah, we called in a phone tree and told everyone the change of plans. Sophia is here manning the phone and she even has a clipboard in hand.”
“She’s stepping up to the plate then?”
“Yep, she is the maid of honor I never knew I needed.” She laughs. “However, I am fully aware of how lucky I am that she and I are the same size. Otherwise, the wedding dress wouldn’t have fit.”
“She’s a little taller than you, though, right?”
“Yes, and a seamstress will be at my apartment to take up the hem in a few hours. So, I need to finish up here.”
“God, can you believe this is happening?” I ask, looking up at the house that will be the perfect home for my Christmas bride.
“Actually, I can. It’s like everything was coming together, for us, without us even knowing it.”
I hang up and shake the realtor's hand. “I’ll take it. Under one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“I need the keys a week from now. I’m taking my bride on a honeymoon after the wedding, but when we return, I need to bring my wife home.”NoelleI dreamed of this moment my whole life. When my parents brought me out here when I was little, they’d always tell me this was the place where they made promises they would never break.
And now, so am I.
The sky is blue, the mountains are white, and I’m wearing a faux fur coat over my wedding gown. Brooks is in a suit with a big wool coat over it to keep him warm. And Scout… oh, that sweet girl is bundled up in a big red cape, with hand warmers in her gloves.
Martin, the city’s parks director was right — this would have been a bad place to drag your guests out to.
