Page 31 of Owl Be Home for Christmas

"Barney ran into you!" Jordan said indignantly. Which wasn't the point. He knew it wasn't the point. He could hardly wrap his mind around whatwasthe point: that it seemed like Kayla was telling him they were meant to be. That the dream girl in front of him, with her deep blue eyes and her dreadful haircut, really was the love of his life. He couldn't think of anything more wonderful. It made sense, he thought, faintly. It made sense she didn't want to tell him for fear of making him feel pressured, but pressure was the last thing in the world he felt right then. Freedom, and joy, and confidence, but not pressure.

Kayla laughed, her eyes shining with tears. Happy tears, Jordan thought, but he lifted his hand to brush them away, just in case they fell. "When Barney ran into me," she corrected. "When I saw you, I knew. I would have walked over to the church and married you right then."

Jordan's jaw fell open and hope exploded in him. "…would you like to do that now?"

"Don't be silly," Kayla whispered, and now tears were falling down her cheeks, sliding into the creases around her smiling lips. "We don't even know where we'd live."

"California, obviously. I can't go with you until this dog-sitting gig is over, but it's not like you're finished filming tomorrow, either. Are you? It doesn't matter." Jordan knelt in the snow, smiling up at Kayla. "Will you marry me, Kayla Walsh?"

He was suddenly aware of a hush around them as everybody's attention came their way, but it didn't matter. His heart was pounding, hope and nervousness and a thread of confidence because she'd just said it was fate and that she would have married him three days ago. Kayla brushed tears away from her face and laughed again, high and sweet, before she whispered, "Yes. Yes, of course I will. Now get up before your jeans get soaked through." She put her hands into his and pulled him up, then stood on her toes to kiss him as his arms went around her.

A cheer went up around them, startling them both. Kayla blurted a laugh and hid her face in Jordan's shoulder, then looked up, shining with smiles, as people around them applauded and took pictures. Kayla, sniffling happily, called, "You all need to send every one of those pictures to my production company. Owl Maze Productions. The email address is on the site. Please?"

It was clear that a lot of people immediately turned their attention to doing that, though many others kept taking pictures. Jordan beamed down at Kayla. "I assume we're not actually going right over to the church to get married, although if you want to…"

She laughed again and shook her head. "I think we need to fill out some paperwork first, at least. And oh, God." She reachedup to clap her hand against her hat. "I can't get married with this haircut! I look like one of those little troll dolls!"

Jordan pulled the hat off her head and examined the various chunks of hair in all their different lengths, then shook his head solemnly. "I'm afraid those troll dolls have much better haircuts than you do at the moment."

Kayla blushed and grabbed the hat to put it back on. "That didn't help!"

He took it off her again and slid his hands into the silly mess of it all. "It doesn't matter. You're utterly gorgeous even with the worst haircut in the world, and I love you with everything I have."

Kayla's eyes shone. "I love you too."

"Then everything's going to work out just fine," Jordan murmured, and kissed the girl of his dreams.

Chapter 19

The bride wore a vintage gown with a v-necked bodice that spilled lace over her shoulders, not quite deep enough to be capped sleeves. The underskirt was layers and layers of pale blush ivory, with lacy flowers and scallops splashed across the translucent overskirt, and soft white feathers at the hem brushing along the flagstone floor. Kayla's owl had shed the feathers with enthusiasm, thrilled to be present at the wedding in a physical way. The headband of her veil was trimmed with feathers, as well, and floated lightly in the gauzy fabric as it drifted down her spine.

Filming had wrapped yesterday. Last night, Kayla had gotten a haircut, finally fixing the wreckage that little Maria had wrought upon her head. Now Maria was ahead of her in the church, dressed in frilly white to play the role of 'Flower Girl,' though she was flinging feathers, these ones dyed soft pastel colors, instead of flower petals. Noah Brannigan, in a little three-piece suit he wore with the comfort of somebody who could be the next James Bond, walked at Maria's side, bearing the rings and a huge grin. Barney the dog walked alongside him solemnly, which was to say, the Border Collie's eyes were bright and hisentire soul was intent on keeping the two children going the right direction.

Anderson and Trina were Kayla's man and maid of honor, although to Kayla's complete astonishment, Anderson's date for the wedding was her ex, Boone. Apparently Anderson reallyhadswept Boone off his feet as a distraction, because she'd even overheard the two of them murmuring about adoption. Boone was glowing, for heaven's sake. Kayla hadn't seen that coming, but she was delighted for them.

Two of Jordan's old teammates, men Kayla had only met the day before, were his groomsmen, standing at his side up at the front of the church. All four of the wedding party were grinning as hugely as Noah, who scuttled to Jordan's side of the party while Maria danced elegantly to Kayla's. Jordan took a step forward, a nervous, excited smile on his own face, and Kayla felt her heart goboom.

Our mate,her owl said joyfully.You see? Everything worked out just fine.

It did,Kayla whispered as she stepped up to Jordan's side. He wore a three-piece suit with a tailcoat in dove grey, his thick dark blond hair swept back in tamed curls and his deep brown eyes shining as she turned toward him. Kayla bit her lip nervously as he carefully folded her veil back, but the way his eyes widened and he caught his breath told her that the new haircut was a success.

"You're perfect," Jordan whispered. He brushed his fingertips against the short cap of black curls she now wore, a cute, close-cropped pixie cut, which was honestly the only way her haircouldhave been fixed. "It makes your eyes look even bigger. You're so beautiful. I love you so much."

"I love you too," Kayla whispered back, smiling until her cheeks hurt.

The officiant, also the local judge, cleared her throat with amusement, and both Kayla and Jordan startled, having almost forgotten they were there for a reason beyond gazing longingly at one another. "Friends and family," the judge said, still obviously amused. "I'm pleased to welcome you to the marriage of Kayla Walsh and Jordan Rhodes, and amazed so many of you took time out of your Christmas holiday at home to be here."

Even Jordan and Kayla laughed. Kayla had expected the film crew and maybe a few others to attend: instead, the church was packed full, standing room only, and there were literally hundreds of people waiting to celebrate with them outside. It was no longer a secret that she was from Virtue, at least, notwithinVirtue, and Kayla found she couldn't be happier about that. She had tried to protect her hometown for a long time, but she was starting to understand that it needed a future of its own, just as she did, and now she couldn't think of anything more wonderful than to share her wedding with the people she'd grown up around.

The judge spoke for a moment about love and the work of a life together, then invited them to say their vows before leading them through the rest of the ceremony. Kayla could barely remember anything she said, but the words themselves hardly mattered: what did matter was they were promising themselves to each other, and, she'd teased Jordan, that neither of them would forget their anniversary, since it fell on Christmas.

"What makes you think I'd forget it?" he'd asked, offended, and her eyebrows had risen.

"What makes you think I thinkyou'rethe one who would forget it?"

Jordan had laughed, and Kayla remembered every moment of that conversation as the judge pronounced them man and wife, and invited them to kiss. Cheers drowned out everything but Kayla's heartbeat and the sweet, tender certainty that she feltin his arms, although as the kiss ended, Jordan leaned in very close, and murmured, "And don't worry, Kayla. Owl always love you."

Her favorite picture of the wedding was the one taken in that moment, when she threw her head back and shouted with laughter, pure joy on her face and total impishness on Jordan's, forever capturing their upcoming happily ever after.