Or only beginning, really, for Kris and Matt.
“That’s right. And before we know it, it will be Christmas.”
“Oh, don’t remind me. I haven’t even given Christmas morethan a passing thought. That will have to wait until after the wedding. The next time one of my children wants a Christmas wedding, remind me to do whatever it takes to talk them out of it.”
Holly didn’t bother to point out that Susan’s children would all be married after Saturday afternoon.
“I won’t keep you,” Susan went on. “I only wanted to confirm that you’re still planning to take Lydia to the wedding rehearsal tonight.”
“Yes. Definitely. It will be a good chance to hand out the flowers for all the bridesmaids and the groomsmen.”
“Thank you. Great idea. That way you won’t have a frantic scramble tomorrow trying to ensure everyone has one. Oh, I also have to give the restaurant our final total for the rehearsal dinner. Are you sure you won’t join us?”
“I’m sure. Thank you again for the invitation, but you’re not even planning to start until after eight. That’s pretty late for Lydia.”
“Are you sure? You know you’re more than welcome.”
“I’m sure. We had a late night last night and she was cranky this morning. I don’t want that to happen tomorrow.”
“That’s right. Brittany said they bumped into you at the market. She said you were with your helicopter pilot, whom she described as, quote, ‘fire’ and ‘fine AF.’ Whatever that means.”
While she would agree with the description of Ryan, Holly certainly couldn’t tell her mother-in-law that Ryan wasn’t hers, as much as some part of her might wish things could be different.
It was for the best, she tried to tell herself, as she had been doing since that stunning kiss the night before. Simply pretending to have a man in her life complicated her world enough. She could only imagine how tough it would be tojuggle a real relationship with a man like Ryan right now, when she was barely keeping her head above water.
“It was fun to bump into Brittany and Troy and that cute little Hudson at the market. He’s growing so fast, isn’t he?”
The older woman didn’t take the bait.
“Yes. He’s adorable. Listen, when all this wedding craziness is behind us, I would love the chance to get to know this Ryan. I want to make sure he’s good enough for you and Lydia. Maybe the three of you could come for dinner after the holidays.”
After Troy and Brittany returned to Oregon. Her mother-in-law didn’t say the words but Holly caught the subtext anyway.
“I hope you know we love you both, my dear,” Susan went on. “Nothing will ever change that.”
Holly tied a brightly colored bow on the vase and set the bouquet aside, trying to ignore her guilt.
What had her own mother always told them about the perils of dishonesty? When you tell one lie, you’ll eventually have to come up with dozens more to cover it up.
She should never have told the Moore family she was dating someone. Everything would be so much easier right now if she had only kept her mouth shut.
And much more boring, she had to admit.
Ryan had brought energy and light to a world that had become consumed with work and parenting.
She would miss him when he returned to his real world.
“I appreciate that,” she finally answered Susan. “But Ryan has to head back to San Diego right after Christmas. I’m not sure how much time he will have for socializing before he leaves.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. But the next time he’s in town, we have to make sure we can arrange something.”
She hadn’t given any thought to seeing Ryan again after he left town. Surely he would return to visit his family here occasionally. How could she avoid seeing him?
Great. Something new to worry about. She pushed it away for now.
“Do you have all the help you need setting up all the flowers at the church and the reception venue tomorrow?” Susan asked.
“I should be good. Thank you. Hannah and some of our friends will help me.”
