Page 94 of Finding Forever

Maria hugged their friend. “You’ve been engaged since Christmas and kept telling us there was no hurry.”

Julie picked up a loose piece of ribbon and wound it around one finger. “I changed my mind.”

Beth watched happiness spread across Julie’s face. There was no hesitation in her expression. Only a quiet certainty that made Beth’s heart warm. “What happened?” she asked.

“Nothing dramatic.” Julie’s smile softened. “Cole and I were having breakfast on Sunday. He was reading the newspaper, and I was complaining that he’d left his shoes where I could trip over them. And suddenly I thought, why are we waiting?”

Something about the simplicity of the answer touched Beth.

Julie gave a small shrug. “We know we want to be together. Neither of us wants a huge wedding. Our families are happy for us. So I asked him what he thought about August.”

Laurel stopped tying her ribbon. “What did he say?”

“He put down his newspaper and asked if I meant this year.” Julie laughed at the memory. “When I said yes, he kissed me before I’d even finished explaining.”

Maria pressed a hand dramatically against her chest. “Cole has just gone up considerably in my estimation.”

Julie grinned. “He’ll be relieved to hear it.”

Beth reached across the table and covered Julie’s hand with hers. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you.” Julie squeezed Beth’s fingers. “It’ll be simple. Family, close friends, good food. Maybe outside if we can find the right location.”

“A summer wedding.” Laurel sighed. “How romantic. I’m sure we could find the perfect location. Isn’t there a ranch somewhere around here that’s set themselves up for weddings and corporate events?”

Maria nodded. “Tommy Hardy and his wife opened a wedding venue three weeks ago. From what I’ve heard, they’ve got more bookings coming in than they can handle. We should take a look.”

Julie laughed. “I knew telling all of you would turn into a planning committee.”

Maria grinned. “You know how much we like organizing things.”

Beth sat back and listened as the questions began.

Had Julie looked at dresses? How many guests would they invite? Did Cole want to wear a suit? Would there be dancing?

Julie answered what she could and laughed at everything she couldn’t.

Beth returned to wrapping fudge, but part of her attention remained on her friend. Once, she might have thought there was something reckless about deciding to marry within a few months. At their age, surely people were supposed to be sensible. Careful. They were supposed to consider every possibility before making choices that could change their lives.

Except Beth wasn’t sure she believed that anymore.

Julie and Cole hadn’t rushed into anything. They’d lived enough life to recognize what mattered when they found it. Maybe that was one of the gifts of getting older. You understood that time wasn’t something to save for later.

Her thoughts slipped inevitably to Dave. To dinners that lasted longer than either of them intended. To conversations on her veranda. To the reassuring warmth of his hand at the small of her back. To the way he’d become part of her days without demanding a place in them.

A year ago, Beth couldn’t have imagined any of it. Now she couldn’t imagine wishing it away.

“You’re smiling,” Maria said.

Beth turned toward her. “Julie is getting married. I’m allowed to smile.”

Maria narrowed her eyes. “That wasn’t a Julie smile.”

Beth picked up another box. “There are different kinds?”

“Oh, definitely.”

Laurel ducked her head, but Beth heard her soft laugh.