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“Morning, Dr. Anderson,” I tell her pleasantly.
“Don’t you think it’s time to drop that formality and call me Judy?”
“Okay, Judy.”
“May I sit down?” she says, gesturing at the other rocking chair.
“Sure. Can I get you anything? A cup of tea?” I ask her.
“No, I’m fine.” She sits down and places her hands neatly on her lap. “I came to apologize to you, Ivy. I’m ashamed of myself.”
To say that this takes me by surprise is an understatement.
“I’ve never been so wrong about someone before,” she says. “Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve come to know you a lot better. You are a sweet, kind human being, and my son is lucky to have found you.”
I’m so choked up that I have to clear my throat to speak. “Thank you.”
“Please forgive me for how I treated you and tried to use you. Let’s start afresh,” she says, her voice honest and raw with emotion.
“Forgiven and forgotten.” I wipe away the tears blinding me.
She stands up, and I push myself to my feet. Without feeling self-conscious, we reach for each other at the same time and hug. I’m so teary. How will I get through the wedding without crying buckets of tears?
“I’ll see you later,” she says. “You’ll make a beautiful bride.”
I watch her as she walks back to her car. She gives me a final wave and disappears inside. I was excited about this day, but now I’m ecstatic. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my wedding day.
I grab my cup and go back inside, where it sounds as though there’s a party going on in the kitchen. The scent of bacon hits me. Everyone is up and seated around the kitchen table while Molly stands by the stove, turning the slices of bacon.
“Good morning,” I say.
“Morning, Mrs. Anderson,” Molly says.
“Not yet.” I kiss my nephews on their foreheads. “You’re up early.”
“We were first to get up,” James says.
“Before Mommy,” little Liam adds.
I can’t wait for my baby to be born to join its cousins. Jeffrey comes over ten minutes later, and we tease him about timing his arrival with breakfast.
“I can smell my wife’s cooking from miles away,” he says, exchanging a special look with Molly.
Will Alec and I have those special looks and private jokes that all couples seem to have? I can’t wait to make a life and build memories with him. We have a lovely time with my family, and then the mayhem begins when Lola, my other bridesmaid, arrives, quickly followed by the makeup team.
The morning flies by, and soon everyone is dressed, and it’s time to make our way to the church where we’re having the formal ceremony. My father, Molly, and I are the last to leave the house in a white limo.
“How are you feeling?” Molly asks on the way.
“Heavy.”
She laughs.
“Content,” I tell her. “Everything feels right.”
“Don’t ever forget how you’re feeling now even when things get tough in the future as they invariably do in marriage,” Molly says.
“I won’t.”
