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Amanda shivered against him, raised her chin, and said, “You’d better show up on our wedding day. I mean, if you have cold feet at all, you need to tell me right now.” Amanda’s tone was light and cheerful, but it meant business, as well.
“Amanda!” Sam tightened his grip. His eyes glinted with understanding. He knew more than anyone how devastated Amanda had been when her ex left her at the altar. It had been one of the single most important moments in her life— and it had nearly destroyed her.
“Amanda, I wouldn’t do that to you,” Sam said tenderly. “All I’ve wanted since I met you was to marry you.”
Amanda’s smile widened. “That can’t be true.”
“It is. I swear.”
“I’m sure there were at least five minutes between us meeting and you knowing you wanted to marry me,” Amanda teased.
“Not five minutes. No way. It was immediate.”
Amanda tossed her head back, so grateful for Sam’s playfulness. Chris hadn’t been funny in the slightest. They’d spent so many nights in their Newark apartment saying nothing at all. What if she’d lived like that forever?
Back in the Aquinnah Cliffside Overlook, Amanda and Sam made the rounds to say goodbye. As usual, Grandpa Wes and Beatrice were thick as thieves, dancing themselves deep into the night as though they weren’t in their seventies, as though Grandpa Wes didn’t have dementia, and with all the optimism of youth. Amanda hugged her grandfather, who said, “Mandy, I can’t wait till next week! It’s going to be spectacular.”
Afterward, Amanda tracked down her mother, who was dancing with her husband, Scott. Susan leaped at the sight of Amanda, her face contorting with pre-wedding anxiety.
“Are you heading out? Are you sure you can drive?”
Amanda hugged her mother, assuring her that she was sober, that she would see her soon, and that the wedding would be fine. It was funny. Most people felt they had to assure Amanda that everything was going to be all right, but Amanda knew she had to assure Susan instead. Amanda came by her hard-working attitude and her anxiety honestly.
Amanda hugged Audrey last, who blubbered that she wished they were heading back to the same place.
“I have to relieve the babysitter soon,” Audrey said, yawning toward Noah, who sprung into action to find their things. “Where’s Christine? We have the same sitter.”
Deep in the party, Christine danced joyfully with her husband, Zach, with whom she’d had a baby named Mia. Unable to crawl through the entire crowd to get to her, Amanda waved, and Christine blew her a kiss. Beside her, Lola caught on and waved wildly, dancing with her sturdy sailor, Tommy Gasbarro.
Amanda got into the driver’s side of Sam’s car and buckled her seatbelt, watching the other guests turn on their vehicle lights and slowly depart the parking lot. Sam placed his hand on her thigh, and its warmth calmed her.
The cottage Sam and Amanda had purchased together in February had been a fixer-upper. Located about a mile down the coast from the Sheridan House, its exterior stones had been weathered from the harsh elements, and its windows had been cracked, some completely broken. An entire new porch had had to be installed.
It had felt like a big deal to buy a house with Sam. Amanda had hummed and hawed about it and even written a few pro and con lists, which was something she hadn’t done in years. Ultimately, she’d done what Audrey had told her to do. “Follow your heart.”
Amanda pulled the car into the driveway, turned off the engine, then kissed Sam in the dark shadows of the car. They stepped out, then headed up the walkway to the back porch, where they entered the house, removed their shoes, and immediately collapsed with exhaustion on the couch. The light of the moon shone through the window, where it hung above the Vineyard Sound. For a moment, Amanda listened to the late spring breeze as it rushed against the old house. Then, she hurried up to pour her and Sam glasses of water and pushed Sam the rest of the way to bed.
In their upstairs bedroom, Amanda and Sam brushed their teeth side-by-side and then snuggled into bed, where Sam fell asleep immediately. Amanda struggled, allowing herself a few moments of anxiety about the upcoming wedding, but then put herself to sleep again by telling herself every single detail she’d planned for the upcoming weekend.
Friday was the rehearsal dinner, which would take place at the Sunrise Cove to honor her Sheridan family roots. Her entire family and dear friends planned to attend the rehearsal dinner, including her father, Richard, who was bringing his new wife, Penelope. Penelope just happened to be the woman Richard had cheated on Susan with, but now that they’d had a child, Amanda had plowed her way through resentment and decided to welcome Penelope to her family.
Saturday would be a very long and life-altering day. There was no way to emotionally prepare for two hundred guests to watch you walk down the aisle and profess your love to a great man. Amanda planned to rely on adrenaline and champagne.
ChapterFive
The next morning at eight-thirty sharp, there was a tremendous banging at the door. Amanda groaned and rolled over, blinking through the morning light. “Sam? Do you hear that?”
Sam, who was probably very hungover after all that whiskey he’d drunk, rubbed his eyes and mumbled, “What?”
But the banging returned, this time more insistent than the last. Amanda hobbled out of bed and slumped toward the staircase, calling out, “I’m coming! Ugh.”
Downstairs, Amanda opened the door to the porch that faced the driveway to find none other than Audrey Sheridan, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as though the last time Amanda had seen her (like seven hours ago), she hadn’t been very drunk from too much rosé.
“Amanda!” Audrey lifted her arms and did a little jig. “Welcome to your surprise bachelorette party!”
Amanda leaned against the doorway, groaning and laughing at the same time. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m not!” Audrey snapped her fingers on both hands. “We’ve got a big show planned for you, our beautiful bride. Why don’t you run off? Get showered? Pack up?”
