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My grin was big as I looked out on the finished product of the day’s hard work. Part of me was shocked it had all come together. Yeah, I’d been on the phone for half the day, and while the catering van from the Salt Lick had been on time, the tables for all the food to go on had naturally shown up late.
But all the guys had pitched in, even Xavier’s eldest boy, and everything was finally ready. The yard was absolutely dripping with flowers. The florists had really gone above and beyond. A stunning installation of white orchids and other flowers covered the archway at the end of the aisle the bride would be arriving through. Flower bedecked trellises were set up alongside the serving tables as well. They’d turned the yard into a mini-Eden. It was magical.
Just in time too, because the guests would start arriving any minute.
It was a hot day but that was to be expected, and under the shade of the large oak, where we’d staged the chairs and ceremony platform, with a breeze, it was almost pleasant as far as Texas was concerned. Especially as the sun started to drop. If the timing went right, Reece and Charlie would be saying their vows right at sunset.
I sighed happily. The pictures would be spectacular. Which reminded me—
But when I looked around, panic only briefly spiking— I breathed out in relief. There was the photographer, taking some preliminary shots, doing their thing.
Everything really was going off without a hitch.
I laughed to myself.
Wow, I was just so used to catastrophe after catastrophe, I almost didn’t know what to do when things went well.
My hands lifted to my heated cheeks. Okay, the only thing left was for me to go change. I was a sweaty mess from running around all day. And I should go check in on Charlie and make sure she was on schedule. She should be finishing up hair and makeup. And it’d be good to make sure Momzilla wasn’t driving her too nuts.
I headed back around the big house toward the front entrance, a huge grin still on my face. God, my face hurt from smiling so much.
Because once again my thoughts were circling back to my secret joy.
Jeremiah loved me. After all my months of crushing on him, imagining what it would be like to…he not only liked me back, he loved me.
Pleasure and happiness flushed through me. I’d never been happier in my whole life.
Then a tiny voice chimed in, one I’d been trying to ignore all day, and I frowned: He didn’t actually say I love you.
I shook it off. He’d said, “this is what love is,” and that was essentially the same thing. I was being nit-picky and stupid to want him to say it in a particular way, like it was some magic formula.
I pulled open the front door just in time to hear Charlie’s voice sounding tense. “It’s fine, Mom. This is the way I like it.”
“But if you just put in these extensions I brought, you could have a proper updo. There’s still time to change it. Think of the pictures, darling. You don’t want to look like a boy in your own wedding pictures. Or worse, a lesbian!”
“Mother!” Charlie sounded officially pissed now, and I didn’t blame her.
I hurried through the foyer and into the bedroom. “Hiiiii,” I sing-songed. Charlie was seated in front of a makeshift vanity the makeup and hair artist had set up. She was standing off to the side looking uncomfortable as Charlie glared up at her mother. Mrs. Winston stood haughtily beside her, long hair extensions in her hands. If I hadn’t known what they were, I would’ve thought she was holding some kind of animal.
I averted my eyes back to Charlie and I clapped my hands. “Babe, you look amazing!” And she did. Her pixie hair cut was adorable and her makeup perfect. Understated but perfectly done. Her eyes were highlighted and looked huge and Bambi-ish, with long dark lashes. Her hair had been slightly styled with little flowers pinned here and there.
She looked like an elven princess, an effect I knew would only be enhanced once she got into the beautiful, flowy lace dress she’d picked out.
“You’re perfect,” I whispered, just for her.
Her eyes met mine and she smiled. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“That’s what I’ve been telling her,” Olivia said from where she’d been sitting on the bed. She was dressed in a simple sundress, lovely as always.
“Which is good.” I looked down at my watch. “Because guests are going to start arriving any minute and we’re T minus forty until the ceremony starts. No more changes to hair or makeup. It’s time to get into the dress!”
Charlie grinned at me, then up at her mom. “See, no more time to change things.”
“Here,” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “I’ll text the photographer so they can come in and get pics of you putting on the dress.”
Everyone nodded and I shot off a quick text. I’d chosen a female photographer specifically for this purpose.
