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“How does it feel to be married, Mrs. Mitchell?” he asked, pulling her into his arms.
Valerie grinned up at her husband. “It feels spectacular, Mr. Mitchell.”
Clark cupped her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her. She reveled in it, loving the fact that she would be able to kiss him every single day for the rest of her life. That the next stage of their lives together had started tonight.
She could hear the sounds of people celebrating in the main part of the house, but she was glad to have a small moment alone with her new husband before they rejoined the others. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a long moment, sharing whispered words of love that felt just as precious as the vows they had just exchanged.
Then they finally separated, and Clark trailed his fingers along the line of her jaw. “I feel like the luckiest man in the world right now,” he admitted.
“Good.” She beamed at him. “Because I’m definitely the luckiest woman, which makes us the perfect pair.”
Clark kissed her once more before the pair walked back out of the library and toward the ballroom. She was grateful all over again for the help of her friends as she saw that the chairs had already been cleared away, and the music had begun to play. There was a line at the bar, and people were walking around with plates full of food as they headed toward the tables that were scattered along the edges of the space.
When she spotted her friends among the crowd, she gave Clark’s arm a tug, steering her husband toward them. At their approach, Shelley gave a squeal of delight, while Colette immediately burst into cheers.
“Congratulations!” Mindy yelled, not waiting for a response before she launched herself at Valerie, pulling her into a tight embrace.
Valerie returned the hug, squeezing Mindy’s slender shoulders tightly. Noah stood behind the blonde baker, his eyes dancing with joy as he watched the two of them hug.
“Thank you for your help this week,” Valerie said honestly, taking a step back and looking at Mindy before swinging her gaze to Noah. “And you too. I know that can’t have been easy for you, coming into a town as close-knit as this and trying to carve out a space for yourself, even if it’s temporary. But Clark and I will always consider you a friend, and we’re grateful for all the work you did to pitch in.”
“You don’t have to thank me, honestly,” Noah answered, and Valerie could hear the sincerity in his tone. “I was more than happy to do it, and I enjoyed myself a lot.”
Valerie opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, she was cut off by Rudolph, who appeared out of nowhere and pulled her into a tight, fierce hug. Valerie felt her eyes go wide as she hugged the old man back, surprised by such an overt display of emotion from him—although perhaps she shouldn’t have been. He was becoming more and more open with his feelings, and tonight of all nights was full of emotion.
“I’m so proud of you,” he said in her ear, his gruff voice thick.
At the sound of his words, Valerie suddenly felt herself on the brink of tears. As she pulled away from Rudolph, she blinked rapidly to clear the tears from her vision.
“Thank you,” she said, giving the man a soft smile. “I know I’ve said it a thousand times, but I don’t think you understand how much today has meant to me.”
“I do,” Rudolph answered, his usually gruff tone completely gone, replaced by something softer and more emotional. “I understand because that’s how much it meant to me.”
Clark cleared his throat, looking just as emotional as Valerie felt, and Rudolph hugged him too, murmuring something in his ear about how he’d better take good care of her, which Clark promised to do.
“Noah!”
A woman’s voice called out from nearby, and Valerie turned to see a beautiful older woman striding their way. Edith Brinkley.
“I’m so glad you made it to the party,” Edith said, resting a hand on Noah’s arm. “This was always one of Theresa’s favorite events.”
“I’m glad I could be here too,” Noah said, smiling fondly at the woman.
An idea sparked in Valerie’s mind, and she turned back to Rudolph.
“Rudolph, why don’t you ask Edith to dance?” she suggested, gesturing to the couples who were moving about on the dance floor as holiday music played.
Rudolph’s eyes went wide. “Oh, uh… I don’t think she wants to…”
“I’d love to dance,” Edith said, turning to look at him with a shy smile. “If you’ll ask me.”
“Go on, then.” Noah gave Rudolph a quick, playful elbow to his side. “Remember what you told me earlier? That advice meant a lot to me. And I have a piece of advice for you too. It’s never too late.”
Rudolph blushed, and Valerie had to work to hide her smile. She had never seen the old man look flustered before.
“I suppose a dance wouldn’t hurt,” Rudolph said, looking at Edith and extending his hand. “May I?”
“Of course.”
