Chances Are (51 page)

Her aunt’s eyes misted over as she glanced down at Kelly’s barely visible bump. “You look beautiful.”

“Poor Lucy had to let out the seams three times.”

“Do you remember when I was carrying Billy? I looked like I was carrying a giraffe.”

“Don’t make me laugh,” Kelly protested. “I’m peeing every five minutes as it is.”

Hannah darted past them and burst into Maddy’s room. “Mommy, look!” she shrieked. “I’m a fairy princess!”

“The dress!” Lucy shrieked as Hannah flung herself into Maddy’s arms.

“Don’t worry about the dress,” Rose said, dabbing her eyes with a pale blue handkerchief. “We can fix the dress.”

“Speak for yourself,” Lucy said, looking up from a quick repair of Gina’s bridesmaid gown. “These poor old fingers are ready for retirement.”

Corin Flynn quietly moved from corner to corner, snapping photos as he went. Kelly couldn’t help but notice he took more than his fair share of her Aunt Claire. He had been in town for a week, and everyone had noticed that he spent most of his time at Cuppa. Sure, the tea shop was a rousing success, but he wasn’t fooling anybody when he said he was simply trying to document the birth of a new business. She hadn’t quite figured out what was going on, but clearly there was some kind of attraction between them. Her aunt glowed whenever she looked at him, something that hadn’t escaped Mr. Fenelli’s notice. Aunt Claire said she and Ryan’s dad were just good friends, but Mr. Fenelli seemed to have other ideas, and it would be a lot of fun to watch what fate had in store for all of them.

Her aunt looked younger and happier than Kelly had ever seen her, and much of the credit went to the successful launch of the tea shop. Claire and Maddy had turned out to be a terrific team, and they were already talking to Olivia Westmore and Rose about building an enclosed patio garden onto the cottage. Her aunt had quickly become the driving force behind the tea shop, and it wouldn’t be long before she gave Rose and The Candlelight a run for their money.

No doubt about it. The O’Malley luck had finally changed for the better.

 
CRYSTAL WAS DOWNSTAIRS taping interviews with the out-of-town relatives. She had stormed off the job a few months back, claiming somebody had sabotaged a “blockbuster” interview, but Peter Lassiter soon lured her back into the fold. In fact, the entire PBS crew was on site, capturing the sights and sounds of the big wedding for the documentary. Lassiter was talking to Maddy about doing the narration for the series, and everyone hoped the contracts would be signed, sealed, and delivered after she returned from the honeymoon.

“Oh Maddy,” Kelly breathed as she looked at the woman she already thought of as her mother. “You look so beautiful.”

“I hope your father thinks so,” Maddy said, and everyone laughed. It was no secret that Kelly’s father thought Maddy Bainbridge was the most beautiful woman on the planet. She could walk down the aisle in faded jeans and a T-shirt, and he would be mesmerized.

Just wait until he saw Maddy in this dress! Lucy DiFalco had poured all of her love and talent into creating a work of art. Yards and yards of ivory satin, the color of candlelight, heavily embroidered with crystals and fine gold thread that caught and reflected the light like diamonds. An elbow-length veil of spider’s nest lace. Jewel-encrusted shoes with heels so high they made her dizzy just looking at them.

“You have a waist,” Kelly said with a groan of envy. “I used to have a waist.”

“And you’ll have one again in January,” Maddy said. “I promise you.”

“Stan from the limo service just called,” Denise bellowed up the stairs. “Ten minutes, ladies!”

Rose turned to Corin Flynn. “Would it be a terrible imposition to ask you to take a photo just for me?”

He gave her a smile that made Kelly immediately think of his sister Olivia. “I’ll take as many as you want, Rosie. Just tell me what you’re looking for.”

“I want a photo with my girls,” she said, dabbing her eyes again with the edge of her handkerchief. “All three generations.”

He sat Rose in a slipper chair near the window and positioned Hannah on her lap. Maddy stood to Rose’s right, back-lit by the sun streaming through the window. Corin Flynn aimed his camera and clicked as Kelly watched. One day, many years from now, Hannah would find the picture tucked away in her grandmother’s attic, and the whole day would come rushing back to her, and she would remember how it felt to be loved. Maybe Hannah’s daughter would be there, too, a curious little girl with big blue eyes who loved to listen to stories about all the women who had come before.

Kelly looked up and saw Maddy watching her.

“You’re part of the family, too,” Maddy said, holding out her hand.

Kelly hesitated but only for a second. She took her place next to Maddy, then laughed when Rose motioned for Claire to join them, too. She could feel the circle expanding to welcome them all inside its embrace. She was where she belonged, at the heart of a family of strong and loving women who would be there for her every step of the way.

She placed her hands over her bump and felt the first stirrings of life beneath her fingertips. Faint, fluttery, unmistakable.

A daughter,
she thought as Corin Flynn began to snap pictures of her tribe.

It just had to be.