Daring Brides (6 page)

“I have something for you,” Meredith said, reaching into her blue overnight bag. “It might make you cry, but we can always re-do your makeup.”

She braced herself as Meredith pulled out a black jewelry box. “What is it?”

Her sister opened it with a click. “I know how much you wanted Jemma here, and so did her mom. She wanted you to wear Jemma’s pearl earrings. They’re part of your wedding present from her family.”

Her lip wobbled, and sure enough, a couple of fat tears trailed down her face as she stared at those luminescent pearls. “Oh, my. That was so sweet of her.” She remembered Jemma receiving those pearls for her sixteenth birthday. They’d been her favorite accessory that summer.

She took them out and fitted them into her ear lobes, handling them delicately. They seemed to glow, and she felt that same warmth on her back she’d experienced in the graveyard. Taking a deep breath, she pointed to her own overnight bag.

“Hand that to me, please,” she asked her sister.

When Meredith did, she dug inside for the black box holding the necklace she’d decided to wear. She hadn’t told Brian, but she knew it would mean the world to him. She opened the box. For her high school graduation present, he’d bought her a simple gold heart necklace with
J&B, BFFs
engraved on the back. It wasn’t fancy, but it was exactly what she wanted to wear, and it felt so right to pair it with Jemma’s pearl earrings.

“Brian is going to be moved when he sees that necklace, honey,” her mom said, putting her arm around her waist. “I’m so proud of you two. Nothing could make me happier than seeing the two of you get married.”

“Not to mention the fact that you’re gaga for your future grandchild,” Jill responded with a knowing wink.

Her mom raised her hands. “Guilty.”

“I wish Grandma Harriet could see me today,” Jill said, thinking about the wonderful woman who’d made her cookies and supported her dream to go into business on her own, leaving her with the money to pursue just such a path when she passed away.

“She is, honey,” her mom said, “right along with Jemma.”

She sniffed, and Natalie—ever vigilant in her wedding emergency kit duties—handed her a tissue. Wiping her eyes, she took one last look in the mirror and then glanced at the clock on the wall. Ten till five.

“I’m getting married in ten minutes,” she whispered, feeling a strange sense of unreality wash over her. Sometimes it was so hard to believe all her dreams were finally coming true.

A knock sounded on the door. Her mom went to answer it.

“Oh, Jillie Bean,” her dad said, stepping inside. “You look beautiful, sweetheart. Simply beautiful.”

She walked over and kissed Alan Hale’s cheek. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You girls better go find your seats,” he told them, chucking Moira under the chin as she and her sisters fanned out.

“We’ll see you out there,” Peggy said with a distinct nod.

Her mom kissed her cheek before following the others. “I better go find my seat too. Alan, you take care of our girls.”

Just after her mom stepped out of the room, Jill heard the unmistakable tap of a cane on the floor. She looked over, and sure enough, Grandpa Hale came inside.

“I thought I’d pop in and kiss the bride before all the shenanigans started,” he said.

Leave it to her grandpa to refer to a wedding that way. She was already smiling as she kissed his cheek.

“I’m so glad you came back here, Grandpa,” she told him. “I was missing Grandma just now.”

He coughed. “My mind was in the same place. She would have loved to see you getting married, especially to Brian. She had this inkling you two would end up together, even when he left Dare Valley and broke your heart.”

She pressed a hand to her heart. “I didn’t know she felt that way.”

“She was a wise woman,” he told her. “She didn’t think you’d appreciate her saying that, given how angry you were at Brian back then. Now, he and I are business partners in his new restaurant. She would have loved that.”

“I love it too,” she said, straightening the boutonniere on his gray suit. “You look pretty handsome for an old rascal.”

“You look pretty good yourself,” he said with a wink.

The music from the church organ filtered back to them, signaling the start of the wedding. Grandpa blew them a kiss and headed off to find his seat. Jill faced her dad and sister.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Meredith gathered her bouquet from the table and took her position in the back of the church, waiting for the cue in the music to begin her walk down the aisle. Jill reached for her own bouquet. The simple arrangement of lavender roses, purple peonies, and white Stephanotis was stunning against the buttery tones of her dress. Plus, the purple made her happy.

“Are you ready, kiddo?” her dad asked when the music she and Brian had chosen started to play.

“The Wedding March” hadn’t been their style, so they’d settled on “Marry Me” by Train. The sound of the instrumental version conducted by the local band they’d hired was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

“I’m ready,” she whispered and threaded her arm through his.

As she walked down the aisle, she held her head high and looked at Brian. He was so handsome in a heather gray tux with a purple vest and necktie. His boutonniere was a simple lavender rose. His Bengal-tiger-blue eyes gleamed the closer she came, heavy with longing and love.

She didn’t have eyes for anyone but him, and it took her a moment to realize her dad was turning her and kissing her on the cheek.

“I love you, Jillie,” he whispered.

“I love you too, Dad,” she whispered back.

She stepped away from her dad, toward Brian.

Toward her new life.

***

Brian held out his hand to her, his heart thundering in his chest, and Jill clasped it tightly after handing Meredith her bouquet.

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said softly.

Her mouth curved. “Thanks. You look pretty handsome yourself.”

“Are you ready for this?” he asked, gazing down at her dress. Yellow was so perfect for her. She hadn’t said a word to him about her decision to go with something other than white, but it suited her to a tee.

“I’ve been ready for years,” she said in a near whisper.

“Thanks for waiting for me to catch on,” he responded just as quietly.

And with that they turned to the minister, ready to make the final commitment.

He couldn’t look away from her. Her long red hair curled beautifully around her shoulders, and the flower thingee in her hair made her seem younger and more vulnerable. It reminded him of how she’d looked in high school, back when he’d been too scared to ask her to go out with him for real.

Perhaps they would have gotten together years ago if he’d been braver, but he planned to more than make up for the time they’d lost.

He bowed his head as a new reverence came over him. Declaring his love for her in front of their family and friends was a little nerve-racking, but it felt so right to make this commitment in front of her parents, who were clasping each other’s hands so tightly in the front row. His now-divorced parents had come and were seated rows apart, and seeing them again had been as strained and awkward as always. In some ways, Jill’s mom and dad felt more like parents to him than his own messed up family did, which was one reason he’d spent so much time over at their house as a kid—the other being Jill. Jill’s mom had taught him to cook, fostered his interest and ability in all things food, and helped him dream he could be a chef. He was so proud to be a permanent member of the Hale clan.

When she said her vows, her voice broke, and he dug out the handkerchief Arthur Hale had given him before the wedding, saying a wise groom was a prepared groom. Rather than hand her the silk cloth, he wiped the tears away gently himself, and the tenderness made more tears fall. She might be tough, but she needed tenderness too.

When it came time for him to say his vows, he had to clear his voice a couple of times over the thickening in his throat. He’d practiced them at least ten times, but they held new meaning in this moment, when her face was glowing with so much love he thought his heart would burst.

“I, Brian McConnell, take you, Jill Hale, to be my wife, my best friend, and my partner from this day forward. In the presence of God and our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to support you in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally…”

She let out a shaky breath, and he had to release the air trapped in his lungs.

“To support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.”

Her hands squeezed his, and he leaned forward spontaneously until he could whisper in her ear, “And I promise not to be a jerk from here on out and to be the best daddy to the baby we’ve made.”

“Oh, Bri,” she whispered back. “And I promise to be the best mommy too and not to be such a drama queen sometimes.”

Now that made him laugh. “Only sometimes?”

She twisted his thumb a second, her shoulders shaking. “Life isn’t fun if it’s devoid of all drama.”

“If you say so, Red,” he said. The minister cleared his throat, a not-so-subtle reminder that they were veering off point.

When it came time for them to exchange rings, he slid the simple wedding band on her finger. He was in the process of opening his own restaurant, so he hadn’t been able to afford anything grand. It embarrassed him, particularly since he wanted to present her with the world on a silver platter. She’d dismissed his apologies with her usual flair, saying she wasn’t all about the flash. But he’d promised himself he would buy her something nicer once his restaurant became super successful, something he knew would happen.

Then he glanced up from her hand and noticed she was wearing the necklace he’d given her when they were eighteen, right after one of the worst fights of their life. It was the very fight that had shut her away from him for so many years. She looked so dazzling in her yellow gown that he’d somehow missed that tiny detail.

“You wore the necklace?” he whispered.

“Of course,” she whispered back like he’d asked the dumbest question possible.

“I love you, Jill,” he whispered, and the minister cleared his throat
again.

When the minister finally declared them husband and wife and said it was time to kiss the bride, Brian was more than ready to do just that. Jill leaned into him, and he cuddled her close, aware of their baby growing bigger and bigger in her belly, even though it was probably the size of a pea right now.

He pressed his lips to hers, and she met him with fervor. The kiss must have lasted a bit longer than it was supposed to because soon the stupid minister was clearing his throat again. They were both laughing when they finally pulled away.

“Hello, wife,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Hello, husband,” she said, beaming right back at him. “Now let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”

And with those words, they strode down the aisle hand in hand to the song Jill had insisted upon: “Happy Together” by The Turtles.

As they came to the last row, Jill let out a whoop. “We finally did it.”

Yes, he thought, they finally had.

He caught sight of Pete standing in the back pew. Their eyes locked, and his old friend inclined his chin in greeting. Brian returned the gesture, his heart squeezing. Then Jill was pulling him out of the church, laughing with abandon, and he had no choice but to follow.

Not that he would have resisted.

He’d follow her pretty much anywhere she wanted to go.

***

Surveying the reception, Jill was happy to see that their limited budget was far from obvious. Simple chalkboard signs with romantic sayings had been placed all around the church reception hall, creating the kind of fun, sappy mood they’d wanted. Okay, that
she
had wanted. Brian had gone along with it. One of the sayings caught her eye, and she actually teared up.
Today I married my best friend.
Yeah, she sure had.

The beer barrow was inspired—she didn’t care what anyone said. How fun was it to line a standard wheelbarrow with a bunch of microbrews? Not that she’d be drinking today. She wistfully eyed the espresso bar they’d set up for guests, manned by Margie Lancaster, her long-time friend and the new manager of Don’t Soy With Me. She’d designed two special drinks for the reception: a wicked raspberry mocha with whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings and a salted caramel latte that would make most people beg for more. Except for Grandpa Hale, who would inevitably make some crack about serving frou-frou coffee drinks at her own wedding.

Brian came up behind her and put his hand around her waist. “Sorry I disappeared. I was trying to find Pete.”

She’d seen their friend and felt…rather hollow. “I’m glad he came for you.”

He kissed her cheek. “He came for both of us. And that was a nice peace offering if you ask me.”