Always On My Mind

by Bella Andre

Page 34

  Author: Bella Andre

  She’d taken pictures of each of the pigs and given them as gifts to their namesakes in special frames, knowing her siblings would love it. Her brothers and sister hadn’t let her down—each of the pictures were now displayed on their mantels along with their other family pictures.

  There were few things Lori loved more than being surrounded by her friends and family. This family reunion had already made the short list of the best days of her life. Meeting Grayson was, of course, at the very top.

  As the makeup artist and hairdresser both got to work on her, Lori sipped her champagne and listened in on the half-dozen conversations going on around her—about dogs and kids and car races and new sculptures and movie sets. Clearly, she thought as she took in the extra-big smiles and happy voices, everyone was having just as much fun at the reunion as she was. And the farm had been the perfect place to host it.

  “Wow,” Summer said as she came over a short while later when her hair and makeup were done, “you look so beautiful, Aunt Lori. ”

  Lori smiled at one of her favorite kids in the whole wide world. “You do, too. I love your crown of wildflowers. It’s so pretty. ”

  Summer was holding something behind her back and gave Megan a quick glance. When her mother nodded, she held it out to Lori. “I made you one, too. ”

  Lori was beyond touched. “You’re the best! Can you put it on me?” She bent her head down so that Summer could reach the top of it.

  When Lori turned to face the mirror again, she barely noticed how glossy her hair was, or the way her features had been perfectly played up with mascara and blush. All she knew was that with the wildflowers in her hair, she’d never felt prettier.

  The room grew quiet and she noticed all of the women looking at each other in a particularly serious way. And her mother was gone. When had she left the studio?

  “Hey, is something wr—” But she never got a chance to finish her sentence, because just then her mother walked back into the room holding a dress.

  A wedding dress.

  It was the most beautiful wedding dress Lori had ever seen…because it was the one that her mother had worn at her own wedding. And Lori knew it would fit perfectly.

  “Oh, my God. ” She tried to stand, but when her legs were too wobbly to hold her up, she had to grip the arm rests and sit down again instead. “What—” Her brain wasn’t working. “How—” Her mouth wasn’t working either. “You—”

  Her mother smiled at her and said one word. The only word that mattered. “Grayson. ”

  Lori Sullivan wasn’t a woman who cried. But she’d broken that rule on this farm in Pescadero again and again. Out of despair on her first night in Grayson’s house. Out of pure sadness after Sweetpea died.

  And now, out of pure joy.

  “From the first moment I met Grayson,” her mother told her, “I knew he was the man for you, sweetie. But if I’d ever had any doubts, his asking me to help plan a surprise wedding for you would have put them immediately to rest. Only a man who truly knew and loved you would think to do something this perfect for you. ”

  Sophie put a Kleenex in one of Lori’s hands and then pulled her out of her chair with the other. “Your groom is waiting. Rather impatiently, I believe. ”

  Lori laughed even as her tears continued to spill. Everyone she loved was here with her today and they were all so amazing to help Grayson surprise her with this wedding.

  “I love all of you so much. ” The girls all gathered around her in a group hug, all of them crying and laughing now.

  Lori was notoriously steady, both on stage and off, but now her fingers were shaking so much that her mother and sister had to help her get her clothes off. After she’d put on the gorgeous silk lingerie Sophie handed her, her sister showed Lori the amazing heels they’d bought to go with the dress. Lori shook her head. “I’m going to wear my boots. ” They were her new white ones with colorful wildflowers stitched up the side, after all. Then she lifted her arms and they slid the silk and lace wedding gown on, her mother lacing up the back while Sophie readjusted the flowers on her hair and dabbed at the tears under her eyelashes without smearing her new makeup.

  A knock sounded on the door and her mother went to open it. Lori’s oldest brother Marcus was standing there in a tux. He was smiling at her, but she could see his eyes grow a little glassy as he said, “You’re absolutely beautiful, Lori. ” He held out an arm. “Ready to take a walk down the aisle?”

  More tears threatened to spill as she put her hand in Marcus’s. “Did you know about this?”

  “All of us did. ” He brushed a lock of hair from her eyes and added, “You were right not to give up on Grayson. Talking with him these past few months has proved to me that he truly does love you the way you deserve to be loved. With absolutely everything inside him. ”

  She hugged her brother, his support meaning more to her than he could ever know. Everyone else moved past them to go take their places at the surprise wedding set up in the middle of the open field. She knew she should have been amazed that they had been able to pull all this off without her guessing something was up, but she’d always known how wonderful her family was.

  Her hand tightly grasped in her brother’s, the two of them made their way to where the country band from her very-first-ever barn dance was playing a waltz, and Sullivans from all over the world, along with Grayson’s parents, were there to celebrate with her and Grayson.

  And then she saw him, standing at the end of the wildflower-strewn aisle, gorgeous in a tux, black cowboy hat, and boots. She didn’t think before letting go of her brother’s hand, lifting up her skirts, and running to him.

  She no longer saw anyone else, no longer heard the band playing. All she could see were Grayson’s dark eyes filled with such hunger, such passion, such love. And all she knew was that he was everything she had ever wanted, everything she had ever waited for, as she flew into his arms and wrapped hers around his neck.

  Laughing with her, he swung her around, her hair flying behind her as they did yet another perfect dance together. Their mouths found each other a moment later and the crowd of Sullivans cheered them on.

  “I love you,” she whispered when she was finally able to pull her mouth from his.

  “I love you, too,” he whispered back against her ear. “And I can’t wait another second for you to be mine. ”

  With that, he put her back on her feet and took her hands in his as the officiant began the ceremony.

  “I’m very pleased to welcome everyone to what has to be the most unique wedding I’ve ever been a part of. ” Everyone laughed and then the man said, “Lori, Grayson, do either of you have anything you’d like to say to each other before I continue?”

  Lori nodded. She moved closer to Grayson and looked up into his beautiful dark eyes. “I love you. Always. Forever. ” All her life, she’d talked and talked and talked. But today, standing with Grayson in her mother’s wedding dress in front of their families, there was nothing else she needed him to know.

  Grayson grinned down at her, somehow not at all surprised by the fact that she’d chosen this very moment to stop being a motormouth.

  “Grayson?” the officiant asked. “Is there something you would like to say to Lori?”

  “Yes, there is. ” His deep voice rumbling over her skin felt as good as the sweet caress of his hands always did. “When your mother and your siblings and I planned this wedding to surprise you, I wanted to be able to stand here and tell you the exact moment I fell in love with you. But I can’t do that. ”

  “You can’t?” A pin could have dropped in the grass and it would have been heard in that moment as everyone grew perfectly silent to listen for his reply.

  “No, I can’t. Because every single moment I’ve spent with you is that moment, Lori. ” With a collective “Ahh” and “Isn’t that sweet?” sounding from their audience, he told her, “I fell i
n love with you when you crashed into my fence post and chased after my chickens and fell down in the mud with the pigs. I fell in love with you when you taught everyone in town to line dance. I fell in love with you when you put Mo’s feelings before your own and stayed with her for as long as she needed you. ” One fat tear slid down her cheek as he said, “And, most of all, I fell in love with you when you showed me that it was safe to love again. I keep falling in love with you again and again. Just like I’m falling right this second. ”

  She had to kiss him again before they both said “I do,” and then Grayson was sliding a beautiful ring onto her finger and Lori was picking up one of the wildflowers on the ground to twine it around his ring finger.

  The man who claimed he wasn’t good with words—and who had thought he wasn’t capable of loving again—had just proved himself irrevocably wrong. On both counts. She couldn’t wait to tell him every single little thing she loved about him, of every possible way he’d pleased her with this surprise wedding today. But all that talking would have to wait.

  Because she wasn’t nicknamed Naughty for nothing.

  And right now was the perfect time for the new bride to drag her new husband off to a secret corner of their property to show him exactly how much she loved him, body and soul.

  Epilogue

  Mary Sullivan had always been proud of her children. Not only because of how successful they’d always been, but because of the exceptional men and women they were. And just as she so often had before, she thought about their father Jack and how he would have loved to see another of his precious little girls getting married. . .

  But she’d already cried enough tears today during the beautiful ceremony. She wanted the rest of her day and evening to be filled with smiles, with laughter, with hugs and joy. It was so easy to find that joy, because it was all around her.

  Her oldest son Marcus was dancing with his fiancée, Nicola. They would be getting married at his winery and vineyard in Napa Valley later that year and Mary was greatly enjoying helping them plan it, since they were often traveling in support of Nicola’s music career. Not everyone understood Nicola and Marcus’s relationship—the young pop star and the mature businessman—but Mary couldn’t imagine her son with anyone who could have brought him more happiness.

  Mary turned her gaze to her next oldest son just as Smith and Valentina gave each other one of their secret smiles. Mary had never admitted as much to anyone, but Smith had been the one she worried about the most over the years. People always told her, “What a charmed life your son must live as a movie star!” but she had known better. Year after year, as his star had grown brighter and brighter, he’d paid a higher and higher personal price for that fame. In Valentina he’d found someone absolutely ideal for him: She understood the demands of his world, but wasn’t at all interested in the glitter. It warmed Mary’s heart to see the peace, the contentment, on her son’s face.

  The sound of a little girl giggling drew Mary’s attention to Chase, Chloe, and Emma, their daughter. The three of them were over by the barn looking at the pigs, and Emma was clearly delighted by the farm animals. Mary smiled as she watched the way her son Chase took such good care of his family. . . and her smile grew as she observed Chloe’s extra special glow. She couldn’t wait for them to have another little boy or girl. Something told her she wouldn’t be waiting long.

  Over on the grass, Ryan was tossing balls to the kids, and his fiancée Vicki was helping the girls and boys chase them when they tumbled out of their little hands. As soon as her son had brought his best friend home for dinner in high school fifteen years ago, Mary had known they were “the one” for each other. A decade and a half later, they’d both finally realized what they meant to each other in a perfect friends-to-lovers love story that made Mary feel good every time she thought about the two of them.