by Fiona Roarke
“Your wedding is the most important thing to us right now,” Brianna said.
Jess who had been staring at Brianna in the mirror’s reflection, turned to her cousin. “You mean that, don’t you?” She asked in a quiet tone.
Did Jess think Brianna was back to steal her thunder? Was that why this impromptu bathroom meeting?
Brianna touched Jess’s arm. “Why wouldn’t I mean it? A wedding day belongs to the groom and bride. Getting married is a big deal in my book. And you two are perfect together. Just as I feel Connor and I are.”
They stepped aside so a woman could wash her hands. The stranger seemed to stifle a giggle.
Jess scrunched her eyes as she flashed a tight-lipped smile to the handwasher. “Come on Brianna. Obviously, this isn’t a good place for a private conversation.”
“Thought you two had ducked out the back door,” Connor said as the cousins took their places at the table.
“There was a line.” Brianna gave Jess a broad smile.
“Yeah, a long line,” Jess said.
Chapter Five
Brianna didn’t know the first thing about what went into wedding planning. The next day she gratefully accepted Jess’s invitation for lunch. Then she would go with her for a final wedding dress fitting at Corette Williams’ Ever After Bridal Boutique. Maybe she’d pick up some pointers.
In October, when Connor had taken her on the whirlwind meet-and-greet around Nocturne Falls, he’d avoided taking her into the boutique. Now she knew why. It was a lovely shop. But it was all about weddings. Not a Connor thing at all.
While Jess was in the dressing room, Brianna wandered through the store. Racks of dresses in all lengths, sizes, and styles. She’d never imagined there were so many ways to combine fabric, beads, and lace. She thumbed through a photo album of other dresses Corette had sold. Brianna recognized several clients from around town, including Delaney.
“Well, what do you think?” Jess had stepped up on a riser surrounded on three sides by mirrors.
Brianna’s breath hitched. She didn’t know what to think, let alone say. Jess Callahan was stunning.
The only thing that compared was the gown that Duchess Kate had worn when she married Prince William. No. This was much better.
Dazzling white, the mermaid style dress fit Jess like a second skin. The graceful skirt flounced just below her knee. Seed pearl lace rounded her shoulders, covered her arms, and ended just before her knuckles. In the mirror’s reflection, Jess could see it was backless, cut to the waist.
Then the image blurred.
Jess had stepped down off the small riser, came to Brianna’s side, and clasped her hands. “Are you crying?”
Brianna sniffed twice and shook her head. “Something in my eyes.” She sniffed again.
“Aw, Brianna.” Jess enfolded her cousin in a hug.
“The dress.” Brianna held her arms out to her side. “Be careful.”
“This dress can handle it,” Jess said.
They embraced in a tight, long hug.
“You look…” Brianna searched for the right word. “Amazing.” The only word she could say to describe Jess.
“Wait till it’s your turn,” Jess said.
Corette stepped up to them. “I understand you are Connor’s fiancé. Congratulations. And I would be honored to help you select and order your dress. Have you set the date yet?”
Brianna shook her head. Excitement braided with fear. A date to get married? Was this a real conversation or a dream?
Suddenly her feet felt like ice blocks.
“Not yet,” she said.
Chapter Six
Brianna swiped her hand across the kitchen counter, knocking her tumbler of tea to the floor. Muttering curses, she grabbed towels to mop up the mess.
Thanksgiving was over, and Christmas was three weeks away.
No matter what she did to distract herself, Brianna’s mind kept coming back to the fact that this was the first time in her life that she wasn’t in Portland with her family for the holidays.
It was a Putnam tradition to have Christmas Day lunch in Chinatown. She was in high school before she realized Peking Duck wasn’t on every Christmas day table.
Connor shut his laptop, left his tiny desk in the corner of their bungalow, then scooped Brianna into his arms. “The closer to Christmas we get, the crazier you’ve been acting. What’s going on?”
Connor’s embrace had become her haven. Where she felt safe and protected. She edged her arms out of his bearhug and then wrapped them around his waist.
“Nothing’s going on,” she mumbled into his chest.
Brianna straddled panic like a horse that she knew was going to kick. Sooner or later.
She loved Connor over the moon and back. But she missed her family, even to an extent her father.
And this whole wedding thing was scaring the socks off her.
She rolled her eyes up to meet Connor’s gaze. “Have you ever thought about eloping?”
Brianna swore she heard a voice somewhere shrieking ‘Noooooo.’ Impossible.
Connor pressed back to arm’s length. “Are you serious?”
Not really, but it would solve some serious problems.
“I’m all mixed up. I don’t know what I want. Jess makes this all look so easy,” she said.
“Look, this wedding is about what we want. Not what somebody else wants, or what they are doing, or how they run their show. Nobody’s forcing you to decide the date. But you need to tell your family. You asked for two extensions on that three-day promise to call them. Are you dragging your feet because you aren’t sure you want to get married?”
“Oh, hell no. That’s not it at all.” She threw her arms around him again and squeezed with all her might.
“Okay,” he wheezed. “It’s tough being away from your home this time of year. I get that. Christmas has been hard for us, too, since my father died. But you think it’s fair to your mother to keep this secret?”
No. It wasn’t fair, and Brianna felt horrible every time she ended a phone call to her mother without telling her. Brianna had skirted around the subject when she’d explained that she was spending Christmas in Georgia to attend her friend’s wedding.
She’d dodged her mother’s questions about what town, knowing that even mentioning Nocturne Falls would set off a nuclear explosion.
Her mother had always been her closest confidante, and Brianna was holding back on the most important news she’d ever had.
Despite how her father railed against his hometown, she loved it here. It was a picture-perfect place to celebrate Christmas. If her mother could see it, she’d feel the same way. Brianna knew it in her heart.
“I’ll make the call tomorrow, I swear.” She hid her hands behind her back and crossed all her fingers.
Brianna walked the five blocks from the cottage to downtown. Making the turn to the Hallowed Bean, she was hit head-on by a brisk wind gust. She pulled her jacket collar around her neck. Winter was just around the corner. No better way to greet it than a latte.
People inside the Bean were backed up to the door. Cripes. She’d promised Connor she’d get to the bank before ten-thirty. No time for lines.
She passed up the bank lobby coffee intending to stop by the Bean and try her luck again. Finished at the bank, Brianna stepped up her pace. The Bean’s morning crowd should have thinned by now. It was down some, but still packed. Then she saw the sign: Free Samples of Yuletide Cinnamon Latte.
Well, no wonder. And a latte would have made laundry day tolerable.
The shortcut back to the bungalow took her past the Carpe Diem. Jess’s car was in the driveway. Maybe there was a chance for a fresh cup of coffee after all. Throw in some cinnamon and sugar and voila.
Brianna went through the front door to the shop and greeted the staff. Then she went upstairs to the private apartment and tapped on the door.
“Hi there. Come on in.” Dressed in a denim work shirt and jeans, Jess looked ready to tac
kle one of her famous home repair jobs.
“Am I interrupting?” Brianna asked.
“Not at all. I just finished changing out the light switch in the bathroom. Join me for coffee?”
The fairytale princess and all-around handy woman changing a light switch? Of course. Why not?
Crealde greeted them in the kitchen. Unfortunately for him, sitting in the middle of the table was apparently unacceptable in this house.
“Shoo, you little tyrant,” Jess said. “You know better.”
In his characteristic laissez-faire style, Crealde stood, stretched, yawned and sauntered to the table edge. Looking over his shoulder before he expended another ounce of energy, he gave a quick head shake and jumped to the floor with a thud.
Brianna went to the door. “Want out, buddy?”
Crealde shot her an indignant scowl easily interpreted as, ‘in this weather?’ then sashayed toward a bedroom.
As the coffee brewed, Jess sat across from Brianna at the table. “See what I’ve put up with? We’ve been battling almost twenty years. He’s a little more respectful around Nana, but not much.”
“How old is he?” Brianna asked.
“We have no idea,” Jess said.
The girls shared a comfortable laugh.
“Think grandmother will be back for the wedding?” Brianna asked.
“She told us she would be. She keeps her promises,” Jess said.
“I hope she stays long enough so I can get to know her better. She seems very nice.”
“The best. Looking back, I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t taken me in after my parents died.”
Brianna dropped her gaze to the table. If her father hadn’t been such an ass, Jess would have lived with them.
Jess put her hand on Brianna’s. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I still sometimes forget my uncle is your father.”
Brianna drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. “I think it would have been fun to grow up together.”
“Me too, now that I know you. But you’re here now, and you’re going to marry Connor. That seals our relationship even better.”
Over the delicious fresh coffee, they chatted about the wedding and how the details were coming together. It seemed to Brianna that Jess had it all under control. She knew she’d be a basket case at this point.
“When Connor and I finally pick a date, would you consider helping me plan the wedding?”
“Would I? I’d love it. Have you given any thought to a date?” Jess asked.
Brianna shook her head. “I haven’t even told my parents that I’m engaged.”
Jess took a sip of coffee, put down the cup and stared into Brianna’s eyes. “Because Connor and Ryan are shifters, right?”
After a long pause, Brianna answered. “Yes. You know how my father feels about this town. He raised my brother and me to think everything here was fake. Now I know that was his way of dealing with the disappointment that he didn’t inherit the psychic gift. How in the world could I tell him I’m marrying a falcon?”
“The longer you put it off, the harder it will be. I have an idea. How about I get back to my super-woman chores and you sit right here and give them a call. What is it, four hours difference? It’s about eight in the morning out there, right? Sounds like a good time.”
Brianna stammered excuses. They’d be at breakfast. Her father in his chair, her mother pouring coffee and fixing his two fried eggs, over easy. Wheat toast, butter substitute. She couldn’t call now. It would upset his routine.
“We don’t have a date yet. I should wait until we do.” Good out. The middle of this charming sunny kitchen wasn’t a good place for the phone conversation, anyway. She’d write out a script later and practice. Yes. That’s a much better idea.
Jess crossed her arms and leaned back. “You’re stalling, cousin. If the date is holding you up, then set one. What are you waiting for, anyway?”
“Connor and I haven’t given it a lot of thought.”
“Well then, I have another idea. How about December twenty-seven.”
“You mean next year? But that would be on your anniversary. That’s not right.”
“I don’t mean next year. I mean this one.”
“That’s crazy. That’s your wedding day.”
“Exactly. What do you think about a double wedding?”
Chapter Seven
“A double wedding? You can’t be serious. Who came up with that idea?” Connor dropped into his recliner.
Brianna sat on the floor beside him. “Actually, it was Jess.”
Connor cocked his head and shot her the falcon stare. Cute, but scary at the same time.
“Seriously, it was hers. I was just about to call my mother and tell her. Then I realized we hadn’t flown it past you and Ryan yet. She’s telling him tonight.”
“How nice of you to ‘fly’ it past the grooms. We can’t impose on their day, honey. Don’t you want your own wedding day?”
An incoming text on Connor’s phone saved her from answering. Probably Ryan. Intensely focused on typing a reply, Connor didn’t see her slip into the bedroom.
Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, she spun her phone around on the chenille spread. A double wedding. In her wildest dreams, she’d never considered this. She could see Jess walking down the aisle in that fantastic dress. Taking the hand of her prince.
Brianna wondered what she’d wear. At this late date? Yoga pants, perhaps. Did she have any white ones?
‘Make the call.’
Who said that? Brianna snapped her gaze to the door. No one was there.
‘You’re as stubborn as your father. I said make the call.’
“Grandmother.” More a statement than a question.
‘You betcha. You’ll have a fanny full of splinters if you ride this fence much longer. Eloping is not an option. And a double wedding will be the most spectacular event this town’s ever seen. Economical for me. One trip. Two brides with one stone, so to speak.’
“I guess you aren’t in body tonight.”
‘Too much work just to give you a piece of my mind. You call and tell them. Let the chips fall. One way or the other, it won’t matter a hoot. You and Connor have your life to live. You can’t go ‘round worrying about the little stuff. Got me?’
Brianna turned her silver bracelet. It didn’t block her thoughts from her grandmother at all. No use in trying.
“I got you. But you said you’d be here, right? In your real body.”
‘Yes, in my real body. I wouldn’t miss this for anything. And your dress is going to turn heads. It will fit you perfectly.’
“You mean Jess and her dress, right?”
‘No, honey. Yours. You’ll know when you see it. Now get with it. Get that call made. I’m out of here.’
Among the many things it took getting used to in this town, Echo Stargazer popping in and out was one of the craziest.
She picked up her phone and tapped the contact for her mother.
“Please don’t go to voicemail. Please. Please.”
“Brianna? I was just thinking about you.”
“Hi, Mom. You got a minute?”
“And what did Connor say?” Jess sat on Ryan’s lap and played with his wrong-way lock that bobbed between his eyes.
“He’s about as gobsmacked as I am. But if it’s what you want.”
Jess gave Ryan a tight hug as she kissed the top of his head. “Absolutely. The more I think about this, the better I love the idea.”
“Have you looked at the calendar lately? Three weeks and counting, and don’t forget Christmas.”
“That’s not going to be a problem. This is Nocturne Falls. Magic happens.”
“Yeah, and sometimes something else happens.”
“Oh, ye of little faith. I’ve got this.”
“That is exactly what frightens me.”
Jess tipped Ryan’s chin to hers and planted a soft, loving kiss on his lips. “A little fright occasionally, keeps the
spark in a relationship.”
“Umm. There are other ways to light the spark.” Ryan pulled her back into his arms to finish the kiss.
A persistent buzz on Ryan’s phone alerted him to an incoming call. “Not now,” he murmured.
“Go ahead. It might be important,” Jess said.
Ryan ran kisses over Jess’s arm as she reached for his phone on the end table. “It’s Brianna.”
Jess hopped up and took a seat on the sofa. “It’s me. I’ve got his phone. What’s up?”
“Yours went to voicemail. You’ll never guess who dropped in tonight,” Brianna said.
“Oh, I think I might. Nana?”
“Yep. And guess what else?”
“No telling.”
“I called home. My father wasn’t there, but Mom was. She’s delighted. And guess what else?”
Ryan had taken a position behind Jess and was massaging her neck and shoulders. Jess relaxed her head into Ryan’s hands. He kissed her forehead. Her cheeks. Nipped at the top of her ears.
Jess was melting. He was ready, and so was she.
It was just about time for Brianna’s guessing game to end. “Could we maybe talk about this tomorrow?” Jess asked.
“I invited them to the wedding. And she said they’d be here.”
Jess sat ramrod straight and stayed that way even after the call ended.
The man who wanted no part in raising his only sister’s orphaned child. Was he going to show up at her wedding?
Nana, wherever you are, you better have a special trick up your sleeve. Nobody, but nobody, is going to spoil this wedding day.
‘Oh, ye of little faith.’
“I’m holding you to this, Nana.”
Chapter Eight
“Um.” Corette Williams tapped her pencil on her scheduling book. “December twenty-seventh. Why don’t you look at some of the gowns I have in the store. I can alter them amazingly fast.”
