He watched as Jessie and the judge moved to the far corner of the room. The had a whispered conversation with Jessie looking rather intense. The judge nodded, reluctantly at first, but then with more enthusiasm. He took a paper from Jessie, frowning at it through the reading glasses he perched on the end of his nose. Then he took his phone out of his pocket and placed a call. Jessie grinned and then called over the girls.
Zach took a step forward to join her and find out what was going on, but Jessie saw him and she shook her head. She held up her hand indicating he should stay where he was. Zach wanted to protest. Being left out made him feel as if everything they’d just been through was a lie and, damn it, it hurt.
He watched as Jessie knelt down before the girls. She whispered something to them and they both nodded eagerly. Maddie glanced from her mother to Zach and gave him a mischievous wink. Gracie did the same but instead of winking she smiled a bright, beautiful smile. Zach felt his hurt ease.
The judge ended his call and leaned close to Jessie to whisper something in her ear before handing her the paper she’d given him. Jessie turned toward Zach. Before he could figure out what to do or how to feel, the three women who were the most precious beings in his world stopped in front of him and Jessie handed him the paper. It was the marriage license form that Zach had given her the other day.
Zach didn’t get a chance to examine it as both girls latched onto his hands with Maddie holding the hand that held the paper. Jessie took her daughters’ other hands and the four of them stood in a small circle, shutting out the rest of the world.
Jessie’s eyes were bright and her breath was coming in nervous gasps. She cleared her throat and swung her daughters’ hands and then she looked at Zach, her blue eyes full of nervous excitement as they latched onto his, and she said, “Zach, the girls and I have talked it over and if your offer to marry us still stands, we’d like to say yes.”
Chapter 34
It was a rare thing for Zach to be speechless. Right now, he couldn’t remember how to make sound, never mind speak. Luckily, Maddie was there with a nudge.
She hopped up and down and pulled on his arm. “Well, what do you say? Don’t you want to be my dad for reals?”
“Mine, too,” Gracie added, looking at him with her shy smile and all the hope in the world shining in her eyes.
Zach dropped to his knees on a choking noise that he was pretty sure was a sob and pulled the girls into a hug so he could bury his face in their soft honey blonde curls. Then he glanced up at Jessie, who was biting her lip, looking nervous and overwrought. He let go of the girls and tugged Jessie down to her knees, too.
When she was kneeling in front of him, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her with all of the love in his heart. When he pulled back, he realized it wasn’t just Jessie’s tears dampening his face. He wiped the moisture off her face and then his own.
“We seem to be leaking,” he said. Jessie chuckled in that throaty way she had that drove him crazy.
“So, is that a yes?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” He opened his arms wide and pulled the girls and Jessie into a group hug. “All three of you.”
His three ladies hugged him tight, and Zach thought his heart might explode right out of his chest. In that moment, he knew that he wasn’t going to wait a day, a week, or a month to marry this woman and her daughters, oh, no, this wedding was happening right now.
He pulled out of the hug, looked at his women, and said, “Give me one hour.”
“What?” Jessie asked.
Zach pulled her to her feet and kissed her forehead. “One hour.”
“For what?” Jessie asked.
“To make you my wife,” he said. Then he turned toward his Maine crew and announced, “People, we have a mission.”
• • •
Technically, it was an hour and fifteen minutes, almost nine o’clock, before the Maine crew arrived back at the house. This had given Jessie time to bathe both girls and take a quick shower herself. She had no idea what Zach was planning, shocker, but she figured she’d better be prepared for anything.
Mac arrived first with her aunts in tow. They had a garment bag and they took Jessie by the hand and dragged her upstairs.
More of the girls arrived and Jessie soon found herself in her bedroom surrounded by Carly, Jillian, Gina, Emma, Mac, the aunts, and her girls.
“Okay, let’s show her and see what she says,” Aunt Charlotte said.
“She’s going to say yes, why wouldn’t she?” Aunt Sarah asked.
“Because a bridal gown is a very particular thing,” Aunt Charlotte said.
“I know,” Aunt Sarah said. “But it should never be more important than the vows two people make to each other.”
“Agreed,” Aunt Charlotte said. “Maybe you should tell her about the dress.”
Jessie watched the two silver-haired ladies talking and found herself more than a little curious about what was happening. Judging by the faces of the rest of the women in the room, she wasn’t alone.
“I was almost married once,” Aunt Sarah said. She glanced at Jessie. Her usual stern demeanor softened as her eyes misted with memories. “He was so handsome and charming. I about fainted every time I saw him in uniform. His name was Captain Stuart Stovall. He was a big, blonde hunk of a man with solid pecs, a lot like your Zach, actually.”
Jessie felt her heart beat hard and she held her breath. This sounded like lost love. She didn’t like where this story was going, not at all.
“I’ve never heard of him,” Mac said. She looked at her aunt in surprise tinged with a bit of hurt. “Why didn’t you ever mention him to me?”
“Because when you’ve had true love and lost it, it hurts just as much fifty-five years later as it did the day you were told he had died in combat,” Aunt Sarah said.
Aunt Sarah glanced down at the garment bag in her hands. Jessie watched as a tear splashed onto the bag and she felt her throat tighten into a hard knot. Poor Aunt Sarah; she couldn’t imagine how she would feel if she lost Zach, but she suspected she would mourn him just as much as Aunt Sarah did her Captain Stovall.
Aunt Charlotte helped her sister sit on the edge of the bed and she sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. Since Aunt Sarah was not very touchy-feely, allowing her sister to comfort her showed how upset she actually was. Aunt Sarah glanced up at Jessie.
“He asked me to elope with him the night before he shipped out to Vietnam in nineteen sixty-two, but I said I wanted to wait until he came back. The war wasn’t underway as yet, and I was sure he’d be back. I wanted a big wedding, a grand to-do, a day where I got to be a princess, so even though he was the love of my life, I chose to wait, spending my time planning our giant wedding so I could marry him the minute he returned to Bluff Point.”
She stared out the window, her gaze cloudy with memories. When she turned back to Jessie, her face was a stark picture of ultimate loss.
“But Stuart never came home. He was killed in an ambush while training South Vietnamese soldiers.”
Jessie knew what Aunt Sarah was trying to tell her. When the chance to be with the one you love arrives, do not hesitate. She nodded to let her know the message was received.
“I am so sorry, Aunt Sarah,” Mac said. She stepped close to her aunt and hugged her tight.
Aunt Sarah permitted it for a moment but not being a hugger by nature, she waved her off pretty quickly.
“Thank you, now stand back or you’ll wrinkle the dress,” Aunt Sarah said. She rose from where she’d been sitting and unzipped the garment bag. “You can wear whatever you like, Jessie, but since we seem to be about the same size, and have the same taste in men, I thought you might want to wear the dress I would have worn if my Stuart had made it home to me.”
Jessie’s eyes went wide. She didn’t know what to say. The
white froth of tulle and satin that Aunt Sarah pulled from the bag was stunning. Three inches of handmade lace decorated the hem of the tea-length gown that poofed out at the waist from the fitted bodice with the sweetheart neckline with cap sleeves made of the same lace as the hem. It looked very Jackie Kennedy and Jessie loved it.
“Oh, Aunt Sarah, it’s beautiful,” Jessie gasped. She ran a hand over the satin. It was in perfect condition. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, it’s quite simple, isn’t it?” Aunt Sarah asked. “Yes or no, although if you say no, you should say no thank you, as it’s politer that way.”
“I don’t want to say no,” Jessie said. She turned to look at Mac. “But shouldn’t you offer this dress to Mac for her wedding? I mean, it’s a family heirloom.”
Mac looked at her with wide eyes and a mischievous smile, “Am I getting married?”
“Well, I just assumed . . . you and Gavin . . . uh,” Jessie stammered, suddenly aware of all the inquisitive stares in the room. Clearly, she had just asked what everyone was thinking.
“Yes, do tell us, Mac, are you and Gavin going to tie the knot?” Carly asked.
“If you’re asking me if he’s asked me to marry him, the answer is no,” Mac said. “As far as I know, you and James are the only engaged couple—well, except for Zach and Jessie but they seem to be skipping over the engagement part.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment and then Maddie looked at her older sister and whispered, not in her indoor voice, “Being a grown-up is complicated.”
Gracie nodded, causing the women to laugh. The tense moment was broken and Mac looped her arm through Jessie’s.
“I would be happy to have you wear my aunt’s dress,” Mac said. “And I know she would be, too. That being said, if you have something else you’d rather—”
“No!” Jessie said. She glanced at Aunt Sarah and gave her a shy smile. “I would be honored to wear your dress.”
Aunt Sarah gave her a nod and the next thing she knew Jessie was being primped, plucked, and polished within an inch of her life while the women fluttered around her doing their own hair and makeup, chatting and laughing and complimenting each other.
Jessie marveled at the warm teasing affection that filled the room. Never in all her life had she been a part of something like this, and she loved it, oh, she really loved it.
Emma did her makeup, Jillian styled her hair, and Carly dressed her while Gina went on shoe recon, looking through Jessie’s closet for something to match her dress. Audrey and the aunts took over dressing the girls in their room. Audrey had bought them special dresses for Valentine’s Day, which she had rushed home to get, happy to give them to the girls for the wedding. The judge had used all of his influence and connections to rouse the municipal clerk, Kelly Constantine, to file the marriage license application and produce a license for Zach and Jessie. This wedding was turning into quite the family affair.
When the girls returned to Jessie’s room, their honey blonde hair was styled in ringlets with sparkly bows fastened on the crowns of their heads. Their matching dresses were in the palest shade of blue velvet with a darker blue satin ribbon along the hem.
“Momma, look!” the girls cried and they twirled in their dresses, watching the skirts billow around them as they giggled. “You try it, Momma!”
Jessie rose from her seat and twirled on the low-heeled white shoes Gina had found, causing her girls to laugh and clap. She had to admit, Aunt Sarah knew what she was about. Jessie felt like a princess in this dress. She ran a hand over the satin skirt and offered up a promise to Captain Stovall that she would always keep an eye on Aunt Sarah for him, and she would love Zach as much as Sarah had loved her Stuart.
A knock sounded on her bedroom door, and Gavin called through the door, “What is going on in there? Are you ladies ready or what?”
“Almost,” Mac cried.
She crossed the room and opened the door a crack. Gavin took advantage and pushed the door open a bit wider and made a grab for her. Mac was in a pretty copper-colored dress and she’d done her hair up in a twist.
Gavin growled when he saw her and then pulled her close and kissed her, seeming to forget there were several women in the room watching him. When they finally came up for air, Mac looked a bit dizzy and her hair was mussed.
“Just so you know,” he said. “All this mad wedding prep has given me a great idea.”
“Oh, really?” Mac asked. “And what is that?”
“I can’t tell you right now,” he said. He straightened the dark gray necktie that he wore with a white dress shirt under a black suit. “It would ruin the surprise, but FYI, you should practice saying the word ‘yes’ often.”
The grin Mac sent him was blinding. “I think I can handle that.”
Gavin looked elated and went to kiss her again, but Emma stepped in between them and put her hand over his puckered lips.
“Easy there, baby brother,” she said. “Was there a reason you’re here other than to paw at my friend?”
“Yes, there was,” he said. He glanced around the room until his gaze found Jessie. Then he gave a low whistle and said, “Zach is going to have a heart attack.” He saw Maddie and Gracie and grinned and added, “A triple heart attack. You three are beautiful.”
The girls blushed and giggled and Jessie said, “Thank you.”
“Just speaking the truth,” he said. Then he opened the door wide and gestured behind him. “Jessie, if you’re ready, Zach is waiting for you.”
The nerves, when they hit, were like being blindsided by a train. Suddenly, her hands were sweaty, her legs felt like jelly, and she couldn’t breathe. This was it. Jessie was about to marry Zachary Caine. This was crazy, right?
Aunt Sarah walked past her and paused to squeeze Jessie’s hand in hers. It was exactly what Jessie needed to be reminded to live in the moment.
“Okay,” Jessie said to Gavin. “I’m ready.”
He gave her a nod and stepped out of the room to the hallway. The women filed out, looking like a flock of pretty feathered birds, from Emma’s sweet maternity dress in aqua to Jillian’s sleek purple number, with Carly’s bright red dress—she always wore red for James—and Gina’s emerald green curve-hugging chemise.
The aunts wore dresses as well but they were in muted shades of pewter for Aunt Sarah and burgundy for Aunt Charlotte. Mac was the last to go and Jessie watched Gavin extend his arm to help her down the stairs. Mac sent her a wide warm smile, as she took Gavin’s arm and they started down.
Who would have thought, Jessie marveled, that Mackenzie Harris and all of her friends would be Jessie’s friends one day? That Jessie would, in fact, be marrying one of Mac’s friends. It was so unexpected and so wonderful and so lovely, she felt her throat get tight with emotion. She tried to swallow it down but it hurt.
“Are you okay, Momma?” Gracie asked.
Jessie reached out and hugged her girls close. “Never better, and you?”
“Never better,” both girls echoed her.
Maddie hurried to the top of the steps and grabbed a big bunch of flowers out of a white wicker basket. It was a ribbon-wrapped bouquet of blue hydrangea and crème roses.
“Zach told us to give you this when you came downstairs,” Maddie said. “And he got us each one, too.”
She hurried back to the basket and took out two smaller bouquets of the same flowers, one of which she handed to her sister. Jessie looked at her girls in their matching dresses and hairstyles, holding their flowers in their small hands, and felt her tears well up to surface again. Never had she loved anyone as much as she loved these two . . . until Zach.
He had shown her that true love was not only possible, it was hers for the taking if she was brave enough to grab it. Glancing at her two girls with their bright blue eyes sparkling with happiness, she knew this was the best decision she had ever made.
>
“Are you ready, Momma?” Gracie asked.
“Yes,” Jessie said. She looked them both in the eye and asked, “How about you? Are you sure about this?”
“Yes!” they both cried.
“Then let’s go,” Jessie said.
They walked to the top of the stairs. Maddie raised one finger and gestured for Jessie to wait. Then she hurried halfway down the steps and put her thumb up in the air before dashing back up the steps. Softly the sound of music drifted up from below. It was the traditional wedding march and Jessie felt herself gasp. Truly, was there nothing Zach hadn’t thought of?
Maddie looked at her sister. “Remember, you follow when I’m halfway down, and Momma, you follow when Gracie is halfway down, okay?”
“I know,” Gracie said, looking impatient.
“Got it,” Jessie said.
Gracie turned her sister to face the stairs and said, “Go.”
“Love you, Momma,” Maddie said. She began down the steps, clutching her bouquet in one hand and the railing in the other, without acknowledging Jessie’s “I love you, too.”
“Love you, Momma,” Gracie said as she followed her sister, although she did glance back and smile when Jessie said, “I love you, too.”
As her girls disappeared down the steps, Jessie smoothed a hand over her skirt. She was nervous but it was a good nervous, an excited life-is-going-to-be-amazing-as-in-orgasms-multiple-from-now-on nervous.
When Gracie was halfway down the steps, Jessie held her bouquet in front of her and started down toward the man of her dreams, Zach, and her new life with him. The joy that filled her up was a beautiful feeling and she planned to remember it and cherish it forever.
Chapter 35
What was taking her so long? Had she changed her mind? Zach couldn’t blame her if she had. He wouldn’t marry him if he was her, and he couldn’t fathom what she saw in him that convinced her this was a good idea. Any woman with a brain in her head would run the other way and never look back. Could he blame her if she did?
Every Dog Has His Day Page 30
