Though he’d probably just call the cops. Maybe even say she stole his car. They’d put her in jail. Fine. It couldn’t be much worse than going back to New Haven.
“Oh stop exaggerating,” she told herself. Why couldn’t she be more like Lucas and not get into trouble all the time.
And then she saw it. Blinked. It was still there. The chopping outside had stopped. Her dad had seen it, too.
Meri had come back. That meant she’d come home for good. That the wedding would take place and then . . . It didn’t matter as long as Meri and her dad got married.
She ran down the hall to the kitchen. Burst into the room. Gran and Mrs. Linscott looked up from the table where they were drinking coffee.
“She’s here,” Nora said, and kept going through the mudroom and out the back door.
Meri’s car got closer and closer but it seemed to be going in slo-mo. Finally it turned into the drive and came to a stop at the farmhouse. Nora felt Gran and Mrs. Linscott come out behind her. She could see her dad at the corner of the house.
He just stood waiting. And Nora got it. He wasn’t sure if she’d come back for real. Please don’t give up. Make her marry you.
Slowly he came forward.
Two car doors opened. Two?
Meri got out of the driver’s side and Lucas got out of the other one. He reached back in and hauled out his backpack.
He’d done it! He’d gotten her to come back. She could kiss him. If he weren’t her brother.
Lucas and Meri walked toward the group side by side. Gran, Nora, and Alden moved closer together. Even Mrs. Linscott waited expectantly.
Lucas and Meri slowed a little as they got to the group.
Lucas stepped forward. Looked at his dad.
“Lucas? Where did you come from?” Alden asked.
“From school. Got a ride.”
“Wha—”
“Dad, it’s okay. It’s a done deal. She said yes. To all of us.” He shifted his backpack. “Gran, do you have time to make me some breakfast? I only had a bagel on the way out here.”
“All the time in the world.” Gran held out both arms. He allowed her to give him a quick hug and they went into the kitchen. Mrs. Linscott followed them in.
Nora started to go, too, but Meri called her back. Nora turned and hung her head. If it meant she had to go back to New Haven, she’d go. And she wouldn’t cause any trouble there as penance. Well, not much.
“Look at me.” Meri sounded stern. Nora looked at her.
“Don’t even think about living anywhere else but with us. If I have to lock you in your room and shove a plate of old bread under the door for you to eat, you’re staying with us.”
Nora stared at her. She was going to stay. She couldn’t believe it. They were getting married and she was going to stay. “I love old bread.” She gave them both a quick hug, then ran after Gran and Lucas, calling, “Make extra for me. I’m starving.”
“Whew,” Alden said.
“I’ve been such a butthead,” Meri said.
Alden raised both eyebrows.
“Lucas called us the butthead family. It was music to my ears.”
“Well, you did give me a few sleepless nights.”
“I called you last night. Why didn’t you call me back?”
He shrugged. His arms had slipped around her. “I was afraid of what you were going to say.”
“I told you I loved you.”
“I know, but that was after you said we needed to talk.”
“Well, we do. There are so many things to think about.”
“ ‘We need to talk’ is usually what women say when they’re dumping you.”
“Oh, Alden, you’re—”
“Such a butthead.”
She laughed, and he kissed her and they walked into the house to tell Gran to add more eggs to the pan. They were all starving this morning.
Chapter 11
FOR THE NEXT week, Corrigan House was overrun with decorators, caterers, and cleaning staff. Mrs. Miller turned out to be not only a good cook, who actually liked teenagers, but also a good organizer. And after a few days the household was running as smoothly as if she’d been there for years.
The Corrigans spent a good part of the days at the farmhouse, especially after Alden’s drafting table had been moved to a storage room to make room for the buffet tables.
“We should have eloped,” Alden groused, but nobody paid him any attention.
“They talk about a bride glowing,” Gran said while she and Mrs. Linscott made the final adjustments to Meri’s dress. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Alden so happy. Finally,” she added under her breath.
Happy maybe, but nervous, Meri thought. She pushed the thought away. No more waffling. She was getting married.
Nora went off to school every day, but not until she tried to finagle another sick day. Alden held firm and Meri backed him up. Even Gran told her to stop whining and get it done.
On Tuesday, Alden drove Lucas back to school to pick up some clothes and books since he’d only had time to shove some things into his backpack for his early morning trip to Meri’s apartment.
On Thursday, Dan Hollis arrived, and so did Meri’s three half brothers, one sister-in-law, and a baby. They all crammed into Gran’s farmhouse like the old days.
Only one was missing.
On the day before the wedding, Meri asked Gran to take her to the cemetery. It was early morning when they carefully picked their way over the frozen snow toward the Calder plot. Meri held Gran tightly by the arm. Not just giving her support over the uneven ground, but receiving it in turn.
It was an old cemetery next to the church. Many of the graves were old, well-tended by the church but forgotten by their ancestors, if indeed there were any left.
The large granite monument of the first Calder was flanked by two fir trees, planted several years before and decorated with red ribbons and tiny silver bells. To either side, the markers of Calders from several generations were covered in blankets of pine.
“Gran, you did all this?”
Gran nodded. She’d stopped at the marker of her husband, Cyrus, and Meri stepped away to give her time alone with her love.
Meri continued on to the three graves that sat side by side. Her mother, Laura Calder-Hollis, the woman who had raised her and loved her for her entire life. Her mother, Riley, the young teenage girl who had left Meri in Laura’s care.
And between them the baby that was not to grow up and reap the wonders of being part of such a loving family. Meri took a moment to acknowledge them all, then stood at her mother’s feet. Felt Gran come up beside her.
“She always hoped you and Alden would build a life together.”
“She never said anything.”
“What we hope for and what we get isn’t always the same thing. We all knew that if it was meant to be, the two of you would figure it out.”
“I wish she could be here.”
“Oh, she’ll be there,” Gran said. “Have no doubt about that. They’ll all be there. Because you’re a Calder first and foremost, and a Hollis, and soon to be a Corrigan. Now let’s get back home, before the boys ransack the kitchen in search of sustenance.”
The “boys” had left a note. They’d gone out for breakfast. Penny and baby Laura were still asleep.
“Well, a little peace and quiet,” Gran said, though Meri knew she’d enjoyed every loud bustling minute of having her entire family under her roof, as well as the Corrigans, for most of their waking hours.
“Nope,” came a voice from the kitchen door. “You got me.”
“Nora,” Gran said. “Are you playing hooky?”
“No. Dad and the school gave me a dispensation because of the wedding. Besides, Carlyn is coming out and we’re trying on our dresses and accessorizing. Oh
, and Geordie asked if it was okay if she came and got some candid day-before shots.” Nora grinned. “I said sure.”
“The more the merrier,” Gran said. “Though I’d better check the pantry.”
Meri made more coffee. The back door opened. Alden walked in and tossed his coat on a hook.
“I’ve been thrown out of my house. I guess I was taking up too much room. One more poinsettia and I’ll go off to bedlam and you and Nora can sell them on the street corner to pay for my room and board.”
“The Little Match Girl?” Meri asked.
Nora laughed. “La Belle et Le Bête. And we know which one beauty is.” She strutted around, casting saucy looks back at her father.
Meri marveled at how fast she had rebounded from miserable unloved teenager to Madame Provocateur.
“Well, it’s a toss-up between you and Meri. And Gran,” he added as she come out of the pantry.
“Gran what?” she asked.
“Is a beauty.” Nora gave her a big hug.
“Watch the pasta,” Gran said.
Nora pulled back. “Pasta? What are we making?”
“Lasagna. It’s easy and I have pans big enough to feed this whole crowd.”
“Oh good, I’ve never made lasagna before.”
Alden took the opportunity to pull Meri into the mudroom. Took a quick look into the kitchen to make sure Nora and Gran were busy and kissed her. “Want to go make out in the back seat of my SUV?”
“What?” Meri asked, laughing.
“It’s the only place where there aren’t people.”
“I know, but you have to admit, it’s pretty cool.”
He sighed. “Yeah, and the kids are really liking it. Dan came by and asked Lucas to go with them to the deli, and Lucas actually closed his book and went. Wonder of wonders. Though I wouldn’t mind a little quiet time.”
“Me too, but don’t hold your breath. Look who just drove up.”
Carlyn’s old sports car pulled up to the back door. Carlyn jumped out and ran around the side to open the passenger door. She began to lug out equipment, which was finally followed by Geordie Holt, karaoke partner and dynamite photographer, who would be taking photos of the wedding. They lugged the equipment inside.
“Better put all that stuff upstairs in my room,” Meri said. “We’re wall-to-wall people here. But try to be quiet; mama and baby are still sleeping.”
“Baby is, mama is not.” Penny Hollis yawned from the doorway then padded over to Gran and gave her a kiss. “Is there coffee?” She ended the question with a big yawn. “Sorry, the baby got overexcited last night with all the attention; she kept waking up all night long. Tonight we both go to bed early.”
Gran left the lasagna preparations and moved to the coffeepot. “You sit down and I’ll make you breakfast. Meri and I haven’t had a proper breakfast, and I bet you haven’t either, Nora.”
“Mrs. Miller wanted to make me oatmeal but I wanted to get over here.”
“Don’t you dare let Mrs. Miller think you like Gran’s cooking better than hers,” Alden said, then shrugged at Gran. “We do. But we don’t want to hurt her feelings and we don’t want her to quit.”
Meri sighed happily. She’d never seen Alden so playful, well, not in a long, long time. She knew it wouldn’t always be this way, he was “deep,” as Gran would say. He could be moody and distant. But Meri knew all his moods and he knew hers. She was ready. She knew that now. She was really ready.
Alden and Carlyn pulled extra chairs around the kitchen table while Meri got eggs and Canadian bacon out of the fridge. Gran laid a towel over the lasagna preparations and got two cast-iron pans out of the cupboard and placed them on the stove. Meri made more coffee while Geordie took photos.
Breakfast was a rowdy affair, with baby Laura, awaken by all the commotion, adding her voice to theirs, and Alden took off as soon as he finished.
“Poor man,” Gran said. “I do believe his solitary days are over.”
“Okay, everybody squeeze in,” Geordie said. “We’ll do a three generation shot of Calder Hollis Corrigan women.”
“Cool.” Nora looked around. She was beaming.
It was pretty special, Meri thought, proud and humble and so happy that this family had made her theirs. Only Gran seemed a little subdued, and Meri guessed she was thinking of her daughter and husband gone and still missed. Meri put her arm around her.
“Love you, Gran.”
“Love you, too.” And the faraway look receded and she smiled with the others.
“Can I hold baby Laura?” Nora asked Penny.
“Absolutely.” Penny handed the squirming infant to Nora, who held her up before settling her on her lap. Laura gurgled and Nora laughed.
Her eye caught Meri’s. “It might be fun to have a little sister.”
Everyone looked at Meri.
Meri laughed. “But what if you got a brother instead?”
Nora shrugged. “I would be okay, I guess.” She tickled Laura’s chin and the baby laughed.
Meri breathed out a sigh of relief. There was plenty of time to think about a bigger family down the road. For now, she planned to enjoy the one she would be joining tomorrow.
Chapter 12
The marriage of Merielle Calder-Hollis and Alden William Corrigan took place on Saturday at the groom’s home, Corrigan House, in Little Compton in front of a gathering of thirty family members and friends.
MERI TOOK TWO deep breaths.
“Nervous?” Carlyn asked.
“A bit. Excited. I hope I don’t fall down the stairs. Why did I ever say I’d make my entrance like that? I must have been crazy.”
“It will be good for a photo op,” Geordie said, and fired off a couple of shots of Meri’s dress. “Which reminds me, I’d better get downstairs and claim my place.” She paused, looked at Meri and smiled. “You’re really beautiful.”
When the door closed behind her, Meri asked, “Do you think she wants to get married? She met Bruce less than a year ago.”
“I think we’re all just a little in awe of the whole event,” Carlyn said.
“I am,” Nora confessed. “I’m nervous, too.”
There was a knock at the door.
“This better not be the bridegroom,” Carlyn said through the door.
“Nope, father of the bride.”
Carlyn opened the door. Dan Hollis stopped just over the threshold. “Oh, my.”
“Oh no, not you, too,” Carlyn said. “Have a tissue.”
“Happy tears,” Dan said. “Seeing you in that dress . . . it’s just perfect.”
Meri touched the locket she wore around her neck. Dan had given it to her on her thirtieth birthday, the same night she’d learned she wasn’t actually a Calder at all. But she was. In everything that counted, love, support, acceptance, she was a Calder and a Hollis, and soon a Corrigan.
“It’s time to go.”
Nora and Carlyn exchanged looks, then turned to Meri.
“See you downstairs.” Carlyn pecked the air near Meri’s cheek.
“I’m holding onto the banister going down,” Nora said, and gave her a quick kiss on the other cheek.
“We both are.”
“I’m holding onto dad.” Meri said.
The bride wore a full length wedding dress of pearl satin and vintage lace, a Calder family heirloom, and carried a bouquet of blush roses and white baby orchids. She was accompanied by two bridesmaids, Nora Elyse Corrigan and Carlyn Anderson. Both bridesmaids wore tea length dresses of deep burgundy. A string quartet played as they descended the wide walnut staircase that was lined with pots of white poinsettias.
Nora was feeling all jittery. But not angry, not afraid; just excited. Change was good, she thought as she stepped off the last step and started down the aisle between the rental chairs and t
he crowd of family and friends and her dad’s editors. But they all went out of focus when she saw her father, not smiling exactly, but looking so handsome in his tuxedo that Nora thought he should draw himself as the fairy prince.
Even Lucas, who was the best man—the idea made her smile—looked good in his new tuxedo. And so grown-up.
She managed not to race down the aisle, but walked sedately to her place. Carlyn came behind her, then they both turned to give Gran a kiss where she was sitting in the front row.
The bride was given away by her father, Daniel Hollis, of Hartford, Connecticut.
“Here we go,” Dan said when the quartet began the wedding march. “Your mother would be so happy.”
Meri nodded. She didn’t dare speak. She felt like she might burst into tears, overflowing with awe and excitement.
She made it down the stairs without tripping and took it as a good omen, though it seemed to take forever to walk through the guests toward the massive Christmas tree that towered over the preacher and wedding party.
She could hear Geordie’s camera whirring away. Caught Doug’s eye as she passed. He was grinning from ear to ear, now that she had assured him she wouldn’t be leaving the crew once she was married.
Next to him Joe Krosky looked civilized and quite handsome in his suit and tie and slicked back hair. She could see his knee bouncing as she walked by.
She paused to smile at her other father, Everett Simmons, and his wife Inez. A father Meri had only known for a few short months; the boy who had loved a teenage girl and was responsible for her existence.
In the first row, her brothers and Penny—who had left baby Laura with Mrs. Miller in the kitchen—smiled broad smiles. Gran gave her an encouraging nod and Meri’s eyes filled, overwhelmed by the love and gratitude she felt for them all.
And finally they reached the preacher. Carlyn took her bouquet; her father kissed her and stepped away. Alden took his place and they became the only two people in the room.
And they were married. Meri managed not to cry, but the vows passed in a dream, and before she knew it she was wearing a wedding ring and Alden was kissing her. And she kissed him back.
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