She’d said that there had still been times she’d grieved deeply, but it could never last long since he and his siblings needed her. The one thing that had stuck with Bennett was how she said that everyone’s grieving process was different and that they showed their grief in different ways. Some grieved very privately. Others were more open about it.
Her answers kind of frustrated Bennett even though he knew that wasn’t a good reaction, but he wanted things to be more easily explained. He wanted to have some specific time frames. Like at what point would the grief have lessened enough for a person to move on?
Even as the thought formed in his head, Bennett frowned. The idea of Grace moving on filled him with equal amounts of fear and anticipation. He didn’t like either feeling, but he didn’t want to have to analyze why that was.
“Where are you?”
Bennett glanced over at Ryan. “Here. Just thinking through a bunch of stuff.”
“Well, don’t. We’re supposed to just be having fun tonight. Put the serious stuff aside for the time being.”
Bennett knew he was right, but it seemed like he just couldn’t get Grace off his mind. No matter what he was doing, thoughts of her lingered on the edges of his mind. He was reminded of how he’d been in high school when he’d had a crush on her. He really didn’t want to go back to that place. It had ended up leaving him heartbroken, and he didn’t want to chance that again. Was it possible for him to just be concerned about her without his heart getting involved?
15
Grace watched as Emily helped Makayla with her veil. After they’d spent the previous night at the hotel, they’d had some time in the spa that morning. Now they were back at the large cabin, in the girls’ room, putting the final touches on their hair and makeup. There were five of them—her, Tami, Sammi, Danica and Sierra—attending Makayla as well as five guys standing up with Ethan. In addition to Bennett who was his best man, Ethan had chosen Mitch, Tristan, Ryan and Tennyson, who had become a good friend to him after having met him through Gabe. Ethan had felt badly about not having all Makayla’s brothers, but Makayla had told Grace that she’d assured Ethan that choosing the men that he felt closest to wasn’t going to be a problem. Kenton and Gabe would just have to understand that, since they hadn’t visited much over the past year, Ethan wasn’t as close to them.
There was a knock on the door, and Danica went to answer it.
“They sent me to tell you we’re almost ready,” Dalton said.
“Okay. We’ll be down in a few minutes,” Danica told him then shut the door.
Since they were on a deadline with the sunset, they all took one quick last look in the mirror before picking up their bouquets and heading for the door. Emily led the way since she would the first to go down the aisle to be seated. Sierra followed, then Danica, Sammi, Tami and finally Grace. The guys, including Ethan, were waiting on the main floor. Because Ethan didn’t have a family of his own, they’d decided to have him walk down the aisle with Emily. He would walk her to her seat and then take his place next to the minister while the rest of them walked down the aisle.
Once he and Emily had left, Makayla came downstairs to join the group. Bennett came to stand next to Grace and gave her a smile.
“How are you doing this fine day?” he asked.
Since it wasn’t technically Are you okay?, Grace wasn’t going to count it as his once-a-day question. He wasn’t looking at her in concern, which helped as well. He—as well as the other groomsmen—wore dark gray pants with light gray, long-sleeved shirts. Their ties were a soft rose color that matched the girls’ dresses which were somewhat sixties style with a fitted bodice and a flared skirt that went to just below their knees. Grace was glad that she wasn’t further along in the pregnancy or the dress probably wouldn’t have fit.
Ethan wore the same dark gray pants and light gray shirt, but he also wore a vest and a silver tie. Makayla’s white dress had a fitted bodice like the bridesmaid dresses. The satin bodice had a sweetheart neckline that was visible beneath the lace that covered it and gave the dress its capped sleeves. The skirt of the dress flared out, covering the strappy sandals that were perfect for a casual wedding. Her hair was partially up and the rest fell in long curls down her back. And as usual, her makeup was done to perfection.
At first, Grace had thought it was weird to have a sunset wedding, especially when the bride and groom weren’t planning to see each other before the wedding to take pictures. But then Makayla had shown her pictures of other weddings that were photographed at night, and they had been beautiful.
All in all, the wedding was going to be full of meaning for them and so beautiful. Grace held tight to Bennett’s arm as they waited their turn. He pressed his hand over hers and gave her a reassuring smile just before they began to walk down the aisle.
Grace, along with most of those present, shed a few tears as Ethan and Makayla spoke their vows to each other. She was glad that Emily had insisted that they all wrap tissues around the handle of their bouquets. It hadn’t been long into the service before she’d needed them.
Hearing Ethan talk about his love for Makayla had made her chest ache as if a vise had tightened around it. A longing once again filled her to experience that sort of love. What she’d had with Franklin had been moving in that direction, but they had still been in the process of really learning about each other. Learning to love each other. They hadn’t really ever fallen in love, but they had made the choice to love each other.
It was too soon to even be contemplating another relationship—and most the time she didn’t even want one—so that longing caught her off-guard at the strangest moments. Well, maybe a wedding wasn’t a strange place to be having thoughts about a relationship, but Grace didn’t want to be thinking about that right then.
The chairs they’d set up were nearly all full, which was surprising considering the venue was a two-hour drive from the city. She did know that Steve had arranged for a block of rooms at the hotel to be available at a reduced rate. Keenan was there, sitting with James, Erin, Noella, and Finn. There were a few people who were there because of their work connection, but most were from the church and family friends.
Once the vows were said, the rings exchanged, and the bride and groom had kissed, the happy couple led the recessional from the wedding arch back up to the cabin. Soon people were congratulating the beaming couple and standing in groups chatting. Not long after the end of the ceremony, the photographer took Ethan and Makayla back down to the wedding arch and the area looking out over the water. It was the same spot where they’d gotten engaged earlier that year.
Once the pictures were done, they cut the cake and tossed the bouquet, which Grace stayed away from and Tami caught. Bennett ended up catching the garter when Ethan threw it. He and Tami joked good-naturedly, and Keenan pretended to be jealous, fending off comments about his inability to catch the thing considering what his job was.
Grace had settled on a seat off to the side, happy to be off her feet for a bit. She knew it was all just wedding lore, but the thought that Bennett could be the next to marry did funny things to her heart. It kind of hurt to think of him getting married to someone. Someone that wasn’t her. It couldn’t be her because she wouldn’t do that to him. Wouldn’t cut his life short by loving him.
So she would smile and be his friend, and when the day came that he got married, she’d congratulate him. And his bride. Hopefully, it would be in the distant future, so she wasn’t in the same vulnerable emotional state she was currently in.
Once the wedding traditions were completed, Ethan and Makayla said their goodbyes and left for the hotel. Their plan was to overnight there, and then the next morning they were planning to head into the city and catch a flight to some island paradise for a ten-day honeymoon. That was something else that she and Franklin hadn’t really had. He’d had a couple of big listings and hadn’t wanted to be away from the city for very long, so they’d ended up going to Banff for four days. At the time, she ha
dn’t minded not having a long honeymoon, but now she wished they’d taken some time away together once they’d started working on their relationship.
Regrets.
It seemed that lately, every time she thought of Franklin, in addition to the grief, there were always feelings of regret. She didn’t want that, though. She wanted to be able to remember Franklin and the happy times they’d shared together. While they hadn’t had a lot of those times, they had been working toward having more.
It didn’t take long for everyone to clear up the remnants of the cupcakes and other food they’d had at the small reception. It seemed most the guests were staying the night at the hotel, while Grace was back at the cabin to once again stay in the girls’ room with Tami and the other girls.
It was almost midnight by the time everyone but the family and her and Tami had left. They all dropped into the couches and chairs in the living room and seemed to let out one big breath. It was kind of hard to believe that the wedding was over. Even though it hadn’t been that long between engagement and wedding, for her, the time had seemed to have flown by and yet at the same time, to have dragged on.
It really depended on what she was thinking about. It terms of the wedding, it seemed like the time had flashed past. But when she thought about Franklin, it felt like time had dragged on forever. Three months felt more like three years sometimes.
“Well, if I can move,” Emily began, “I’m going to head up to bed. I’m beat.”
Her comment seemed to spur the rest of them into motion, and soon they were all meandering upstairs to the bedrooms. Grace changed out of her bridesmaid dress then cleaned off her makeup and brushed out her hair before crawling into the large bed she was sharing with Tami since Makayla wasn’t there. She let out a long breath and closed her eyes, grateful to have made it through the day without a total emotional breakdown.
“You doing okay, sweetie?” Tami asked in the darkness once they’d all settled down.
“Yeah. It was a good day. I thought it might be worse, but it ended up being good. I just tried to stay focused on Makayla and Ethan. I’m so happy for them. They are perfect for each other.”
“Yeah, they are,” Tami agreed. “It was beautiful.”
They both lapsed into silence because that basically covered it all. It had been beautiful. And now it was time to sleep.
Bennett woke before anyone else in the guys’ room. He lay there for a few moments before rolling out of bed. He pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and headed out of the room. As soon as he took his first step into the hallway, he smelled coffee which made him jog down the stairs.
“Didn’t expect to see you guys til around nine at least,” his dad said when Bennett joined him in the kitchen.
Bennett poured himself a cup of coffee. “I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I figured I might as well get up. Is Mom still sleeping?”
“Yep. Want to sit outside?”
Bennett nodded and followed his dad as he walked out into the cool morning air. They settled into two Adirondack chairs on the deck. The view was still a bit obstructed by the chairs and the wedding arch. They’d be clearing that all up a bit later.
“Hard to believe it’s over,” Bennett said as he lifted his mug to his lips. He savored the warmth as it slid down his throat.
“One down. Nine to go,” his dad announced. “And it looks like you’re up next.”
“Me? I don’t think so.”
“The garter says differently.”
Bennett chuckled. “I don’t think the garter is a good indication of anything.”
“You just never know.”
“I’d need to find a potential bride first.” The thought was actually wearying. Every relationship he’d had, had felt difficult. Not that he expected a relationship to be easy and not need work, but sometimes it had just felt like more work than was worth it. And often it had seemed that in the relationship he was the only one making an effort. With everything going on with the business, he just didn’t think that he would be able to devote the time and energy to a serious relationship.
“Sometimes what you need is closer than you might think,” his dad commented cryptically.
Before Bennett could respond, the back door of the cabin opened, and Kenton came out with Tristan right behind him. They settled into the other two chairs that had been pushed up near the back of the cabin to make room for all the wedding chairs. Their conversation was slow as they talked about the wedding, the weather, and the plans for the day.
“Up first for me is starting breakfast. I told your mom that I’d take care of it, but I wouldn’t turn down some help.”
They all groaned at being volunteered for breakfast helpers, but Bennett really didn’t mind. He knew that his mom had worked hard over the last few days to give Makayla the wedding she wanted, so if helping his dad with breakfast meant his Mom could take it easy, Bennett would be happy to help out.
Once they were back in the kitchen, they began the process of cooking pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon, and cutting up fruit. His dad and Kenton took care of the pancakes and eggs while Bennett did the bacon and Tristan cut up the fresh fruit. They had begun to put the first of the pancakes and bacon out when others began to make an appearance.
Bennett found himself keeping an eye out for Grace, but even after everyone else had made an appearance, she was still absent.
“Is Grace okay?” Bennett asked Tami as they sat down together at the end of the table.
“She’s fine,” Tami said with a smile. “Just super tired from a busy week. I think Sierra was going to take her up a little bit to eat, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she went back to sleep. Between wedding stuff and growing a baby, I think she’s just drained.”
“I know several are feeling that way, and they’re not even pregnant,” Bennett commented as he cut his pancakes.
“Yeah, that letdown after something like a wedding can be physical as well as emotional. I think it’s a bit of both for Grace, but her pregnancy is fine, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
“Good to know,” Bennett said, then decided he should probably change the subject. “So is Keenan hanging around for awhile today?”
“Yeah, I think so. James brought his boat out, and I think they’re planning to stay on until tomorrow. Might be our last time out on the lake this year. Are you going to get your boat out on the water?”
“I might if enough people are interested.”
It was almost noon before he got a text from James asking about the boats. A quick check with the people hanging out at the cabin revealed that most were up for some time out on the water. Grace still hadn’t made an appearance, but since Tami—who was a nurse—wasn’t concerned, he tried to keep his own concern reined in.
He’d thought that Grace might show up before they left for the dock, but she hadn’t. His mom was staying behind, so at least she wasn’t alone.
They ended up staying out on the boats for several hours. A few people—like Noella and Finn—had come for an hour or so before heading back into the city. James had said that he and Erin along with Tennyson and Forrest were staying another night. It was great to be surrounded by friends and family, and he and Kenton even managed to keep the conflict between them from raising its ugly head.
They were all pretty tired and hungry when they finally called it quits around four. Everyone headed back to the cabin after pulling the boats out of the water. When they got there, Grace told them that Emily and Steve had headed into a nearby town to pick up pizzas for supper. By the time they’d showered and cleaned up, the couple was back with a ton of pizza and soda. Bennett found he was starving so took several pieces of pizza before sitting down at the table across from Grace.
After his dad had said a prayer for their meal, Bennett said, “So Tami said you were pretty wiped out from everything. You feeling okay now?”
Grace nodded. “Just being able to sleep and relax helped a lot. I know you guys had fun on the boats, but
I enjoyed the peace and quiet here with your mom. We had fun decompressing together.”
“Are you ready for the big move?” Bennett asked. He was glad that he was staying put in the big apartment shuffle, but he planned to be available to help however it was needed.
“I think so. It’s nice that I don’t have a deadline to be out of the condo, but I should be able to get most my stuff out fairly quickly. Thankfully, Ethan has decided—with Makayla’s help, no doubt—to leave most his furniture. The condo needs to be staged for selling, so I’m glad to leave the furniture there for the time being.” Grace took a bite of her pizza, chewing and swallowing with a thoughtful look on her face. “And once it sells, I’ll put the furniture into storage for a bit and then maybe try to sell it a little later on.”
“Are you going to set up the nursery right away?”
Grace shrugged. “I don’t think so. I’m not sure if I’ll set anything up until I’m six months along or so. The move is enough for now.”
“I’m sure that’s true.”
“Who’s organizing the move?” Mitch asked as he settled into the seat beside Grace. “Is Makayla really trusting us to move Ethan’s stuff?”
“Sierra told me that Makayla went through their apartment and put a post-it note on everything to tell people where stuff is supposed to go.” Grace laughed. “I’m surprised that she trusted you guys not to ‘lose’ a couple of the notes.”
“Don’t give them ideas,” Bennett said with a grin. “I’ll follow the notes, but you know how the others are.”
For the Love of Grace: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 2) Page 14
