The pair came out a short time later, and everyone made over Maeve's striking appearance. Moira said, "My lovely sister has just asked me to stand up for her! Isn't that grand?"
"That's wonderful," Jamie agreed, having had a feeling her partner was going to bow out.
"I just wish I had something to wear that fit in better," she said. "I only brought a dark dress."
Catherine went to her large suit bag and looked into its depths. "Aren't you close to my size?" she asked speculatively.
"Yes, I suppose so," Moira replied.
"Well, I couldn't make up my mind this morning," Catherine related, "so I brought a few things. Why don't you see if one of these outfits pleases you, Moira?"
The stunned woman blinked at Catherine as she pulled out three absolutely gorgeous suits, each completely complementary to Maeve's outfit. "How…how…?"
"Don't ask, Aunt Moira," Ryan warned. "Catherine works in mysterious ways."
While Catherine and Maeve fussed over Moira, Jamie took Ryan into the bedroom to finish getting dressed. "Some sweet little girl offered up her spot in the wedding party to her aunt, didn't she?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around Ryan's waist.
"Uh-huh," Ryan murmured. "And I think some sweet woman brought some extra outfits, knowing that my aunt might not have a very extensive wardrobe."
"That's a definite possibility," Jamie agreed, smiling as she thought of her mother's planning for the day. "She's pretty sly, isn't she?"
"She's adorable," Ryan insisted. "Just like her daughter." The dark head tilted as Ryan said, "If this had been left up to us, poor Aunt Maeve would be wearing her one nice dress, I'd be in jeans and a T-shirt, and we'd be having the usual barbeque in the back yard afterward."
"There's nothing wrong with that, if that's what you want," Jamie reminded her. "But I don't think that's what Maeve really wanted."
"No, it's not. I think the little touches the Evans women have provided will give her years and years of fond memories."
"I haven't done anything," Jamie demurred. "This is my mom's work."
"Uh-huh…and who went out and bought Da that beautiful new shirt and tie? Who talked me into buying this lovely suit? You've had your sweet little hands in this affair, too. And I appreciate it…very much."
"It's been fun," Jamie said. "And seeing how excited your aunt is makes me really glad that I could help a little bit."
"She is excited, isn't she?" Ryan asked. "It's great to see her this way, Jamie. Her first marriage was really rough. She deserves some sunshine in her life."
"I agree completely, Tiger. Now let's get dressed and get this show on the road."
The pair emerged to a series of "ooohs" and "aaahs". Everyone except Caitlin expressed their pleasure over the young women's attire, but they didn't hold her abstention against her. Fashion was just not Caitlin's thing, even though she looked divine herself. To everyone except Annie's surprise, Catherine had a dress made for the child in fabric that perfectly matched Maeve's dress. The sterling silver color looked fantastic on the toddler, with her pale skin and white-blonde hair, which had recently been trimmed for the occasion, courtesy of Conor's latest trip to Giancarlo.
Moira was beautifully attired in a pale mint-green suit, and Annie had decided to jump on the Evans' fashion bandwagon as well. She wasn't quite as small as the other women, but so long as she didn't breathe very deeply or eat much, the third suit, an ice blue silk, looked marvelous on her.
Jamie and Ryan were the only ones who did not exactly mirror the cool colors theme, although Ryan wore a sterling silver top under her elegant black suit. The top was a heavy satin, showing her broad, bare shoulders, with tiny spaghetti straps holding the garment in place. The loose fabric flowed attractively when she removed her jacket, which Jamie was sure she would do at the first opportunity. Her blue diamonds were nestled against her earlobes, and the maiden appearance of her platinum necklace was a definite success.
Ryan's suit showed off her long, slim body perfectly. When Jamie told the tailor that Ryan was twenty-five pounds underweight, he agreed to leave room to let the pants and jacket out but to tailor the clothing to her current size, and he had done a beautiful job.
For her part, Jamie chose a completely different look, deciding on a peach suit in a soft, rich Ultrasuede. The jacket was long, coming to mid-thigh, and the skirt was a little shorter than she normally wore, extending just a few inches below the hem of the jacket. Ryan thought she looked absolutely scrumptious, and her wandering hands had been teasingly slapped quite a few times while they were trying to get dressed.
"Well, I suppose we're off, eh?" Maeve asked as she looked around.
"Do we have enough cars?" Catherine asked. "I found a parking space just a block down. I can take three people."
"Oh, we'll walk," Maeve decided. "It's only a few blocks." Everyone agreed that walking was just as easy as trying to fit into the available cars, but as they exited the door they all stopped abruptly at the sight of a huge white limousine double-parked in front of the house, taking up most of the narrow street.
All eyes turned to Catherine, but she protested, "Don't look at me! This wasn't my doing-although it's a fabulous idea!"
Now all heads turned to Jamie, but she shook her head too. "Not me."
Ryan piped up and warned, "Don't even ask!"
The driver got out of the car and asked, "Maeve Driscoll?" horribly butchering her first name.
"That would be me," she agreed, approaching the car cautiously. "May I ask who arranged for this?"
The driver pulled some paperwork from his pocket and looked at it quickly. "Martin O'Flaherty, ma'am."
Maeve nearly fainted at the thought of her notoriously frugal fiancé throwing money away so frivolously, but she was thoroughly pleased with the gesture. "He never ceases to surprise me," she sighed as she allowed the driver to help her in.
"That's what being married to an O'Flaherty is all about," Jamie laughed as she made eye contact with her grinning partner. There was room for all, but Ryan didn't want to bother with the trial of securing Caitlin's car seat, so since she was the only one wearing flats she volunteered to take the baby in her stroller. Receiving only token complaint, she and Cait set off, with Ryan reminding herself that she had to act like an adult today, and so should not challenge herself to try to beat the limo to the church.
Even though she didn't try to, they nearly did beat the big car, mostly because it was too big to turn around and had to go down to 24th Street to do so. They all gathered in a small room in the nave of the church, just out of view of the still-arriving guests.
Ryan peeked into the church to see her three uncles serving as ushers. "Ooo…Uncle Malachy has a new suit," she whispered.
"Get back in here and behave," Jamie said, tugging on her suit jacket.
Kevin and Tommy poked their heads in, and Ryan gasped as she said, "Hey, I'm not supposed to be here! I've gotta go find Da!" Jamie kissed her goodbye, and Ryan paused just long enough to give her aunt a tender hug before she took off.
Ryan dashed around the side of the church and found her father and brothers huddled around the side entrance, fussing with each other's ties. When Martin spied his daughter, his face broke into an enormous smile as he said, "Well, if it isn't the second-prettiest girl in the whole county."
"Smart, Da, very smart," she smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "Aunt Maeve should always be the first."
He looked down the walk, and asked, "Where's Jamie?"
"Oh, she's going to hang out until they're ready, then go in with Catherine."
Martin gave her a look that seemed to question her sanity. "Why isn't she with us, Siobhan? I thought my whole family was going to escort me."
Ryan blinked at him and said, "She didn't walk with us during rehearsal, Da. Why didn't you say something then?"
"She was running around with her mother and the florist," he pointed out. "I assumed she could figure out her part without extensive practice. It is just wal
king down an aisle, ya know."
"I…I had no idea you'd include her, Da," Ryan said, a little embarrassed that she hadn't even considered the thought.
"Oh, for the love of Mike!" he cried. "I'll go get her myself."
"No, Da, you aren't supposed to see Aunt Maeve. I'll go get her." Ryan took off before he could say another word, and got to Jamie just as her uncle Malachy was set to escort her to her seat. "Jamie!" she whispered loudly from the door of the church. The blonde head swiveled, and cocked in question. Ryan made a frantic gesture, and Jamie released Malachy's arm and dashed over.
"What's wrong, honey?"
"I screwed up," Ryan revealed. "Da just assumed you knew you were supposed to walk down the aisle with us. I don't know why, but that didn't even dawn on me."
"Ooo…that's so sweet!" She gave Ryan a hug, but pulled back abruptly. "Are you okay with that, honey? It's fine with me if you want it to just be you and your brothers."
"Did you get into the Communion wine?" she asked with falsely solicitous concern. "Don't be ridiculous! Of course I want you there. Let's go!"
When they approached the men, Martin looked at his daughter and gave her the bad news, "I'm afraid you've dropped down to the third spot on the prettiest girl contest, Siobhan. Jamie has you beat by a mile!"
"Thanks for including me, Martin," Jamie said as she hugged him. "It means a lot to me."
"I'm so sorry I didn't make myself clear, love. It never dawned on me that you wouldn't know you were part of the group."
"I do now," she smiled. "The music has started. I think that's our cue."
They walked around to the entrance of the church, and lined up in birth order. Brendan led the way, with Conor and Rory behind him. Ryan and Jamie each took one of Martin's arms and escorted him up the aisle to the whispered greetings and bright smiles of the assembled guests. When they reached the front pew, each of the children kissed Martin and slid into their seats. Martin's brother Francis emerged from the side door and stood beside him, clapping a firm hand onto his shoulder for support.
When they were all in place, the music changed, alerting all to the procession that was about to begin. Annie led the way carrying Caitlin, who was determinedly trying to remove the small satin pillow with two simple gold wedding bands sewn onto it that had been secured to her wrist.
Moira was next, looking absolutely elegant in her flattering suit and the sterling silver jewelry that she had easily been convinced to wear.
Last in the procession was Maeve, flanked by her two sons, both looking handsome in their dark suits and silver ties. When they reached the front of the church, both of them kissed Maeve, and then Tommy placed her right hand in Martin's and the beaming couple stood next to each other in front of Father Villarreal.
The priest made a few brief opening remarks and then began the Mass. The Catholic tradition required a full Mass as part of the wedding ceremony, but it didn't seem as though many people were able to concentrate on it. All eyes were on the pair who stood next to each other, unable to stop the furtive smiles and little handclasps that they continued to share, their attention focused solely on each other.
Father Villarreal had the grace to keep his homily short, spending just a few minutes reflecting on the path that had brought the couple together. As soon as his remarks were finished, he questioned Martin and Maeve on their decision, asking if they were prepared for this lifetime commitment. When they had answered the questions, Moira and Francis stood next to their siblings as witnesses while the couple spoke the traditional vows, neither being the sort of person who thought they could do a better job than had already been done in the scriptures.
Following the Irish tradition, Martin's hand shook visibly as he partially slipped the band sequentially onto Maeve's second, third and fifth fingers, as he pledged his love in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Letting his eyes lock onto her mist-green orbs he whispered, "Amen," as he slid it onto her ring finger, where it nestled comfortably. Maeve repeated the ritual, then Father Villarreal blessed the couple and said a final prayer, officially marking them as husband and wife.
To the surprise of the non-Catholics in the crowd, now the heart of the Mass began, clearly an anti-climatic event. The church was still buzzing with excitement, the couple was brimming with joy, and their families couldn't wait to shower them with affection, but that all had to wait while the most solemn part of the Mass was celebrated.
Catherine privately mused that anyone with an iota of theatre or opera knowledge would know not to put the focus of the piece so near the beginning of the performance, but she'd never pretended to understand Catholic traditions, so she kept her opinions to herself.
The rest of the Mass proceeded apace, and after the recitation of the Lord's Prayer, Father Villarreal gave a blessing to the couple and invited the congregation to offer one another the sign of peace. That was the opening the families had been awaiting, and they all poured out of the front pews to hug and kiss the bride and groom. This normally short element of the Mass took a good ten minutes, but once again, they all had to return to their seats for Communion. Catherine was quite surprised when Jamie got up with the rest of the O'Flahertys to participate in the ceremony, and when her daughter returned to the pew she leaned over and asked, "Have you joined the Catholic church?"
"No," Jamie smiled. "But I believe in a lot more of the elements of the faith than Ryan does, so I think I'm entitled."
When the Mass finally drew to a close, the newly married couple exited the church, followed by the attendants, then the immediate families. They decided to stand on the front steps and have a quick receiving line, since some of their guests would not make it down to Hillsborough for the reception. All of the children, both attendants, and Martin and Maeve lined the stairs, with the line getting slowed repeatedly as Ryan doggedly introduced every stranger to her partner.
Ryan and Jamie were standing near the entrance to the church, so they were the first ones to spot Bryant. He gave them both a sheepish look and said, "Sorry I didn't get here in time to say hello before the service. I just barely made it."
"It's great to have you here, no matter when you got here," Ryan said, wrapping him into a hug.
Maeve spotted his tall figure and reached across Jamie to draw him close. "You get right into this line, young man," she said. "You're a part of my family."
"Oh, Maeve, you don't want to do that," he said, trying to beg off.
"Nonsense," she insisted. "It's like having Michael here with us, Bryant. Please stay."
He looked into those warm green eyes and felt all of his excuses fade away. "Where do you want me?" he asked.
"Right here," she indicated, drawing him next to her. Martin greeted him warmly, then Kevin and Tommy added their hellos, and they settled down to meet the rest of the guests, some of them slightly perplexed to find a tall black man, and a small blonde woman tucked among the O'Flahertys and Driscolls.
After a quick stop at the rectory to sign all of the appropriate documents, the couple entered their limousine for the trip down to Hillsborough. Maeve wanted some of the children to ride with them, but Martin gave her a look that quickly made her rescind the offer. As the door closed, he raised the window between the driver and the passenger compartment, pleased to see that the glass was heavily smoked so they had complete privacy.
"Do you really think I'm going to spend the next hour in this car with a bunch of kids babbling away, Mrs. O'Flaherty? I don't part with my money easily, ya know, and I want my full value for renting this boat." Maeve just beamed at him, too overjoyed to even bring herself to tease him. He leaned over to the refrigerator, extracted a split of champagne, and opened it with more skill than Maeve knew he possessed. He was giving her a sly grin the entire time, and it was only as he clinked his glass with hers that his face grew serious. "I've had more happiness in my life than any man deserves, Maeve, and you've been with me through most of the best days of my life. First as a sister-in-law, then as a seco
nd mother to my children, but always, always as the best friend that a man could ever wish for. Our relationship will be very different in some ways after today, but the essence of what we have remains exactly as it's always been," he pledged. "I've always considered that you were one of the greatest blessings of my life, and our marriage will only serve to enhance that feeling." He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss upon her lips, moving just a few inches away as he said, "I love you, Maeve. I always have, and I always will."
They drank from their glasses, and she snuggled up against his broad chest. "I don't know what I've done to deserve a man like you, Martin, but I'm forever grateful that you've chosen me."
"Now, that's where you're wrong," Martin decided. "You're the one who chose me. I've been under your spell for years, Mrs. O'Flaherty, and I'm quite sure that enchantment is permanent."
Part Six
After loading up the Boxster with a change of clothes, Jamie and Ryan took off for Hillsborough, wanting to arrive before the rest of the guests. Jamie was driving, and as they got onto the freeway Ryan mused reflectively, "You know, it was kinda fun to be one of the girls today. I don't think I've ever done that."
"What do you mean? You do girl things with me all of the time."
"Ahh…not really, Jamie," she chuckled. "Although I clearly enjoy the fruits of your womanhood, we don't really do girl stuff. I mean, things like doing each other's hair and putting on makeup. I honestly don't think I've ever been in a room with a group of women while we all got dressed for an event. It was kinda cool," she decided. "I think I'm on an estrogen high."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," the smaller woman smiled. "I sometimes forget how male-centered your upbringing was. Didn't you ever have slumber parties with your friends in elementary school? That's when you start doing all of that girlie stuff."
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