Page 69 of Kiss the Bride

She stared at him, her eyes widening. “You were going to help move the wedding to the Captain’s Cottage?” She wished she’d known.

He nodded. “Curtis was right. With no power, no electricity, moving was the only option. But then you did all this.” He gestured toward the kitchen and the ballroom beyond.

She twisted her fingers together. “I had a lot of help. I could never have done it all on my own. Practically everyone in Heart’s Landing pitched in.”

“It takes a village.”

“Yeah, a village.”

“There’s one more thing.” Ryan stepped closer. “I said some things I didn’t mean. Words I’ll regret to my dying day. I want you to know how sorry I am. I know I don’t deserve it, but I’m asking you to forgive me.”

She batted the air with one hand. “You don’t owe me an apology. More than practically anyone, I know what it feels like to say something and a minute later wish you hadn’t.”

“Hear me out, okay?” He closed the gap between them. “It’s just that, well, when you went along with Curtis’s plan, I was so concerned about losing Harbor View that I didn’t see I was losing the one thing that meant the most. The one thing I couldn’t afford to lose.”

Her breath stuttered. Was he about to say what she thought he might? She crossed her fingers and slipped her hand behind her back. Tilting her face up to his, she whispered, “What was that?”

“You.”

This was sounding less and less like the breakup and more like the beginning of something she hardly dared to believe. She threw caution to the wind. “I don’t want to lose you, either.”

He reached for her free hand. “I love you, Evelyn. You’ve always had a special place all your own in my heart.”

Air slipped slowly over her lips. She managed to draw in enough to repeat his declaration back to him. “I love you, Ryan. It’s always been you. From the time we raced through the halls of the Captain’s Cottage and slid down the banister, there’s only been you.”

His eyes met hers then, and she gazed into their deep blue pools. In them, she saw the depth of his love and knew he loved her as much as she loved him. They closed the short distance between them. Ryan’s hands around her waist felt like coming home. His lips on hers tasted sweeter than the richest chocolate, spicier than the hottest peppers. She drank in the scent that was his alone and knew she’d never tire of it.

They sprang apart when the back door to the kitchen opened. Chef Hubbard stuck her head out. “Oh!” she exclaimed, her eyes darting between them. “You two?”

“Yes, but hush. We’re not telling anyone until after Brianna and Daniel’s wedding.” Evelyn grinned while Ryan slipped one arm around her waist.

Janet studied first Ryan and then her. “Good luck with that. The way you’re both glowing, everyone in town will figure it out before the bride walks down the aisle.”

“You’re probably right about that.” Evelyn laughed through happy tears.

“Speaking of which, it’s about that time.” Janet pointed to her watch.

“We’ll be right there, Chef,” Ryan assured her. He waited until the door shut before he turned to Evelyn. “I don’t want this moment to end. I wish we could stay here forever.”

“Me, too.” She glanced at the water. Light from the windows danced on the ripples. Harbor View had never looked so lovely. “This really is the perfect place for a wedding.”

She sighed, content at last.

The string quartet played Handel’s Air while Evelyn started down the carpeted aisle to take her place beside the floral arch. She scanned the rows of chairs on either side. Friends and neighbors in their Sunday best filled every seat. She’d heard their murmurs of approval, had watched doubtful expressions change to ones of delight as the first guests arrived. She’d known then that all of Ryan’s hard work, all his efforts, had been worthwhile. Harbor View was a hit. She’d be surprised if he didn’t find a dozen messages from prospective brides on his answering machine Monday morning.

There’d been a time, not so long ago, when that thought had filled her with trepidation, but no longer. Heart’s Landing staked its reputation on providing the perfect wedding for every bride. Not every one of them dreamed of getting married at the Captain’s Cottage. Some wanted a waterfront wedding. Ryan had been right about that. As he’d been right about so many things. Their love for one another among them.

Up front, Jenny smiled out at the crowd. Opposite her, gold buttons gleaming against the blues of their dress uniforms, Daniel and his attendants stood at attention. The groom stared over Evelyn’s shoulder, waiting for his first glimpse of his bride. As Evelyn hit her mark and turned, the musicians reached the end of their piece. An expectant hush fell over the crowd. The bass player struck a note, and the violinists played the opening bars of the Wedding March. Chairs creaked and clothing swished as two hundred guests surged to their feet, their eyes focused on the back of the room.

Ryan slid the barn doors wide, and there she stood. Radiant in a white gown made of matted Makoto silk, her hair a mass of ringlets anchored by a wispy veil, her mother’s pearls around her neck, Brianna beamed. One hand rested lightly on Alicia’s arm. The other held a cascade of burgundy dahlias and purple irises. White bows on the shoes she’d chosen at A Glass Slipper peeked out from beneath her hem.

Evelyn wiped a sudden dampness from her eyes. Who would’ve thought she and Ryan would fall in love while they’d helped create a perfect wedding for this Wedding-in-a-Week couple? Would they have a perfect wedding of their own one day? Watching Brianna walk down the aisle, she could hardly wait to see what the future held in store.

Epilogue

Evelyn lingered at the door of Harbor View Weddings while Mason Anderson and Lacy Martinez practically floated down the sidewalk to their car. As Evelyn knew she would, the bride-to-be stole a final peek at the converted Boat Works where, next June, her friends and family would watch her walk down the aisle and into the arms of the man she loved. The dreamy smile that played across the bride’s lips sent a contented sigh sifting through Evelyn’s chest. She waved goodbye to the couple, satisfied that in several months’ time, she’d help them have the waterfront wedding of their dreams.

“Are you finished for the day?” Dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, his tool belt hanging low across his hips, Ryan stepped into the lobby from the back hallway.

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