Page 51 of A Wedding in the Bay

“You sure you want more of this?” she asked as they collected the dirty rags and threw away the shards of glass. “Kids are a lot sometimes, even when they’re not misbehaving.”

“You mean do I want another kid with you?” he asked, getting a tender look in his eyes.

“Yeah,” she said. She’d only been half-joking. She wanted to make sure that having kids was something that he really wanted and he was telling her how he truly felt. “Kids are a big deal. I want to make sure you’re not just saying yes to me to make me happy, you know?”

He shook his head. “I’m absolutely positive. I very much want to have another kid with you.” He pulled her close to him for a kiss. “I can’t wait to be married to you and expand our family.”

She gazed into his eyes, feeling a rush of happiness in her core. Then she noticed the time on the clock hanging on the wall behind him.

“Oh my goodness, it’s almost time to go!” she squeaked. “Could you—”

“I’ve got you,” he said, smiling and taking the rest of the rags from her.

“Thank you!” she called, privately vowing to do something nice for him as she raced back into her room. She wiggled into her dress—a dark purple dress with a matching blazer—and strapped on her heels. She grabbed her purse and hurried toward the front door.

“Is everyone ready?” she called as she started to put on her coat.

“I am,” Michael said, appearing around a corner. She went still as she caught sight of him, pausing for a moment to take in how handsome he looked in his suit.

“What?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

“I’m just looking forward to our wedding,” she said softly, and a slow smile replaced the confusion on his face. They shared a quick kiss, and then Pearl hurried toward them.

“I can’t find my other shoe!”

Caitlin sighed. “You see, Pearl, this is why having a clean closet is important.”

“But I checked my closet. It’s not there.”

Caitlin glanced at the clock. They weren’t running late—not yet anyway. “Let’s go look in your closet again,” she said.

“I’ll grab the gift and put it in the car while you look,” Michael suggested.

“Oh!” Caitlin whirled. “Could you sign the card, sweetheart? It’s on the kitchen table.”

“I have to sign it too!” Pearl exclaimed. “I forgot to do it before.”

“Okay, you two sign the card, and I’ll go find this shoe,” Caitlin said, internally vowing that she would help Pearl organize her closet on her next day off.

She hurried into Pearl’s room, which was tidy for the most part. The closet, on the other hand, was a different story. She crouched down and began to rummage around on the floor of the closet, which was a tangle of clothes and shoes. She rapidly began to organize it, throwing shirts into one pile, pants into another, dresses into another, and shoes into another.

“Ah ha!” she cried in triumph when she found the missing shoe. She stood up, almost reluctant to leave her task—she loved organizing things. “I found it!” she called as she hurried back out into the hallway.

“Perfect, we’re all ready to go,” Michael said, grinning at her. He was holding the gift bag she’d wrapped earlier in one hand, and she could see the card peeking out of the top of it.

Pearl tugged on her other shoe and the three of them trooped out the door. Caitlin sighed in satisfaction when they were all tucked inside the car and she saw on the clock that they would arrive to the church in plenty of time.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Pearl announced from the back seat, wiggling a little in excitement as they drove.

Caitlin nodded, a lump of emotion forming in her throat. “It is. And I just know I’m going to cry.” She sighed happily. “I always love weddings, and Josie and Wesley are such a wonderful couple. I know it’s going to be really beautiful.”

Beside her, Michael gave her a sweet smile. She knew he was thinking about their upcoming wedding, and she reached over and squeezed his hand. It was the same thing that was on her mind.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Wesley took a deep breath. His heart was thumping with excitement, and he felt tingles of nervousness all up and down his arms.

Why am I nervous? he thought, taking a step back from the mirror as he straightened his tie. There’s absolutely nothing I’m worried about. Today couldn’t be better.

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