Page 28 of A Wedding in the Bay

“Oh, I am.” Sandy laughed. But it was clear from the aura of happiness that radiated from her that she was doing great overall. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m so happy with my little family.”

“I’m so thrilled for you!” Caitlin gave her hand a squeeze. “You absolutely deserve that.”

The two friends continued to chat for a while longer, and then Sandy was called away to help with another customer and Caitlin finished her grocery shopping with Pearl.

Once they were back in the car and driving toward home, Pearl told her mother that she had a serious question.

“What is it, honey?” Caitlin asked, glancing at the back seat, where Pearl was sitting and looking out the window with a smile on her face. Caitlin felt relieved that her daughter was smiling—that meant the question wasn’t too serious. Or it meant at least that it wasn’t a serious question about something bad.

“Are you and Michael going to have a baby after you get married?”

Caitlin’s lips parted and her heart started to beat a little faster. “Well, I think we should all talk about that together sometime. It’s an important decision that involves me and Michael, and it involves you too. How do you feel about having some siblings? Do you like that idea?”

“Oh, yes,” Pearl said eagerly. “I want a little sister or brother. Very much.”

Caitlin’s heart warmed, and she grinned. “I like that idea too,” she told her daughter. “And I’m really glad you like the idea of expanding our family.”

Pearl nodded, smiling. “I want a little sister or brother to help take care of. And then we would have more people around for things like snowball fights and board games. I think you should have one baby right away, and then a few more after a while.”

Caitlin laughed. “Sounds good to me! We’ll have to wait and see what Michael says, though. It’s important that I ask him how he feels about it.”

They continued their drive home through the snowy streets of Blueberry Bay. Once they returned to the house, Pearl scampered off to play with her dolls, and Caitlin began to unload her purchases. She put the groceries away first, and then moved on to some decorative items she’d picked up at a home goods store.

This vase will look perfect on that table by the window, she thought, lifting a beautiful glass vase out of its tissue wrapping. She hurried over to the table, where a notebook of Michael’s was resting. He must have left it here the other night, she thought. I didn’t even notice.

She set the vase down on the side of the table and moved Michael’s notebook so that the center of the table would be clear. As she was moving it, something fluttered down to the floor.

Curious, she stooped and picked it up. When she saw what it was, her heart skipped a beat.

It was a cut-out from a magazine, of a head table at a wedding. Twinkling lights were strung under the tablecloth, and flowers and flickering candles lined the table’s edge. Sitting in the center of the table was a bride and groom, kissing and looking like the happiest people on earth.

Her heart thumping, Caitlin opened the notebook. In the center of it had been tucked many magazine clippings, all of them of weddings. There were pictures of fabric aisle runners and flowered archways at ceremonies, and various kinds of centerpieces for reception tables.

She stared at the pictures, feeling stunned. It was clear that Michael had put a lot of thought and care into those clippings. Did he want a fancy wedding after all? If he did, why hadn’t he told her?

Michael pushed open the back door and stepped inside the kitchen of Caitlin’s house. He hummed quietly to himself—business had been great at Tidal Wave Coffee that day, but a rush was always a little tiring, and he was happy to be done with work for the day. He was looking forward to cooking a meal and spending some quality time with his fiancée.

“Hey, sweetheart!” he called, wondering where Caitlin was. “I’m home!”

He listened but didn’t hear anything for a few seconds. He knew Caitlin was home because he’d seen her car in the garage. Frowning curiously, he started toward the living room.

As he made his way through the house, he heard footsteps coming toward him. A moment later, Caitlin appeared around the corner with a strange look on her face.

“Oh, there you are!” he said, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” she said slowly, but her eyes looked troubled. It was clear that something was up.

“Is anything the matter?” he asked, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

“Well, no, but—” She let out a soft breath. “Come sit down and talk with me.”

His eyebrows rose and his heart started to beat faster as she led him down the hallway toward the living room. She sat down on the couch and he sat next to her, holding her hands.

“Caitlin, what happened?” he urged. “I feel nervous.”

“Don’t feel nervous,” she assured him hastily. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just—well, I moved your notebook just now and a magazine clipping fell out. I opened it and found the rest of them.” She stood up and went to get his notebook. She brought it back and opened it, revealing the many magazine clippings that he’d tucked into the pages. “What is all this, sweetheart?”

He flushed. “I hadn’t meant for you to see all that.”

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