Page 29 of A Wedding in the Bay

“But—why not? Obviously this is something you’ve given a lot of thought. Why not share that with me?”

“Well, I did want a big wedding with you,” he admitted. “A big celebration, where we could invite all our friends and relatives. I thought that having a big wedding would be a lot of fun, and a beautiful way to celebrate how we feel about each other. But then you said that you just want to get married simply and quickly, so that’s what I think we should do instead. I just want what will make you happy.”

“But, Michael.” Caitlin tapped the edges of all the pictures he’d cut out. “You do want this. You must. You put a lot of time into thinking about it.”

“That’s okay! Back then I was thinking that’s what you wanted too. But if you just want a little courthouse wedding, we can do that. And I’ll be perfectly happy with that.” He leaned forward and kissed her nose gently.

To his surprise, he saw tears welling up in her eyes. “Oh, Michael,” she said.

“What?” He gently wiped away a tear which had started to run down her cheek. “Why are you crying, Caitlin?”

“I’m so touched,” she said, wiping away another tear and smiling at him. She laughed, a little breathlessly. “It’s so sweet of you. I had no idea you wanted a big wedding like that. I wish you’d told me. I want you to be able to feel like you can share anything with me.”

“I do feel that way,” he assured her. “I just—well, I heard what you said about wanting a small wedding, and I decided that I was good with us doing that instead.”

“But I didn’t realize that having a big wedding meant so much to you.” She squeezed his hands and laid her head down on his shoulder.

“What matters most to me is getting married to you,” he said, stroking her hair. “That’s going to happen no matter what.”

She lifted her head and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Then she lifted her lips to his for a kiss.

“I love you, sweetheart,” she told him.

“I love you too.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “And I want you to be happy with whatever we decide to do for our wedding.”

“Are you sure? You’ll be okay with whatever I say I want us to do?”

He nodded, looking right into her eyes. “I’m sure.”

“Hmm, okay, because I want a big wedding.”

Michael blinked. He stared at Caitlin, who started laughing.

“What?” he stammered.

“I want a big wedding too,” she told him, grinning. “You’ve convinced me. Let’s do it. Celebrate with all our family and friends. It will absolutely be worth every bit of money and effort.”

“I—you—do you mean it?” Happiness expanded inside his chest.

She bit her lower lip, nodding. “I do mean it. Let’s have a big wedding, sweetheart.”

“Oh my goodness!” He stood up, pulling her to her feet as a wave of excitement rushed through him. He spun Caitlin around, both of them laughing. Once their spinning stopped, he pulled her close for a kiss. “Thank you, sweetheart. That makes me really happy.”

“It makes me really happy that you care,” she said, resting her forehead against his. “And besides, now we have another project to work on together. I can’t wait to make plans with you. Our wedding is going to be absolutely beautiful.”

“Do you want to jot down a list of ideas now?” he asked eagerly, sitting back down on the couch. She sat down next to him, her petite frame settling comfortably beside his. “I can show you the clippings I’ve picked out already.”

He reached for his notebook, which was still resting on the couch beside them.

“I would love that. Show me which centerpiece ideas you like the best.”

“I like this rustic look—with the wood trivets and the candles on top. What do you think?”

“Oh, I love that. And it’ll look good with whatever color scheme we choose. What do you want to do for that? One color? Or two colors—one for me and one for you?”

They continued to discuss wedding decorations until it was time to make dinner. Both of them talked eagerly about their various ideas, and Michael felt a peaceful sense of happiness in his chest. He would have been happy to marry Caitlin informally—ultimately, being married to her was all that really mattered to him—but he was so happy that they were going to get to celebrate their marriage surrounded by all of their loved ones.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

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