Page 108 of Dreaming of Dawson

“Please tell me he’s not bringing Zara, too.”

“No. He’s bringing Zara’s mom and her aunt, but Zara’s here already, over in the farmhouse.” She rolls her eyes. “She was gonna spend last night at home with Tanner, but I talked her out of that and persuaded her that, as she isn’t having any bridesmaids and doesn’t really know anyone in the town, she could come and stay here, to avoid breaking with tradition.”

I nod my head, relieved I haven’t screwed up.

“I didn’t know about that,” Macy says.

“It was only arranged at the last minute,” Peony replies.

“A bit like their wedding night.”

Peony looks at her and says, “What’s this?”

“Their wedding night,” Macy says. “They weren’t gonna have one until Dawson stepped in.”

Peony turns to me, and I feel I have to explain. “I don’t know if you knew, but Sabrina announced a few weeks ago that she was going away this weekend, which meant Nash would have to stay with Tanner and Zara overnight.”

“Tonight?” Ryan says, frowning.

“Yeah.”

“She did that on purpose,” Peony says, shaking her head.

“Of course she did, but that didn’t alter the fact that, even though Tanner and Zara had no plans for a honeymoon, their wedding night was gonna be… well, let’s just say a little less exciting than it might have been.”

“They’re not having a honeymoon?” Ryan says, raising his eyebrows.

“No. They’ve just moved into a new house. Sabrina’s made a point of sucking Tanner dry since the divorce. I don’t think they can afford it.”

He nods, letting out a sigh. “So, what have you done?” Peony asks. “About their wedding night, I mean?”

“Zara decided to invite her mom and Aunt Charlotte to stay, thinking it might make things easier.”

“How?” Ryan asks, snapping out of his momentary trance.

“I think her idea was that she and Tanner would be able to have more time together.”

“With everyone in the house?”

“Yeah,” I say. “I pointed that out to him, but he seemed okay with it… kinda.”

“In other words, he wasn’t happy.”

“He’s happy. He’s got Zara, and I don’t think he’s capable of being anything other than happy with her. But I got the feeling he was a little disappointed by the way things turned out. So, I did something about it. I’ve arranged for them to stay at the hotel tonight, in the honeymoon suite.”

“That’s kind of you,” Peony says, and I shrug my shoulders.

“That’s what friends are for. Obviously, I had to contact Zara’s mom, so she could agree to look after Nash by herself, and pack a few things for Tanner and Zara, but…”

“You mean they don’t know about it?” Ryan says.

“Not yet. As far as they’re aware, they’re going straight home after the reception.”

Peony chuckles. “I can’t believe I’ve organized their wedding, and I knew nothing about this.”

“I’m good at keeping quiet, in case you haven’t noticed,” I say with a smile, and she smiles back.

At that moment, Rory whimpers and then lets out a cry.

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