Page 76 of Falling Again
“The woman is a miracle worker.” He beamed at the chef in question, who was currently tugging on the hem of her dress. It was no secret that CeCe would prefer a chef’s tunic and jeans over a dress any day, but she’d suffer for a friend.
“Well this miracle worker has about twenty minutes left in these shoes.” She walked up and gave Natalie a quick hug. “You look stunning.” Anthony was not about to argue.
Otis tried to break free of Anthony’s hold, his chubby hand reaching for the cake. “Cake, pleeffe,” he said as he yanked hard on his father’s grip.
“Not so fast, buddy. We get cake after we do the ceremony.”
Otis looked seconds away from a tantrum to end all tantrums, until Alice came in. “Hey buddy, remember what I said? If you are really quiet and good, you get two pieces of cake.” Otis nodded emphatically, his dark curls bouncing onto his forehead.
“You’re going to fill our kids with sugar and leave?” Anthony was annoyed, but barely.
“No dummy. I’m taking your children tonight so you two can have a night alone.” She raised an eyebrow, daring him to argue. “This is where you praise your younger sister and thank me for my selflessness.”
Natalie laughed and pulled Alice into a one-armed embrace. “Thank you, Alice.”
Alice shook free, only slightly horrified at yet another family hug. “No need to thank me. I should be thanking you for staying with this goober.”
Everyone got into place, leaving Anthony and Natalie alone in the kitchen. She turned to him and kissed his cheek, reaching up to wipe away her lipstick print. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you, Anthony.”
“You deserve nothing but the best, and that continues from this day forward.” Leaning in for another kiss, Anthony halted when he heard the music start. Max had connected Anthony’s phone to the diner’s sound system, complete with the wedding march, songs from their courtship, and Maddie’s favorite One Direction hit. Anthony wanted music that documented all their favorite memories together.
Judging from the tears brimming in Natalie’s eyes, he’d chosen wisely. “Oh Anthony,” Natalie sobbed as she took his hand and they walked out into the dining room. Her breath caught when she saw what the group had done to the tiny restaurant.
The local florist had happily donated an array of pink and peach flowers for each table, including some pink petals for Madeline to scatter across the floor. Standing next to the pastor were Anthony’s parents, dressed in their Sunday finery. Unfortunately, with the short notice he hadn’t been able to get Natalie’s parents out, but they were smiling and waving from a laptop Max had set up on the counter. How on Earth had people stayed connected before video calls?
In attendance were Max and Ginny, Evan and CeCe, Trudy and Helen, Alice and Mallory, Donna and Steven, and a handful of other people who made the ceremony feel intimate and special. After exchanging simple vows, the pair kissed to whoops and cheers. Otis ran around them squealing something about ‘cake for everyone’ while Madeline handed out flower petals to anyone who paid her attention.
CeCe brought out the cake and a spread of appetizers that made Anthony’s mouth water. Evan played waiter, making sure everyone had something to eat, while Max played bartender with several bottles of champagne. When he made it over to Anthony, he clapped him on the back and laughed. “Congratulations, Mayor Snyder. I hope you’ll overlook our lack of a liquor license for today.”
Anthony took a glass and smiled. “There are no rules today.”
He meant it too. Maybe he and Natalie were wrong to make a list of rules to live by, forgetting some of the joys that come from living life organically. Lord knew he’d stick to their list because it was important to Natalie. But Anthony made a fresh vow—one for himself—that he wouldn’t miss the little things anymore.
Coffee with his wife in the morning, bath time with the kids in the evening, messy dinners with the whole family: these were the parts of life that made it worth living. As he sat back and celebrated with everyone he loved, Anthony was struck with another realization. He’d managed to get his wife back with help from other people. He didn’t need to do it all alone, and he had better results because of it.
It was obvious to Anthony that he’d been missing the forest for the trees, and he wouldn’t make that mistake again.
