Page 99 of Wilder Ever After

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“Quick, quick! Zip upher dress!” Alice barked to Michelle, the wedding planner I’d just met in person for the first time an hour ago when we came screaming into the vineyard where my wedding would take place ... in thirty minutes. After we’d rushed to our rooms and taken quick showers to wash off the horrors of our detainment center stay, we had next to no time to get ready for the biggest day of my life.

The small red-headed woman jumped at the order and hurried behind me, carefully zipping up my simple cream and ivory wedding dress.

“Everything is all set,” she said as she finished. “All you have to do now is walk down the aisle to a man who loves you very, very much.”

I smiled at the thought of seeing Tom at the end of the aisle ... the man I’d wished it’d been the first time I’d gotten married.

“You look beautiful, Mom,” Rachel said, covering her mouth as I spun to face her.

“Thank you, sweetheart. You look beautiful too.”

We shared a hug, and when I let her go, I gazed into eyes that looked so much like Tom’s. I was shocked Bruce had never noticed her eyes belonged to neither of us.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? I know it’s been so confusing finding out Tom’s your real father and having us get married so soon after Bruce’s death. If this is too much, I won’t go through with it. I’ll give you all the time you need to process it.”

“Mom.” She took my hands. “When you told me that Bruce wasn’t my real father, I’ll admit, I was furious. My whole life, I lived a lie. But then you told me the why. How scared you were. How trapped you felt. And that you’d given up the love of a man youstilllove all these years later just to stay married to the man you thought could give me a good life. You’ve sacrificedsomuch for me already. Now it’s your turn to be the priority. I’m fine, Mom. I’m all grown up, and I love Tom. In fact, from the moment I met him, I felt a connection to him I never felt with Bruce. He’s my father. You’re my mother. I love you both, and I can’t wait to walk you down the aisle.”

Tears brimmed my eyes as I pulled her in for another hug. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

“Awwww,” Doris said from her perch on the bed behind me. “Isn’t family just the most important thing in the world?”

“It is.” I let go of Rachel and turned to my widows, who all waited to stand up in my wedding. “And you ladies are family too.”

“You know it,” Marge said. “We’re family for life now. Wilder Widows forever.”

“Wilder Widows forever,” I said back, then swished the skirt of my dress. “But this widow is going to be a wife soon.”

“In twenty-two minutes,” Alice said as she stepped into the group. “So, no sappy talking right now because we aren’t going to smear that makeup. We don’t have time to fix it.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I put a hand to my head and saluted her with a smile.

Alice chuckled. “Sorry. You waited so long to be with him. I just want to make sure your day is perfect. We all do.”

“You’re all here. It’s already perfect.” I smiled.

My phone rang. “Oh, that may be the caterer. They had a question about the desserts. Can you grab it?”

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