Page 52 of Tizzy's Little Thanksgiving

There had, indeed, been an aisle running down the middle of two groupings of chairs, each covered with gold satin with beautiful bows on the backs. The sun’s rays shone through the canopy of the red-maple tree ready to spotlight the couple as they stood beneath the arch at the end of the aisle. Eddie had told her that Lucas designed the archway and asked Eddie to help him build it. The result was absolutely stunning. With every flower woven through the lattice, one felt the love the groom had for his bride. Large sunflowers, Gerbera daisies, calla lilies, and chrysanthemums were interspersed with ferns, baby’s breath, and cattails and complemented the bridal bouquet perfectly.

Hayleigh, Sadie, Wren, Luna and Daisy all wore tea-length dresses, each in different fall colors. Hayleigh, Sadie and Wren were escorted down the aisle by their Daddies, who looked incredibly handsome in their black tuxes. Georgie had made Teresa cry when she’d first shown her the maid of honor gown she’d chosen for her. It was a gorgeous shade of deep plum and swished against her calves with every step she took. When Eddie bent down to whisper how beautiful she looked and how he couldn’t wait to nibble on her after their duties were done, it had been all she could do not to burst into tears knowing that would never happen. She managed a small smile for the man escorting her down the aisle. He gave her hand a squeeze before they parted. Teresa watch the best man move to stand beside Lucas beneath the arch. The boys who had been friends since childhood had grown up to be incredibly handsome men who looked as if they’d stepped right off the cover of a GQ magazine.

Teresa tore her eyes away to watch Luna and Daisy who served as Georgie’s flower girls. Wearing floral circlets on their heads and carrying matching baskets, they walked in perfect step with one another. Instead of traditional flowers, Luna pulled autumn leaves from her basket while Daisy’s held sparkling rhinestones and glitter. They fell to the golden silk runner to beautifully adorn the path the bride would take.

But it was the bride who rightfully stole the show. Georgie was absolutely radiant in her wedding gown. She looked like a fairy princess. The hairdresser had performed magic with her long blonde hair. It was styled in an elegant chignon with tresses curling around her face. The radiance in her eyes outshone the sparkle of the tiara she wore. Watching her glide down the aisle, her arm hooked around her father’s had tears welling in Teresa’s eyes. All of the fantasy weddings they’d orchestrated in their childhood didn’t hold a candle to attending a real one.

Georgie and Lucas had eyes only for one another as Derek officiated, his voice ringing out when he clearly guided the couple through vows they’d written themselves. As Lucas promised to love and protect his bride for all of eternity, Teresa saw Mrs. Mayer accepting a handkerchief from her husband as tears of joy slid down her face.

With Derek’s pronouncement declaring them man and wife, Georgie and Lucas shared their first kiss as a married couple. Georgie squealed when her husband gave her a wicked grin before dipping his wife back, his lips claiming hers with an intensity that had her bridesmaids giggling and the groomsmen grinning like fools. Teresa didn’t know if her inability to breathe was due to the passionate kiss or the look in Eddie’s eyes as he smiled at her, his dimples threatening to make her knees give out. When the newlyweds finally came up for breath, Derek’s voice was full of jovial humor as he presented Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Morrow to their guests. Tears were replaced by cheers as the crowd erupted.

Slipping her arm through Eddie’s for the recessional, Teresa could not help but wonder how it would feel to be in Georgie’s place, standing before Eddie and vowing to love, honor, and obey him for as long as she lived. Even though her dream would only remain a fantasy, Teresa was so very happy for Georgie and Lucas and glad they’d broken into Eddie’s house all those months ago as the crime had led to this perfect moment.

Eli performed his duties beautifully, skillfully guiding the wedding party through countless photos and then leading them all to where a gigantic dance floor had been erected. Each corner had a pillar covered from bottom to top with more autumn blooms. As the band began to play, Teresa watched Mr. Mayer twirl his daughter around the floor as Lucas followed with his new mother-in-law in his arms.

Though her heart rejoiced in the beauty of this perfect moment, a memory she’d cherish forever, it also ached for what was not to be. With a final swipe of her fingers, she brushed the tears off her cheeks. She might have messed up her life by stepping foot on Rawhide Ranch, but she would never regret coming to Montana. With Eddie’s help and the constant support of her best friend, Teresa had been the best maid of honor she could be, and for that, she felt a sense of pride.

Chapter 21

Eddie

With the ceremony over,toasts given, his duties mostly complete, his sister, the radiant and gorgeous bride, married off to his very best friend, Eddie could finally breathe, and focus on the one he’d had his eye on all day. His sweet, beautiful Tizzy.

Even though she’d been the maid of honor to his best man, aside from escorting her down the aisle during the ceremony, he hadn’t had more than a minute with her since this morning.

But she was Tizzying out. He could see it on her face. This morning he’d thought it to be just stress over the upcoming nuptials and the pressure she was putting on herself to be the perfect maid of honor, as if failing to do so would somehow end lifelong friendships, but the wedding was over, the day had gone perfectly, and the stress was still there. It had been there when they walked arm in arm down the aisle, when they’d given their toasts, and it was still there now. If anything, it was more evident than it had been this morning.

Cutting across the room to where Tizzy was dancing stiffly with Billy, the Little who’d orchestrated the turkey parade, he approached them from the left, cleared his throat, and tapped Billy on the shoulder. “May I cut in?”

Billy, who was dressed to the nines, but still a Little, and seemingly very aware that Eddie was not, got wide-eyed, bobbing his head up and down, and dropped Tizzy’s hand. “Y-yes, Sir.”

Eddie almost felt guilty for making the Little boy so nervous, but there was nothing he could do about that. It certainly hadn’t been intentional, and at the moment, Tizzy was his only concern.

Picking up the hand Billy had dropped, he wrapped his other arm around Tizzy’s waist and pulled her close.

Swaying gently in time with the music, he asked, “Penny for your thoughts?” and pulled back just enough to get a good view of her face. It didn’t give anything away that he didn’t already know, and she shook her head, clamping her lips tightly shut.

He raised a brow and shot her a pointed stare.

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “Really. I’m happy for Georgie, and I’m just… tired.”

He wasn’t buying it. He’d seen Teresa tired, and this was not that. It was something else. “Don’t lie to Daddy, little girl.”

If he’d blinked, he’d have missed the flicker of light that entered her eyes when he’d given a warning, and the way her pupils had dilated when he’d called her little girl, but just as quickly as it had appeared, the light dimmed, and her expression shuttered. He waited for a different explanation, but she didn’t offer one.

Frowning, he tried a different approach. There was something he wanted to ask her about, and since it was Tizzy, it was possible the two things were tied together somehow. “You know,” he began, “before the ceremony, I had to run up to the room to get the rings because I’d run out in such a hurry this morning, I left without them, and while I was there, I noticed something interesting.”

She startled, and visibly squirmed. A small gesture, so slight he almost missed it, but as a surgeon he was very in tune with the human body and very observant.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Well, I noticed that your suitcases, your stuffies, and all your things were missing, and that they’d been moved into the other room.”

“Oh that.” Teresa managed to somehow not look guilty as she scrunched up her nose and shrugged. “I didn’t want your mom to know we’d been sharing a room. No biggie.”

Eddie studied her. That was some of it, but it definitely wasn’t all of it. “What did I just tell you about lying to Daddy, little one? We may be at a wedding, but it’s a Rawhide wedding. Nobody would even blink if I hiked your dress up and paddled your bottom cherry-red right here.”

Teresa gasped. “Your parents would!” she argued. And then just as quickly as she’d been surprised, she got angry. “Besides, I don’t consent. But since you insist on knowing, I moved out of the room because I wanted to. It was fun while it lasted, doing as the Romans do and all, but tomorrow we have to go back to our real lives, and it’s going to break my heart. I can’t do another night. As much as it kills me to say that, it’s only half as much pain as I’ll feel if I spend another perfect night with you, wake up in the morning and have to give it all up and go back to real life. I can’t do it, Eddie, I can’t. Moving out early may only alleviate a tiny bit of the pain I’m going to feel, but it will have to do. So no, you can’t spank me, yes, I do withdraw consent, and no, I’m not your Little girl anymore.” She sighed and her face softened. “But please don’t think I didn’t love it. I did, I loved every second of it. That’s why I can’t do it anymore.”

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