Page 80 of Accidental Irish Daddy

She squeals with joy and hugs the solicitor. Turning, taken by surprise reciprocates a one-armed hug, patting her on the back.

She turns to me and kisses me. “Wait until we tell Bridget. She’s going to be over the moon.”

“Come on. We’ve got celebrating to do.”

Epilogue

Aisling

One year later

I’m standing in Martha’s kitchen, my wedding dress bunched up as I look out of the window and into the garden. It looks like the entire neighborhood has come.

I’ve never been so nervous in my life. I’ve picked up the old childhood habit of chewing at my manicure all morning. Argh. I need to stop this.

Martha comes in out of the corner of my eye. She’s come back with the sewing kit for the train. It ripped slightly on my way down the stairs.

“All right,” she says, kneeling and getting to work on the tear. “One second and you’ll be all ready to meet your hubby.”

“Met him already. Wasn’t this nerve-wracking the first time, neither.”

A baby cries and I stand on my tiptoes. It’s Conor. I left him with Grant’s father and stepmother. Oh…I hope he’s not hungry.

“Yourbabaíis fine, my love,” Martha says through the stick pins between her teeth. “Stand still.”

“I can’t help it. He’s been colicky and onery all day. He’s only a couple of months old. What if they can’t handle him?”

She chuckles. “Grant’s father has a way with the wee ones. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

A few more seconds go by, and she sighs, standing up. “There you are. Good as new.”

I look down at my dress and I can barely see the tear at all.

“Thank you,” I say, slightly relieved. “Oh, I’m a bundle of nerves. I don’t even know why. It’s not like we’re not already married.”

“That’s an easy one.” She brushes a little of my hair out of my face. “This time’s the real thing.”

The harp music picks up. It’s almost time. She kisses me on the cheek.

“See you out there, love.”

Martha walks out the back door, and I stand and wait for my cue.

This is it. My big day. The one day that I’ve dreamed of since I was a little girl. I hope it all goes well…

Here Comes the Bridestarts, and I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. Time to jump in with both feet.

I walk out of the back door and out to the garden. Bridget’s peonies are in full bloom and all the beautiful roses and flowers are open and turned toward the middle aisle as I walk down the aisle.

The fall colors of the trees around us make the garden glow with a sort of orange and red haze. I feel like I’m walking through a dream.

I see baby Conor sitting peacefully on Grant’s father’s lap. My sweet little boy with his big green eyes and shock of red hair. Martha keeps saying that he’s going to be a looker when he grows up.

Bridget is standing on my side of the altar with Roisin, both of them my bridesmaids and smiling brightly at me as I near them. And Grant…my gorgeous husband, Grant.

He stands and waits for me, his brown eyes taking on a bronze tone in the lighting around us. He’s got a small smile playing at the sides of his mouth the way it does when he doesn’t want to show too much emotion.

It’s funny how he was once such a mystery to me and now I can read him like a book.

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