“I will!” the little girl chimed in. “I mean, if you don’t mind almond flour and monk fruit.”
“I can make a traditional, sugary cake,” Marshall said. “It might not be as pretty, but I know how to make a cake Germaine Hampton-style. You’ll love it. You go enjoy your family dinner.”
Gracie smiled up at him, a spark so real between them that Cindy could feel it from across the room. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve got everything I need at my bakery.”
“Except sugar,” Olivia cracked.
Gracie hesitated, then sighed, reaching into the bag on her shoulder. “Here are the keys to Sugarfall,” she said, handing them to him. “Everything you need is there and I’ll come by after the dinner and help you with the decorations.”
“Perfect. You ready to do a little baking, Bug?”
Olivia bounced beside him. “We’ll make the best cake ever!”
Cindy felt her heart swell again—this family, always pulling together, always finding joy in the chaos.
They all stepped out into the snowy night hand in hand, dividing into groups for the cars, laughing and talking and replaying the best night ever—and they had only just begun.
The first wedding in the Starling Room was everything MJ had dreamed of since she was a very little girl. Two hours into the reception, the dinner plates had been cleared, the speeches made—Nicole had them all in tears—and the delicious last-minute cake had been cut and served along with an array of desserts from Sugarfall and Craving Clean.
All around MJ, family and friends from over the years floated by in sparkly dresses and handsome suits. They stopped to hug her, to congratulate the Starling family on the changes to the lodge, and to express their delight at Cindy and Jack’s romantic reunion and second marriage.
Well, third, if you counted last night at Bluebell Crossing.
So why didn’t MJ feel the soaring joy and high hopes that came with every wedding in general, and this extraordinary one in particular?
She certainly feltsomething. She’d spent the entire ceremony dabbing at the tears at the corners of her eyes, feeling her heart swell as she watched her sister marry the love of her life…again, and forever this time.
Plus, everything had gone off without a hitch—even with last night’s wedding cake disaster and Cindy’s courageous firing ofthat ridiculous woman and her crew. As Cindy and Jack had planned, they had an intimate affair with about forty-five guests, all who arrived at the perfect moment of their beloved “light time.”
She smiled thinking about how easy the day had been, how calm and delighted Cindy was all day, and how happy…MJshouldbe.
But even a diehard optimist like MJ had to know when to face defeat, and she was pretty sure she was staring at that beast right now.
Well, too bad about Matt Walker, she thought, pushing up from her seat to force herself to walk the room and soak in the event. He’d made a promise and broke it. Unless she counted giving them a million dollars—which was surely worth more than a friendly flirtation with a nice man.
Wasn’t it?
She sighed, picking up a champagne flute she had hardly touched to her lips in the last hour. She knew the answer to that nagging question but didn’t want to admit it, even to herself.
She’d hoped. She’d hoped hard. And he would be here by now if he were coming back, so it was officially time to give up hope. And that, for Mary Jane McBride, was the most difficult thing of all.
Before starting her stroll, MJ looked down at the table, running her fingers across the lace overlay that covered the white tablecloth, steadying herself, digging for the cheer she wanted to show on this beautiful night.
Lifting her gaze, she focused on the things that mattered—and by things, she meant her wonderful family.
Starting with Benny, her one in a million grandson, zipping around the dance floor with his friend, Olivia, working the room with their iPhones. Yes, Christmas came early for Benny this morning, but they had good reason.
The two Gen-Zers—or was it something else now?—were filming every corner of the wedding, ready to blast social media with more love, authenticity, and appreciation for the Starling Room than that Dominique could have ever conjured up.
There was her precious daughter, Gracie, dancing with Marshall to a song about “every breath you take.”
Next to her, Nicole bopped left and right with Cameron and Elise, always including her sweet future-sister-in-law without any hesitation about her wheelchair.
And of course, Cindy glowed brighter than the full moon, her joy palpable as she and Jack sang their old favorite songs to each other.
Red was perched on a sofa near the French doors, in conversation with Jack’s mother, Bertie, who was about a hundred and ten pounds of sass and energy. She wasn’t sure if her father was listening, planning his escape, or in shock, but he stared at the other woman with a typical Red Starling look of dismay.
