Barbara shook her head.“As far as we know, he’s all right.We’re crying because you look amazing.”
Mabel took a tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose.“She looks like an angel, doesn’t she, Allan?”
Their dad walked across to Penny and kissed her cheek.“Apart from your mom, you’re the loveliest bride I’ve ever seen.”
Penny hugged her dad.“Thank you.I feel like a bundle of nerves.”
Diana smiled.“You don’t look it.You’re absolutely stunning.”
“We need photos,” Katie exclaimed.“I’ll get my camera.”
“I’ll take some.”Willow, Zac’s wife, stood in the living room doorway with her camera.When she’d heard they couldn’t find a professional photographer, she’d offered to take the wedding photos herself.With all the awards her pictures had won, they were lucky to have her.
“Do you have the list we made?”Mabel asked.
Willow smiled.“I do.Let’s take a group photo first.”
Barbara smiled at her family.Thanksgiving was a day to celebrate and give thanks to everything that was important in your life.She couldn’t think of anything more important than the love and support of her family and friends—and Theo.
WHILEPENNYand Wyatt’s family and friends found seats in the church, Theo sat quietly in the last row.It felt good to be back in Sapphire Bay, to share today with his friends and celebrate an important event in their lives.
“Is anyone sitting here?”
Theo looked at Ethan and smiled.“It’s all yours.I thought you’d be sitting at the front of the church with Diana’s family?”
“I’m safer here.I love Mabel, but she gets incredibly stressed.”
“It’s a big day for their family.Are you worried about your wedding?”
Ethan glanced nervously around the church.When he saw no one was paying them any attention, he nodded.“I’m thinking about asking Diana to elope.After today, I don’t think my nerves could handle a morning like we had today.”
“What happened?”
“Didn’t Barbara tell you?”
“I last saw her at ten o’clock this morning.What happened after that?”
Ethan moved closer to Theo.“Apart from Wyatt spilling ketchup down the front of his suit, we had an issue with the wedding cake.We left it in the main meeting room last night.Everyone thought it would be okay.But sometime between last night and lunchtime, the top tier disappeared.”
“Where did it go?”
“No one knows.Wyatt didn’t want to tell Penny or Mabel in case they freaked out, so he called Barbara.I have no idea what happened after that, but it must have been fixed because no one’s said anything.”
“How did you know it was missing?”
“I went to check the balloon arch.Thank goodness I did.”
When the bridal march started, Theo and Ethan stood with everyone else.
“You might want to reconsider the eloping idea,” Theo whispered.“If you think a missing piece of cake will stress Mabel out, eloping will be worse.”
Ethan sighed.“You’re probably right, but it made me feel better.”
Katie was the first bridesmaid to walk down the aisle.Her pale blue dress looked great, especially with her colorful bouquet of orange and red flowers.
Ethan sucked in a deep breath and Theo smiled.Diana was walking down the aisle behind her sister.With her deep red dress swirling softly around her legs, she looked as though she’d stepped off a runway and straight into Penny’s wedding.
“That’s why you don’t want to elope,” Theo whispered to his friend.“If you do, you’ll miss seeing Diana walk down the aisle on your wedding day.”
