Her mom slipped out the door, but Abby already had her attention. “We wanted to do something special for you, a welcome to the family,” she said, then waited for the others to join her. “Each of us contributed something for you to take in there with you, a little piece of us to remind you that we’re sisters now.”
“We wanted to stick as close to tradition as we could, so I brought you something old,” Stephanie said, stepping forward. “I found these earrings in a little shop downtown. They’re from the late 1800s. I hope they’ll bring you good luck.”
Rose stepped forward next. “We haven’t had a chance to get to know each other yet, but I’m sure we’ll get along famously when we do,” she said, a confident smile on her face. “I’ve brought you something new, the prettiest veil to go with that gorgeous dress.”
When she unwrapped it, Paula gasped, “Oh, Rose, it’s beautiful,” she said, turning around so as to let the other woman put it on her head. “It’s a perfect match.”
“I think that brings us to something borrowed,” Maddie said, taking Rose’s place and holding up a gold chain. “This was my grandmother’s. She was a wonderful woman and the only one who ever truly loved me. I want you to wear it tonight.”
“And to complete things, we needed something blue,” Emily said, a big grin on her face as she pulled out a little box wrapped with a satin ribbon. “Every bride needs a garter under her dress, a little teaser for what comes later.”
They all laughed as Paula popped the lid off the box, sighing when she saw the silk and lace creation. “Oh, it’s beautiful. I’ll need help putting it on,” she said, almost overwhelmed by all the attention. “I don’t know what to say, I’m so grateful.”
“We just wanted the day to be special,” Abby said, holding out a bouquet of flowers. “This is the last thing you need tocomplete the picture and just in time, the wedding is supposed to start in a few minutes.”
She hugged her new friends, then watched them all disappear through the door, leaving just her and Connie in the room. “You look beautiful, Paula. I’m so happy for you,” she said, walking over and giving her a hug. “Are you ready?”
“I think so, this is all just so…emotional, I wasn’t expecting that,” she said, hugging Connie back. “I’m excited for this new chapter of my life, but I’m going to miss you.”
“We’ll keep in touch, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Connie said. “Now come on, let’s go get you married.”
CHAPTER 18
***RYAN***
Ryan couldn’t help but pace restlessly as the few guests they’d invited started to trickle into the room. He wasn’t nervous because he was questioning if he’d made the right choice; he knew deep in his soul that Paula was the only woman for him. He just wanted the whole thing over, wanted that ring on her finger. There was a part of him that couldn’t help but think that something was going to go wrong. He tried not to give in to the negativity, but they’d put it all together so quickly that it wouldn’t take much to derail them.
There was also the chance that faced with the reality of marrying him, Paula might back out. They hadn’t talked about love, hadn’t discussed what the growing bond between them meant, but he assumed there would be time for that later. He was very aware that although this was their wedding night, it might not be spent the way it should be. He wasn’t going to push Paula into anything she wasn’t ready for, married or not. They had a lifetime together, so waiting until she was as ready as he was might be difficult, but it would be worth it in the end.
The tingle of desire that never quite left him anymore stirred to life and he couldn’t help but smile, thinking his dragon felt differently. “Hey, there he is, hiding in the corner,” Aaron’svoice broke through his thoughts. “Bet you he’s thinking about backing out, bet you he’s chickened out.”
His fraternity brothers were suddenly gathered around him, teasing and joking with him, making him laugh and draining away some of the tension. “I’m just kidding,” Aaron said, slapping him on the back. “You just looked so serious there for a second.”
“I keep thinking that something is going to go wrong,” he said, shaking his head. “But now that you guys are here, I feel better.”
“We’ve got your back. In fact, we have something for you,” Aaron said. “I’ll let Jackson take the lead.”
Jackson stepped forward. “We figured you probably haven’t had much time to give a honeymoon any thought,” he said, holding out an envelope. “So, we all chipped in to get you a couple of nights in a suite downtown.”
“I called in a couple of favors and did a little trading with the owner of the hotel and got a great deal, so don’t go feeling guilty,” Malcolm said. “We just want you to go and enjoy yourselves.”
“It’s not every day you get married,” Taylor said. “And privacy is a scarce thing around here.”
“We just wanted you to have a place to get away from everything,” Walker said. “Downtown seemed like a good idea instead of a cabin in the woods. That didn’t go so well for Maddie and me.”
They all laughed. “We hope that you’ll be happy with Paula no matter where you are,” Gabe said, then sighed. “Aaron and I are the only ones left now. Being single is starting to feel like a big target on my back. I just hope I’m as lucky as you’ve been when my time comes.”
“Don’t sound so down about it, Gabe. Being in love is better than I ever could have imagined,” he said, a big smile on his face.“Thanks, you guys, I can’t tell you how much this means to us, we’ll never forget it.”
“It looks like the girls are back, that means it won’t be long now,” Cooper said. “I think we’d better go sit down now.”
He realized with a start that the chairs behind him had filled up and the justice of the peace had taken his place at the end of the aisle. “I think it’s time, buddy,” Aaron said. “Last chance to change your mind.”
“Not on your life,” he said. “I’m getting married, Aaron, let’s go.”
Later he wouldn’t remember most of the words the justice of the peace spoke during the ceremony, but he would never forget how beautiful Paula looked or the way her eyes sparkled as they pledged their lives to one another. For as long as he lived, he would remember the way her hand felt in his when he slid the ring on her finger, and he would always be able to recall the sensation that swept through him when she slid the ring on his finger. When they were declared husband and wife, the words echoed through him, sparking a feeling of joy unlike anything he’d experienced before and he kissed her much longer than necessary.
They parted to cheers and shouts of good wishes from their friends and family, then joined hands and walked away from the justice of the peace a married couple. “We did it,” Paula said, grinning at him. “And it was a beautiful wedding, I couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect.”
