by Debbie White
“Tonight, with the lights on and the fire going, it’s going to be so magical,” Vicky said, coming to stand next to Annie.
“Yup, I’m so happy this is going to happen finally. How long has it been?”
“Too long, but we won’t harp on that too much or they won’t ever come back.” Vicky playfully knocked shoulders with Annie.
“True.” She looked down at her wrist. “We have about forty-five more minutes before Milly brings the kids back.”
“It was so nice of her to offer to watch Jasmine, too.”
“She loves kids. And besides, Ashton is growing sweet on little Jasmine.”
“How do I look?” Annie twirled around.
“Beautiful,” Jack said wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in for a hug.
“You say that all the time.” She leaned in and kissed his lips.
“I say it all the time because it’s true.” He made her blush with his sweet words. She moved her hands up his back and held him close. “I love you,” Jack said.
“I love you, too.”
Jack held her back a few inches and knitted his brows while studying her face. “What? Why are you just looking at me?”
“Nothing. I’m just trying to run it all through my mind right now.”
“Run what through your mind right now?” he asked.
“How we met … the first time I knew I was falling in love with you.” She smiled at him.
“I knew almost the first moment we met that you were special, and I was determined to see where it went. I was hoping for this, but you just never know.” Jack’s eyes narrowed.
“Me, too. Remember the boat ride and the night we got caught in the downpour?”
Jack tipped his head. “Yes, that was the night for sure that I knew I wouldn’t let you go without a fight. I hope tonight goes the way you and Vicky want it to, but remember one thing for me, okay?” Jack pulled her arms off his back and held her hands in his.
Annie pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and waited.
“You and Ashton are the most important people in my life, and always will be. Men see friendships a bit differently than women. I am more invested in the friendships we make as a couple, than hanging out with my old college buddies and drinking ourselves under the table. But, I get it, you, Vicky, Cassie, and Jessica had a bond that was important to you. And I bet you’ll find they haven’t forgotten you so much, as it’s just been about life getting in the way. They probably are working long hours. We know they have children, and then, you know, we husbands do need a lot of attention, too.” He winked at her.
Annie melted into Jack’s arms. A few tears escaped her lids, and she quickly wiped them away. She pushed back slightly, and stared into his big eyes. “I love you. I can’t say it enough. You know me so well. It’s true, I have these expectations, and partly it’s because I don’t want to let go of that part of my life, but at the same time, I love my new life, and well, I guess I want it all,” she said in total adoration.
Jack pushed her hair back away from her face and left his hand on her cheek. She moved her hand up and cupped his hand. “I know, that’s exactly my point. And maybe this will be the night that Cassie and Jessica will come back into your life on a more regular basis. If you all want this, you have to make it happen.” He leaned in and kissed her hand, then moved to her mouth. Annie relaxed her shoulders, dropping her gaze. Jack lifted her chin with his finger. “Now, go finish getting ready. They’ll be arriving soon. I’ll start getting the food out.”
Annie headed toward the bathroom to freshen up. While in there, she heard Vicky and Scott arrive. She stood tall while she brushed her hair, smiling as she did.
Annie bounced down the hall in her baby blue sundress and white sandals. “Vicky, Scott, Jasmine,” she said, leaning down and kissing Jasmine on the cheek.
“It’s party time,” Vicky bellowed.
“I hear cars coming,” Annie said, her eyes widening to the size of saucers.
“It’s going to be okay. These are your friends who you’ve known forever. Take a deep breath,” Jack said with both hands squarely on her shoulders as he looked deeply into her eyes.
Annie nodded. Then they heard car doors shut and soon a knock on the door. Annie rushed to the front door and opened it wide. There stood Cassie, Ryan, and their five-year-old daughter Katy. Annie warmly smiled at the group and then held out her arms. Cassie ran into them, and after a few happy tears, Jessica, Tom, and their now four-year-old son Reece also showed up.
Once all the hugs and handshakes were shared, the group headed outside. The men took the kids and walked down to the dock to give the ladies a little bit of alone time. Who said men didn’t have feelings?
“Vicky made the sangria. Isn’t it delicious?” Annie said, topping off Cassie’s and Jessica’s glasses.
When the men returned, they found the women a bit giddy, laughing and hugging, and they even witnessed a few tears. They weren’t about to get in the middle of that.
Before Annie realized it, Jack and Scott had grilled the pre-cooked ribs, brought out all the sides, and everyone was digging into the delicious food.
The group watched from lawn chairs as Jack built a huge fire. Light from the full moon shone brightly, and along with the brilliant flames reaching up as if to shake hands with the moon, the area remained well lit.
Jack didn’t really know Cassie’s or Jessica’s husbands, but men did what men did best, and they talked about sports, boats, race cars, and when talk of conflict came up, Scott had a few war stories to share. It brought the reality home for Jack about what Danny had been through.
Jack leaned back in his chair and listened on. He smiled when heard the girls professing their love for each other and promised never to let this much time pass between getting together again.
“I’m so sorry, Annie, if we hurt your feelings. It’s so hard trying to make time for a bubble bath, let alone getting together with friends. I haven’t had a pedicure in four weeks because I can’t make the time for myself,” Cassie said, looking down at the chipped paint on her toes.
“I hear you, Cassie. By the time I get off of work and pick up Reece from daycare, it’s all I can do to fix dinner before dropping into bed.” She pulled her bottom lip out and pouted.
“We all lead extremely busy lives, I know that. And now that Vicky lives so close, we’ve been able to hang out more, but we just want to see you guys more often,” Annie said with half-closed lids. “Can we make a pact right here and now?”
Cassie reached her hand to Vicky. Vicky reached her hand to Jessica, and Annie closed the circle by taking Jessica’s and Cassie’s hands. “Remember when we pinky swore that we’d be in each other’s weddings?”
All the ladies nodded and some made sounds agreeing that they remembered.
“Let’s pinky swear we’ll do our best to see each other at least every three months.”
“I think that’s doable,” Vicky said, encouraging the group to accept these terms.
Scott leaned over and tapped Jack on the arm. “So, I think this is where the group hug will come in and the waterworks will start.”
Jack sighed. “You gotta love these women, right?”
“Okay, so it is September already. Let’s plan on seeing each other during Christmas.” Annie raised her hand in opposition to any static regarding the holiday chaos. “I know it’s a busy time of year, but we can meet anywhere—downtown at a restaurant, coffee shop, a movie, anything.”
“Wait! We’ll get to see each other next month for Mary’s wedding,” Vicky interjected.
“That’s right. You all are coming, aren’t you?” Annie looked at Cassie then at Jessica.
“Yes, we RSVP’d Mary. Didn’t she tell you?” Cassie said.
Annie shook her head. “See? Even family can get too busy and forget to share some very important details to the person who is helping with her wedding.” Annie scowled.
Everyone laughed.
“Now, come here, y’a
ll.” Annie held out her arms, and everyone joined in a big hug.
Scott looked over at Jack and smirked. Then the women started hugging each other individually and crying, or more like sobbing. Scott winked at Jack. He then palm slapped his chest. “Do I know these women or what?”
“Major Scott Collins,” Jack said in a deep voice.
Scott perked up and raised his chin and then saluted. “Reporting for wife comforting duty.” The two men laughed and then Tom and Ryan raised their bottles, and Scott and Jack followed suit.
Jasmine and Ashton bounced on their daddy’s knees as they laughed along. They had no clue how entertaining or funny they were, but all was good at Sweet Magnolia. Jasmine leaned over and hugged Ashton.
Annie caught a glimpse of the male bonding that was happening on the other side of the firepit, and just as she was turning back to the women, she saw Jasmine hug Ashton. “Look, Vicky,” Annie said, tugging at her arm.
“I hope they grow up to be best friends and always find time for one another,” Vicky said, slurring her words some.
Annie figured the wine talked for them all that night, but she didn’t care. She was happy that their rekindling of friendship finally happened and it brought her so much joy.
Annie watched as the last set of taillights drove out of view. She wrapped her arms around Jack and waited for his kiss.
“I hope everyone gets home safely,” she said, snuggling into his neck.
“Both Ryan and Tom had stopped drinking,” Jack said, leading her into the house.
“You were monitoring their drinking?” Annie said.
“Yep, Scott and I. We’re responsible like that,” he said, grinning.
They pushed open the door to Ashton’s bedroom and peeked in. With their arms wrapped around each other, they stared at him, watching as his chest rose and fell. Satisfied, they tiptoed out of Ashton’s room and pulled the door closed.
Jack grabbed her hands in his and leaned in for a kiss. “We all talked about it before you women got wasted.”
“Wasted! We were not,” Annie put her hands on her hips. “A little tipsy, perhaps, but more like relaxed,” she said, tipping her forehead to Jack.
Jack pulled her in close and studied her face. “We just knew that this would be a very emotional night and we wanted to be available to you, if you needed us.” He rocked her back and forth in his arms.
“Uh huh, emotionally available,” Annie repeated.
“Absolutely.” He let out a low belly laugh, unable to contain the bantering or game playing any longer.
Annie leaned in and kissed his warm mouth. When he felt her start to pull away, he held her in place and kissed her passionately. She parted her lips and welcomed him in. He ran his hand up the back of her neck and pushed his fingers through her hair. She moaned softly. She reached for his arms and ran her hands up his bulging muscles, then cupping his face, she leaned into him hard. He suddenly broke loose and grabbed her by the hand, leading them toward their bedroom. Once inside, he gently laid her down on their king-size bed. She pulled her bottom lip in and gazed lovingly at her husband as he pulled his tee shirt over his head, revealing his chiseled chest. She scooted up toward the middle of the bed and opened her arms for him, her heart pounding a mile a minute. “I love you, Jack,” she said, pulling him in. He trailed kisses up and down her neck before finding her mouth. But just before he kissed her, he lovingly studied her face. “You make me so happy. I love you, Annie Powell.” Then he took hungry possession of her mouth with deep sweeping strokes of his tongue. She cradled his head in her hands and deepened the kiss.
Chapter 16
Mary met with Annie four more times during a ten-day stretch to go over last-minute details. Talk about a bridezilla.
“You confirmed the delivery of the flowers, right, Mary?”
Mary read the list of checked items on her phone. “Yup.”
“Okay, and we, of course, got the limo. Robert and Milly were super cool about lending a car to us.”
“And Diane was so thoughtful about hooking us up with this cute beach bungalow on Folly Beach for three nights.”
“Okay, let’s talk about Crystal and Ashton.”
Mary tightened her lips and nodded. “I see Crystal pulling a flowered covered wagon with Ashton sitting inside. He’ll carry the ring on a pillow. Crystal will toss petals the best she can, but her role will be to make sure the wagon makes its way to us and that Ashton doesn’t fall out.”
“I think the ring should be in a box. I can just see Ashton now … he’ll either lose the ring or throw it out on purpose.” Annie twisted her mouth like a pretzel as she played out either of these scenarios in her head.
“Okay, can Jack make us a small box at his shop?” Mary quirked a brow and tilted her head.
“I’ll ask, but it shouldn’t be a problem,” Annie said, jotting down notes. “Now, for sure, Danny’s parents are going to be there, right?”
Mary shrugged. “As far as I know. They haven’t RSVP’d yet, but Danny insists they are coming.”
“What’s their deal, anyway? They’re not like Robert and Milly at all,” Annie said, pulling back her chair and curling one leg under her bottom.
“I wish Robert and Milly were his folks. I don’t know that much about them. They’ve been over to Milly’s a couple of times, but more times than not, they don’t accept their invitations.”
“Yeah, I know. Jack and I have spoken about it before. He said his aunt and uncle have always been a bit estranged from the main family. He said they always made an excuse as to why they couldn’t come to a family event. After a while, they just joked about it.”
“Well, the few times I’ve had the pleasure of their company,” Mary said in exaggeration, “I found his mom to be quite, well, how do I say it…?”
“On air?” Annie blurted.
“Uppity,” Mary concluded, echoing her sister’s sentiment.
“Preston, his dad, seems quiet,” Annie said, reaching for the pen to jot something else down.
“Yeah, he is. Susan is the one that thinks her shi—”
“Mary!” Annie said, scowling at her. “That’s not very nice.”
Mary lifted her left and then her right shoulder up and down and smirked. “Well, it’s true.”
Annie pulled her leg out from under her and stood. “Coffee?” She made her way into the kitchen.
“How about a glass of wine?”
Annie poured Mary a glass of wine and made herself a cup of coffee. “Okay, so I think we’ve ironed out all the details. Jack and I are going to show up at the church and receive the flowers and get that all situated. We’re going the day before to decorate the inside and the porch. The car is reserved to take you to Black Eyed Pea.”
“Yes, and Rebecca and I have agreed on all the food items,” Mary said, perking up now that they were talking about food.
“Betsy is making the cake,” Annie added. “Who is transporting the cake to the restaurant?”
Mary’s jaw dropped. “Oops, that’s one big detail we forgot.”
“I can ask Peter to help. He’s always up for being a good samaritan.” The last time she’d stepped foot into Sweet Indulgence, she’d felt like a stranger in her place of business.
Betsy asked Annie to meet her at the bakery. It seemed odd, but she decided it must have to do with Mary’s cake, so she went. She hung up her sweater on the coatrack and then crossed over to the counter.
“Don’t mind me, I’m just here as a customer,” Annie said, peering into the back where she saw Peter busy at work icing cupcakes.
Peter looked up when he heard Annie’s voice. “Hey there, boss. What brings you in here?” He stepped out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron.
“I’m meeting Betsy here,” Annie said, nodding. “How is everything?”
“Good. I’m just getting ready to put in the new flavor of the month. I bet you can’t guess what it is.”
“Hmm, let’s see … pumpkin something. P
umpkin cream cheese?”
Peter shook his head. “Try again.”
“Cinnamon streusel?”
“Give up?”
“I guess so,” Annie said, her eyes locked on his, waiting to hear.
“Chocolate fudge with Peppermint Pattie icing.”
“Wow, that’s an interesting combination,” Annie said. Annie turned when she heard the door open. Betsy had arrived, and Annie waved.
“Hello, Annie. Peter,” Betsy said, nodding to them both.
“Can I get you ladies a cup of coffee?”
“That would be nice, Peter.”
Annie took Betsy by the arm and lead her to a table where they both sat down. Annie set her clasped hands on the table and smiled. “What sparked this secret meeting today?” Annie kept her eyes focused on Betsy’s.
Betsy hesitated, which caused Annie to stir a bit in her chair.
“Is everything all right with Grandmother and Auntie? I know I don’t come over as much as I should be, but with Ashton, and now Mary’s wedding …” she stopped rambling and searched Betsy’s face for answers. Betsy rested her eyes on the table. “Betsy!” Annie’s breath quickened in anticipation of Betsy’s words.
“I think it’s time they both moved into the cottage at Sweet Magnolia.”
A lump lodged in her throat. Annie swallowed, hearing the gulping sound in her ears. She made a second attempt to swallow before speaking. “What’s happened? Did they do something to tick you off? Maybe I can—”
“Annie, stop. It’s nothing they did. They are getting up there in years and require more help. They’re proud so they don’t want to ask, but it’s getting harder and harder for them to get around. Charles and I have enjoyed living with them, but I think the time has come that they need family around.”
Annie nodded. She knew this day would come eventually. She’d had to know, but then again, Grandmother and Auntie were two of the strongest women she’d ever known. When she looked at them, she didn’t see aged women, or worse, feeble old women. She saw two vibrant women who defied the nature of getting older. “I see. Well, Jack built the cottage with them in mind. It was always intended for them, but they weren’t ready. They might not be ready now, but I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”