“Girls, every time I come here, it looks more beautiful,” Glenda complimented as she looked around the store. “Lydia sure has an eye for location, doesn’t she?”
“It’s her calling,” Pearl agreed.
“And the smells from the event center are fantastic.”
Gia laughed. “Susan has been over there all day cooking. Dinner will be wonderful. I sent back cases of wine from Lucca when Dane and I were there. I took a few bottles over for later.”
Glenda’s cheeks rose as she smiled. “I can’t wait. So, my dress.”
Gia nodded. “I brought it over to steam. It is in the back.”
Glenda followed Gia leaving Chelsea and Lucas alone with Russell’s cousin, Pearl.
“So you need something for tonight, too?” Pearl asked.
“I’ve been told. I've never had a Christmas dinner that’s this fancy. I’m a bit out of sorts.”
Pearl’s eyes were wide, and a smile grew wide on her lips. Chelsea noticed that Gia and Glenda had come from the back, a dress draped over Gia’s arm. A moment later Bethany, Russell’s other cousin, burst through the door with an enormous box, and her eyes matched those of everyone else.
“Why is everyone just standing here?” Bethany asked. “We have things to do.”
They all shifted their eyes back to Chelsea, who could only stare at the antics going on around her. “What do we have to do?”
Bethany set the box down on the table, and they all walked toward her. When she took the lid off, she revealed an entire box of beautiful flowers.
“Chelsea, do you want pink or red roses?”
Chelsea batted her eyes. “I’m sorry. Roses?”
Bethany dropped her shoulders and looked at the others. “Seriously? You all waited for me to tell her?”
Pearl laughed. “We just figured you’d be the first one to crack.”
Bethany shook her head and laughed as well. “I’m just too freaking excited.”
Chelsea boosted Lucas on her hip and looked at all of them. “Is this some new Walker Christmas tradition? I’m lost.”
Bethany exchanged looks with everyone else and then threw her arms up. “Fine. I’ll tell her. Why didn’t he do this?” She looked at Glenda.
“Just tell her.”
Bethany put her hands on her hips. “Chelsea, we’re here to throw you a wedding.”
Her hand came directly to Lucas’s back as if to protect him because she’d suddenly gone shaky.
“I beg your pardon?”
Pearl put her arm around her and guided her to the sitting area where brides would try on dresses. Waiting there was a tray of champagne and strawberries dipped in chocolate.
“We all started receiving texts at one this morning. Russell said he proposed and wanted to give you a Christmas wedding.”
“It’s not possible. I told him that.”
Pearl nodded. “It’s not possible for most people, but he has family in the business. So he’s arranged for you to pick a dress with me. Bethany is putting together your bouquet. Audrey will be here in a bit to do your hair and makeup. Susan is cooking us an enormous celebration meal, and Lydia is an officiant.”
“She is?”
“Yes. It made sense since she owns different event venues. It's amazing what you can do on the internet.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll marry me,” Russell’s voice came from behind them and she turned to see him there with his father and his brothers already in tuxedos.
She moved to him, setting Lucas down on the ground, she wrapped her arms around Russell tightly. “Russ, this is crazy,” she said laughing through her tears.
“Yep. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “I couldn’t get your parents and sister here, though. But they send their love. Your father even gave me his blessing.” The tears streamed down her face, and he wiped them away. “Is that okay?” he asked.
"I love you.”
“I love you, too. Tomorrow when we come to town, we’ll get that license and file it. Then we’ll start on adoption.”
She bent down to hold him. When she was little, she’d dreamed of being a fairy princess, and her prince would sweep her off her feet. How many other girls had their dreams come true like this, she wondered?
“Come here.” Russell held his arms out to Lucas as Chelsea stepped back. “You’re coming with the boys,” he said lifting him on his lap. “This is my best man. We have to get him dressed. I’ll see you in an hour.”
She only nodded, because words wouldn’t form correctly to tell him how surprised and blessed she was. They’d have time for that.
~*~
Pearl had been thinking of the perfect dress since she’d been awakened at one in the morning by Russell’s text, she told Chelsea. A new sample had arrived the week earlier, and she knew it would be the perfect wedding dress for her.
It was form fitted, off the shoulder, and white satin. Elegant without being over fancy.
Chelsea fell in love with it right away. “I never thought I’d look this good on my wedding day. I kinda thought we’d end up at the courthouse.” She laughed. “And that would have been fine too,” she sighed as she looked in the mirror.
“Russell would never leave it for the courthouse. Although, why he didn’t want to wait until he was on two feet, I’ll never understand.”
Glenda raised her glass of champagne. “He said it’s about the commitment. He doesn’t want another day to go by without Chelsea as his wife.”
Gia held her hand to her chest. “That is precious.”
Glenda took a long drink of her champagne. “My boys are finally getting married. I was worried. Eric wasn’t getting any younger when Susan finally came along. Now Gia and Dane are getting married. And Russell is marrying Chelsea, just as he always should have.”
Chelsea smiled and swallowed hard. She wanted to take it badly that Glenda had said, just as he always should have, but even she’d said that too.
Bethany sat in the other room fixing up a perfect bouquet and Audrey, Pearl’s sister—another one of Russell’s cousins—had come by to put up Chelsea’s hair and do her makeup.
Chelsea laughed as Audrey sprayed her hair in place. “I was serious when I told him this was totally impractical. I would never have dreamed he’d throw me a wedding for Christmas.”
Audrey rested her hand on Chelsea’s shoulder. “Don’t be upset when he doesn’t live up to it every year. Just keep this one close to your heart. You know how men are.”
They all had a good laugh at that as they continued to ready the bride-to-be for her walk down the aisle.
~*~
Russell sat by the door waiting for word that Chelsea was ready. His father had gone next door to check on them, and he took Lucas with him so that Chelsea could see him in his little tuxedo.
“I thought I lived life in the fast lane,” Jake gave him a gentle slap on the shoulder and took the seat next to him. “When I came to visit you in the hospital, it didn’t seem as though you two were hitting it off.”
“We have a history. It just all came back.”
“Yeah, and isn’t she still in some trouble? Word around town is she had that truck that ran you off the road. Smythe could arrest her for that.”
Russell clenched his jaw. “It was in her possession and was stolen from her. She’s been in touch with Phillip Smythe the whole time. We’re good here.”
Jake nodded. “You’re cool with the kid too?”
Russell clenched his fist to his side. “Best thing to happen to me. Him and Chelsea that is. So yeah, I’m cool with it.”
Jake chuckled as he stood. “You’re a good man.”
As he walked away, Russell wondered how many others felt the same way. Seriously, was this such a big deal? He loved her years ago, and for the three years they weren’t together, he still loved her. Now was his chance to capture that and not waste any more time.
Did it matter wh
at his cousin thought? The man was used to just having women fall at his feet. What would happen if the great, fast, Jake Walker ever got caught? Oh, Russell would bring up this conversation, he thought. Yes. He’d question his thoughts when the man decided to get married.
The thought made him chuckle to himself. They’d always been a little competitive. Russell had the fire inside him just like Jake. Russell used his to fight, and Jake used his to race.
Only now, Russell was going to have to think about things a little differently. He had a son to raise and to mold. And that hit him. What kind of influence could he possibly have on a young mind?
Gerald walked toward him carrying the crutches he’d had in storage. “Are you sure about this?” he asked as he handed them to Russell. “You haven’t done this.”
“I’m not going to look up at her while I marry her. I’m going to stand like a man for the fifteen minutes I need to stand up.”
“Well, you’d better be ready, because she’s ready.”
Russell’s heart began to hammer in his chest. This was it. The day he’d waited years for. He’d done it. He’d managed to put a wedding together on Christmas Day.
Chapter Twenty-One
The lights of the hall were dimmed, and sparkling white lights illuminated the altar where Lydia stood, and Russell waited. Chelsea stood at the back of the center, ready to walk toward him with his entire family looking on. His brothers, their wives, and fiancées watched. His cousins and their spouses. Even his uncle had come to witness the wedding, and Chelsea had heard that he’d had to think about even walking his own daughter Bethany down the aisle, which was some of the reason Pearl eloped.
In the corner, she saw Audrey with a cell phone faced toward her, and she knew at that moment, even her parents were in attendance via Face-Time.
Could she have fallen in love with a better man? She should never have left him in the first place, but that was water under the bridge as he’d said. This was a new beginning, and her forever.
Glenda sat in the front row of white chairs with Lucas on her lap. It looked as though he’d fallen asleep, and the thought made Chelsea giggle to herself. He was comfortable with his new family. That’s all she could ever hope for.
She gave Lydia the nod, and Lydia then cued someone to start the music. Chelsea made her way toward the man she loved, who sat in his wheelchair only a few feet away. And once she reached him, she’d get her happily ever after.
His family stood as she passed them, and made her way to the altar.
Russell didn’t say anything. He only looked at her. He then turned to Gerald, who moved between them. Ben held on to the chair, and Gerald helped Russell up on his good leg, and secure the crutches under his arms.
“What are you doing?” Chelsea whispered as Gerald moved away and she saw him standing there.
“I wasn’t going to sit down for this. Lydia has a time frame,” he joked and winked at Lydia, who nodded.
“Are you sure?”
“Yep. Today I’m out to prove I can do anything when it comes to you.”
She’d promised herself she wouldn’t cry, but it was bound to happen. From the corner of her eye, she saw Everett move toward her, and he handed her a handkerchief, then kissed her on the cheek.
Once her tears had been wiped, she took Russell’s hand, which she noticed had been taken out of the sling, and turned to face Lydia.
Lydia could have been speaking Chinese. Russell didn’t understand a word she was saying. All he could focus on was the beautiful woman to his side—his wife—his lover—the mother to his son.
He felt his heart rate kick up, and he willed it to slow. If he showed any signs of weakness she’d push him back into that chair, and at this moment in his life, he didn’t want that.
As it was, he couldn’t even take his new bride home and make love to her. But when he could, he would. It would be a night they’d never forget.
Lydia finally got to the part of the ceremony where they could exchange vows. Chelsea’s eyes grew wide. “I don’t have anything,” she whispered to Lydia.
“Speak from your heart. That’s all.”
Chelsea took a deep breath and raised her eyes to Russell’s. “It was Christmas when we fell in love the first time. It only seems appropriate that we’re standing here now taking these vows and starting our own life—our own family. I will cherish you forever, Russell Walker. You’re my soulmate, and fate must have known that.”
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“Chelsea, I wanted to marry you today, not only because you said you would,” he said smiling. “But to show you that I could make miracles happen for you. You’re right. Fate brought us together again, and I never want another sunrise to happen without you by my side. I love you and Lucas. And I promise to be the best, most attentive husband and father I can be.”
Lydia wiped a tear from her cheek and then looked at them both.
“Do you, Chelsea Quinn, take Russell Walker to be your husband?”
“I do,” she replied, nearly before Lydia had finished.
“Do you, Russell Walker, take Chelsea Quinn to be your wife?”
“Oh, yes I do.”
The glimmer in her eyes said she was happy, and he was happy. Nothing could ruin this union now—nothing.
“Russell, the ring.”
Now her eyes went sad. “Russ, I don’t have a ring.”
“Shhh, we can discuss that later.” He pulled a ring from his pocket and held it at her finger.
“With this ring, I thee wed,” he said, repeating after Lydia and he slid the ring on her finger.
“You got me a ring.” Chelsea stared down at it.
“I got it when I got you the necklace. I knew what I wanted.”
Lydia began again. “By the powers vested in me by the state of Georgia, I now pronounce you husband and wife you may…”
He never heard the rest. He pulled Chelsea close to him. “Hold on to me,” he warned and handed the crutches to Gerald.
“I’ll never—ever let you go,” she promised as he covered her mouth in a kiss that filled his very soul and gave him a purpose for his life, which he had thought he might have lost along the way.
~*~
Russell wrapped his arm around his new bride as they lay in their bed with their son asleep in his bed, his new bear tucked up under his arm.
Every moment of this Christmas had been nearly perfect he thought as he brushed a strand of her blonde hair from her face while she slept.
The only times he wasn’t full of only joy, were when he’d received the text from Phillip about Dominic’s mother, and when Jake had questioned him about Chelsea having had the truck that ran him off the road.
At this point, it could all go away, and he’d be happy. He’d be walking again soon, and Chelsea would now live in the house with him until he made plans to build their house. They could even start adding to their family now. Someone set out to hurt them, but no one would ever touch them again. He knew that in his gut. No Walker would allow someone to get to them. And Phillip Smythe would have their back, too.
The next morning, Chelsea was on the phone bright and early. She was checking in with the nurses overseeing her training and giving them updates that should corroborate those that Karen and Esther had given. There would be a supervising nurse at his doctor appointment today too, just so they could talk to Chelsea, the doctor, and Russell. If he had his way, he’d tell them all she was overqualified, but he figured he’d better just prove to them that he was healing from his surgery, and was ready to move forward with recovery.
“Your mom is going to hold on to Lucas while we go to your appointment. They want us there a little bit early, and I’m sorry, but that’s for my benefit, not yours. It has to do with the schooling,” she began to inform him as she packed up a bag of items they might need for their trip into town. “I need your driver’s license for the marriage license. Where is that?”
Russell stared at her for
a moment. “I guess it’s with the stuff I had on me at the accident.”
Chelsea turned and dropped her shoulders. “You haven’t seen it since then?”
“Didn’t need it. When we went to buy your necklace, I used my credit at the store.”
“You have credit at a jewelry store?”
“I bought a really nice watch a few years ago. No big deal.”
“Uh-huh,” she groaned.
“I’d ask my mother. She would have probably taken my personal things home with her.”
She rubbed her tired eyes and tucked the two loose strands of hair, which had fallen from her ponytail, behind her ears.
“If we can’t find it, we can’t get the license.”
Russell laughed. “Fine. Then we don’t get that today. In my mind, I’m not married to you any less.”
“I know. I know.” She moved to him and kissed him softly. “I just keep thinking that if you’re doing well enough, I’ll have to go back to my training. I don’t have much time before my boards, but it would mean having to go back.”
“I can be unwell if you want me to be.”
“No. I don’t want that either.”
“Chels, I’d sit outside every day if I had to. Honey, nothing is going to happen to you or Lucas. I think this is over for us now.”
“I don’t know. Phillip was acting very strange last night, and he said he wanted to see us when we were in town today.”
Russell bit back the curse. “I didn’t want you to deal with that yesterday,” he said, and she turned quickly to face him.
“Deal with what?”
“Dominic’s mom was picked up in Athens on a DUI. And she said she’d been coming from Macon.”
Her face went pale, and she sat down on the edge of the bed. “She’s been in town. I didn’t know her well. I’d only seen her a few times, but I know I saw her.”
“You didn’t mention that.”
“I didn’t think about it. I thought I was being paranoid.” She rubbed her forehead as if to ward off the stress. “It didn’t look like her, well, not the way I’d remembered her. Besides, it was before all this happened.”
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