“Yes, it’s both.”
Alex inched to the side. “Both what?”
“Both exciting and nerve-racking,” Grace answered with a quick clap. “Our guests of honor are here,” she called to the group that started to congregate around them.
More than twenty family members closed in a circle around Grace, some clapping, some cheering, some looking serious. Beyond them was her team of servers hired for the event, their faces familiar, too, as they’d worked many weddings at Overlook Glen. And out from the kitchen came Alex’s staff of cooks, enlisted by him to help on the event.
“This is it,” Daniel Kilcannon announced, quieting the group with his natural, paternal authority. “Are there any last-minute instructions, Grace?”
Next to her, Alex draped his arm over Grace’s shoulders. “Go, team, go?” he joked.
She smiled and took a moment to let her gaze slide over all the faces, some growing more and more familiar and comforting. Cassie stood next to Braden, her dark eyes on fire with her secret nearly bubbling out. The tall, handsome Kilcannon men were shoulder to shoulder, some holding babies or the hand of a woman who’d had the good fortune to marry into this clan.
Braden’s firefighter brothers and his younger sister stood near him, still in the dark about the real wedding they were about to witness, but every one of those firefighters had shown their support by arranging to have the day off just because Grace and Alex needed them here. That alone stunned Grace.
John, Alex’s twin, whispered something to his mother, Katie, who laughed lightly.
“I don’t have any instructions,” Grace replied, swallowing an unexpected tightness in her throat. “Except to say thank you so much for doing this. Thank you for taking the time, getting dressed up, and showing the most…” Damn it, her voice cracked. “Amazing support.”
“That’s what families do,” Liam called out.
“Also, free booze,” Shane joked.
“It’s like a party for no reason,” little Christian said. “Just please don’t make me dance again like I did at Grandpa Daniel’s wedding.”
Everyone laughed, and Liam ruffled his son’s hair. “You might have to dance once, bud.”
“And the food better be good, Alex.” John pointed at him. “’Cause your customers have missed you.”
Grace felt Alex stiffen, then he laughed. “It’ll be good,” he said, sounding uncharacteristically humble.
A few more quips and jokes from the sidelines, then the greeter working the door came hustling in, holding up her hand, giving the signal that the VIPs were walking across the parking lot and about to enter.
“Let’s do this,” Alex called. “Spread out and have fun!”
As if on cue, the small musical quartet started playing, and the “guests” meandered around the terrace and began to laugh, talk, and seem entirely natural. Alex gave Grace one more kiss, then took his crew back to the kitchen.
Then, Grace squared her shoulders and walked to the reception area just as Scooter Hawkings and Blue entered, both of them singing at the top of their lungs.
All Grace could do was laugh, holding out her arms when Blue came to her for a hug. How could she not be joyous today? This could never have happened, even if Desmond had stayed. They’d have been paralyzed by the celebrities’ challenging requests.
Like Foothill, Grace might have dropped out of the running rather than try to scare up twenty-some strangers willing to “act” like they were at a wedding. And then to hold an actual ceremony that wouldn’t leave a dry eye in the house?
“Can I just say that your invitations were precious to the point of tears,” Blue said as she gave Grace a second hug. “There were puppies!”
“Where are my little beasts?” Scooter asked, giving another bear hug to Grace, as if they were lifelong friends.
“They’re part of a surprise,” Grace said, her gaze shifting to nearly two dozen people coming in from the lot. As she took in the faces and ages, she frowned. “All people who work for you?” Because there were at least three kids, a couple who had to be in their seventies, and a woman who looked like a carbon copy of Blue in thirty years.
“Family, mostly,” Blue said. “They all want a say in the wedding venue.”
“Opinions are like assholes,” Scooter mumbled. “Everyone’s got one. But hell, since we’re paying, we figured we’d see how they act at a shindig and make sure we’ll keep them. Right, Ma?” he called to the Blue look-alike.
The woman just angled her head and smiled. “I’m the mother of the bride, and I get to have a say. And I say…” She stopped as she entered, taking in the two-story reception area, the curved steps with a flower-wrapped railing, and the view to the vineyard beyond. “Momma likes this one.”
There was a flurry of introductions—Grace finally got to meet the famous Denise, who stayed very much in the background—and a blending of two more families.
Blue took Grace’s hand and pulled her closer for a formal introduction. “This is my father, Reverend Herman Wisniewski, so now you know why I don’t use my nearly unpronounceable last name, and my mother, Valerie, who is the epitome of a pastor’s wife, so she is obviously scandalized by my choice of husbands.”
“Not scandalized at all, Lydia,” the woman said. “Scooter treats you like the princess you are.”
Grace’s eyes widened, and Scooter hooted.
“I’m marrying a woman named Lydia Miriam Wisniewski. Isn’t that the wildest thing you ever heard?”
“Blue was her first word,” Valerie explained. “And it stuck as her nickname. The fact is the good Lord knows who you are, no matter what you call yourself.” She added a look to her future son-in-law. “He even knows you, Scooter.”
“Doubtful,” Scooter quipped.
“Knows and loves,” Blue’s father assured him.
With more laughter and chatter, questions and answers, the party made its way to the terrace, where Blue slowed her step and took Grace’s hand.
“It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed, looking at the chunky farm tables with their glorious flowers, candles, and linens. “And who are all these people having so much fun?”
It didn’t take long for the new arrivals to be swooped up and folded into the party and a festive, bright atmosphere to rise from the crowd while servers cruised the crowd with Alex’s amazing appetizers and the cocktail bar started to flow.
The moment that happened, Grace’s crew went to work, knowing exactly what had to be done. With the entire group of guests captive on the terrace, the French doors were closed and drapes drawn, the chairs were brought out from storage by a setup team, and the huge two-story reception area was transformed for the surprise wedding.
“Let’s go,” Grace said to Cassie, grabbing her by the arm to sneak her out and up to the apartment to dress, since the bridal dressing suite was open for anyone who wanted to tour it. Alex was able to take a break and snag Braden, so the two of them went to the conference room where tuxedos, and four dogs, were waiting.
Upstairs, Cassie’s hands were shaking as Grace slipped her into a white gown and tied a deep blue satin ribbon into a bow around her waist.
“She’s going to think we picked this color for her name,” Cassie said. “But all the Greeks in the audience will understand.”
“And there are plenty of Greeks out there,” Grace agreed as she reached for a tulle veil that floated like air around her dark hair.
“Just one missing,” Cassie said on a rough whisper.
At the hitch in Cassie’s throat, Grace turned to see if the other woman was crying. Not yet, but darn close.
“Oh, Cassie, I know you miss your father,” she said, reaching out to hug her. “Would you like me to go downstairs and get your mother? She should be here. She deserves this moment with you.”
“You think?” Cassie dabbed under her eyes. “It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
“You’ve kept the surprise long enough. You can’t do this—put on this veil and step in
to those shoes—and not have your mother here.” Now it was Grace’s voice that caught. “I know I’d give…anything. Anything in the world for…that.” Even if she was the wild child.
Cassie tipped her head and sighed. “Grace. You are so kind, so thoughtful. You’re like a sister. Yes. Please get my mother.”
The words nearly took her breath away. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
Grace rushed to the terrace, where no one yet had a clue regarding what was about to happen. Scooter was telling a story to a few of the Kilcannons, making them roar with laughter, and Blue was sipping a cocktail, chatting with Pru, who was gaping like she was staring at a real, live enchanted princess.
Grace spotted the tall, white-haired figure of Daniel Kilcannon and his new wife right by his side.
“Katie,” Grace whispered as she came up to her. “I need you.”
“Of course!” She excused herself and stepped aside, a question in her brown eyes. “Is everything all right?”
“Very much so. Come with me.”
Without any more explanation, she slipped Katie through the kitchen and down the hall, and of course, she saw the chairs set up, all facing the bottom of the stairs.
“What is—”
“Shh.” Grace grabbed her hand and tugged her up the stairs. “You’ll see.”
If she figured it out, she didn’t let on, staying quiet as Grace led her into her apartment. As she entered, Grace stepped back to let her go to Cassie.
“Oh my God! Cassandra Santorini, what are you doing?”
“Mommy.” Cassie waved her hands at her face as if that could stave off the tears, then the two women rushed to each other and hugged while Cassie explained.
“Honey, this is the most wonderful surprise.”
“Are you sure?” Cassie asked. “It seemed so quick and smart and cost-effective, but now I’m all nervous and excited and hoping you understand that we didn’t get to plan my wedding together.”
“I got married two weeks ago, and we planned plenty. This is perfect. You’re perfect. I love you so much, Cassie. You’re the greatest gift God could have given me.”
Grace bit her lip so hard she was surprised it didn’t bleed. What did it feel like to be loved like that?
“Mom, I miss Daddy.”
“I know, I know.” She let out a sigh. “Who’s going to walk you down the aisle?”
“The stairs, actually. I asked Alex. And Grace…where is Grace?”
“I’m here,” she said, stepping into the room. “I just wanted to give you two a little privacy.”
“Why?” Cassie said on a laugh. “You’re family now.”
She threw the words with the sweet flippancy that made Cassie who she was, without having any way of knowing what they did to Grace. They soothed like a balm and warmed like the sun and gave her a feeling of hope that transcended any envy she might have fought off in the last few minutes.
Just then, a soft bark at the door made Cassie gasp again. “That’s Jelly Bean! And the puppies.”
Sure enough, Alex was right outside with the rest of the wedding party. Alex in a tuxedo, which just wasn’t fair. “Cass told her?” he asked when he heard his mother’s voice.
“A girl needs her mother on this day,” Grace said, hating the thickness in her throat.
Alex touched her chin with a light fingertip, silent, but the sympathy and warmth in his eyes were all she needed.
“I’ll make the announcement,” Grace said. “You stay here while Katie finishes up the bride. Oh, where’s Braden?”
“He’s on the landing downstairs.”
She started to take off, but Alex snagged her arm and pulled her closer for a kiss, taking a moment to deepen the connection and make the kiss count.
She eased back, barely able to breathe from the excitement of the moment and the meaning in that kiss. “I could never have dreamed of doing this without you, Alex,” she confessed.
“Don’t dream of doing anything without me.”
She sighed and let her eyes shut. “You make me dizzy with hope.”
He laughed softly and kissed her again. “More dizziness, straight ahead, I promise.”
She stepped away, aware that Katie and Cassie were a few feet away, witnesses to the whole exchange. With a quick laugh, she headed out, stopping at the landing where Braden stood in his tuxedo, with a blue tie the same color as Cassie’s satin bow.
But the real showstoppers were the three puppies, two with ribbons, one with a bow tie, all on three bright blue leashes. Next to them, Jelly Bean stood as serious as if he really were the best man.
“I’m dying,” Gracie said on a laugh. “And about fifty people downstairs are about to as well. Nervous?”
Braden grinned, his handsome face a little pale, but his deep-blue eyes shone with…with something she’d just seen in Alex’s expression. Damn the hope that nearly swallowed her.
“I’m not nervous,” he said. “I’m about to marry the sweetest, funniest, most beautiful, good-hearted woman God ever made. I can’t believe how lucky I am.”
“All you need now is an audience.” With an impulsive kiss on the cheek, she practically flew down the stairs, did one last check of the room, and greeted the pastor, who was waiting just outside. Then she took a deep, deep breath and threw open the French doors.
As rehearsed with the quartet, the music stopped, and of course, the crowd quieted.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” she called out. “What is a wedding without, well, a wedding? I invite you all to witness the marriage of Cassandra Santorini to Braden Mahoney.”
The gasps and cheers and applause were deafening. It took a good ten or fifteen minutes for the crowd to process it all, for the families to gather into natural groups, and for the whole fifty of them to file into the room and take seats. People peppered Grace with questions, the new guests got caught up in the excitement, and Scooter and Blue kindly let the whole Kilcannon and Mahoney clan take the front rows, since it was their family marrying.
There, Daniel Kilcannon sat with an empty seat next to him after Grace told him Katie would be right down.
After a moment, Braden came down the steps to stand at the bottom under the canopy of flowers, taking the time to first greet his brothers and sister and his mother, Colleen, who sat on Daniel’s other side, holding Gramma Finnie’s hand. On the other side of Gramma, Yiayia was openly crying with happiness.
Finally, when the room grew quiet, the quartet played a sweet slow song, and Grace stepped off to the side and slipped into a chair at the end of a row where Scooter and Blue sat.
Katie came down the stairs first, holding some of Cassie’s flowers, tears in her eyes as she made the same walk she’d made a few weeks ago as a bride. When she reached the bottom, she hugged Braden long enough that most of the eyes on them were damp with tears, then she sat next to Daniel in the front row, whispering excitedly in his ear.
And then, with one loud bark announcing their arrival, Jelly Bean came to the top of the stairs, gripping three leashes tightly in his mouth. The crowd nearly lost it with more applause and laughter, which set Bitsy into a little bit of a tizzy, but Jelly Bean masterfully led the three puppies down the stairs with only a little bit of nonsense and mayhem at the end.
“That’s it,” Blue said, leaning over to Scooter, but talking just loud enough for Grace to hear. “My decision is made.”
Before Grace had a minute to hold on to that news, the quartet started the traditional “Wedding March,” eliciting a new round of oohs and awws as Cassie appeared at the top of the stairs, holding her bouquet of blue and white flowers with one hand, clinging to the strong arm of her older brother with the other.
As they came down the stairs, Alex searched the crowd, smiling at his family. But then his gaze landed on Grace, where it stayed, unwavering and certain, just like he was. An unfamiliar and precious sensation rolled over Grace as she held the eyes of Alex Santorini.
Warmth, security, optimism, connection…for
ever. She felt it all and wanted more.
Grace was only vaguely aware that a tear trickled down her cheek as Alex shook Braden’s hand and gave him a brotherly hug and then took his sister in his arms and whispered something in her ear that made her smile.
The young couple stood facing each other in front of the pastor, the room still and silent and expectant.
“Dearly beloved…”
Grace looked at the faces of a family she longed to be a part of and the one man she suspected she already loved. They were dearly beloved. As dangerous as that was, she couldn’t change it now.
Chapter Twenty-one
Before Alex opened his eyes on Monday morning, he reached for Grace, already aching to start this day the way they ended the last one…by making love.
When his hand thudded on an empty mattress, he cursed softly and opened his eyes, blinking into the morning light. Bright, late light. He rolled over and checked out the puppy crate, which was empty. No surprise, since it had been, as always, a three-puppy, two-person night sometime after two a.m.
Checking his phone for the time, he was mildly startled that it was nearly ten, hours after he ordinarily woke, but he was more interested in the message from Garrett Kilcannon.
Found a forum post about a couple from Asheville whose dog and three puppies were stolen a few weeks ago. Following up but haven’t reached them. There’s a reward, so watch for frauds. They could show at any time. Will keep you posted.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then pushed up. He’d have to tell her, but not until they celebrated their outstanding success.
The whole shindig had gone on until nearly midnight, when the last of the tour buses had rolled out, taking away a very happy Scooter and Blue and their giant entourage. Then the Irish and Greeks kicked into high gear to celebrate Braden and Cassie’s wedding, with more dancing, laughing, kissing, and congratulating the bride and groom.
The food, every stinking morsel of it, was as close to perfection as possible, and Scooter and Blue’s parting shot—which came after many actual shots—was a request that Alex chuck it all and move to Nashville to be their private chef. And the Three Dog Night wine was everyone’s favorite, with glasses raised for an hour of toasts that slid pretty quickly into roasts.
Three Dog Night (The Dogmothers Book 2) Page 22