Now in front of the five remaining women, she stood frozen. It was if she couldn’t remember her instructions or words or anything. She forced herself to be calm, reciting the Huey’s takeoff checklist in her head. She was tempted to do it, again and again, but pushed the compulsion away. Determined not to choke, she swallowed hard, and taking Pam’s example, drew in several deep breaths. Finding her voice, she said, carefully and not to any one of them in particular, “I fell in love with you the day you walked in. I didn’t understand it, want it, and goodness knows, I was sure you never would either.”
She wanted to rub her face; the makeup was irritating her, the bright lights in her face distracting; even the people watching her were making her feel as shy as if she were back in high school. She chanced a look to Pam and got a comforting nod. “I don’t know what it is about you. I feel you challenge me, you have made me work harder, think more, and believe more than I ever imagined possible.”
Ally couldn’t think of any better words. Maybe she should have written this out or practiced it, but all anxiety fell away the moment she got down on one knee. She still couldn’t bring herself to look at her, so she closed her eyes to see her face. “I have never wanted anything in my life as much as I want to spend it with you.” She opened her eyes and held out the ring. “Will you marry me… Erin?”
While Bobby Ann grinned up a storm, Teresa and Karen exchanged looks. Erin, still standing beside the angry Denise, stood riveted.
Understanding her disbelief, Ally looked to her, adding, “Erin, you are the woman I want to spend my life with.”
Finally seeming to understand it was her, she was the woman Ally wanted and had asked for, Erin moved toward Ally as if afraid Connie was about to call CUT. Those last few feet an eternity of miles until their tear-stained eyes connected. Still looking unsure, as if she had heard wrong, Erin stopped, almost formally, before her. When no objections rang out, Erin’s hands moved to sit carefully along her collar. She stood, looking, silently asking. With the evidence of Ally’s words written on her face, she threw her arms around her neck and held on. They stood there for the longest time, their joint snuffles the only sound to be heard.
Unable to take that as answer enough, Ally had to ask, “Does that mean yes?”
Erin answered without hesitation, the tears falling unabashedly, “Yes, Ally. That means yes!”
Bobby Ann, standing directly behind them prompted joyously, “Put the ring on, come on you two!”
There was fussing and crying and finally the ring was on, but Erin had no intention of wasting time showing it off. Back in Ally’s arms, she kept repeating “Yes…yes…yes…yes.” They didn’t kiss long, both of them so stuffed up from tears they could hardly breathe.
Bobby Ann, clearly overjoyed too, couldn’t help herself and stepped up, wrapping her arms around the two. Once she left her mark, Pam and Charlotte did too. Even Tommy rushed in to join the group hug.
Connie, beyond happy for them, had her hand clamped over her mouth, afraid she’d do something stupid like call CUT when she wanted to record every second of an ending she could not have scripted or predicted in a million years. She knew she should pull Tommy out to finish his dialogue and start the post interviews but why ruin the moment? Her sister had found a woman she wanted to marry and Ally, Ally was deeply in love and had done what she worried she would never have the confidence to do.
Beside Connie, Jarvis set a hand on her shoulder. “You have done what even Mister Parker worried would never happen. Bravo Miss Connie, or should I say, brava?”
She smiled at him and took his hand. “What the hell,” she said, dragging him forward, and the two of them offered their heartfelt congratulations. Even she couldn’t control the tears. It would take hours to get everything and everyone back on course to finish the rest of the shoot.
So, what, she decided. I can clean the rest up in post.
Epilogue
Allyson all but tripped trying to get all the luggage in the door. “Good God, Pam! How much stuff did you bring?”
“Oh, those are just Charlotte’s. Don’t give me that look! She has to see what my bridesmaid dress looks like before she can decide what to wear.”
KC and Bobby Ann, cuddling on the couch, offered to help. “Come on babe,” KC said. “Let’s get all this stuff in the guest room.”
While they began moving bag after bag, Ally had to ask, more than a little frustrated, “Looks like you brought everything but the kitchen sink—except you seem to have forgotten my bride?”
Pam laughed, heading straight for the bar and pouring herself a glass from the wine Ally had just opened. “Settle down. With all this luggage, we had to take two cabs. She and Charlotte are right behind me.”
“Ignore her,” KC offered, stopping between trips to the guest room. “She’s been like this all day.”
“Yep,” Bobby Ann said, adding, “we’ve been threatening to lock her out on the roof and let the snow cool her mood.”
Pam just smiled. “Oh you lovesick fool. Well, worry no more. Your bride will arrive momentarily and,” she paused to sip her wine, “wow, this is good.”
“Pam!”
“That’s it!” KC said. “Come on Pammy, grab an arm. Someone needs a little snow time.”
A knock on the door stopped all plans to dump Ally in the two feet of powder that had been building over the last few days. Winter was making its presence known with steady squalls bringing down tons of the white stuff.
Tripping over the last bag, Ally found herself falling this time. She looked up from the floor to see Erin’s curious expression and Charlotte stepping over her as if this was all normal.
Erin bent down to help her up and managed to slip on the wet floor and toppled down on top of her.
Ally pulled her tight, deciding then and there that she had no interest in letting go.
“Oh boy, here they go,” KC said, walking with Bobby’s hand in hers as they returned to the couch.
Pam offered her wineglass to Charlotte. “Here, my love. You must be parched from the drive.”
“I’ve never seen so much snow!”
“I have,” Erin said as she found her way back on her feet, then helped the red-faced Ally up too. “It reminds me of home,” she added, wrapping her arm around her neck and pulling her close for a long overdue kiss.
Ally was finally able to ask, “Is that a good thing?”
“It’s a perfect thing, my beautiful and maybe nervous bride.”
Ally smiled. “Between the snow and KC’s constant razzing, I wasn’t sure you’d make it.”
“That bad, huh?”
“KC and Bobby Ann just threatened to lock me out on the roof!” she whined, but with a grin.
“Forget them, honey. They can tease all day, but I’m here. You can count on me. Always.”
Bella Books, Inc.
Women. Books. Even Better Together.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
Phone: 800-729-4992
www.bellabooks.com
Queen of Hearts Page 26