Page 37 of Only in Our Dream (Moonflower Cove #15)

Cameron

M arriage was never something Cameron had expected to happen to her.

She’d been contently single for almost fifty years so she’d assumed she’d spend the rest of her life that way.

But everything changed when she and Melanie started dating.

Suddenly Cameron was thinking of wedding dresses and writing vows for their summer wedding.

They’d planned a ceremony at Lake Monroe for later in the day and Cameron could barely contain her excitement.

Having never planned a wedding before, Cameron had no idea what to expect.

But the process has gone so smoothly as she and Melanie agreed on almost everything about the ceremony.

Location, food, and guests were all easy to sort out.

The wedding cake, however, had been an hours long debate at Carlson’s Bakery until Monica Carlson finally told them to do each tier of the three-tiered cake with a different flavor so they didn’t have to pick.

It was a solid idea and Cameron couldn’t wait to try the cake later.

Their reception was going to be at the country club’s clubhouse.

The venue had a dance floor and a dining area big enough for all their guests.

Cameron wondered how the oncology and labor and delivery departments were handling being short staffed, but at least it was a Saturday afternoon.

Hopefully the hospital would still be able to manage.

“Did Vera mention if L and D was going to be short staffed today?” Cameron asked Isla as she stood behind her, fixing Cameron’s hair. “I’ve been worried about it.”

“Don’t.” Isla glared at her in the mirror. “That department is fine, and this is your wedding day so for the love of God don’t think about work today. Just enjoy the fact that in a few hours you’ll be married to Melanie.”

“Do you think she’s as nervous as I am?”

“Probably,” Isla laughed. “I would be too if I was up until two a.m. drinking and singing ABBA songs at the bar the night before my wedding. You do have your vows written down, don’t you?”

“Ha ha. Very funny.” Cameron stuck her tongue out at Isla. “But yes. I have them written down.”

“Good girl.”

Cameron thought back to the night before.

They’d wanted to have their closest friends over for a bachelorette type event, but didn’t want to have it at their house.

Isla had offered the bar, closing it early at ten p.m. so they could have the rest of the night to party.

And party they did. It had taken four Tylenol and a pot of coffee for Cameron to finally start to feel like herself.

“Sometimes I forget I’m not twenty anymore.”

Isla chuckled as she curled a strand of Cameron’s hair. “I hear that. I’m honestly surprised any of us are standing upright.”

“Just remember to keep me from falling during the ceremony.”

“No promises.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“I do, however, promise not to lose the ring.”

“Thank you.”

Since they’d tried to keep the wedding small, Cameron and Melanie only had Isla and Vera as their matrons of honor.

Jonah and Dylan would stand alongside them as well, but that was it.

They’d also tried to keep the guest list small, which had quickly snowballed into a bigger event than they had planned.

But in the end, Cameron knew it would be more than worth it to be surrounded by all their friends and family for their special day.

Wilma Dean had flown in from Tennessee to walk Cameron down the aisle.

It was something Cameron never thought she’d get to experience but the mere thought of having her mom walk her down the aisle meant more to Cameron than she could express.

She and Dylan had gone out for a manicure and pedicure date at the nail salon before they headed over to the Mackenzies to join them.

They were currently getting ready down the hall.

Over in the garage apartment, Vera and Mason were helping Melanie get ready. Cameron couldn’t wait to see her in her wedding attire. All she knew was Melanie didn’t pick out a dress. The suspense was killing Cameron.

Cameron had picked out a simple form-fitting satin wedding dress with a deep neckline she knew her mother would comment on. The dress had a large slit in the side almost up to her hip, making her undergarment decisions for the day rather interesting.

“Okay,” Isla fluffed Cameron’s hair slightly, “what do you think?”

Studying herself in the mirror, Cameron loved the way Isla had made her curls look fun and casual.

Cameron didn’t want a fancy hairdo; it was why she didn’t bother with a professional to do her hair.

She wanted her wedding day to be as comfortable as it was meaningful and was thankful Melanie felt the same way.

“It’s beautiful, Isla. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Squeezing Cameron’s shoulder, Isla smiled at her in the mirror. “You’re going to make a beautiful bride.”

“I can’t believe I’m actually getting married for the first time at fifty-one.”

“Love doesn’t know an age.”

“Says the woman who’s gotten to spend most of her life loving Vera.”

“And now you’ll get to spend the rest of yours loving Melanie.” Isla smirked. “And besides, it’s not like you haven’t been insanely in love with Melanie for like ever.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Waving her off, Cameron stood and walked over to the wedding dress hanging on the bathroom door. “Help me get into my dress, will ya?”

As Cameron slipped off the robe she had been wearing, neither of them cared that all Cameron had on was a thong. Cameron held up her boobs that weren’t as perky as they once were thanks to age and babies.

“Do you really think the tape is going to help these?”

“If it worked for me, it’ll work for you.”

Picking up the tape off the bathroom counter, Isla got to work. She looked more focused than Cameron could recall her looking as she carefully tapped her boobs into position. It felt awkward at first, but Cameron hoped once she had the dress on it would feel better.

“What do you think?”

“I haven’t seen them this high since before Jonah.”

Isla rolled her eyes as she took the dress off the hanger. She carefully helped Cameron into it and zipped the back of the dress. Cameron was overwhelmed at the look of herself in the full-length mirror in the bedroom.

“Whoa.”

“Mel isn’t going to know what hit her.”

“You did great with my boobs.”

“Maybe don’t say that to Mel,” Isla laughed.

She was already in her dress for the wedding. It was a lighter purple color with a V-neck, simple straps, and a slit down the side starting at her thigh. Vera had the same style as did Dylan. Jonah’s tie matched the color of the dresses to tie them all together.

“You look beautiful, Cam.”

“Thanks, Isla.” Hugging her friend, Cameron tried not to cry. Isla had already done her makeup for her so the last thing she wanted was to mess it up. “I can’t believe I’m getting married today.”

Dylan knocked on the door as she opened it. She was already dressed for the ceremony with her makeup on and hair done. Her smile was wide as her eyes met Cameron’s.

“Mom, you look amazing. ” Dylan made a beeline for Cameron and hugged her.

“So do you, sweetheart.”

“I just saw Mama, and she looks stunning . You’re gonna die. Not literally. But wow. You’re not ready.”

Seeing Dylan so excited made Cameron even more excited for the ceremony.

Instead of having their first look to be as they were walking down the aisle, Cameron and Melanie had arranged for a wedding photographer to take pictures before the ceremony at the Mackenzies’ house.

They wanted it to be an intimate moment they could savor instead of being in front of a crowd.

Cameron glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

It was just before one in the afternoon and the wedding was to start at three.

“Is the photographer here?”

“Yup,” Dylan nodded firmly. “Aunt Vera told me to tell you everything is ready to go.”

“Oh, my god,” Cameron put her hand to her chest. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.”

After slipping into her pair of heels, Cameron headed downstairs with Isla and Dylan behind her.

Palmer was in the kitchen with Jonah, Ellie, Brayden, and Everleigh as they finished arranging the bouquets of flowers for the ceremony.

How Palmer ever talked the boys into helping her with that task was beyond Cameron.

“Mom,” Jonah left the group to hug Cameron, “you look beautiful.”

“Thank you, honey. You look handsome.” Cameron touched his face on which he had recently decided to grow a beard.

It looked good on him, but Cameron secretly hated how it made him look older than seventeen.

The beard was another reminder that her baby boy would be off to college in the fall. She still wasn’t prepared for that.

Molly Jaymes, the photographer they had hired, came in through the backdoor to get everyone ready for the photos.

She had everything set up in the backyard and was ready to go.

Cameron and Melanie had chosen to do their reveal with a freestanding vintage door.

It stood in the yard close to the tree line with the sun beaming down upon it through the trees.

The plan was for Melanie to stand on one side and Cameron on the other until it was time for the reveal.

Cameron was set into place first before Molly went to get Melanie. She nervously tapped her foot on the ground as she waited for Melanie to arrive. Hearing voices approaching, Cameron knew she was close.

“Okay,” it was Molly, “I’m going to take a few separately, then I’ll have Melanie take a step forward from the door and have Cameron open the door, okay?”

“Okay,” she and Melanie answered in unison.

There was another photographer working with Molly, her cousin Bradley Jaymes. The two worked in sync as Cameron posed for pictures, knowing Melanie was doing the same on the other side of the door.

When Molly finally gave the cue, Cameron slowly turned around and put her hand on the doorknob. She took in a deep breath as she felt the tears already nipping at the corners of her eyes. Turning the brass knob, she opened the door.

Absolutely nothing could have prepared Cameron for the moment Melanie would turn around in her black suit.

She looked stunning with the purple tie matching the one Jonah was wearing.

Cameron couldn’t contain her emotions and it was clear Melanie couldn’t either.

Melanie looked so confident and happy that it made Cameron realize how free she must feel being able to express herself on her wedding day exactly how she wanted to.

Holding out her hand, Melanie spun Cameron around before Cameron did the same with her. They laughed as they kissed and hugged.

“You look beautiful.”

“You look amazing.”

“I love this dress.”

“I love that you picked a suit.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.” Framing her face, Cameron looked into her eyes. “And I love you.”

“I love you, too. I can’t believe we’re getting married today,” Melanie squealed.

“About time.”

“I heard that.” Wrapping her arms around Melanie’s waist, the rest of the world seemed to disappear. “You seriously look amazing. The suit was a great choice.”

“I wanted to tell you before but I also wanted to surprise you. I tried on so many dresses but I kept thinking about the first time I got married and how I hated my dress. When I tried on this suit, I knew.”

“It is you.”

“It is,” Melanie smiled at her. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it.”

Leaning in for another kiss, Cameron tried to savor possibly the last relatively alone moment they’d have for the rest of the day.

After a few minutes, Molly instructed the kids to join them for family pictures.

Cameron was thankful they’d arranged the photos before the ceremony as it seemed to be helping her get rid of some of the jitters she had.

That was helped even more when Isla and Vera joined in with Melanie and Cameron for some goofy friend pictures.

And when the Mackenzie kids joined in too, it was a family affair that Cameron didn’t know she needed.

Isla and Vera had arranged two limousines to take them to the ceremony. While the kids and Palmer went into one, Cameron, Melanie, Isla, and Vera went in the other along with Molly. They had a glass of champagne as they laughed and Molly snapped pictures of the four friends.

“A toast to my two best friends,” Vera held her champagne glass up as the rest of them did the same.

“I wish you two nothing but love and happiness every day of your lives together. You two have waited so long for this moment that I can’t wait to see what happens next in your lives.

Isla and I love you both very much and can’t wait to stand beside you on this special day. We love you. Cheers.”

“Cheers,” Cameron, Melanie, and Isla repeated as the four of them clinked their glasses together.