Page 17 of Sharing Forever in Hope Creek (Hope Creek #2)

‘You look absolutely stunning.’ Margaret sniffed and reached for a tissue from the bedside table as she regarded Stella who was gorgeous in a simple yet elegant white satin wedding gown. The off-the-shoulder style revealed her sun-kissed skin and the dress emphasised the narrowness of her waist.

‘Mitch is one lucky man.’ Callie sighed happily as she sat on the bed in Stella’s old room at the homestead.

Stella’s blonde hair was done up in an elaborate and sophisticated French braid, with a couple of tendrils of hair framing her face to soften the look.

‘Now,’ Margaret said, ‘you all know I’m a bit of a traditionalist so …’ She went to a tote bag she’d carried into the room earlier. ‘You’re already wearing the earrings your mum wore to her wedding, so you’re covered for the “something old”. Your dress is new.’

‘Ah! I’d forgotten about the “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” tradition,’ Stella admitted.

‘Well, luckily I didn’t,’ Margaret said.

‘Your bouquet has the lace horseshoe and silver wishbone from Liz’s wedding attached, so that’s something borrowed,’ Morgan said.

‘And …’ Margaret pulled out a lacy blue elasticised garter from the tote bag. ‘Voila! Here is the something blue for you! I wore it to my wedding.’

‘Ooh! Thank you! That’s so special to have something from you too.

’ Stella winked at them as she sat down, hitched up her dress then bent forward to pull the garter up over her prosthesis and all the way to her thigh.

‘Now, there’ll be a surprise for Mitch! I’m going all weak at the knees imagining him taking it off later tonight! ’

‘Ew! No more information!’ Morgan laughed and gave Stella a playful push. ‘Seriously, though, I’m so happy for you, Stell. You deserve to be happy.’

‘You all deserve happiness,’ Margaret stressed. ‘You’re all wonderful young women and Jim and I couldn’t be prouder to have been part of your lives.’

‘Part of our lives?’ Stella asked. ‘No way. You’ve been so much more than part of our lives, Margaret. You’ve helped shape our lives.’

Callie started to mist up and was grateful to hear the knock on the door so they didn’t all get too sentimental and arrive as the most swollen-eyed, red-faced group of women any bridal party had ever seen.

‘Speak of the handsome devil,’ Margaret said as she went to open the door. ‘That’ll be my man now, keen to hurry us along.’

All three sisters exchanged amused looks at Margaret’s reference to her man. Their foster mum was acting like a girl on her first date as she almost skipped to the door.

Love was definitely in the air today.

‘Let me adjust your veil.’ Callie stepped forward to bring the netting down over her sister’s face.

‘What a picture!’ Jim said with a low whistle.

Callie knew he wasn’t only referring to Stella.

There was love and pride in his eyes as he looked at all of them, and she knew they did make a pretty stunning bunch.

She and Morgan wore a deep green colour that complemented both their colourings, and Margaret had a perfect cream and gold mother-of-the-bride outfit.

The wedding had been arranged in super quick time because Mitchell hadn’t been prepared to wait any longer to make Stella his bride.

The bridesmaid dresses were off the rack and had been chosen only two weeks ago.

That had suited Callie as it meant that she’d been able to choose a dress to fit her increasing bust and fractionally larger waistline.

‘Hello, gorgeous,’ Jim said to Margaret. ‘My word, if you weren’t already married, I’d make you mine.’

Callie couldn’t believe it as she heard Margaret titter.

Then she looked away as the Richardsons kissed.

‘Mind now, you’ll smudge my lipstick,’ she heard Margaret say.

‘Crikey, Stella, you look a picture!’ Blue said from the doorway.

‘Wow! Who knew how handsome you’d be in a suit, Blue?’ Morgan teased.

Blue laughed but there was a sheen of moisture in his eyes. ‘Had to do my girls proud.’

Callie walked to his side and gave him a hug.

Stella had told Morgan and her how Blue had broken down with emotion when she’d asked him if he’d join with Jim in walking her down the aisle and giving her away.

He’d told her it would be the proudest moment of his life.

Now it looked as though Blue was only barely managing to keep his emotions at bay.

‘I hope I don’t trip,’ Stella lamented.

‘Blue and I won’t let you,’ Jim assured her, but Callie knew Stella was still very aware of her prosthetic limb and worried about falling flat on her face in front of everyone. It was the reason she’d opted for a short veil and decided not to wear a more flowing gown.

‘Once you see Mitchell waiting, I guarantee you won’t even think about tripping,’ Callie told her.

‘Ha! I’ve already fallen for him!’ Stella quipped.

Callie smiled. ‘And he caught you!’

‘Here, don’t forget your bouquet.’ Morgan passed Stella the beautiful bouquet of native flowers—a vibrant mix of grevilleas, banksias and kangaroo paw with a spray of wattle and a sprinkle of flannel flowers.

‘Come on, ladies,’ Jim urged. ‘I think Stella’s kept Mitchell waiting long enough.’

‘Considering he’s been waiting to marry her since he was a teenager, I don’t think a few more minutes will hurt him,’ Blue said with a wink.

Thankfully, they were ready and wouldn’t keep the groom or their guests waiting any longer.

Stella was more than ready to become Mitchell’s wife.

And, as for Callie, she was looking forward to having Jack as her partner in the bridal party and hoped that by the end of the evening, she might even be able to persuade him that they’d waited long enough and should be lovers again.

Who knew what would happen with all this love in the air?

***

Jack stood beside Mitchell and the best man, Phil.

‘Any minute now,’ he told Mitch who was starting to rock back on his heels and pull at the collar of his shirt as though it was too tight.

‘Anybody would think you were nervous,’ Phil teased.

‘I’ve only been waiting more than a decade for this moment,’ Mitch said. ‘It’s not nerves I’m feeling, it’s impatience!’

‘Stop pulling at your collar,’ Jack said. ‘It’ll make everyone think you’ve got a noose around your neck.’

‘More like a ring through his nose,’ Phil joked again.

‘ Nothing could be further from the truth,’ Mitch said.

Jack knew that.

Everyone knew that.

‘You know how I hate this formal gear!’ Mitch said.

‘Especially in the middle of an Aussie summer,’ Phil agreed.

‘How much longer is Stella going to be?’ Kade complained from where he sat with Aunt Liz and her fiancé, Connor, in the front row. ‘She hasn’t changed her mind, has she?’

‘Of course not,’ Liz reassured him before adding, ‘She’d better not have! Not after all the effort I went to in getting her and your father together again!’

Those around them laughed, having heard the story of how Liz, a famous romance novelist, had taken it upon herself to push Mitchell and Stella together after their years of separation.

‘It was always meant to be,’ Phil said in a voice loud enough to carry to the front row. Phil had been a friend of Mitchell and Stella’s back in the days they’d been at Stanford on sporting scholarships. He and Mitch had both been drafted into the NFL and had been star players.

Jack surveyed the wedding guests who were sitting on rows of chairs that he’d helped carry out into the back paddock.

He’d been told that virtually the entire community of Hope Creek had turned out to witness and celebrate the joyous occasion.

There were also plenty of international guests.

Most of Stella’s friends were tennis players who’d already been planning to travel to Australia for the Grand Slam championship in two weeks, so the wedding had coincided perfectly for them.

There were a handful of famous NFL players who’d crossed the Pacific to support their former team mate on his big day, and other international sports stars had travelled from Europe.

Despite the disparity of the guests and the worlds they inhabited, everyone seemed to blend in—all sharing in the happiness of the occasion. Jack saw that the international guests responded well to the warm, down-to-earth Aussie welcome from the community of Hope Creek.

The guests stood now as the wedding celebrant, Stacey, began the wedding ceremony with an official welcome.

Then, a string quartet from Melbourne began to play and all heads turned to watch as the bridesmaids, Morgan and Callie, made their way up the red carpet.

Callie.

Jack’s heart stuttered before its beat became as erratic as a ball in a pinball machine, pinging about all over the place. He became light-headed as the mother of his child walked gracefully down the aisle towards him.

The mother of my child.

Her deep green dress accentuated every delicious curve of her body and the shoe-string straps exposed the silky skin of her shoulders.

There’d be no need to sweep her gorgeous hair back before he pressed his lips against the sensitive column of her neck, because her hair was already swept up in a sophisticated hairstyle.

Thank God she’d been partnered with him and not Phil.

Jack couldn’t wait to take her hand in his and keep her by his side for the rest of the evening.

‘Close your mouth, Jack,’ Phil murmured beside him, ‘or you’ll swallow a blowfly.’

Jack closed his mouth, but otherwise ignored Phil as Callie made her way forward.

‘More likely to be a bee,’ Mitch put in.

Phil chuckled.

Mitch was right. Two urns on plinths had been set up under a huge gum tree. The urns housed massive native floral displays arranged by some of the local women and, being an outdoor ceremony, the flowers had attracted several bees.

A few seconds later, the oohs and aahs from the guests told him that Stella had appeared with Jim and Blue, but he still couldn’t tear his gaze away from Callie.

Will Callie walk up the aisle one day to become my bride?

Damn it all!