Page 32 of Soldier’s Christmas Crush (Trinity Falls: Home for Christmas #4)

WILLOW

On the morning of her wedding, Willow bustled around the kitchen, happy that Jensen had relented and agreed to let her come over and cook with him instead of going out to breakfast.

Willow had been dreaming of her wedding day with Jensen Webb ever since she was an adolescent with hearts in her eyes. She always assumed she would be wearing a gigantic gown, walking down the aisle of a cathedral, and that their reception would be in a ballroom.

As it turned out, the real thing was going to be so much better.

But she still had tons of nervous energy to burn off, so she figured cooking, eating, cleaning up, and playing with Henry would be just the right way to spend the morning.

The kitchen timer went off, and Jensen strode over to the oven.

“Can I take these out?” he asked .

“Absolutely,” she told him as she slid eggs out of the pan and onto three plates.

The moment he opened the oven, the rich scent of cinnamon filled the room.

“Oh, wow,” Jensen said. “They smell incredible.”

“That’s my mom’s recipe,” Willow told him. “Now you’ll be able to tell her you finally made the Wright family cinnamon buns.”

“This was more important than the actual wedding if I want to be part of the family, wasn’t it?” he teased.

“According to my mom, probably yes,” Willow laughed.

“As long as she’s not mad at me for not asking her blessing in person,” Jensen said nervously.

“You asked her over the phone,” she said. “And you asked Ransom in person. I think that counts as extremely respectful.”

“And we saved them from buying another set of plane tickets,” Jensen pointed out.

Willow laughed, though it was true. Her mom and Aunt Rhonda coming down in January instead of on Christmas had actually worked out well. She and Jensen had been able to make all the arrangements for their simple wedding to coincide with the visit.

“Yummy,” Henry said excitedly, looking up from the toys he was playing with at the table.

“It smells so good, doesn’t it?” Willow asked him. “Let’s put your toys away and wash your hands.”

She headed over to help, but he put his arms up to her.

“You want a hug?” she asked him .

“Hug me,” he said, already burrowing into her arms.

“Oh, that’s such a nice hug,” she told him.

And it felt even better knowing he had asked for it himself.

Willow knew that Henry’s development was unfolding at its own pace, and other than giving him a little space and a lot of encouragement, it had nothing to do with her or with Jensen.

But she would always be grateful that he felt safe with her and motivated enough to use his words.

When Henry was finished with his snuggle, they cleaned up his toys and washed their hands. By then, Jensen had their plates at the table. Each plate had a serving of eggs and one cinnamon bun, drizzled with warm glaze.

“Oh, let me just grab the juice,” Willow said, dashing to the kitchen and coming back with a carton of orange juice.

She poured herself and Jensen a glass, then started a sippy cup for Henry.

“ Nah, nah ,” Henry said.

She turned to find him looking up at her from his booster seat, his gray eyes twinkling.

“Who’s there?” she asked.

“ Orange,” he said right away.

“Orange who?” she asked.

“ Orange glad juice?” he yelled, in a pretty good imitation of his dad’s advertising jingle.

Henry broke into chuckles, clearly delighted with himself, as Jensen roared.

Henry had certainly heard that line repeated often enough. Folks loved to greet his dad with it whenever he left the house. Willow was glad that Jensen took it as the friendly greeting it was.

“Henry, you just made a very good knock-knock joke,” Willow told him. “That was amazing.”

“ You,” Henry demanded.

“I should do one now?” she asked.

“ Yes, ” he said, nodding.

“Knock, knock,” she said.

“ Who there? ” he asked.

“Olive,” she told him.

“ Who? ” he asked.

“I love you ,” she told him.

He was so tickled she thought he might slide right off his booster and under the table.

“Okay, okay, let’s eat some breakfast while it’s still warm,” she said, sitting down beside him.

They had started putting Henry’s chair and booster at the end of the kitchen table so they could both be next to him. Jensen winked at her from across the table, and just like always, her breath caught in her throat.

A few hours later, she was in the ladies’ room at the little church, with a few friends helping her with her hair and makeup.

“Pink or red?” Mrs. Lennox asked, holding up two tubes of lipstick.

“Just a little pink,” Willow told her. “Thank you.”

“Mrs. Ying, do you think we should use the pearl comb, or this veil?” Natalie Cassidy asked .

The two of them had taken over with Willow’s hair, and she had known immediately not to question anything.

She had never really made a big deal about hair and makeup, but it was fun to be fussed over. And of course she wanted to look extra nice today.

Willow’s old friend Holly Fields—now Holly Cabrera—poked her head in as the ladies continued to work.

“Hi, Holly,” Willow said. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

“Oh, the whole town’s here,” Holly said with a smile. “We’re all so happy for you. Do you guys need anything?”

“We’re just fine,” Willow told her. “But come in and hang out if you want.”

“Nervous?” Holly asked, moving beside her.

“Not really,” Willow said, smiling back at her friend in the mirror. “Just excited.”

“You’ve been waiting for this since you were a kid, huh?” Natalie teased gently.

“I have,” Willow agreed.

She didn’t even feel embarrassed anymore. She was proud that she’d been able to spot how special Jensen was even back then.

They both had grown and changed so much, but that thread had begun back when they were kids, and she wouldn’t change any part of their story for the world, not when it led them here.

The ceremony itself was short and sweet. They had wanted to make this happen quickly, and that meant there wasn’t time for a lot of bells and whistles.

Jensen had pulled her aside many times to make sure the simplicity was really okay with her.

She told him honestly every time that it made her happy. They didn’t need anything extravagant because it was what was between them that would make the day special.

She walked down the aisle on her brother’s arm, with Mom and Aunt Rhonda smiling up at her from their places of honor at the front of the church.

Jensen waited for her, his gray eyes filled with love and awe. He looked so incredible in his tuxedo that she felt her cheeks heat and couldn’t help thinking about seeing him in a tux all those years ago on his way to prom. She had been so jealous then.

But now he was hers, and she was his.

Her hands were trembling until Jensen took them in his, then everything felt just right.

They repeated the pastor’s words to each other. Then before she knew it, he was declaring them husband and wife, and Jensen was kissing her like there was no tomorrow as their friends and family cheered.

It was wonderful to look out at the crowd and see so many happy faces.

Ransom was there with his family, and she could only shake her head in wonder at all the happy surprises they’d all had this winter.

Even the captain was smiling at her from the back of the church. In spite of all the chaos surrounding his own wedding and the days afterward, he was here to celebrate with Willow and Jensen.

The reception was held at the community center, which had been decorated with beautiful white streamers. The walls were lined with tables of food, and a local band was warming up on the far side of the part of the room that had been set up as a dance floor.

Henry escaped from his grandmother’s lap and dashed up to Willow as their friends and family filed in.

Henry was wearing the cutest little suit, and his warm weight felt good in her arms.

“ Mama,” Henry said with enthusiasm.

He had never used that word before. It hit her like a wave of warm light, lifting her heart.

“ Henry,” Willow breathed, valiantly trying to hold back her tears since she didn’t want to confuse her favorite little boy.

“My mama,” Henry said, patting her cheek so tenderly it was all she could do not to let the tears loose.

“My sweet, sweet boy,” she said, kissing the top of his silky head.

But then he was wiggling and running off to his new cousins, Travis and Mae, who were calling for him as they slid around the dance floor in their socks.

“Did you know he was going to say that?” Willow asked Jensen.

“I didn’t,” he said. “But I talked to him about it. And he liked the idea that you would be his mama. ”

“It doesn’t… hurt?” she asked.

She tried hard to leave space for Jensen to talk about Lara. And she knew a day like today might be hard for him. After all, this wasn’t his first wedding.

“We’ll make sure he always knows about Lara,” Jensen said. “She’ll never be gone from his life. But I think he has a big enough heart for both of you. Don’t you?”

She nodded. That little boy had enough room in his heart for the whole world.

“Does it bother you?” Jensen asked.

But before she could answer, she burst into tears, and he had to hold her close until she could speak again.

“It’s the best wedding gift I could imagine,” she finally told him.

They danced for hours, and laughed with their friends and families over memories from a million years ago.

This was Willow’s first time catching up with some of these people since she’d left, and it was incredible to see them under these circumstances, and when there was good food and music to enjoy together, and so many great things to catch up on.

“It’s like a homecoming party, in a way,” Jensen murmured to her at one point.

“I was thinking the same thing,” she told him. “Between your parents’ big party after Christmas and this, I feel like we’ve seen just about everyone.”

She glanced around and saw that beside them, her old friend Beau Wilson was dancing with Quinn, who looked absolutely radiant. Willow couldn’t help noticing the happy smile on her friend’s face, or that the formerly shy Quinn hadn’t looked nervous or awkward once tonight.

“I told him not to date her,” she said quietly to Jensen, feeling a little ashamed about it.

“Oh yeah?” Jensen asked. He looked highly amused.

“Well, I warned him that he’d better not hurt her,” she admitted. “Because she’s so nice.”

“Doesn’t look like anyone got hurt to me,” Jensen mused with a smile.

“No, I guess I got that one wrong,” she said.

“I guess it makes it a little easier to understand where your brother was coming from,” he offered. “You’ve got some of his protective instinct.”

“It’s been a wild winter,” she said, nodding. “For all of us.”

“I’m looking forward to spring though,” Jensen told her. “And summer and fall and winter again. I can’t wait to do it all with you.”

He pulled her close, and as they swayed to the beautiful music, she could see it all in her mind—the two of them planting a flower garden with Henry in the spring, maybe a big trip to the beach in the summertime, picking apples and drinking cider at Cassidy Farm in the fall, and by next Christmas, who knew what other adventures might await the three of them?

One thing was certain. Whatever the future held, they would welcome it all together.

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