Page 41 of The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor #5)
Chapter Thirty-Five
Now
The Wedding
M ac had never been the kind of person to fantasize about his wedding day, but he’d be a liar if he said it didn’t do something to him to see Annie walking down the aisle toward him. In a different world, a parallel universe, this could be their wedding. She could be walking to him .
Her gaze held his and everyone else in the room disappeared.
Some part of his brain knew that he stood between Noah and Bennett, all in their dark-gray suits, a sprig of holly tucked in their lapels.
He knew Logan waited at the altar for Jeanie.
He knew the trees he’d helped Bennett string lights on were lit up and that the whole barn was twinkling with white Christmas lights and candles.
Heknew that Estelle and Henry sat in the front row with Jeanie’s parents as though Estelle hadn't been missing for the past twenty-four hours.
He knew that Annie had played a big role in making this whole day perfect.
But as he watched Annie walk down the aisle, she was the only thing he knew, the only thing he saw, the only thing that mattered.
The bridesmaids wore deep-crimson dresses or, at least he assumed they all did.
He hadn’t taken his eyes off Annie long enough to confirm that, but he knew that her dress had long sleeves and a high neckline in the front, and it scooped low in the back.
He imagined dancing with her later, pressing his hand to her bare skin.
If she let him. Her blonde hair was in satiny curls over one shoulder and when he looked at her face she had tears in her eyes.
And it hit him again that she was so much better than the fantasy.
She reached the front and arranged herself next to Hazel and Kira. The music changed and the guests’ attention turned to the bride. Annie’s eyes stayed on him for a beat longer and he winked at her, expecting a scowl in return. Instead, he got a gentle smile before she turned her gaze to the bride.
Bennett nudged him from the side. ‘Is that why we haven’t seen you all day?’ he whispered.
‘What are you talking about?’
Noah blew out a disbelieving breath. ‘You two were totally eye-fucking each other that whole walk down the aisle.’
‘We were not.’ Had they been? Had he just eye-fucked Annie in front of the whole town?!
One glance at Jacob’s huge grin from the third row confirmed it. When the man started making kissy faces and drawing hearts in the air with his fingers, Mac had to look away.
Bennett chuckled. ‘You absolutely were, but you can tell us all about it later.’
‘I’m not telling you two anything.’
‘She went from looking at you like she wanted to kill you to that over the course of a weekend. We definitely need to hear the story,’ Noah whispered before turning back to Logan to hand him a handkerchief. The big guy had big tears rolling down his face at the sight of his soon-to-be wife.
It was sweet, really, and Mac tried to focus on the wedding ceremony instead of on Annie and what she might say after today was over.
He hadn’t meant to give her an ultimatum, and he didn’t even expect her to have an answer for him.
He only wanted her to talk to him. He was tired of the silence between them, the half-truths.
‘We are gathered here today,’ Mayor Kelly began, ‘to marry two of our own, two people who this town holds very dear.’ He smiled at both of them, and Jeanie reached forward to wipe a tear from Logan’s cheek.
She looked beautiful in sparkly white lace, like a fairy you would find in a frost-covered forest somewhere, and Mac knew if he were Logan he would be crying, too.
‘Jeanie,’ Mayor Kelly said, turning toward the bride, ‘ever since you moved to town, we all knew you were special, and we knew that you were just the one to take care of our Logan.’
‘And Logan,’ he continued, turning toward the groom, ‘this town, and your family and your friends have always wanted the best for you, and we know that the best is Jeanie.’
‘Damn right she is,’ Logan said, eliciting a laugh from the audience.
‘Love is a funny thing,’ the mayor went on.
‘It's not always big or loud or over the top. Most of the time, it’s quiet and unassuming. It’s a shared cup of coffee on a rainy day or reading side by side together every night.
It’s finding the person who gets you. The person who will have your back through it all.
‘Your person,’ he added with a smile. ‘And since we all know that you found that in each other, let’s move on to the vows and get this party started.’
A few guests whooped at that suggestion.
Jeanie let out a teary laugh and reached behind her to grab the folded-up piece of paper Annie was handing her. She opened it and cleared her throat.
‘Logan,’ she started with a slight tremble in her voice.
‘I never expected to find you. I never expected to find a home here, a life here, but I’m so glad I did.
I promise to love you until we’re both old and gray and I'll keep on loving you even after that. I promise to love your family like my own. I promise to never limit the number of chickens you can have.’
Logan laughed between his tears at that one and so did Mac. That was love. Unlimited chickens.
‘I can’t promise I’ll keep our house tidy, but I will always help you make it a home. I love you and I promise to be your partner from now until forever.’
The entire bridal party was wiping their tears now and Mac didn’t know how poor Logan would make it through his own vows. Jeanie was a tough act to follow.
‘Jeanie,’ he started and then stopped to clear his throat. ‘Jeanie…’ Another pause. Mac knew speaking in front of the entire town was the last thing Logan wanted to do.
Jeanie leaned forward and whispered something in his ear and Logan laughed. ‘You can do it,’ she said, pecking him on the cheek.
‘Jeanie,’ he started again. ‘I tried not to like you.’
Mac shook his head. Dear God, that's a rough start. But Jeanie was smiling. So maybe not too rough.
‘I tried not to like you, but it was impossible because I actually like everything about you. I like how kind you are and how brave. I like how you move through the world looking for what brings you joy.
‘I never lived my life like that. But you bring me joy every day and I promise to try to do the same for you. I promise to love you with my whole heart. Forever.’
Annie caught Mac’s eye from the other side of the altar. What he wouldn’t give to make the same sort of promises to her.
Mayor Kelly was wiping his eyes behind his glasses. ‘That was beautiful, you two. Just beautiful. I’m so proud of you both,’ he said as everyone composed themselves.
‘Now down to the business of it. Jeanie, do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?’
Jeanie's smile was so big Mac could feel it in his own heart. ‘I do,’ she said, proudly.
‘And Logan, do you take this woman?—’
‘I do,’ he blurted before Pete could finish his line.
‘Very good, very good,’ the mayor said with a chuckle. ‘The rings?’
Noah passed Logan the ring and he was quick to put it on Jeanie’s finger, completely skipping the part where he was supposed to say something, but at this point the man was just ready to be married.
Jeanie beamed, tears sliding down on her face as she put Logan’s ring on his finger. ‘With this ring, I thee wed,’ she said following the script and Logan turned even redder than he already was.
‘Me too,’ he said, and the audience laughed some more.
Mac thought there was so much love in this room he’d never felt anything like it, and it was all for them, all for these two people that they all loved so much.
And maybe for the first time since he’d been back, since the first time Annie told him how much she loved this town, he finally got it. He finally understood how special this place was and how lucky he was to be here.
He wiped his eyes. Christ, now he was crying, too.
‘You may kiss the bride,’ Mayor Kelly announced through his laughter.
Logan took Jeanie’s face in his hands and kissed his wife.
The whole town cheered.
* * *
Annie stood from her seat at the table and waited for the room to quiet. When it finally did, she raised her glass of champagne.
‘When you know someone for your entire life,’ she started, ‘you can get protective of them, sometimes overly so.’ She gave Jeanie a knowing look, remembering the day she and Hazel had warned her to be careful with Logan’s heart. Jeanie smiled back.
‘As Pete said, you want what’s best for them, especially when you know that they are one of the best people in the world.’
She looked to where Logan sat with Jeanie at their sweetheart table in the center of the room.
He looked absurdly handsome in his dark-gray suit and maroon tie.
Handsome and happy. But for a moment she saw him as he was all those years ago.
A sad, quiet little boy who she had immediately decided she needed to cheer up.
And now Jeanie sat beside him, looking stunning in her wedding dress with her dark hair swept up off her neck.
She sparkled in the muted lighting of the barn and Annie knew her relationship with Logan would be different now.
‘Logan has been my best friend since we were five when I forced him to be.’
The room laughed at that.
‘But now Logan has a new best friend,’ she said, and saw the emotion flicker across his face. ‘And he couldn't have found a better one. I will always be here for both of you but I’m so happy you have each other.’
She barely got the words out before the tears started, so she raised her glass and everyone followed suit.
‘Cheers to the happy couple!’
She sat back down, using her napkin to dab at her eyes, hoping she hadn’t destroyed her makeup again. That ceremony had already done a number on it.
Luckily it was Noah's turn next.
‘Hey, everyone, I’m Noah. I thought I was the groom’s best friend but I’m just now finding out I’m actually third in line.’