Page 38 of The Lake House (Southern Charm #2)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

That week passed in a blur. There was so much to get done. Matilda had to work at the clinic, and then after work, she raced around town doing errands, finding wedding favours & decorations, getting her hair and makeup done to practice for the big day, and more.

The cake would be hummingbird, her favourite.

The flowers would be pink roses, and the bridesmaid dresses were cornflower blue.

Her wedding dress was stunning—she had nothing but praise for the local designer who’d pulled it together on such short notice.

It was made of silk, with buttons up the back of the bodice and a low neckline.

The train was semi-long, and she had a veil that almost reached the length of the dress as well. She only hoped no one stepped on it.

It was everything she’d ever wanted in a wedding and it was coming together, slowly.

Ryan’s mother had helped her with a lot of the details.

Julie and Rita had stepped up as well, baking the cake and the desserts for the day.

But Matilda had insisted on having the main course catered, since she wanted her guests to enjoy the wedding rather than spend the entire day working.

When her wedding day arrived, she woke to the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.

She padded to the window with a yawn to look outside and saw a young man and woman hugging Rita.

They looked like her son and daughter, who Matilda knew were both flying into town that morning.

It would be good to finally meet them. Tyler Osbourne was the name that’d first brought her all the way to Covington, Georgia more than a year earlier, and there he was—standing next door.

He had a buzz cut and stood like a soldier.

Then he grabbed luggage from the trunk of the car and followed his mother and sister into the house.

It was time to get ready. Matilda had a shower and got dressed in white sweats. She’d chosen not to spend the night away somewhere else, since they were already married. Ryan sat up in bed, his hair a mess. He smiled at her and rubbed his eyes.

“Good morning, husband,” she said.

“Good morning, wife. You ready to get remarried?”

She laughed. “I’m ready if you are.”

Stella’s family had gotten into town the night before and were all fast asleep in the guest room.

Bryce and Todd were in the second guest room.

It felt good to have a full house. Matilda made pancakes and berry compote with yoghurt for everyone, and before long, they were all up and seated around the table, eating.

The children were tearing around in no time, playing with the bikes and toys Matilda had bought for them.

She’d also put up a gate on the top of the stairs so they couldn’t tumble down, since they were still very young, with the youngest one only recently walking.

After breakfast, Stella and Matilda went to find Julie, and the three of them set off for the hairdresser’s small salon about ten minutes away.

They chattered happily while they had their hair and makeup done.

Then they rushed back to the house to get dressed.

By now, the caterers and crew had arrived and had set up the white tent in the backyard, along with white seating and flowers.

There was even a gazebo where they’d say their vows with the lake as their backdrop.

It all looked incredible and made Matilda’s stomach flip-flop with nervous tension.

While they got ready, a photographer flashed photos of them all together, laughing, talking, sipping champagne.

It all helped to calm her nerves, and by the time she was ready to walk down the aisle, Matilda felt much better.

She had nothing to be anxious about—they were already married. This part was fun.

Bryce and Todd had both agreed to walk her down the aisle. They looked at her with a mixture of pride and emotion as she met them.

“You look amazing, sis,” Todd said.

Bryce bent to kiss her cheek. “You’re stunning.”

“Thanks,” she said, smiling up at them as she linked her arms through theirs.

Within the next half hour, she and Ryan said their vows in front of fifty of their closest friends and family. It was a small group, but it was perfect. She didn’t want to make it a big deal, and their yard wouldn’t hold any more than that.

Then it was time to party. During the first dance, Ryan held her close and they moved as one. She let her eyes drift shut and rested her head on his chest. It felt good and safe there—she didn’t want to go anywhere else, or be anyone else. Just herself, in this moment, forever.

Then she danced with Bryce, followed by Todd, and finally James.

“You’ll be next down the aisle,” she said to him.

He nodded. “I can’t wait.”

“Where will you get married?”

“I think we want to have it at the farm, but we’re not in a rush. We want a summer wedding.”

“Yes, it’s pretty cold to have a wedding outside at this time of year. Thank goodness for my faux fur wrap,” Matilda said.

“And these heaters. They’re amazing.”

“Aren’t they?”

“I’m glad you and Julie made up.”

“Me too. I think we’re going to be good friends.”

“She really cares about you.”

“I care about her,” Matilda said. “I know that I kind of blew up her life when I came here, but it blew up my life as well. Everything that happened back then hurt a lot of people, but none of it was intentional. My parents, her mother, Rita, my siblings—it’s been hard on everyone, that mix-up at the surrogacy centre.

But we can’t turn back the clock, and we made it through. ”

“There’s no way to deal with the past other than to accept it,” James said with a nod. “I would change a few things myself, if I could. But I can’t.”

“Like what?”

“My parents’ divorce. It was really hard on me at the time. Of course, now I can see that maybe they were better off apart. Still, I didn’t get to see my dad much after that, so it really changed my life. I was angry for a long time.”

“I can imagine that would’ve been difficult.”

“But now, I’ll have a family of my own. And I’m going to do everything I can to make sure it’s a healthy, happy home, unlike the one where I grew up.”

“I think that’s a really admirable goal. I hope you guys are as happy as Ryan and I have been.”

Then it was time to dance with Ryan again. Her stomach growled as he took her in his arms. “It must nearly be time to eat,” she said.

“Definitely. I saw them filling up the buffet table.”

“Great. I’ve barely eaten all day. I’m famished.”

They finished the dance together. Then Ryan kissed her on the lips and led her by the hand back to their table. They sat down together. Matilda sighed. Her feet were getting sore in these heels, but she was happy. Happier than she’d ever imagined she could be.

“Are you happy?” she asked him.

He looked her in the eyes, then took both her hands and kissed them one by one. “The happiest man alive.”

She stood to head to the buffet line. Ryan reached for her hand and they walked together.

And Matilda glanced around at all of her family and friends gathered there.

She wished her parents could’ve been there to see her get married.

Helen and Paul too. But the blessing of their memories lingered amongst the group as everyone ate, drank, talked and laughed together.

Matilda would never forget what they’d each brought into her life in their various ways and she silently thanked them for giving her such an abundance of love and family on opposite sides of the world.

THE END