Chapter Forty-Five

“Are you nervous?” Susie clutched her planner close to her chest and eyed Audrey closely.

Nervous. Not at all. Should she be? “I think I’m more excited than anything.”

They were in a small private room behind the glass-walled ballroom. In just a few short minutes, Audrey would take her father’s arm and walk between towering potted palms, down a central aisle, and straight into her future.

Yes. Excited. Not nervous at all. “How are things looking out there?”

“It’s a great space. You’d never know there were nine hundred people in that room.”

Nine hundred people. Audrey’s stomach fluttered. She’d wanted something small and intimate, but between family, Dennis’s business contacts, her staff, their friends–the list had swollen until they abandoned the idea of a small wedding and booked this stunning ballroom on Navy Pier. And now, the idea of saying her vows in front of so many people threatened to unnerve her more than the vows themselves.

“Maybe we should have eloped,” she whispered.

A sound more like thudding than knocking erupted behind the closed door, and then the door opened to Cole and Audrey’s father, Paul.

“Miss Turner, Miss—Mommy!”

Cole grinned over the last word. He was still adjusting to her new role in his life. It would be an adjustment for all of them, in the best possible way.

“Cole, shouldn’t you be with your daddy?” Susie asked as she checked a page in the planning book.

“No, because guess what!” Cole’s head swiveled from Susie to Audrey and back again several times. “I said guess what!”

“A dinosaur stole your backpack?” Susie said.

Cole giggled. “Wrong!”

“Your feet are turning into flippers?” Susie said.

Cole made a fish face with his lips as he shook his head. “Nope.”

“We give up. What?” Audrey said. They could play this game all day, but it was almost time.

Almost time.

Cole flung his arms wide. “I have an extra new grandpa now! And here he is! Tada!” Then he waved both arms at Paul.

“We’re excited about it,” Paul said in his mild way. But the glow in his eyes showed that he meant it.

“This one is called Grandpa and the other one is called Papa. But they’re the same.”

“And you get to sit with all of them when we have our fancy dinner tonight.” Susie held out her hand to Cole. “How great is that?”

“Very great!” Cole took her hand happily and they headed for the door.

“See you out there,” Susie said over her shoulder at Audrey. “Everything’s perfect. You’re ready.”

Audrey sighed deeply. Yes, everything was perfect. And Susie was right–she was ready. She’d been ready for months as they planned this complicated party. Even before that, even before Dennis officially proposed, she’d been ready. Since when? Maybe since the day she’d shown up at his place in her pink silk blouse and killer heels, or maybe even before that. Her heart had recognized Dennis long before her mind had been made up. She’d known he was the one almost from the start, even before she’d understood what a good man he could be.

It was just Audrey and her father now in that small dressing room. “Susie’s right. I am ready.”

Paul took her face between his hands, gently so he wouldn’t muss her hair or makeup. “I know, my precious girl, and I couldn’t be happier for you. He’s a good man.”

“He is.”

“You’re good for him.” Paul plucked at one end of her veil to smooth the folds, still as careful with her as he would be with a fragile relic.

“I hope so.”

“And he’s good for you.”

Something in his tone made Audrey tilt her head. “Is he?”

Paul nodded. “He is. Sometimes our lives go a little out of balance. Nothing wrong or bad about it. Just that we focus on one thing and forget about others.”

Audrey took her bouquet of white calla lilies and pale pink roses from its stand. “It was my work. The school.”

“Sure was. It needed your attention in the beginning, but then I think it became a habit, all work and no play.” Paul buttoned his tuxedo jacket. “But Dennis put you back in balance.”

Audrey lifted her bouquet and breathed the fragrance to hide her face. He was right. Dennis did bring balance to her life, and it was exactly what she needed. “I think I knew that, too.”

“Too?” Paul paused with his hand on the doorknob.

“Never mind. It’s time.”

“And you’re ready.”

Audrey smiled. Everyone kept telling her that today. Nobody asked her if she was sure. They just kept telling her she was ready. “So ready.”

She tucked her hand into her father’s elbow. Her attendants had already walked ahead of her, and it was her turn now. Everyone rose as she entered the ballroom, but she almost didn’t notice the sound made when nine hundred people pushed their chairs back and stood up at the same time. She only heard the music from the string quartet soaring into the vaulted ceilings and echoing off the glass walls. Palm trees, the dusky light as the sun started to set behind the skyline, a straight white carpet through the center of the room toward an arbor decked with lilies and roses–this was what she saw.

And then she spotted Dennis. Tall, strong, and perfectly composed, Dennis watched her approach without ever once wavering. She would always be able to count on him. He would never give her a single moment of doubt or worry, no matter what life held in store for them. He was a rock. A rock with a relentless eye for detail and a superhuman drive to make everything as perfect as possible, yes, but that same fortitude meant he’d always be there for her.

She reached the front of the room without even realizing she’d been moving her feet. Her father took hold of her hand, and she was startled to realize he was still there. She’d only had eyes for Dennis.

Somehow Dennis held her hand now, and her father faded away.

“You’re an angel,” Dennis whispered. “I still can’t believe you said yes.”

She gripped his hand. “I need you.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Other way around. I need you.”

She could hear the emotion in his voice. He hadn’t expected her to say anything like that, and it showed. She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb and hoped he could see the depth of her love. “I need you, and I didn’t even know how much. You’re good for me. This relationship isn’t a one-way street.”

His mouth opened and closed, and she saw a profound change come over him. From the first moment they’d met, bit by bit the tightness had been peeling away from him. The closer they grew, the more he relaxed. And now, with her words, the final portion of his grief and tension shattered.

His arms were around her, tight and trembling just a little, and his mouth was on hers. This was a kiss like none she’d ever received from him before, confident and brimming with emotion unclouded by a troubled heart.

“Excuse me,” a voice said.

Dennis kissed her again.

“Excuse me,” the voice said, louder this time.

Dennis lifted his head. His eyes were dazed as he looked around him. Audrey knew just how he felt. That had been some kiss.

The preacher grinned. “Usually, we do the vows before you kiss your bride.”

“Oh. Right.” Dennis nodded and relaxed his arms around her waist, but he didn’t completely let her go. “Vows.”

And he held her there, one arm wrapped around her waist, as the preacher spoke and they made their promises to each other. He let her go of her waist only long enough to slip a ring onto her finger and let her do the same to him. But even as he moved his arm away from her, she knew he’d never really let her go.

“Now,” the preacher said. He waved his hand for emphasis. “Now you may kiss your wife.”

“Now.” Dennis grinned as he leaned in, and Audrey knew she was beaming, too.

“Now, and always.”

His lips claimed hers as their guests applauded to the sound of champagne corks popping.

THE END