Epilogue
July 4th
Martha’s Vineyard
“It’s not going to zip.” Claire was in full-blown panic mode. The wedding started in less than a half hour and her blossoming belly and swelling bosom were causing a major issue with her dress.
“It’s going to zip,” Daisy assured her. “You did the final alteration a week ago. You haven’t gotten that much bigger in the last week.”
Claire held her breath as she felt Daisy tug and groan slightly, then the rush of the zipper as it raced to the top. “Thank goodness,” she said with a sigh of relief.
Her first wedding dress had been a princess extravaganza that made it impossible for her to use the restroom alone. This time, she’d opted for something more appropriate for the beach. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a beaded bodice. The flowing organza gathered under the bust and draped to the floor. It was light and ethereal, yet sparkly enough to feel special. She loved it.
“Oh, Claire.” Antonia Moretti came into the master bedroom of the cottage that was doubling as the bridal suite. “You look so beautiful. Luca will be beside himself when he sees you.”
She hoped so. They had put together this wedding plan quickly, which made her nervous, but she didn’t want to be eight months pregnant and huge in all their wedding pictures. Thankfully, most of it had come together easily. Gavin had offered the beach house at Martha’s Vineyard as the wedding location. It was the perfect choice, since they’d fallen in love here. The wedding and reception was taking place on the beach with a roaring bonfire, a local band playing and a stellar fireworks show to wrap up the night. The seafood shack up the road was catering a traditional New England boil on the beach with loads of fresh clams, mussels, shrimp, spicy sausage, corn and potatoes.
That wasn’t what Claire was looking forward to the most. She was anxious for the cake. Well, the cheesecake. They’d opted out of the traditional cake and brought in a dozen different cheesecakes from their nearest restaurant in Newport. Food hadn’t been very kind to Claire’s stomach for the first few months of her pregnancy, but she was finally getting her appetite back. She couldn’t wait for Luca to feed her a bite of creamy cheesecake with fresh strawberries on top.
A soft tap sounded at the door. She almost didn’t hear it over the chatter of Luca’s sisters as they did their hair and makeup. Daisy opened the door and to Claire’s surprise her mother was standing there with Eva in her arms.
“Mom?”
Her mother smiled and stepped into the room, looking so familiar, yet so different than she remembered. “Hello, Claire. Just look at you. You’re even prettier than I ever dreamed.”
Claire rushed over to hug the mother she hadn’t seen since right after her marriage to Jeff. “I can’t believe you made it.”
“Living across the country, I might be horribly neglectful in many ways, but I’m not going to miss my only child’s wedding. It’s bad enough that this is the first time I’ve seen Eva.” She placed a kiss on the baby’s fat cheek. Eva was wearing a little white dress with a tulle tutu as the honorary flower girl. “That’s all going to change, though. Your stepfather and I are moving to Connecticut next month. Plan on seeing me a lot more often,” she added with a smile.
Claire could hardly believe it. She’d been content in gaining Luca’s large, loud family as her own, but to have her mother close again made tears start to pool in her eyes. She looked up and breathed through her nose. If she messed up her eye makeup, Carla would get onto her.
“I hate to break up the family reunion,” Daisy said, “but it’s time to get this wedding going.”
The Moretti sisters scrambled to gather their things and slip out of the room. Daisy was carrying Eva down the aisle, so she took her from her grandmother’s arms. “Follow me and I’ll have the ushers seat you.”
Then, just as quickly, Claire found herself alone. She gave herself one quick glance in the mirror and picked up her bouquet. Her stomach was fluttering, but for the first time in weeks, it was just nerves, not nausea. She took a deep breath and the anxiety faded. There was no reason to be worried about this wedding. She’d never been more sure of anything in her life as she was about marrying Luca.
Glancing out the window, she saw all the parents seated and Daisy followed. It was time to go.
Stepping carefully downstairs, she stopped at the deck to await her music. There, she could see several rows of white chairs lining the sandy path to the archway, filled with faces of friends and family, eager and happy to witness this moment. Beneath the archway of white flowers stood the officiant, Daisy, Eva and Luca.
His gaze was glued to her as she came outside. For once, it was his jaw that dropped open with amazement and his eyes that shone glassy with tears. He was wearing a white linen suit without a tie, keeping the look casual. Even then, he was still the most handsome man she’d ever seen in person. It was hard to believe this man—the father of her children—was about to be her husband. It was more than she ever could’ve hoped for.
The music started and everyone stood and turned to look in her direction. Claire stepped barefooted into the soft golden sand and headed down the path to her happily-ever-after.
* * * * *
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