Epilogue

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

“Where is he?” Jordan said, pacing back and forth in the tiny back room of Tucker’s Tavern, which had been commandeered for the bridal party. “Has anyone seen him?”

“Calm down, you’ll get sweaty,” Stacey said, lifting Jordan’s arm and unabashedly applying a swipe of deodorant. “I’ve already done this once.”

“And it’s only going to be once if you keep applying other people’s deodorant like a weirdo,” Isobel said, kissing Stacey.

Even in her own stress-ball state, Jordan felt a little thrill at the other women’s public display of affection. They’d officially come out as a couple a few months back.

Stacey’s family, as expected, hadn’t taken it well. But her mom and sisters were coming around. Jordan hoped that her dad just needed a bit more time.

In the meantime, it was a pleasure to see how happy they were.

Not nearly as happy as she was, though. Not today.

Her wedding day.

“Oh my God, did you see this?” Tawny said, pushing Stacey aside and shoving a cellphone in Jordan’s face. “This is what you could have been part of.”

Jordan peered at the cellphone, then rolled her eyes at Luke’s sister. “I can’t believe you’re following that crap.”

Although not as crappy as it could have been. To pretty much nobody’s surprise, Eva hadn’t worked out, either as a contestant or as a spin-off. Too diva, according to Simon.

“Stalking,” Hailey chimed in, correcting Jordan. “We’ve all been stalking. Gage Barrett is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Jordan accepted the lip gloss that Stacey held out and applied it, her eyes going to the clock. She didn’t care about Gage Barrett. The star of Jilted’s debut season was sexy as crap, but she maintained that Luke Elliott would have been the far more desirable star.

That is, if she’d been willing to share him.

Which Jordan absolutely would not be. Not ever.

Now, if she could only get him down the aisle…

She shook out her tingling hands. “Okay, I’m thinking I’m just going to go take a little peek. Make sure he’s still here.”

“Oh, would you stop,” Hailey said, holding up a can and dousing Jordan’s head in a cloud of hairspray. “He’ll be there. The man adores you.”

“Yes, but you of all people…”

Hailey sighed. “Stace? A little help?”

Stacey tugged at the strapless, champagne-colored bridesmaid dress, then pointed a warning finger at Jordan. “Luke Elliott loves you. More than he loved Hailey, or me, or Eva. You’re his forever, Jordan Carpenter, and if you continue this crap, all of your bridesmaids will storm right out of here.”

“Which will be like half the town,” Isobel said, popping the cork off a bottle of champagne.

She wasn’t entirely wrong. Simon had happily agreed to be man of honor, whose main task was following Luke around like a hawk. The rest of Jordan’s bridal party was Lucky Hollow’s finest.

She’d be getting married with Stacey, Isobel, Hailey, Tawny, and Bree by her side.

And it would be crowded.

She and Luke had decided to get married at Tucker’s. The shabby bar looked anything but, courtesy of Luke’s mom’s and Vicky’s considerable combined skills. Jordan had caught only a glimpse before being ushered back here, but there were candles and white roses everywhere, and, more important, the entire place was pulsing with happiness.

After their reunion in Keaton, Jordan and Luke had flown straight back to Lucky Hollow and relieved Bree and Ryan of dog- and cat-sitting duty, much to the dismay of their daughter.

Since then, the eight months had flown by. Jordan had started an online life-coach company for twenty-somethings looking to find themselves, and though it was still early stages, she’d been shocked to realize she could make money from it…even more shocked to learn how much she enjoyed it.

She and Raven still kept in touch, although she tuned out whenever her old boss talked about the runaway success of Jilted.

There was only one runaway groom Jordan cared about, but so help her God, if he ran out on this one…

“Ready?” Bree said, spritzing Jordan’s cleavage with a bit of perfume, then patting the area dry unabashedly.

“If it means you guys will stop feeling me up and shellacking me with hairspray.”

“Welcome to small-town life, babe,” Hailey said, smacking Jordan’s ass. “Also, hot damn on the shoes. Have I told you that in the past five minutes?”

Jordan glanced down. It had been a neck-and-neck decision between the aqua cowboy boots and the delicate Jimmy Choos with the blue bow around the ankle, but she’d eventually opted for the latter as a nod to her and Luke’s early days, when she’d been the city girl in stilettos, he the guy in the backward cap and boots.

Although he’d better not be wearing either of those today.

The door opened and Vicky crowded in with her clipboard. She gave Jordan a once-over. “Did someone spray her with hairspray?”

“I’ve got it!” Luke’s mother rushed in, aerosol can in hand. Before Jordan could duck, Jane had given her loose waves an unneeded blast of hairspray.

“There,” Jane said warmly, cupping Jordan’s cheek. “Now it’ll stay put.”

Jordan’s eyes watered at the motherly affection Luke’s mom had shown her since the very first phone call, and she threw her arm around the other woman’s neck.

“There, there,” his mom sniffled. “You’d better watch it or I’ll be moving back to Lucky Hollow and trying to get Luke to build a mother-in-law suite for me and my man.”

“You can stay with me, Ma,” Tawny said, tugging her mother away from Jordan. “The two of them need newlywed time. Also, have I mentioned how skinny you look in that dress?”

Jane slid a hand over the beaded bodice of her gown. “Remember that when I ask you to help me get out of these Spanx.”

“And yuck,” Tawny said. “So can we please do this wedding thing so we can get to the cake?”

Jordan’s stomach fluttered. “Is he out there?”

“My son adores you. We all do,” Jane said, wrapping an arm around her waist. “He’ll be there.”

Before Jordan could reply, her bevy of bridesmaids was ushering her forward, patting at the white knee-length sheath dress to make sure it didn’t ride up, before positioning her at the back entrance of the main room.

“You ready to be sisters?” Tawny whispered, squeezing Jordan’s hand before stepping behind her to get in line.

Jordan didn’t have a chance to answer, because the crowd parted as the music swelled with a Faith Hill ballad….

And there he was.

Jordan exhaled when she saw her husband-to-be, saw him do the same, his face relaxing when he spotted her, as though he’d been looking for her too, worried that she’d chicken out.

Fat chance.

Jordan was vaguely aware of the people of Lucky Hollow standing to the sides, half of them crying, the other half grinning, but her smile was all for Luke.

And his for her.

Simon stepped forward and extended his arm to walk her down the aisle. Hailey poked her in the back with her bouquet, in a silent Go get him, girl!

Jordan took a step forward, then another.

Not just toward the man she loved.

But toward the rest of her life.