A week later, Melody unlocked the front door of the store for Anna and Lila. An unusual early-morning fog hid most of Main Street from view.
"Your hair," Anna gasped.
Melody tucked a strand of straight, brown hair behind her ear self-consciously as her friends trouped inside the store. This was all her. Her normal color and the boring straight locks she'd been born with.
Lila was behind Anna on the stoop of Melody's store, but she was the one to push inside. "What did you do to yourself? Is this some sign of depression?"
After Anna joined them, Melody locked the door and took the cup of coffee from Anna's fingers.
"Remember when you started wearing your hair down?" Melody asked Lila.
The other woman's eyes widened. She'd stopped wearing her hair in tight French braids and buns when she'd fallen for Ben and admitted that she didn't have to try so hard to control everything in her life.
"You fell for Weston," Anna said.
Melody couldn't say it aloud. It hurt too much, now that he was gone.
"Come on back," she said instead. "The last alterations to your dress are finished, and you'll want to see it on."
She set her coffee on the front counter, safely away from the dressing rooms, and began unzipping the large white garment bag she'd hung on the tall rack late last night.
"One week to go," Lila said. "Any thoughts of backing out?"
"None," said Anna as she fingered one lacy fold of the dress. "I'm happier than I have been in a long time."
Melody was glad for her friend. Anna had grieved her first husband and had worked hard to provide for her children. She deserved someone like Kelly to pamper her and love her back.
But it was very hard not to be jealous.
Instead, she shored up her courage and said, "I wanted to tell you...if you want to change back to the peach dress—the one with the sweetheart neckline—I'm okay with that."
Both Lila and Anna turned, almost in sync, and stared at her. She couldn't blame them and suppressed the blush that wanted to rise.
This morning, she'd faced her mirrored reflection as she'd been dressing and stared down the scar. She couldn't help remembering Weston's words, that her scar was a badge of courage. She missed him so much.
Was she the woman who'd braved heels to take dancing lessons? The woman who would run a marathon later in the spring?
Or was she a coward, hiding behind fear and crew necks?
She'd donned a sweater with a square-cut neckline that she'd never dared wear before. And she hadn't tried to disguise it with jewelry or a scarf.
"Mel," Anna breathed. She dropped the fabric of the gown and threw her arms around Melody. Lila joined in the embrace, putting her arms around both of them.
Melody couldn't stop her eyes from filling with tears. She sniffed, valiantly attempting to stem the flow, but it was no use.
"Oh, honey," Lila comforted her, patting her back.
Anna let go of Melody, fished through her purse, and retrieved some tissues. She pressed them into Melody's hand. "Have you heard from him?"
Melody shook her head. "I told him..." Her voice wavered, and she had to take a breath before she could finish. "I told him a clean break was better. I thought it would be easier not to try and keep things going long distance."
"Well, that was dumb." But Lila patted her shoulder.
Melody wiped at her tears with the tissues. "I know. I should've told him I would take anything—long distance, sell the store and move to OKC..."
Anna snorted. "You can't sell your shop. You love it too much."
She did. But she also loved Weston.
"Why don't you just call him?" Anna asked gently. Anna had come around after Melody revealed what she could about Weston's past without invading his privacy.
She'd thought about calling him. But even though she was learning to be brave, it was still scary. She dabbed at the tears that were finally drying up. "Maybe I will."
She tossed the used tissues. "Today isn't about me. We've got to get you in that dress and make sure it fits."
She accepted one more hug from each of her friends. She couldn't let Weston's absence ruin Anna's day. The wedding would be here in a week, and then she could decide what to do.
"This seat taken?"
Melody startled at the familiar, warm voice behind her.
She twisted in her seat at the head table to find Weston standing there.
"Hey." He cracked his trademark half smile, and she pushed back the chair, stood, and threw herself into his arms.
He caught her and buried his nose in the crown of her updo.
"What are you doing here?" Her words were muffled in his chest, the soft linen of his shirt and tie. His jacket enveloped her bare arms as she hugged him around the waist.
She took back the question. It didn't matter what he was doing there, just that he was.
"Can I steal you away for a minute?"
She glanced around the half-empty multi-purpose room of the church. The bride and groom hadn't finished their pictures, and wedding guests were still meandering in.
Lila looked from where she and Ben were embracing, half-hidden by a potted plant caddy-corner from the door. She made a shooing motion with one hand, urging Melody to disappear with Weston.
Melody didn't need to be told twice.
He took her hand and led her out of the large room, down the hall, and into an empty adult classroom.
He pulled her into his arms before the door had even clicked closed and greeted her with a searing kiss. His hands were in her hair—thank goodness they'd taken all the bridesmaid pictures earlier—and the mass tumbled out of its pins and down around her shoulders.
"I missed you," he said when he finally broke the kiss.
"I can tell." She couldn't stop smiling.
"What's this?" he asked, running one hand through her straight brown hair. "No color?"
She bit her lip and shook her head slightly. "This is...the real me."
His finger traced her collarbone, where the sweetheart neckline of the bridesmaid dress did nothing to hide her scar. "And this?"
"Still the real me." She ran her hands across his shoulders, reassuring herself that he was really here. "And I registered for the Memorial marathon." The annual Oklahoma City event was always in late April and that gave her about six weeks to finish her training.
"I'll drive down and cheer you across the finish line," he said, brushing a kiss across her cheek.
He believed she could do it. The knowledge warmed her from the inside.
And then his words registered.
"Drive down?" Suddenly, her heart was beating in her throat.
"Yeah. It'll mean getting up early, but I can deal."
"Drive down from where?" She leaned away when he tried to distract her with another kiss.
"I sold my condo," he said. "I'm relocating."
She waited, holding her breath.
"Here." He seemed to wait, a small note of uncertainty in the depths of his eyes.
"Thank goodness." She closed her eyes against the relieved tears that threatened to overwhelm her. One slipped out, and he brushed it away with his thumb.
"So that's a happy tear?" he whispered.
She nodded, eyes still closed. "Now I don't have to sell my shop."
He laughed.
He replaced his thumb with his lips and then slowly moved the kiss from her cheek down to her lips.
She gave him a proper welcome home until they were both breathless.
He pressed her close to his chest. She clung to his waist, holding him tightly.
"Have you told the twins?"
"I called them on my way up here, but I had to see you first."
"I bet they're excited."
He chuckled. "Seemed like it. They probably just want me to chaperone some more parties for them."
"Oh, it's only starting with them," she teased. "Soon, they'll be dating."
He groaned. "I don't want to think about that right now."
He rested his forehead against hers. "I only want to think about us."
She liked the sound of that.
"I was wondering if there was something else we could mark off your list. Something big."
Her heart thudded against her ribs. She licked her lips. "Like what?"
One of his hands let go of her waist, and he reached into his pocket. He raised a small black velvet-covered box into her line of sight, and suddenly she couldn't breathe.
"Something big," he repeated. "Melody, I want our life to be an adventure together. Will you marry me?"
"Yes. Yes, yes!"
His eyes sparkled with unshed tears, and she was gratified that she wasn't the only one overflowing with emotion.
"You haven't even seen the ring yet," he said with a chuckle.
"It doesn't matter what it looks like. It's the man attached to the ring I'm interested in."
But that didn't stop her from gasping over the huge emerald-cut diamond that sparkled under the overhead lights.
Noise from the door interrupted their interlude, and suddenly Chase and Claire were barging in. "Lila told us you snuck off somewhere."
"We found you!"
The girls oohed and aahed over the ring and embraced the both of them, and then Lila and Ben were crowding inside, and Kelly and Anna in her glamorous wedding dress.
And Melody beamed up at Weston all the while.
Her prince charming had come back for her.
And their happy ending was just right.
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