“I heard your mother say it’s almost time to cut the cake,” Anna whispered in Finn’s ear. He was her husband of one hour and forty-five minutes, and she figured they had at least a couple hours to go before they could be alone.
“Which one?” he whispered back.
She laughed, the sound traveling across the sprawling yard and making their guests turn to look. “I can’t believe we have three wedding cakes.”
“I can’t believe they’re all carrot cakes,” he replied, hooking his arm around her waist so he could pull her close.
“You need to prepare yourself for the inevitable judging after the cake,” she warned.
“It’s our wedding, not the county fair.”
She laughed. “It’s cute you think that matters.”
The wedding planning hadn’t been difficult. They would be married at home—having moved in two months ago when the renovations were completed. They were in the upstairs suite, with Tess in her downstairs room, and none of them had regrets. Anna and Tess got along amazingly well, and Tess did her best to let them have their space. And Finn and Anna would be working on filling the other room with a growing family very soon.
Anna was wearing a traditional white gown that hugged her body and Finn wore a tux, though they’d invited their guests to dress casually for the outdoor wedding. Most of them had ignored that. The flowers were simple and from the florist in town. All in all, most of the planning had gone smoothly.
Except for the wedding cake.
As the premier baker in Blackberry Bay and the mother-in-law of the best man, Jenelle Bishop intended to make them a traditional but elegantly decorated carrot cake. Tess claimed her carrot cake was better and she should get to make the wedding cake since she was hosting the wedding, along with the bride and groom. When Alice pointed out that Tess used her recipe and didn’t make it as well, her mother-in-law challenged her to prove it.
So Finn and Anna had three wedding cakes and all she could do was hope they managed to escape the reception before one of them asked which was best.
Finn snorted. “If they had asked us, I would have voted for chocolate.”
“I think there’s a rule about New England weddings in the fall having carrot cake.” She stood on her toes to whisper in his ear. “But you were smart enough to marry a woman who stopped at Bishop’s and bought two double chocolate his and hers wedding cupcakes, which are hidden very well in our bedroom right now.”
He growled and pulled her hard against his body. “I love the way you think, Mrs. Weaver.”
The sound of silverware clinking against glasses caught their attention and they gave their guests an obligatory kiss. The not-so-obligatory kisses would be saved for later.
“I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy,” he whispered against her mouth, and tears blurred her vision. There had been several bouts of happy tears over the last couple of days as their friends and family arrived to celebrate their wedding with them.
“Let’s stay happy by putting off the cake cutting as long as we can,” she suggested. “Let’s mingle and try to be hard to pin down. Avoid your mother, your grandmother and Jenelle.”
Laughing, he threaded his fingers through hers and led her into the crowd of guests. “You think like a Blackberry Bay native.”
They made their way through the guests, stopping and chatting for a few minutes before moving on. Everybody was in a celebratory mood, and there were lots of smiles and a few happy tears.
Her family was there. All of them. While they weren’t all sitting together at the long folding tables under the rented canopy, her father had walked her down the aisle. Christy and Naomi were both mothers of the bride, and her sisters had been her bridesmaids. Her parents. Her sisters and her brothers. Her nephews. Her heart was full of love for all of them, and having them all here to witness her marrying the man she loved made her feel whole in a way she hadn’t for a long time.
And Eryn had traveled from Connecticut with her wife and their son to be her matron of honor. Their friendship hadn’t ended with the end of the show, and they were in almost constant contact. And because Eryn and Tess got along so well, she and Kelly were going to stay at the house for the week Anna and Finn were away and have a true family vacation in Blackberry Bay.
Anna and Finn sat for a while at the table where their best friends had congregated. When setting up for the wedding, they’d cleared a space for the kids to play, complete with a few outdoor games and a playpen in the shade. Brady and Reyna were there with Parker, who had mastered walking and refused to stay in one place. Their friends Cam and Meredith had Sophie and Carolina with them, though Carolina was asleep on a blanket under the table. She was one of those toddlers who went full speed, dropped for a nap, then got up going full speed again. CJ and Benny were playing trucks, and Sydney’s kids were playing with the little ones, too, even though they were a little older. Weddings were boring for the preteen set.
“My mother’s coming this way,” Reyna said after they’d been sitting for a few minutes.
“If you dive under the table, don’t fall on Carolina,” Meredith said, and everybody except Anna and Finn laughed.
“When are we having cake?” Brady yelled to Jenelle, and because she was looking their way, Anna couldn’t even throw anything at him.
“You’re going to pay for that,” Finn warned his best friend, but she could hear the laughter in his voice.
He stood and took Anna’s hand as she pushed off the folding chair. She smiled at him and shook her head. “I guess it’s time.”
“I’m not going to pick a favorite,” he said.
“Not today,” she said. “But I know you and you’re going to end up telling them each their cake was the best at some point.”
“I don’t know. Baked goods are serious business in this town.” They were skirting around the guests on their way to the cake table, but when they passed by a large tree, Finn tugged her hand and pulled her around to the other side of the trunk. It wasn’t exactly private, but it was as close as they were going to get. “One more hour and then we’re leaving.”
She laughed. “One more hour and we can start leaving. It’ll probably take at least that long to say goodbye to everybody.”
“Let’s just get on the bike and go. They’ll figure out we’re gone at some point.
They were taking his Harley over to Maine, and then riding up the coastline to a cottage on the rocky beach they’d rented for a week, and Anna couldn’t wait.
“We’re going to be so exhausted we’ll probably sleep for the first half of our honeymoon,” she said.
“That’s fine as long as I’m sleeping with you next to me.”
When he bowed his head to kiss her, she felt the familiar rush of joy and love. “You’re right. We’ll just get on the bike and go.”
“Seven days alone.”
“And we’ll have to spend most of that time in bed since we can only fit a couple days’ worth of clothes in the bags on the bike,” she pointed out.
“One hour.” He grinned. “We sneak off, eat our cupcakes and hit the road.”
“I like the way you think, husband.” The glow in his eyes when she said the word matched what she felt, and she squeezed his hand. “I love you, Finn.”
“I love you too, wife of mine. Forever.”
She kissed him, one long and sweet kiss, and then she gave him one of those crooked smiles he loved so much. “Let’s go eat some carrot cake.”
Keep reading for an excerpt from Operation K-9 Brothers by Sandra Owens.