“If the calm always comes before the storm, does that mean that the ceremony and reception are going to be a total disaster?” Gracie paced anxiously from one end of the prayer room to the other. The skirts of her wedding dress were making an annoying swishing noise with every step she took.
“Stop pacing. You're going to give yourself blisters before you even make it down the aisle, and then you really will be sorry.” Trish grabbed Gracie by the arm and tugged her down onto one of the elegant embroidered chairs that were normally arranged in a circle in the middle room so that the mostly elderly members of women's prayer group could hold its weekly meetings in comfort.
“I'm just stressed out,” Gracie said. She knew Trish was probably right about the blisters, but she couldn't bear sitting still. She used the toe of one foot to slide the high heel off of her other foot and then kicked off the second shoe. Pushing them to the side with her feet, she stood back up. “I can't sit. I'm too nervous.”
Trish sighed at her. “Why can't you be like Katie and take a nap until the ceremony?”
Gracie looked over to the small loveseat. Katie was curled into a pretty ball of yellow fabric and delicate curls. The makeup Amberly had put on her made her look like a sleeping version of Alice in Wonderland.
“Did she ever tell us why she was up all night last night?” Gracie asked.
“No. She somehow managed to keep dodging that question.”
“I hope it wasn't because of Ian. I don't know how much more of his stupidity she can take.” Gracie smoothed the lace overlay of her skirt as the door of the prayer room turned dressing room popped open without a knock.
“Hey! We could be naked in here!”
“Like I haven't seen that show before?” David raised one eyebrow at her and grinned.
“God, you look good in a suit.” Gracie crossed the room to him with a smile on her face. If David was at the church and fully dressed then at least she knew she wouldn't be getting stood up on the alter. Cal had texted her earlier to tell her that they had finished their meeting with his Pappy and were heading back to the house to get ready. If David was ready, then somewhere in this church Cal was also ready and waiting around for the moment when he and Gracie would become husband and wife. “Will you please do us all a favor and start dressing up a little more often?”
“I've worn a suit four times in the last three months. It's a personal record.” David dusted some imaginary lint off of his suit lapels. He had a simple, but pretty yellow rose boutonniere pinned to his chest. The new florist had come through for them and done a nice job of it, according to Loretta Walker. Gracie figured that, if Miss Loretta was happy, then so was she. “I'm planning on burning my suit after today.”
“I don't think so,” Trish said with a shake of her head. “You don't burn $800 tailored suits just because you're tired of paying the dry cleaners bill.”
David stuck his tongue out at her and then smiled. “Have I mentioned how gorgeous you both look today?”
“No, actually. You haven't.” Trish did a little twirl in front of him, giving him ample time to take in the plunging neckline of her orange floor length gown.
He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I'm a damn lucky man.”
“You better believe you are,” Gracie told him. “She's way out of your league.”
“I know.” David pulled Trish close against his side. She wrapped her arm around his narrow waist and smiled. Gracie couldn't help noticing what a handsome couple they made and thinking how happy they looked together.
“I'm glad you found her,” Gracie said. “I needed a new bestie.”
David laughed. “Speaking of your besties, should we wake Katie up?” He looked pointedly to where she was sleeping on the couch.
“Probably. We only have fifteen minutes until the wedding is officially supposed to begin.”
“I'm surprised Katie can sleep through all this excitement,” David said. “I guess she and your brother must have had a hell of a night.”
“My brother?” Gracie did a double take.
“Addison and Katie took off last night. No one has the slightest fucking clue where the two of them went, but they didn't come pulling back into town until after the sun was up this morning.”
“Katie was with Addy all night?” Trish blinked in surprise. “Why?”
“No idea. He won't talk about it.” David shrugged.
“She won't either,” Trish said.
“Maybe they have a good reason for not talking about it,” Gracie said after a slight pause. She purposefully turned her attention to David. “Are the guests here yet?”
David nodded.
“How many people are here?” Trish asked.
“A lot,” David admitted. “They've had to open the upper balcony for extra seating.”
“Damn it,” Gracie said. “We didn't invite enough people to fill the balcony.”
“No, we didn't. Someone else did. Momma says it doesn't matter and that we can't turn folks away at the church door.” David rolled his head from side to side until his neck let out a loud crack. “Don't take this the wrong way, but I'll be damned glad when your wedding is over, kid.”
Gracie smirked at him. “You won't be the only one. Are you and Addison still going to finish the last of the painting inside the new house while we're on our honeymoon?”
“Everything will be fully inspected and ready to move in when y'all get back. I've sworn it on my life.”
“You're the best,” Gracie said.
“No, I'm the best.” Addison pushed though the open door and came into the prayer room. He'd paired a charcoal gray suit with a turquoise button down that matched his eyes perfectly. A pair of expensive designer sunglasses were hanging from his suit pocket next to his boutonniere.
“Wow,” he said as his bright turquoise eyes fell on Gracie. “You make a beautiful bride.”
Gracie grinned at him. “Wow, yourself. Has anyone told you lately that you're absolutely gorgeous?”
“I hear it all the time.” Addison took a moment to check his own flawless reflection in the floor to ceiling mirror that covered one side of the room. He smiled as if he were pleased by what he saw.
“Studmuffin knows he's sexy. Complimenting him is a waste of breath.” Katie had woken up on her own. She was sitting up on the loveseat, checking her heavily hair-sprayed curls with her fingers as if she were trying to figure out how much damage she'd done to her hairstyle by sleeping on it.
Addison's gaze went to Katie and stopped. He did a double take as he took in her delicately curled hair and bright pink lips. “You look beautiful,” he told her.
“You're a kind liar,” Katie said to him dismissively. There was an odd tension between the two of them this morning that Gracie would have wanted to get to the bottom of any other time.
“I'm not lying,” Addy said as he crossed the room to her. He sat down on the love seat by her side and took her hand into his. “I'm looking forward to walking you down the aisle.”
“To walking me down the aisle?” Katie looked just as startled as Gracie felt.
“Addy, you're supposed to be giving me away,” Gracie reminded him.
“Dad's going to give you away,” Addison said.
“What?” Gracie gaped at him. “Dad's here?”
“I am.” Dale Malone walked through the dressing room door as if he'd been waiting for his cue. Maybe he had. “You look beautiful, baby girl.”
Gracie let out a squeal of joy and bolted to her Dad. Dale picked her up and hugged her to his chest. “I can't believe you came,” she said.
“I wouldn't have missed your special day for the world,” Dale told her.