Chapter Twelve

The morning of May twenty-third arrived and Maggie awoke smiling. It was her wedding day. She spent the night at Liv’s place and Kyle was at his parents’. Dee came over first thing and brought breakfast while Liv did their hair.

“Phone for you, hon, it’s your husband-to-be.” Liv handed the phone to her and she went back to artfully pinning up her curls and lacing flowers and ribbon through it all.

“Hi honey! Not having second thoughts are you?” she asked with a laugh.

“Hey, Red, no way. Although I just want to say, yet again, how stupid I think it was to make me sleep alone last night. I haven’t slept alone since November. I don’t like it.”

“Stop whining. It’s the last time you’ll have to. I didn’t want you to see my dress until the ceremony. I want it to be a surprise.”

“Okay, I’m sure it’ll be worth it. I sure do love you, Red.”

“Me too, baby. I have to go. Liv’s doing my hair and the phone is in the way. I’ll see you in an hour.”

“Can’t wait.”

Maggie hung up and sighed. “He’s so wonderful.”

“Oh lawd! I thought the weekly Arthur is wonderful updates were bad!” Liv joked.

“Are you talking about my boy?” Polly flounced into the room.

“Hey, Mom. Of course we were talking about Kyle. My, don’t you look pretty!”

“Thanks, doll. What can I do?”

“I’m done here. Let’s help her get into the dress.”

Maggie’s dress was antique white silk and satin. Sleeveless, with tiny embroidered French blue flowers along the neckline. The back had a small vee in it with the same embroidered flowers. It gathered into a pleat at the small of her back and the material flowed down and made a modest pool of silk as a train. She opted against a veil and chose to wind flowers and ribbon in her hair. Her bouquet was of silver roses and white magnolias. As a present for Kyle later, she had on a gorgeous cream colored bustier and garter set underneath with pale silk stockings.

Dee and Liv wore French blue dresses of mid-calf length and the groom was wearing a dove gray morning coat with his tuxedo.

“Look at you, girl,” Liv whispered as they got her all fastened inside of the dress and she stood before the mirror.

Maggie smiled as she looked at them all. “We sure do clean up nice.”

“I almost forgot. Here.” Polly handed a velvet jeweler’s box to Maggie. “This is from Kyle.”

She opened the box and softly gasped when she saw the pair of sapphire and diamond earrings inside. The note said, something blue and something new. She put them on and they sparkled in her ears.

“Now for something borrowed,” Polly said, “as well as old.” She handed her a velvet pouch and Maggie opened it and a diamond bracelet came out. “My mother let me borrow this on my wedding day and then she gave it to me when I had Shane. So today, you’ll borrow it from me. And when you and Kyle have your first child, it’ll be yours.”

Maggie fanned her face. “Oh lord, you’re going to make me cry and ruin Liv’s make up job! Thank you so much!”

Edward and Tom waited on the front porch as Liv, Dee, Polly and Maggie arrived.

“You look beautiful, hon.” her father said.

Edward kissed her cheek and winked at Polly. “You sure do. Kyle is a lucky boy.” He called for Matt and Marc who were going to walk with Dee and Liv. She’d asked Polly to be her matron of honor and Shane came to escort her. All three Chase brothers looked at her and cracked grins.

“Wow! You look amazing, Maggie. Absolutely gorgeous,” Marc said.

“I’m an idiot,” Shane grumbled and Polly nodded and patted his arm.

“You look beautiful, Liv,” Matt said and Maggie smiled at the chemistry that always brewed between those two.

“Let’s rock, people,” she said and they all went to the back doors and the music started as Polly and Shane walked out, followed by Liv and Matt, Dee and Marc.

Suddenly the music changed and she put her hands in the arms of her escorts and stepped outside and everyone stood. She looked out at the gathered crowd of friends and neighbors and then, up to the arbor where Kyle stood, smiling at her.

Kyle’s heart stopped when she stepped out onto the back porch. Her dress molded to her body, her hair pinned up in artfully reckless curls and filled with flowers. She looked fey and wholesome and yet earthy and sexy all at once. And she was all his. Her smile flashed at him and he began to breathe again.

Both Tom and Edward placed her hand in his and the rest of the ceremony went by in a haze. Kyle pushed the platinum band onto her finger until it slid home against the ring she already wore and spoke the words that bound their lives together under civil law. She spoke the same words back as she slid a matching band onto his finger.

The minister, who’d married Polly and Edward and presided at the baptisms of each of the Chase children, smiled at Maggie and Kyle and gently turned them to face the crowd of friends and family. “I’d like to introduce Kyle and Margaret Chase.”

Kyle’s arm encircled his wife’s shoulders and he steered her back into the house for a few brief moments of silence and solitude. “I love you, wife,” he said, kissing her lips.

“And I love you, husband,” she murmured back.