Fiona flitted around the kitchen that a week ago was all hers. She’d been happy alone in her new house, starting over, but she was over the moon to have Price there with her.
They’d had their rings sized, and now hers sparkled up at her from the correct finger.
She sensed Price before he moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You have everything put together. Stop fussing,” he said.
“I haven’t had people in my house. Our house,” she corrected. “I hadn’t realized I’d amassed so many friends,” she laughed.
“Five, Fi. We only have five people coming over.”
“For dinner and a wedding they don’t know about.”
He turned her in his arms. “I like it better this way. You, me, a couple of friends, and an official document to sign.”
She shook her head and smiled, then rested her head on his shoulder.
“I didn’t expect this to happen to me. I might have written it in a book—but not in my life.”
“It belongs in your life,” he said as the doorbell rang. “I’ll get that.”
He left her alone in the kitchen. Fiona turned and gripped the counter for support. He was right. It did belong in her life.
She could hear the conversations from the other room. Everyone had arrived at the same time.
There was no better time to get married than surrounded by the friends made, and those they’d had, in the town where they’d both, by chance, landed.
Fiona walked to the living room and Leona moved to her, pulling her in for a hug. “This is the cutest house I’ve ever seen.”
“Thank you.”
Price laughed. “It’s cute for another week. I’m having my apartment packed up and shipped out here. Then she’ll have my stuff mixed with hers, again.”
Fiona moved to him. “I can’t wait.”
Sadie moved around the room looking at the photos on the mantel and the walls. Fiona watched as she came to the newest collection—the ones she’d put up only two days ago.
Sadie turned to Fiona. “What are all the sonogram photos?”
Price’s arm wrapped around Fiona’s shoulders, and he pulled her in close.
“Those are our babies,” Fiona said, and her voice hitched. “Every time we lost one, I put their picture in a box to forget. We decided, they were still our children, and they’re waiting for us. So we’re not hiding them in a box. They need to be celebrated.”
Sadie’s eyes went wide and immediately filled with tears. Charlie moved in next to her and pulled her to him.
“Fiona, I’m so sorry.”
Fiona shook her head. “Don’t be. It’s part of who we are and how we got to this moment.”
Leona reached a hand to Fiona and rested it on her arm. “I think it’s precious.”
Rosalyn wiped her fingers under her eyes, and Fiona knew she was transported back to those nights where she sat with Fiona after those losses while the men made music elsewhere.
“Let’s eat,” Price said. “We have some things planned after, and I’m a little anxious to get to them.”
They had dinner with their friends at the dining room table, and Fiona’s heart was full. That book she’d been working on, the one that wouldn’t have the happily ever after, well, that was going to have to change. Because among those she had always loved, and the new friends she cherished with all her heart, she was happy—oh, so happy.
Price pushed back his chair from the table. “We have dessert. A cake.” He took Fiona’s hand and squeezed it. “A wedding cake. But first we need to have a wedding.”
Price stood and walked to the other room and came back carrying a piece of paper.
“You’re all here tonight to be part of our wedding.”
Every woman at the table sucked in a breath and wiped tears from their cheeks. Every man nodded and smiled.
Fiona stood and kissed Price on the cheek. “We’ve written new vows that we’d like to share with each other, and then we want you all to sign the marriage license as witnesses. But write small. There are only two lines,” she said, and everyone laughed.
Fiona retreated to the other room, just as Price had earlier, and she came back with her iPad.
“I needed a bigger copy to see,” she teased as she opened it and faced Price.
“To Price. What once was, will never be. From here, I’ll go it alone.” She looked up at him and his brows had drawn together. She smiled. “When I moved here, I started a new book. In my heart, I knew it would be the first book I ever wrote that didn’t have a happy ending. But, it was okay, because maybe I needed to believe that not everything ended happily. That was the dedication to the book. Interesting that it was dedicated to you.”
Fiona brushed her finger over the screen and read aloud her amended dedication.
“To Price. Happily ever afters start with optimistic beginnings, even if those beginnings are second, third, or fourth ones. You will always be my happily ever after, and we will forever carry our family in our hearts—Chloe, Christian, Alexander, Leia, Sammi, and Benjamin.”
She heard Sadie gasp, and then sob. Again, Charlie pulled her to him and held her.
“That was beautiful, Fiona,” Sadie said softly.
Price nodded, moving in and kissing Fiona softly on the lips. “It was beautiful.”
“The story changes now, Price. I’ll never not want to love you again.”
He smiled at her before kissing her again.
“Well, I’m not as good with the words. So, my vows have no words,” he said as he moved to the piano in the living room. “This, my love, is for you.”
Price sat down on the bench and stretched out his fingers. Then, as he lay his fingers on the keys, a melody she recognized played, only then did it turn. She closed her eyes and pictured colors and meadows. It was something she used to do when he’d write. His melodies were transforming, and she could see them in her mind.
He’d rewritten Fiona’s Wedding Song, and this version had happy chords that made her head swim with bright light.
It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
When he finished, everyone at the table applauded, and Fiona opened her eyes.
“Colorful,” she said, looking at Price.
“You are every melody that has ever stuck in my head, my love,” he said as he rose and moved to her. “I know now, that being right here, right now, this is the good stuff.”