Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Caitlin gazed into Michael’s eyes as they danced together under the stars. She felt more full of positive emotions than she ever had before in her life. She’d just married the man of her dreams, and her sister was about to have a baby.

“It’s been quite the day, huh?” Michael asked, grinning at her.

He seemed to be practically glowing with happiness, and just like her, he couldn’t seem to stop smiling. He hadn’t wanted to stop dancing with her. They’d barely left the dance floor since their first dance as husband and wife, and she wasn’t complaining.

She loved dancing with him, and their dance floor area was exceptionally beautiful. Twinkle lights glowed overhead and danced in a fragrant breeze from the ocean, and in the distance, over the sound of the music, they could hear the soothing sound of the surf rushing up against the sand. The stars winked and sparkled overhead, and she couldn’t help feeling that their wedding had been the most perfect event of her life.

“Quite the day.” She let out a soft sigh. “I feel thrilled that I’m married to you, and thrilled that I’m about to become an aunt. I couldn’t think of two more exciting things to be happening at once.”

He nodded, his eyes warm and soft. “A lot of new beginnings,” he murmured, and then leaned in for a kiss.

The evening seemed to pass in a whirlwind. She and Michael continued to dance, and she loved looking around at the smiling faces of all their guests. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and most of their friends and family members were out on the dance floor with them.

The night had been filled with laughter and love, and she felt incredibly blessed to be surrounded by people that she cared for so much. Pearl was dancing with a group of other children, looking like a little fairy princess in her pink dress. Caitlin’s heart warmed to see her. She looked so happy, and she overheard her tell several people that she was about to have a cousin and that she was extremely excited.

She saw Isaiah dancing with Gwen, the new doctor, and she had to hide a grin. She loved the idea of them as a couple, and they looked adorable together.

She saw Corey dancing with Olivia, their heads held close together, and Johanna and Everett swing-dancing like a couple of teenagers. Hannah and Luke were standing on the side of the dance floor, eating cake and laughing hysterically about something. Marsha and Willis were walking along the beach together, holding hands and talking happily. Sandy and Daniel were sitting near the dance floor, showing off Chandler to Josie and Wesley, who looked absolutely captivated with him. Just in front of them, Paige and Tommy were dancing, and their dance moves seemed to include some kind of secret handshake.

Many of the guests came up to congratulate her and Michael and wish them well. Most of them asked if they’d heard anything from Alissa or Dane, and she kept having to shake her head and say, “Not yet.”

She exchanged a few sympathetic glances with Johanna as they waited. Although she was having a wonderful time, she felt impatient for news from her sister, and she kept checking her phone, which she kept inside a pocket that she’d had specially made for her wedding dress.

“Nothing yet?” Michael asked as she slipped her phone back into her pocket for what must have been the fifteenth time.

“No.” She smiled at him but couldn’t help sighing. “I feel all pins and needles.” She laughed. “I just want to know what’s going on.”

He nodded and kissed her head. “It might be hours before the baby arrives. I’m sure everything is going just fine.”

“I know,” she whispered. “You’re right. I should focus on our celebration. I’ll hear from them as soon as the baby is born, I’m sure.”

They stepped away from the dance floor for a while to talk to more of their guests and enjoy second slices of cake. After another hour or so, things began to wind down and guests began to depart slowly.

“One last dance?” Michael asked, taking her hand and steering her toward the dance floor.

“Yes—and let’s ask Pearl to join us.”

Grinning, Michael called for Pearl, and she came running up to them and took their hands. For a moment, they were the only three people on the dance floor, dancing along to an upbeat song. Soon other people joined them, seeming to sense it was the last song of the night.

The final chords of the song sounded, and everyone cheered and started to hug each other. As the group hug began to break apart, Caitlin heard her phone ding in her pocket.

Her heart leapt up and she reached inside her pocket eagerly. She sucked in her breath when she saw that it was a text from Dane.

DANE: He’s here! Oscar has been born. Both he and Alissa are doing great.

“I’m an aunt!” Caitlin exclaimed, and everyone cheered again.

“Yay!” Pearl shouted and grabbed Michael’s hands. The two of them began to dance around together, whooping with excitement.

“We should go to the hospital,” Michael said, panting and grinning.

“Could we?” Caitlin perked up eagerly. “I would love that.”

“I want to go as well,” Johanna said, and Everett echoed the sentiment.

A group of them—including Caitlin’s parents, Everett and Johanna, Marsha and Willis, and Josie, Wesley, and Paige—decided to leave the reception to go see the baby. The remaining guests volunteered to help the wedding decorators clean up, and they urged Michael and Caitlin to leave right away to go meet Oscar.

“It’s your wedding day, you’re not allowed to do any clean-up.” Olivia laughed, seeming to sense Caitlin’s hesitation. “We’ve got it covered. Don’t we, Isaiah?”

“We absolutely do,” Isaiah said, looking up and grinning from where he was starting to fold up chairs next to Gwen. “You go meet your little nephew. And then spam Olivia with pictures so she can send them to me.”

“All right,” Caitlin said, laughing. “Thank you all so much.”

“Of course,” Sandy said, waving her away. “Go meet Oscar!”

The group that was going to the hospital hurried along the beach to the parking lot, where they piled into their cars, laughing and bantering with a sense of eagerness. Caitlin was tingling with excitement as they started their drive, and behind her in the back seat, Pearl was starting to sing a little bit, as if she couldn’t express her feelings any other way.

Beside Caitlin, Michael reached over and took her hand.

“You’re my wife,” he whispered.

Happiness rushed through her, so sweet and full she thought she might burst.

“Forever and always,” she said, and at the next stoplight, he leaned in for a kiss.

Alissa gazed down at Oscar, feeling aglow with feelings of love and joy. She couldn’t quite believe he was really hers yet—but there he was, with big brown eyes and a tiny little nose and the smallest fingers.

“Are you real?” she whispered to him, stroking the side of his cheek.

Beside her in the delivery room, Dane grinned. His eyes were shining, and he looked a little dazed, but Alissa knew he was the proudest father in the world.

She felt exhausted—she hadn’t been in labor for a terribly long time, but it had still been an incredibly taxing experience. But it had been more than worth it—gazing down at her little boy, she felt she’d never had such a sense of wonder and delight.

“I just can’t get over how cute he is,” Dane said, staring at Oscar with a kind of awe. “I’ve never loved anyone or anything this much this fast before. I mean, I loved him before he was born, but now…”

His words trailed off, and he smiled.

She beamed back at him. She didn’t need him to finish his sentence, she knew just what he meant.

She gazed down at Oscar for a few more moments, imagining getting to bring him home and putting him in his crib. She imagined her parents and Johanna coming over, and Caitlin too.

“Oh!” she said, turning to Dane hurriedly as that thought sparked another in her brain. “Did you let everyone know that he’s been born?”

He nodded, smiling. “I let everyone know almost right away. Caitlin didn’t text me back, but I have a feeling that means she’s speeding over here with Michael.”

She laughed, feeling a glow of excitement at the thought of her twin sister getting to meet her baby. “How long do you think it will take for people to get here?”

“Less than five minutes,” he joked. “Or maybe they’ll just teleport here from the wedding, and we’ll see them in a couple of seconds.”

She started to laugh, and then she cocked her head to one side as she heard voices in the hallway outside. It was soon clear that they were voices she recognized.

“It seems your prediction of a couple of seconds was correct,” she said, starting to laugh again. “I think that’s them arriving now.”

She and Dane grinned at each other, and in the next moment, their friends and family members burst into the delivery room.

Alissa felt tears rush into her eyes as she saw their smiling faces. Caitlin hurried forward and gave her a gentle sideways hug, being careful not to bump Oscar.

“Oh, he’s just gorgeous,” her twin breathed. “Sorry you missed the reception, buddy,” she said to the baby, waving at him with a huge smile on her face.

“Don’t worry, there will be plenty more weddings in Blueberry Bay,” said Johanna, her eyes dancing, and she and Alissa shared a grin.

“Come on in, have a seat everyone,” Dane said, looking like a proud father with his eyes shining. “There’s not quite enough chairs for everyone, but we can make do.”

Their guests spread out around the room, some of them taking chairs but most of them seeming to be too excited to sit down. Everyone stared at Oscar in adoration, proclaiming him to be a beautiful baby.

“What’s his name?” Paige asked, looking a little starstruck as she gazed at him.

“Oscar,” Alissa answered. “It took Dane and me an extremely long time to think of it, but we finally both came up with ‘Oscar’ at the same time, and we love it.”

“I do too,” Caitlin said, nodding. “It suits him.”

“I love it too,” Josie declared. “It’s cute and dignified at the same time.”

Everyone else agreed that Oscar was a great name. Alissa gazed at all their faces, feeling aglow with love. Marsha was blinking back tears of happiness, holding onto Willis’s arm, and Johanna looked like the proudest grandmother in the world.

“We’re so excited for you both,” Wesley said warmly. “Congratulations. We know you’re going to be amazing parents.”

“So lovely to meet you, Oscar,” Caitlin said softly.

Alissa’s heart filled with gratitude as she looked around at their friends and family members. She and Dane and Oscar were surrounded by people who loved them and were going to support them—and back in Blueberry Bay, they had even more friends who would do the same.

He’s going to be so loved , she thought, feeling tears spring to her eyes.

She reached out and took Dane’s hand, knowing that their little one was going to have an amazing life, growing up in Blueberry Bay.

Thank you so much for reading the Chasing Tides series!