Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

The day of Margo and Spencer’s wedding, Caroline was in full big-sister mode, determined to make certain that everything went off without a hitch. As a part of the bridal party, she’d already gotten ready, but she had on her boots underneath her cranberry-red dress, her heels in the car waiting. After all, the food for the reception still needed to be loaded up, and she wasn’t about to carry things back and forth in high heels.

Her wedding gift to Margo, besides helping Rhonda prepare all of the food, was wearing a pair of heels at all. The last time she’d put them on had been for her own wedding.

She had to admit, if she was going to get dressed up though, this was a wonderful occasion for it. And it had been worth it to see Rhett’s face when she’d come out of the bathroom earlier, in the cranberry silk dress that Margo had picked out for her bridesmaids, with the long lace sleeves and sweetheart neckline. She’d done her hair, curling it and putting it up in a fancy updo, and found the pearl earrings that she’d worn for her own wedding. Rhett’s jaw had almost hit the floor when she’d walked out.

He had looked incredibly handsome in his charcoal suit as well, with the holly boutonniere that all of Spencer’s groomsmen would be wearing. Jay was equally spiffy in his own matching suit, and they’d even gotten the tiniest of baby suits for Toby to wear.

The whole family, in fact, looked amazing in all of their best clothes, and the dresses that Margo had picked out. Nora was wearing a matching cranberry dress, and Madison had a small red and gold dress that made her look like a little Christmas gift all wrapped up. Aiden was also one of the groomsmen, wearing a charcoal suit, and Rhonda had gotten a beautiful deep green mother-of-the-bride dress, made of a beautiful shimmering taffeta that caught the light every time she moved. She was wearing her own set of pearls, from her wedding day, another of the Stoker traditions. Every bride got her own set of pearls, and Caroline knew her mother would be gifting Margo with hers when she was finished getting ready.

Caroline hurried back into the inn, where she found Shelby in the kitchen, carefully packaging up the cut vegetables for the salad first course. She and Rhonda had planned on preparing the food for the reception since the earliest stages of planning Margo’s wedding, but Shelby had overheard them discussing it and eagerly offered her help. Now, dressed in a pretty winter blue dress and heels, she covered the last of the containers and set them in a neat line to be taken out to the waiting car.

“How is everything going?” Caroline asked, and Shelby looked back at the counter, surveying her work.

“Everything is right on schedule,” she said confidently. “I already sent the rest of the cold foods out with your dad. It’s all being transported to the reception venue. This is the last of it.”

Caroline smiled, and it struck her in that moment how much more she was getting to enjoy this day, as with so many other things lately, because she had an extra pair of hands that were so willing to help.

“You’ve been so helpful, Shelby,” she said sincerely. “This is outside the scope of your actual job, but you volunteered. And Mom and I, and Margo and Nora, appreciate it so much. I’m so thankful we have you today, and that your help has given me so much extra time lately. I’ve gotten to spend more time with Rhett, and my children, and it really has been the best Christmas gift anyone could have possibly given me.”

Shelby beamed, a broad smile spreading across her face. “That’s all I want,” she said sincerely. “To be helpful, without overstepping. I love working here, and I’m so happy that I’m getting to be a part of this special day. I love weddings,” she added. “Especially Christmas weddings. They’re the best.”

“You’re doing an amazing job,” Caroline assured her. “And I’m so glad that you’re here too, and that we got to know you in time for you to celebrate Margo’s wedding with the family. This is very special for all of us.”

“I know you didn’t want to let someone who wasn’t family have a hand in the inn at first,” Shelby said with a smile, her expression letting Caroline know that she completely understood. “But I feel like I’m a little closer to that, after today.”

“You absolutely are.” Caroline glanced at her phone, and then at the stack of containers still on the counter. “Can you get these out to the car? I want to go see how Margo is doing.”

“Absolutely,” Shelby said, reaching for the first of the stack and heading out to where Caroline’s Subaru was parked.

Caroline hurried up the stairs to the upper floor, where Margo was getting ready in her bedroom. Nora and Rhonda were both inside, Madison babbling away happily in Nora’s arms, and Caroline gasped as Margo turned around and she saw her sister in her full bridal attire for the first time.

Margo looked absolutely stunning. The simple white dress, made of soft lace all over with an eyelash fringe at the wrists and hem, hugged Margo in a perfect, wintry column. The high, square neckline was beautiful, showcasing the strand of pearls at Margo’s neck and the pearl drop earrings she was wearing, and the white fur stole around her shoulders was the perfect winter touch to the gown. Her hair was loose, in large, thick princess curls, and Rhonda was sliding the veil edged in the same eyelash lace into her hair just as Caroline walked in.

“You look like a bride!” Caroline exclaimed, feeling her eyes mist over with happy tears at seeing her youngest sister all dressed up for her wedding.

“I do, don’t I?” Margo was beaming as she turned to look in the mirror again, taking in her appearance. “I love the pearls that Mom gave me.”

“I try to make sure each of you has a set that suits you,” Rhonda said, looking at her three daughters with a soft expression on her face.

“You did a perfect job, picking them out,” Caroline said, and she meant it. Her own pearls, that she was wearing again today, were a simple single strand at her neck and a pair of plain, round studs for her earrings. Simple and minimalist. Nora’s was a strand interspersed with a small diamond between each pearl, with drop earrings that threaded through her ears and had another small diamond tipped at the end of each pearl—a little more stylish and flashy, like her taste had tended toward before she’d moved home, and sometimes still did.

And Margo’s were perfect for her too. She also had a single strand, and earrings that dropped down from a thin white-gold stud at her ears, but they were black pearls, with the same purple-green shimmer as the tanzanite ring on her finger. Simple, classic, but unique—and perfectly suited to her.

“I’m so happy,” Margo said, that smile still lighting up her face. “I’m so glad you all talked me into having the whole big wedding. Now that it’s here, I can’t wait for all of it. To marry Spencer, and celebrate with all of you.”

Rhonda checked the veil once more to make sure it would stay in Margo’s hair, secured with a white-gold hair comb that had small sapphires in it for Margo’s ‘something blue’. Her pearls were her ‘something new’, as her sisters’ had been, and her ‘something old’ was a filigreed silver ring Rhonda had had for years, that Donovan had given her when they’d first started dating. It served as her ‘something borrowed’ too, since Rhonda had teasingly told her that she absolutely wanted it back after the wedding.

“I’m so glad you’re here with me too,” Margo said, looking at Caroline and Nora. “I missed your weddings, but you’re here at mine, and that means so much.”

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Caroline assured her, and Nora echoed it. “Not a chance. Now, we should probably get downstairs. We can’t have you running late to your own wedding.”

Margo beamed, as her mother and sisters came in to hug her, each of them gently embracing her so as not to crush her dress and veil. By the time they all disentangled themselves, everyone was misting over with happy tears, and Nora grabbed a box of tissues, passing it around as all four women tried to dab at their eyes without ruining their makeup.

“I’ll help you with your veil,” Caroline said, picking up the end of it as Margo prepared to head downstairs. “Let’s get you married.”

Donovan was waiting outside, with what Margo had said was her favorite part of all of the wedding planning. They’d borrowed a sleigh and horses to take her to the church, the same sleigh that Spencer had borrowed two years ago, to take her on her first date to see the holiday fireworks. She’d wanted to go so badly, despite her broken leg and the impossibility of the hike, and Spencer had found a thoroughly romantic way to make her dreams come true.

Margo climbed into the sleigh, as Caroline helped fold her skirt and veil into it, tucking the fur-lined blanket around her. “We’ll meet you there!” she said, heading with Nora to the car that they would all pile into, as Rhonda got into the sleigh next to Margo to ride with her.

Nora turned on the Christmas station as she and Caroline climbed into the car, Madison buckled into the car seat in the back. Rhett would already be at the church by now with Aiden, watching Jay and Toby until Shelby got there and could take over with Toby. Jay was the ringbearer, so he had a very important part to play. He’d found out a few days ago about Margo’s mishaps with the ring, and had teased her mercilessly about it, promising to make sure to bring cinnamon to the ceremony.

It was one of those stories, Caroline knew, that would be told forever around the holidays, reminding them of all these happy moments that they were sharing together, at a time of year that all of them had reason to love.

They followed the sleigh to the church, a slow procession. All the stores on Main Street were closed, with everyone invited to the wedding. In such a small town, a wedding was practically a holiday in and of itself, and everyone was gathering at the church to see Margo and Spencer get married. Caroline and Nora’s weddings had been the same, and while she’d been a bit overwhelmed by it all at the time, now Caroline looked back on it fondly, excited for Margo to have the same, wonderful day.

As they pulled up in front of the church, she saw the sleigh come to a stop, Donovan getting out to come around and help his wife and daughter out onto the steps. And Caroline felt a warm glow, filling her with happiness as she slipped out of the car with Nora, ready for a wedding.

All of her family was here, at home, for good. And she was able to truly relax and enjoy it, in a way that she never had been able to before.

As Margo stepped out of the sleigh, butterflies filled her stomach, fluttering through her as she realized that in just a few short minutes, she would be walking down the aisle.

The entire day had been perfect. Rhonda had brought her breakfast in bed that morning, as she had for all of her daughters on their wedding day, making Margo’s favorite breakfast of bacon, maple brioche French toast, and pumpkin spice coffee, along with a mimosa and a bowl of fresh fruit. She’d sat with Margo as Margo had done her best to eat despite her excited nerves, reminiscing about her own wedding day and answering all of Margo’s nervous questions as they’d waited for Nora and Caroline to arrive.

Margo had wanted to know how her parents had stayed in love for so long, and Rhonda told her that it was the same answer she’d given Nora, which Nora had told Margo not all that long ago, in Margo’s office as they’d been searching for the rings.

“There will be plenty of difficult times,” Rhonda had told her. “But through it all, as long as you face them together, as a team, all of those times will make you stronger, and make the good moments so much better. And all of the good moments, all of the memories small and large, accumulate to make a life together. That’s all there is to it. It’s you and Spencer, and the life you want to build together, the two of you.”

They’d sat and talked, just the two of them, until Nora had arrived with Madison to help Margo do her hair and makeup. Caroline had poked her head in shortly after, checking in on them and bringing up a fresh round of mimosas before she’d headed back down to help with the food. And as Margo had watched herself transform into a bride, she felt like she was in a fairytale—in a dream, really.

But it was all real, and in a moment, she would see Spencer, and they would start their happily ever after.

Donovan tucked his arm through hers, as the music started inside of the church and Margo felt those butterflies take flight again. Everyone else was lined up—Jay with the rings on a blue velvet pillow, Caroline just behind him, and Nora behind her, with Margo bringing up the rear. Even Chessie had been given a part in the festivities, and as the doors opened Nora set her down, letting her run down the aisle to where Aiden stood with a treat in his hand. A small silk bag had been attached to her leash, a slit in it so that as it dragged behind her it would spill flower petals all over the aisle. Margo pressed a hand to her mouth through her veil, stifling a giggle as she watched Chessie spring down the aisle, scattering petals everywhere as she ran to Aiden, who picked her up and passed her over to Shelby.

And then, it was time to head down the aisle. Margo’s heart, which had been racing nonstop, settled in an instant as soon as she saw her groom. Spencer stood at the end of the aisle in his perfectly tailored charcoal suit, his eyes widening as he saw her, and she felt sure that she saw them mist over as she drew closer.

Donovan led her up to the aisle, placing her hand in Spencer’s, and she felt all of those butterflies take flight again.

When it came time for their vows, she remembered what she had said to him in the living room when he’d found their rings, and she repeated it word for word, right down to the bit about the grocery list. Spencer’s smile grew with every word, his whole face alight with adoration, and when it came time for his vows, he finished with a sentence that made her heart flip in her chest.

“My heart has found its home.”

She felt her eyes fill with happy tears as he slipped the wedding band on her finger and she did the same for him, knowing that those few words, that meant so much to them, were close to their hearts forever now. And when he pulled her in for a kiss, all of the guests erupting in applause, she didn’t know if it was possible to be any happier than she was in that moment.

“Wait until you see the surprise I have outside,” she whispered as they headed down the aisle, hand in hand, man and wife, as the guests threw rose petals all around them.

“Another surprise?” Spencer asked curiously, and then she saw his eyes widen when they stepped outside into the cold, and he saw the sleigh.

“Our first date.” Margo beamed at him. “I thought it was romantic.”

“It’s the most romantic thing you could have come up with,” he assured her, and he pulled her into his arms, kissing her again right there in front of the sleigh, as the guests spilled out around them.

Tucked into the furs in the sleigh, as the horses pulled away from the church toward the event center where the reception would be held, Spencer slipped his hand into hers. And he held it the whole way there, as the snow flurried around them and the Christmas lights twinkled all along Main Street, until the sleigh stopped in front of the venue and Spencer climbed out of the sleigh to help Margo out.

Rhonda and Caroline had planned the menu, and it was all of Spencer and Margo’s favorite foods.

The first course was an appetizer of baked New England clams, Spencer’s favorite, and Margo’s favorite winter salad that Rhonda always made. The salad included winter greens with goat cheese, dried cranberries, orange slices, and a vinaigrette to finish it off. It was followed by a delicious butternut squash bisque, a favorite of both the bride and groom, and then the choice of entrees.

There was Spencer’s favorite, red-wine braised venison brisket with a side of roasted vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes, Margo’s favorite orange-basted duck breast with the same, or an option of locally caught fish, dressed with herbs and lemon and served with a side of lobster risotto and Rhonda’s famous baked squash. And, of course, there would be wedding cake for dessert, but also the bride and groom’s favorite desserts—creme br?lée and fudge, respectively.

Margo and Spencer hadn’t known what to pick out of all of the delicious options, and they were thrilled to find that plates had been arranged for them that had a little of each. They sat next to each other at the sweetheart table, feeding each other bites of dinner, and Margo heard the click of the disposable cameras as the guests were already taking pictures of the festivities.

The wedding cake, when it was brought out, was perfect. Margo had wanted a simple cake, with white frosting and winter flowers as the decoration, in her and Spencer’s favorite flavor of carrot cake with cream cheese filling.

He gingerly fed her a piece, careful of her makeup, and she did the same for him, as she heard more of the clicking of guests taking pictures. The sound filled her with happiness, and she was beyond glad that she’d chosen that option for their wedding photos. They might not be professional photos, but she couldn’t wait to see all of the moments that the people they loved most had thought were important enough to capture forever.

The first dance was everything that she could have hoped for too. She felt happy tears well up in her eyes again at the first notes of I’ll Be Home For Christmas , and she sighed as Spencer wrapped his arms around her, swaying with her on the dance floor for the first few lines of the song before the other couples began to join them.

They had planned this together, and as the song went on, Nora and Aiden, Caroline and Rhett, and Rhonda and Donovan all joined them out on the dance floor, swaying to the music as it filled the room.

The four couples danced, glancing joyfully at each other as they spun around the floor, and Margo felt her eyes mist over with an overwhelming emotion of happiness.

“Every Christmas since I’ve been home has been wonderful,” she whispered in Spencer’s ear as the music began to fade out and he pulled her in close. “But I think this is my favorite of them all so far.”

He smiled, pressing a kiss next to her ear. “We’ll just have to figure out how to top it next year, then.”

The music picked up again, a festive array of Christmas music from a variety of countries and traditions, a nod to Margo’s jet-setting days, interspersed with familiar favorites. The reception space was filled with guests mingling, going to the bar for the two drinks specially crafted for the day—apple cider and whiskey with a cinnamon stick for the groom’s drink, and a cranberry apple spritzer for the bride’s—or going to the non-alcoholic bar that offered a variety of hot cocoas and hot apple ciders. There was peppermint, caramel, and spiced options for the hot cocoa, as well as mulled, pumpkin, and cherry apple ciders, served hot.

Partway through, there was a brief lull once again as everyone gathered around for toasts and speeches. Donovan went up first, smiling broadly at Margo and Spencer as he began to speak.

“As everyone knows,” he began, “last year had a bit of a scare for me and my family. I’m so grateful to be here this Christmas, to see my youngest daughter get married, and welcome my new son into the family. I’ve already been given two wonderful sons from Nora and Caroline’s marriages, and Aiden and Rhett are as loved by me and Rhonda as if they were our own. My family has always been the most important part of my life, and I’m so glad to have seen it expand in such a way, not only from my daughters’ marriages, but the grandchildren I have now as well. Margo and Spencer, I know there are years of joy and wedded bliss ahead of you, and I’m looking forward to every day that I get to witness that as your father.”

He smiled, lifting his glass, and the rest of the room toasted to his speech. Margo’s eyes were misty, and she saw her mother delicately wiping underneath hers, clearly on the verge of crying her own happy tears.

Spencer squeezed her hand, and then got up, making his way to the small stage.

“I didn’t expect to have to follow that,” he said with a laugh, looking over at the gathered guests. “But my sentiments are very much the same. I’ve never been given a more wonderful or life-changing Christmas gift than I was the winter that Margo Stoker arrived in my life, and I’ve been endlessly grateful every day since that she decided to stay and make Evergreen Hollow her home once again. I’ve been given not only her love and the promise of having it forever, but the added gift of her wonderful and loving family, who has surrounded me and filled spaces in my heart that were in need of that kind of love. And I will forever be glad to have Rhonda, and Donovan, Nora and Aiden, Caroline and Rhett as a part of my family now as well.”

He smiled, his gaze locking with Margo’s as a mischievous expression crossed his face. “And, on a much lighter note, I have a special surprise for my new bride.”

Margo looked at him quizzically, utterly confused, and then pressed her hands over her mouth to stifle peals of laughter as Spencer drew a long, neon orange feathered boa out of his suit jacket. “Despite my objections, I know my wife was dead-set on having this little touch at the wedding. ‘Some added color’ I think her words were. So please, enjoy. She thought you might need the extra warmth too, to ward off the chill.” He grinned as Margo covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking with laughter as the ushers passed out boas to all the guests. Her new husband was still smirking at her when she looked up, as he made his way back down to her, and when she looked over at Leon she saw him chuckling as well.

She rose up from her seat as Spencer came over to her, pressing her hands to his face as she drew him in for a kiss. She heard the guests clapping as he wrapped his arm around her waist, prolonging the kiss for a moment longer, and then she touched her forehead to his as she smiled up at him.

“I can’t wait to start our life together,” she said softly. “And I’ve never been more happy—or felt more at home.”