Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Caitlin pushed her car along the aisles of Sandy's Grocery, mentally checking off items on her grocery list.

"Keep an eye out for those cauliflower crackers we like, honey," she told Pearl, who was shuffling ahead of the cart as if she was doing some kind of dance. "Michael wants to use them as part of a recipe this week." She realized with a flutter of joy that soon, she'd be able to refer to Michael as "Daddy" when talking to Pearl. Her heart felt full.

"Okay!" Pearl said cheerfully and began to peer at the aisles as she walked as if she was a bloodhound on the scent. Caitlin chuckled. She was proud of what a good attitude Pearl had—they'd been out running errands for a couple of hours already, and her daughter was still acting energetic and cheerful.

Pearl located the crackers with an exclamation of triumph, and she plopped them into the cart.

"Good job, Pearl! Thank you." Caitlin high-fived her daughter, and they turned around the corner of the aisle, where they almost bumped into someone. "Sandy!"

Caitlin's face lit up into a grin when she saw her friend, who co-owned the grocery store with her husband Daniel.

"Oh, hey!" Sandy's long blonde braid swung off her shoulder as she turned to give Caitlin a hug. "How are you?"

"We're fine! How are you? How's the baby doing?"

Sandy's expression shone with happiness. "Just great. He's an angel. I mean, obviously he cries sometimes, but that's just part of being a baby. He's got the sweetest temperament and the most beautiful brown eyes. I'm completely head over heels for him, and so is Daniel."

Caitlin felt a burst of joy for her friend. She knew how much Sandy had always wanted a child, and how for many years she and her husband Daniel had thought they would never be able to have one of their own. That had led to them caring for many foster children, including Tommy, a teenager whom they'd recently adopted. It had all worked out beautifully in the end, with Sandy's surprise pregnancy. She and Daniel had two kids now, both of whom they loved dearly.

"I can imagine," Caitlin told Sandy. "How is Tommy feeling about the baby being in the house?"

"Oh, Tommy's an angel too. He's been so helpful, and so has Daniel. And as the months go on, everything's gotten easier for all of us. Chandler doesn't cry as much during the night anymore, which has been a huge blessing."

"Raising a baby is never easy though." Caitlin patted her friend's back sympathetically. "You must be exhausted."

"Oh, I am." Sandy laughed. But it was clear from the aura of happiness that radiated from her that she was doing great overall. "But it doesn't matter. I'm so happy with my little family."

"I'm so thrilled for you!" Caitlin gave her hand a squeeze. "You absolutely deserve that."

The two friends continued to chat for a while longer, and then Sandy was called away to help with another customer and Caitlin finished her grocery shopping with Pearl.

Once they were back in the car and driving toward home, Pearl told her mother that she had a serious question.

"What is it, honey?" Caitlin asked, glancing at the back seat, where Pearl was sitting and looking out the window with a smile on her face. Caitlin felt relieved that her daughter was smiling—that meant the question wasn't too serious. Or it meant at least that it wasn't a serious question about something bad.

"Are you and Michael going to have a baby after you get married?"

Caitlin's lips parted and her heart started to beat a little faster. "Well, I think we should all talk about that together sometime. It's an important decision that involves me and Michael, and it involves you too. How do you feel about having some siblings? Do you like that idea?"

"Oh, yes," Pearl said eagerly. "I want a little sister or brother. Very much."

Caitlin's heart warmed, and she grinned. "I like that idea too," she told her daughter. "And I'm really glad you like the idea of expanding our family."

Pearl nodded, smiling. "I want a little sister or brother to help take care of. And then we would have more people around for things like snowball fights and board games. I think you should have one baby right away, and then a few more after a while."

Caitlin laughed. "Sounds good to me! We'll have to wait and see what Michael says, though. It's important that I ask him how he feels about it."

They continued their drive home through the snowy streets of Blueberry Bay. Once they returned to the house, Pearl scampered off to play with her dolls, and Caitlin began to unload her purchases. She put the groceries away first, and then moved on to some decorative items she'd picked up at a home goods store.

This vase will look perfect on that table by the window, she thought, lifting a beautiful glass vase out of its tissue wrapping . She hurried over to the table, where a notebook of Michael's was resting. He must have left it here the other night, she thought. I didn't even notice.

She set the vase down on the side of the table and moved Michael's notebook so that the center of the table would be clear. As she was moving it, something fluttered down to the floor.

Curious, she stooped and picked it up. When she saw what it was, her heart skipped a beat.

It was a cut-out from a magazine, of a head table at a wedding. Twinkling lights were strung under the tablecloth, and flowers and flickering candles lined the table's edge. Sitting in the center of the table was a bride and groom, kissing and looking like the happiest people on earth.

Her heart thumping, Caitlin opened the notebook. In the center of it had been tucked many magazine clippings, all of them of weddings. There were pictures of fabric aisle runners and flowered archways at ceremonies, and various kinds of centerpieces for reception tables.

She stared at the pictures, feeling stunned. It was clear that Michael had put a lot of thought and care into those clippings. Did he want a fancy wedding after all? If he did, why hadn't he told her?

Michael pushed open the back door and stepped inside the kitchen of Caitlin's house. He hummed quietly to himself—business had been great at Tidal Wave Coffee that day, but a rush was always a little tiring, and he was happy to be done with work for the day. He was looking forward to cooking a meal and spending some quality time with his fiancée.

"Hey, sweetheart!" he called, wondering where Caitlin was. "I'm home!"

He listened but didn't hear anything for a few seconds. He knew Caitlin was home because he'd seen her car in the garage. Frowning curiously, he started toward the living room.

As he made his way through the house, he heard footsteps coming toward him. A moment later, Caitlin appeared around the corner with a strange look on her face.

"Oh, there you are!" he said, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she said slowly, but her eyes looked troubled. It was clear that something was up.

"Is anything the matter?" he asked, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

"Well, no, but—" She let out a soft breath. "Come sit down and talk with me."

His eyebrows rose and his heart started to beat faster as she led him down the hallway toward the living room. She sat down on the couch and he sat next to her, holding her hands.

"Caitlin, what happened?" he urged. "I feel nervous."

"Don't feel nervous," she assured him hastily. "Nothing's wrong. It's just—well, I moved your notebook just now and a magazine clipping fell out. I opened it and found the rest of them." She stood up and went to get his notebook. She brought it back and opened it, revealing the many magazine clippings that he'd tucked into the pages. "What is all this, sweetheart?"

He flushed. "I hadn't meant for you to see all that."

"But—why not? Obviously this is something you've given a lot of thought. Why not share that with me?"

"Well, I did want a big wedding with you," he admitted. "A big celebration, where we could invite all our friends and relatives. I thought that having a big wedding would be a lot of fun, and a beautiful way to celebrate how we feel about each other. But then you said that you just want to get married simply and quickly, so that's what I think we should do instead. I just want what will make you happy."

"But, Michael." Caitlin tapped the edges of all the pictures he'd cut out. "You do want this. You must. You put a lot of time into thinking about it."

"That's okay! Back then I was thinking that's what you wanted too. But if you just want a little courthouse wedding, we can do that. And I'll be perfectly happy with that." He leaned forward and kissed her nose gently.

To his surprise, he saw tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh, Michael," she said.

"What?" He gently wiped away a tear which had started to run down her cheek. "Why are you crying, Caitlin?"

"I'm so touched," she said, wiping away another tear and smiling at him. She laughed, a little breathlessly. "It's so sweet of you. I had no idea you wanted a big wedding like that. I wish you'd told me. I want you to be able to feel like you can share anything with me."

"I do feel that way," he assured her. "I just—well, I heard what you said about wanting a small wedding, and I decided that I was good with us doing that instead."

"But I didn't realize that having a big wedding meant so much to you." She squeezed his hands and laid her head down on his shoulder.

"What matters most to me is getting married to you," he said, stroking her hair. "That's going to happen no matter what."

She lifted her head and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Then she lifted her lips to his for a kiss.

"I love you, sweetheart," she told him.

"I love you too." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And I want you to be happy with whatever we decide to do for our wedding."

"Are you sure? You'll be okay with whatever I say I want us to do?"

He nodded, looking right into her eyes. "I'm sure."

"Hmm, okay, because I want a big wedding."

Michael blinked. He stared at Caitlin, who started laughing.

"What?" he stammered.

"I want a big wedding too," she told him, grinning. "You've convinced me. Let's do it. Celebrate with all our family and friends. It will absolutely be worth every bit of money and effort."

"I—you—do you mean it?" Happiness expanded inside his chest.

She bit her lower lip, nodding. "I do mean it. Let's have a big wedding, sweetheart."

"Oh my goodness!" He stood up, pulling her to her feet as a wave of excitement rushed through him. He spun Caitlin around, both of them laughing. Once their spinning stopped, he pulled her close for a kiss. "Thank you, sweetheart. That makes me really happy."

"It makes me really happy that you care," she said, resting her forehead against his. "And besides, now we have another project to work on together. I can't wait to make plans with you. Our wedding is going to be absolutely beautiful."

"Do you want to jot down a list of ideas now?" he asked eagerly, sitting back down on the couch. She sat down next to him, her petite frame settling comfortably beside his. "I can show you the clippings I've picked out already."

He reached for his notebook, which was still resting on the couch beside them.

"I would love that. Show me which centerpiece ideas you like the best."

"I like this rustic look—with the wood trivets and the candles on top. What do you think?"

"Oh, I love that. And it'll look good with whatever color scheme we choose. What do you want to do for that? One color? Or two colors—one for me and one for you?"

They continued to discuss wedding decorations until it was time to make dinner. Both of them talked eagerly about their various ideas, and Michael felt a peaceful sense of happiness in his chest. He would have been happy to marry Caitlin informally—ultimately, being married to her was all that really mattered to him—but he was so happy that they were going to get to celebrate their marriage surrounded by all of their loved ones.