26. Charlotte

Charlotte had spent the happiest week of her life since Christmas, enjoying every minute with Tag and the kids, and feeling incredibly grateful to have her mom there, so she could begin to show her everything there was to love about being part of the Lawrence family.

Besides all the regular family activities like Christmas dinner, walks in the snowy fields, and board game nights that went way past the kids’ bedtimes, Charlotte was also enjoying extra time with Maggie.

She had pulled her mother-in-law-to-be aside the day after Christmas with an idea for the ice cream shop. She asked Maggie if they could rename the shop Stone’s Throw Creamery in honor of the long-ago family patriarch, Stone Lawrence, and something else too.

Maggie had agreed enthusiastically and thought Daniel would love it.

“But what else would it be named for?” she asked.

“I thought maybe getting the word throw in there could be kind of a little nod to your pottery,” Charlotte told her. “And I thought we could put any mugs and bowls that you would be willing to part with on those nice wooden shelves behind the counter. It would be really fun to offer gifts as well as ice cream, and since it’s all made on the farm, it feels just right.”

Maggie had just gazed at her with happy tears in her eyes for a moment, and then pulled her into a tight hug. When the others asked what was going on, Charlotte spilled the beans and they all cheered for Maggie. Soon after the holidays, a new Stone’s Throw Creamery sign would be hung in place of the simple Ice Cream Shop sign by the door.

And the wonderful holiday week marched on. Last night had been New Year’s Eve, and they had all stayed up late, but not quite until midnight, cooking and eating together, playing games with the kids, and dreaming about what the new year would bring.

The first thing it would bring for Charlotte was a day spent with Allie while the rest of the family got everything ready for the wedding.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t stay and help?” she worried as Allie piled her into the car.

“Definitely not,” Allie laughed. “You’re killing two birds with one stone here—letting the moms run the show, which is all they wanted, and getting me a day of girlfriend time.”

Charlotte still wasn’t sure it was right to let her wedding be like a surprise party where she didn’t lift a finger herself. But Allie was already taking them down the tree-lined drive to the village for breakfast at the diner, and she said she had another surprise for them afterward. So Charlotte decided to just lean into it and enjoy herself.

In the late afternoon, she and Allie returned after an amazingly fun day spent exploring the village shops, eating delicious meals, and having their hair done.

Allie dragged her right into Maggie and Daniel’s room without letting her go find Tag and the kids.

“It’s time to get you dressed,” Allie said. “We can’t let them see you before the ceremony. And it looks like it’s just about time.”

Maggie had generously lent her wedding dress, which miraculously fit Charlotte almost perfectly. She slipped it on now, and Allie fastened all the tiny buttons on the back.

“I can’t believe we’re going to be sisters, Charlotte,” Allie said when she was finished. “Thank you so much for joining our family. I’m sorry you’ll have to marry grumpy old Tag to make it happen.”

But Charlotte already knew Allie was only teasing, and that she adored her older brother. The two of them laughed and embraced and then Allie yelped when she realized what time it was.

Together, they headed outside, walking carefully on the path someone must have thoughtfully shoveled for them. Which couldn’t have been easy, since it stretched all the way past the big red barn.

“Where are we going?” Charlotte asked. She had sort of suspected the wedding would be held in Maggie’s kitchen. After all, it would only be family attending.

“Hey, I kept the surprise this long,” Allie said. “Don’t make me ruin it when we’re almost there.”

A few minutes later, it was clear exactly where they were headed.

“The old goat barn?” Charlotte asked dubiously.

“Well, the house isn’t really big enough,” Allie explained. “And the big barn is too full of cows.”

“Okay,” Charlotte said.

She knew the goat barn had been empty since the Lawrences stopped raising goats in the nineties. An abandoned goat barn seemed like sort of a depressing place to start a marriage, but she had said she would marry Tag anywhere, and now that she was truly being tested, she was happy to find that she meant it. At least in the goat barn they would have shelter from the elements. And she had a feeling that once she was looking into her fiancé’s eyes, anything more than that would be wasted on her anyway.

As they got closer, she could hear happy voices coming from the structure.

She glanced over at Allie, who was smiling, and she felt a sense of warmth wash over her. They really were going to be family.

When they reached the end of the path, the big doors to the barn slid open to reveal a magically transformed space.

There wasn’t a single sign of the departed goats. Instead, the space seemed to have been swept clean and then filled with chairs, along with tables along the back that were covered with food, and handmade signs hanging from the walls that said: Congratulations Tag & Charlotte, Welcome to the Lawrence Family , and the one that brought tears to her eyes, Welcome home to our new Mama, love, Chance & Olivia.

Twinkling lights had been set up everywhere, and there were space heaters at intervals and big patio heaters in the open doorways, keeping the whole barn toasty warm inside, while still allowing a gorgeous view over the snowy hillside.

Everyone in the family must have brought over all the poinsettia plants from their respective houses. The bright flowers made a pretty contrast with the faded white paint on the walls and floors.

Soft sounds of admiration went through the gathering as they noticed Charlotte and Allie’s approach.

“Your mom will take it from here,” Allie whispered, giving Charlotte a quick hug before she joined her family on one of the chairs in the barn.

Charlotte felt a pang of loss for her father. He would have loved to be with her today. She could practically hear him whispering silly barn animal jokes in her ear, trying to make her laugh as he walked her down the aisle, and probably succeeding.

But when her mom hurried out with a huge smile on her face, and wrapped her in a warm and wonderful hug, she knew that they were both going to be okay. And as they linked arms and headed through the barn together, Charlotte was certain she could feel her father’s spirit in the boisterous crowd of Lawrences smiling and elbowing each other, the children giggling and the one or two adults sniffing back a tear.

Then she spotted Tag waiting for her at one end of the barn, and everything else seemed to fade away as she lost herself in his ocean-blue gaze.

The ceremony began right away, and Olivia read a poem from The Prophet with so much spirit that everyone hummed with agreement and Tag squeezed Charlotte’s hand with pride.

Chance participated too, sprinting up with a pillow holding their rings as if he were in a race, which made everyone smile.

Then it was time to repeat the ancient words that suddenly felt so real and relevant to Charlotte as Tag spoke them to her, his voice solemn and deeper than usual with emotion.

Her own voice shook a little, but she managed not to cry.

When he was told he could kiss the bride, Tag took her in his arms and then met her eyes, as if to ask if it was okay to give her a real kiss in front of the family.

Charlotte laughed and he must have taken it for encouragement, because he bent and gave her a kiss that made her feel as melty as an ice cream cone on the Fourth of July, while the whole family cheered.

The food was already out, so they greeted their well-wishers, and then everyone lined up to fill their plates.

“Everyone made their favorite dish,” Tag murmured to her as he scooped more food onto her plate. “So you have to try it all.”

Charlotte laughed again, and he gave her a look like he was going to kiss her, which sent a tingle down her spine, and she had to wrench her gaze from his before she blushed again.

But he chuckled, and she knew he was on to her.

“Soon,” he whispered. “You’re my wife now, so we have no more examples to set.”

“We have a million examples to set,” she laughed. “It’s just that not kissing isn’t one of them anymore.”

“I knew I married you for a reason,” he said thoughtfully. “So clever. Which example should we set first?”

“Stop flirting up there,” Tripp yelled to Tag. “She already said I do . Now you’re just holding up the line.”

Everyone laughed and they kept going down the line, piling an improbable amount of fragrant food on their plates and receiving more congratulations as they moved along.

Charlotte hardly did more than taste all the decadent food as more Lawrences that she hadn’t even met yet came up to introduce themselves and tell her how happy they were to have her and her mom join the family.

Before too long, someone pulled out an acoustic guitar, and someone else got out what she thought was a violin, but Tag assured her was a fiddle. The Lawrence boys began moving the chairs and tables back against the walls, and the kids ran out to dance first, making it easier for the grownups to join them.

Other than when she read her poem, Olivia had been wandering around the barn all night taking pictures with Charlotte’s camera. But when her little brother ran up to ask her to dance, she put the camera down carefully and joined him with a big smile.

“May I have this dance?” Tag asked Charlotte.

“I saved it just for you,” she told him with a big smile.

The jaunty country tune melted into a sweet rendition of “Take My Breath Away” and Tag pulled her into his arms.

Charlotte sighed in complete happiness. His big arms around her made her feel small and protected, even as he lifted her up to find her place in the world. She heard the click of a shutter and turned to see Olivia had her camera in her hands again.

“Sorry,” Olivia whispered with a grin. “You guys just looked so romantic.”

“Take as many as you want, honey,” Tag said fondly. “I want to remember this night forever.”

“We don’t need photos for that,” Charlotte said, smiling up at him. “But they’ll be fun to look at with our grandkids one day. No pressure, Olivia.”

She snuck a glance at her new daughter, who was rolling her eyes and smirking at her, like any thirteen-year-old might. But she could feel Tag’s arms softening around her as they watched Olivia run off to dance with her cousins again, like it meant a lot to him to see her express herself.

Maybe Olivia had changed over these past few weeks, but Charlotte had too, and so had Tag, and even Chance. They were all learning and growing together. That was what families did.

Suddenly, she found herself thinking of her dad again.

“Is this hard without him?” Tag asked softly, as if he had read her mind.

“I feel like he knows,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “And he would have loved you and the kids and your whole family. I don’t have to worry about that.”

Tag pressed his lips to the top of her head.

She didn’t want to ask the question that was on her mind now. But it had to be asked.

“Is this hard for you?”

She had asked as lightly as she could, but she could feel the weight of her question in the pause he took before answering.

“Because of you, and everything you brought to light, I don’t really feel so guilty anymore about Iris,” he said quietly. “Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot more about all the good times we had, the happy memories from when the kids were little, all the things I didn’t let myself think about for so long while I was busy punishing myself over what I thought were her forgotten dreams, only to find out she was living her dream the whole time.”

Charlotte nodded, emotions flooding her chest.

“I hope it doesn’t hurt you for me to say these things about her,” he said, pulling back to look into her eyes with concern.

“I hope her memory will always make you happy,” she told him honestly. “I would never want you or the children to try and cut out a part of your lives, especially thinking you had to do it to make room for me. There’s more than enough love to go around in this family. I only hope I can fit into your lives in a way she would have been proud of. Because I know she would want only the best for you three.”

“You are the best for us,” Tag said, pulling her closer. “And I’m… amazed, and I’m grateful that you found us, and that we can make new memories together.”

She gazed up into his blue eyes, knowing for certain that whatever bad luck had pursued her last year, the trial had only prepared her to appreciate the happiness she found in this tiny town, in a simple barn, in a crowd of friendly faces, and in the arms and heart of this man who worked and loved with everything he had.

When he bent to kiss her again, she forgot all about the people around them and let him capture her mouth with his and kiss her passionately, sliding his hands up from her waist to hold her face in his hands like he thought she might try to get away from him.

When he pulled back to cheers from their audience, his eyes were sparkling and Charlotte was breathless.

“We’d better keep dancing,” Tag murmured to her, pulling her back into his arms. “But as soon as we can, I’m whisking you away. I’m tired of sharing you with everyone else.”

She found her breath and laughed, loving his passion.

“Don’t laugh at me, woman,” he growled.

“It’s just that you forgot about the cake,” she reminded him.

He scowled and it had her giggling all over again.

“What?” he demanded.

“Sorry, it’s just that I’ve never seen anyone so angry about cake before,” she teased him. “I’m sure we can eat it quickly.”

“No one rushes my bride,” he decided. “But after the cake, that’s it—we’re going home.”

Home.

“I like the sound of that,” she told him softly.

The music swelled and he swept her across the barn floor, smiling down at her with so much love in his eyes that her heart was full to overflowing.

***

Thanks for reading Sweet Surprises !