Chapter 3

3

C andace smoothed the satin pink dress over herself in front of the mirror. Most of the fires had been put out for the wedding, but they weren’t in the clear yet.

“Candace!” Jessica yelled from the room over.

Candace stepped through the door to find Jessica standing in front of the mirror, staring at her newly fixed hair and makeup. Jessica turned toward her and smiled. Her brown hair was piled in an intricate curly updo on the top of her head. Her makeup was natural looking, accentuating her beautiful features.

The hotel had put them in touch with someone in town who could do her hair and makeup since Jessica’s friend, who had planned to do it, hadn’t been able to make it before the roads were closed.

“What do you think?”

“Jess, you look beautiful.”

Candace took Jessica’s hands in hers and squeezed them. Her little sister was about to marry the man of her dreams. Candace liked the guy and was happy her sister found a good one, but wondered if her time would ever come. The ticking clock that seemed to loom overhead telling her her eggs were going to expire never seemed to stop. But that wasn’t a reason to get married, and she knew she really wasn’t that old. Being only thirty-two, she knew she had several childbearing years left.

Candace continued. “Mom and Dad would be so proud.”

Jessica dabbed at her eyes with a tissue from the box on the table sitting next to them. “You’re going to make me cry.”

“Don’t do that!”

After Jessica’s tears dried, Candace motioned toward the other room.

“Let’s get you in that dress!”

Jessica laughed, and they pulled it out of the hotel room closet. Candace vowed that if her little sister couldn’t get the wedding she dreamed of, she would at least make it as fun as she could.

Jessica looked back at Candace and sighed. “Out of everyone, I’m happy you were the one able to make it.”

Tears sprang to Candace’s eyes. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I can guarantee I would have found some horse and sleigh to pull me through the pass if I had to.” She turned back toward the dress. “Now, let’s get you ready to walk down that aisle.”

Once they slipped the dress onto Jessica, they both stood in front of the full-length mirror.

“Wow,” Candace whispered.

Jessica smiled over at her. “I’m really doing this. I’m getting married!”

“Yes, you are.”

The music cued and Candace walked down the aisle with her bouquet, smiling at the few guests who could make it before the storm hit. Most of the guests had only planned a day trip, and by the time they tried to come, it was impossible to get through. The trees were still down, and there was no update as to when they would be cleared.

She smiled at Travis, who smiled brightly back at her before he shifted his gaze to the end of the aisle where his bride would make an appearance. Candace looked out over the small crowd, sad her sister’s dreams weren’t coming true exactly how she envisioned it, but it would do. At least the wedding was still happening.

Then her gaze landed on Brent, who stood across from her. He gave her a sly smile and wiggled his eyebrows, only increasing her distaste for him.

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the end of the aisle where Jessica was now walking.

Candace looked over at Travis, and her heart melted, watching his love for her sister so clearly displayed across his face. If anything was for certain, it was that Jessica was going to be with a wonderful man.

Jessica made her way down the aisle, hanging onto Travis’s dad’s arm. Since their own parents had passed away, Jessica asked Rick to give her away. Travis’s parents had always treated Jessica like one of their own, so when the time came, Jessica hadn’t hesitated to ask. Since Rick and Jan didn’t have any daughters of their own, Rick had broken down in tears and told Jessica it would be his honor.

When Rick and Jessica reached the end of the aisle, Rick leaned over and kissed Jessica’s cheek and whispered something into her ear before pulling back. The pride on his face was clear as day. Candace’s heart squeezed. She was happy that her little sister had that, but she wondered if she would ever be so lucky to find incredible in-laws like the Clarks.

Jessica joined Travis up at the front of the room. She turned and handed Candace her bouquet before she took Travis’s hands in hers.

The ceremony was flawless. Despite most of their guests not making it up the mountain, their celebration couldn’t have gone better. When the officiant announced Travis could kiss the bride, he dipped Jessica dramatically before planting a kiss on her lips. The small crowd cheered.

When the two disappeared out of the room where the ceremony was being held, Brent stepped forward and held his hand out for Candace. The procession was still going, and they were expected to walk next. The small crowd watched them as Candace took his arm and they proceeded down the aisle.

“I knew I would get you on my arm one day,” Brent whispered as they smiled brightly at the clapping wedding guests.

Candace kept the smile planted on her face, but gritted out between clenched teeth. “In your dreams, playboy. This is a requirement.”

As soon as they were on the other side of the double doors, Candace dropped his arm and took several steps away from him.

Brent pressed a hand to his chest in mock pain. “You wound me.”

She only rolled her eyes and began walking toward the event room they had rented out. “We need to get to the reception.”

He fell into step beside her. “Slow down, Speedy Gonzales. What’s the rush?”

She rolled her eyes again. By the end of the evening, she wouldn’t be surprised if she sprained her eyes by how much she expected to be rolling them.

“You know we have to beat the bride and groom there. As maid of honor and best man, it’s our duty to be there before they arrive, so we can announce their arrival.”

“Isn’t that the DJ’s job?”

Candace stopped abruptly, and Brent had to backtrack several steps to stand beside her again.

“Brent, did you not listen to anything I told you yesterday?”

“Well, I don’t know, Candace . You were talking at me about five hundred different things. It’s a little hard to keep track of it all.”

She refrained from rolling her eyes. “The DJ didn’t make it up the mountain. We are in charge of music and announcing everything.”

“We are in charge of music?”

The weight of the wedding pressed on her shoulders, and she pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes before she realized she was smudging her makeup.

“I guess I’m glad I didn’t ask you to create a playlist last night,” she muttered as she picked up her pace.

She entered the reception hall, which was beautifully decorated with glittering snowflakes and white flowers, bringing out the winter theme Jessica had wanted. White tablecloths covered the round tables, which had been significantly reduced as there were very few guests in attendance. A small vase of white roses, tipped with blue glitter, sat in the middle.

The Wintervale Resort had gone all out for this event, and she couldn’t have been more thankful to the amazing staff for accommodating the last-minute changes.