Page 43 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

Pleased, the girls took little bouquets of roses from Olivia.

He held out his hand, helping Remy to her feet. She gazed up at him.

“I’m ready.”

Her words were soft but sure, and he took a breath. Everything would be okay.

Chapter eighteen

Theweddingwasadignified but fun ceremony.

The girls kept tossing their bouquets in the air and catching them, much to the amusement of the adults.

Marnie, ever the patient librarian, marshaled them so the newlyweds could sign the marriage papers.

Wow, how easy getting married was. Somehow, something so serious should be harder. The kiss itself was light, but Remy’s new husband’s eyes held memories of their kiss from a week ago. She’d spent a lot of time replaying that kiss. Parsing it. Dissecting it. Trying to figure out what it meant

Momentary lapse in judgement. Nothing to get excited about. Not something to be repeated.

When Zach gave her a hug, however, it sank in she was now a married woman, and things had just gotten real. Her boss, always such a somber man, was almost jovial in a social setting. Well, as jovial as he could be. His smile reflected in his eyes. He also leaned in and whispered, “you’re lucky Judge Gaynor waived the thirty-one day waiting period.”

Her stomach gave a little lurch. Yeah, she’d broken some rules. But old Judge Gaynor adored her and since clearly Sissy wasn’t contesting the divorce, waiting seemed unnecessary. Fortunately, the judge had agreed.

She met Zach’s gaze. “Yeah.”

He nodded and stepped away.

Wanting to keep with the informal theme, the group headed for the White Spot, a local family restaurant. A treat for the girls, to be sure, and the other guests weren’t put off by the boisterousness of the group. And they were noisy. In a good way.

To Remy’s amazement, the girls managed to not spill anything on their lovely white-satin gowns. They were adorable. Thankfully, Zach had brought his camera.Tangible memories. Happy memories.

After the meal, she excused herself to escape to the ladies’ room. She needed a moment. To think. To acknowledge she’d gotten married. To recognize her life would never be the same.It’s for the best. She was bringing stability to all their lives, and that was a good thing.

“Wool gathering?”

Her eyes shot up, catching Marnie’s reflection in the mirror. Remy’d only seen the striking young woman two or three times, but today had been a revelation. Over and over, she caught herself looking at thebaby bumpwith a sense of awe. Babies intimidated her. In the past, she’d babysat Calleigh occasionally, but that’d only been once or twice. How far she’d come in the seven weeks since her parents’ deaths. They would’ve wanted her to be happy, and she was, because marrying Rusty was the right thing to do.

She met Marnie’s gaze. “Maybe taking a quick moment to myself.”

“You’re lucky. This baby keeps pressing against my bladder. Can you imagine how bad it’ll be when I’m nine months along? I’ll have to plan my life around how close I am to a bathroom.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

Marnie’s enthusiasm shone in her bright green eyes. “It’s not. I love being pregnant. I never thought I could be this happy.”

“Jake’s a lucky man.”

“I’m the lucky one,” Marnie countered. “He was patient and persistent. He made me believe happiness was possible. He made me feel safe.”

Love.

The love her parents had shared. The love she’d never be privy to. By marrying Rusty, she was giving up on love. Not that it’d ever been in the cards for her, but just once—just once—she wanted to know if love was as amazing as everyone said.

“Rusty’s a good man.”Stay focused.“I’m a lucky woman.”

“So get back out there to him. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Remy headed back to the group. Her husbandwasa good man, and she was lucky to have found someone so solicitous and kind. Today’d been perfect. Knowing he’d taken the time to select her dress gave her reassurance. If he could do something so intimate, he must be more aware of her needs and wishes than she’d realized.

---