Page 70 of Jam and Jingle Bells
“I, Mason, take you Melissa to be my wife,” Mason repeated after the judge who was officiating the ceremony. I was kneeling in the dark off to the side, snapping pictures as they held hands, Holly by her mother’s side. Mel was laser-focused on Mason and he turned his head to the judge then whispered,I got this. “Mel, we’ve been through so much together and I can’t stand here and repeat vows that have no meaning to me. I’d rather tell you all the things that mean the world to me. Like the first time you walked into the Nightingale and smiled at me nervously when I came out of the kitchen. Or the first time we went for a walk in this very park to hear the band play on a warm summer day. There are so many of those memories I’ve saved up over the last five years, but there is one that is by far the one I see every time I walk into our house. That memory is the one we made exactly one year ago today when we brought our beautiful daughter home. She wore the cutest pair of Hello Kitty pajamas and held your hand the entire three-hour trip. I sat in the front seat and fought tears for the whole of those three hours. Why? I’d never witnessed the sheer power like the bond a mother and child had, no matter how many years had separated them. I also wondered if I’d ever find a place in the equation.”
Mel shook his hands gently as her lips quivered. “You have, Mason. You’re the glue that holds this equation together.”
Mason returned her smile and cleared his throat. “I pray every night that’s true,” he agreed.
“It is,” Holly whispered, her voice tight as she stared at the two people she loved.
Mason smiled and patted her cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart.” He turned back to Mel and winked before he spoke again. “Tonight, of all nights, I want you to know that I will never, ever take for granted the trust you’ve put in me, the dreams and pain you’ve shared with me, and the chance to be part of yours and Holly’s life. I will laugh with you, hold you, love you, cherish you, and protect you for as long as we both shall live,” he whispered, slipping the ring onto her finger.
Mel stared at it for a moment before she raised her gaze to his. I was snapping pictures as fast as I could, but the tears in my eyes were making it difficult to see through the lens. Especially when I noticed tears in Holly’s eyes.
“I, Mel, take you Mason to be my husband,” Mel whispered, still holding on desperately to his hands. “I can’t top that,” she said and the crowd chuckled, most of them wiping their eyes, too. “I will say that a year ago tonight was the best night of my life. I had my daughter in my arms again for the first time in seven years. I also had a man who loved me and would do anything to make sure we were never separated again. A year ago this day I watched you fall in love with my daughter at the same time I fell back in love with her. You held her on your lap and told her it was okay to be happy and sad at the same time. You told her about your job, this town, the people in it, and the diner. You promised her you’d keep her safe if she came home with us. I know it was because of you she felt secure enough to take that car ride with us. Mason, I’ve loved you for years but was too afraid to tell you. I’m not anymore. The way you take care of me when I’m hurting, and make sure Holly and I never want for anything, has made it safe for my love to blossom without fear of judgment or ridicule. You’ve changed me for the better, as a woman and as a mother. You encourage me, love me, and hold me up when I don’t think I can take another step. I will laugh with you, hold you, love you, cherish you, and protect you for as long as we both shall live,” she whispered, sliding the band onto his finger and kissing it with the joy of a woman in love.
The judge went to speak, but Mason held up his finger. “One more thing,” he said and the judge nodded his agreement. Mason knelt in front of Holly and took her hands in his. “Holly, when I met you one year ago, I was taken aback by how much you looked like your mommy. Once I got to know you, I realized what a wonderful, sweet, beautiful little soul you are and I want you to know I’m always going to be here for you. I promise to be there and hold your hand when you need someone to hang onto. I promise to brush your hair when you ask me to and tuck you into bed at night after you read me a story,” he said, winking. “I vow to show you that being a daddy doesn’t have anything to do with blood, or paper, or names. Being a daddy is about love, that’s all. Just the love we have for each other as a family. Above all, I vow to protect you, care for you, and love you forever. Even when you’re too big for me to carry in my arms, I’ll carry you in my heart.” He patted her chest where a necklace rested. It was a heart with an H in the center, one she’d worn for over a year since he gave it to her. Holly had tears on her tiny face when she reached her hand out to rest over the other half of the necklace tucked under his shirt. I was never happier my viewfinder was there to catch such a touching moment.
She threw her arms around him for a hug and when he stood, she clung to him. There wasn’t a dry eye in the park as Mel took his other hand and the judge lifted his hands.
“I can’t top that, so with the power vested in me by the State of Michigan, I hereby pronounce you man and wife. Mason, you may kiss the bride!”
The crowd was on their feet clapping as Mason laid a kiss on Mel gently, Holly still in his arms. She had her arms around his neck but her eyes weren’t on them, they were on the tree glowing behind them. I snapped pictures of both, praying I was doing it justice. The Bells Pass High School Madrigals began to singA Christmas Love Song. As the crowd quieted to hear them sing, Mel, Mason, and Holly all turned to face the tree where the singers were gathered.
The judged stepped to the side and I captured in my viewfinder the moment they became a family, for real and forever.
Chapter Nineteen
“What a night,” Ellis said as we trudged up the steps to my apartment.
I unlocked the door then flipped on the light. He followed me in and closed the door behind us, leaning on it for a second. “It was beautiful but exhausting,” I agreed. I set my purse and phone down on the table and kicked my shoes off, happy to be comfortable again. He snagged me around the waist and I pushed against him. “I’m going to go down and shower. Then I’ll help you get your stitches covered so you can,” I promised.
He nuzzled my neck. “Not yet,” he whispered, “I never got to dance with you tonight in this breathtaking gown.”
I glanced down at the forest green lace and silk dress. It was long, which made kneeling to take pictures in the gazebo easier than a short one would have been. It made walking in the snow to the sleigh slightly harder though. My lips turned upward as I turned my gaze to his. “I’ll admit, when I bought the dress, you were on my mind.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked, his lips kissing their way up my jawline. “How’s that?”
“The saleswoman said the color brought out the natural reds of my hair,” I explained, my voice going up an octave when he bit down on my earlobe.
His hand went up into my hair as he held me with his other. “And you know how much I love your hair,” he whispered, kissing my temple. He tugged my head backward to position my lips and by the time he was finished with me, I was whimpering and moaning. My fingers dug into his back and only the sound of our heavy breathing filled the room.
“I thought you wanted to dance,” I gasped out when I could breathe again.
“I do,” he said, swaying me into the middle of the living room. He grabbed the remote and flicked the television on to a radio channel that was all Christmas, all the time. He snugged me up against him and swayed me back and forth, his hand holding my head to his chest.
“Am I hurting you?” I asked, realizing it was on the side with his stitches.
“No, you’re healing me, Addie. I don’t think you realize how much, but maybe someday you will.”
“And maybe someday you’ll tell me the truth about why you’re really in Bells Pass.”
“Addie,” he sighed. “Let’s just dance and not talk.”
And we did. I had my head on his chest listening to his heart beat strong and even. He had his chin resting on the top of my head while he hummed to the music.
“Watching you taking pictures by the sleigh tonight took me off guard,” he said, his voice soft in the room. “I had no idea you had skills like that.”
I laughed softly and patted his chest. “It’s a small town, right?” I asked and he nodded against my head. “Which means we have a small school. Everyone wore multiple hats there. I was part of the yearbook team and my job was to take the pictures. I had to photograph every activity and game throughout the year. I got good at picking out the important ones and at staging a scene to make sure they were perfect.”
“As evidenced by tonight,” he agreed. “You caught all the important, and unexpected, moments in the gazebo. You had everyone posing like pros in the sleigh, which by the way, I can’t wait to get a picture of you on Santa’s lap tomorrow.”
