Page 43 of Wisteria Winds
“Open it.”
She carefully lifted the lid. Inside, the small mechanism started to turn and the notes of Pachelbel’s Canon filled the room. The same music that would play tomorrow as she walked down the aisle toward him.
“I had it custom-made. Clara helped me with the musical arrangement.”
She traced the inlaid flowers with her fingertip. “It is absolutely incredible. I can’t believe you thought of this.”
“There’s more. Look inside the lid,” he said.
Danielle tilted the box to catch the light and saw an engraving:
For my Danielle,
Love is not found but built.
One day, one moment, one note at a time.
All my love, always,
Bennett
Tears welled up in her eyes. “Oh, Bennett.”
“I wanted to give you something that would remind you of our beginning. You know, something that captures what Wisteria Island means to us. Its beauty, the music, building something lasting together.”
She set the music box carefully on the desk and threw her arms around his neck.
“It’s perfect. And you’re perfect.”
She kissed him deeply, pouring all of her love into the embrace.
When they finally broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers.
“One more day. Tomorrow, you’ll be my wife.”
“I can’t wait,” Danielle whispered back.
CHAPTER 12
The night before her wedding, Danielle couldn’t sleep. Her beautiful dress hung on the back of her bedroom door. Her something blue bracelet sat in its velvet box on the dresser, and Bennett’s beautiful music box played softly from the nightstand. Everything was ready, but sleep remained elusive. Her mind was way too full of anticipation to shut off for the evening.
She finally gave up and slipped on a light robe before stepping out onto the deck of her cottage, sitting in a comfortable chair Bennett had built for her when he renovated the cottage after the hurricane. The night was clear. Stars scattered across a velvet sky, their light reflecting on the calm surface of the water. In the distance, she could just make out the silhouette of the gazebo, where tomorrow she would become Bennett’s wife.
The thought of this brought a grin to her lips. After years of focusing on her career and protecting herself from vulnerability after her ex’s betrayal, she found love in the most unexpected place, a small retirement island that had become home in every sense of the word. She had so many grandpas and grandmas on the island that it was hard to keep up with her new family tree.
A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She had no idea who would be visiting her at this late hour, but when she went to answer it, she found her mother standing on the porch.
“Mom, is everything okay?”
“Oh, of course,” Cecilia replied, smoothing her silk robe. “I just saw your light was on and thought, well, I remember the night before my wedding. I couldn’t sleep a wink. My mom came to sit with me.” She shrugged slightly. “Maybe it’s a silly tradition, but I thought…”
“Maybe I’d love some company?” Danielle said, stepping aside and allowing her mom to enter. “I was gonna make some chamomile tea. Would you like some?”
“Oh, that would be lovely.”
They settled on the deck with their steaming mugs of tea, the night air cool but not too uncomfortable. They sat in silence for a while, just watching the stars and listening to the waves.
“You know, your grandmother was terrified I’d back out,” Cecilia said. “That’s why she came to sit with me, just to make sure I didn’t flee in the night.” She smiled. “As if I would have. I loved your father from the moment he questioned my research methodology at that conference.”
