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Katie relaxed her grip a little, perhaps remembering that there was a reason we were all gathered here today and choking me out was not it. “Okay.”
I slipped her down to the ground, and she gathered her dropped basket from the ground, throwing a few more petals left in the bottom, and then took her seat next to Zara’s parents.
I straightened my tie, my eyes finding Clara’s in the crowd.
She didn’t look happy, and it made me want to interrupt everything again and go to her right then. Her deep blue eyes shone, and I wondered if I’d made her cry. Had she cried over me these last weeks?
The crowd got to their feet and I lost my view of Clara as the quartet shifted to a song I couldn’t quite identify. Beck stepped to the center of the aisle, ready to receive his bride, and Zara appeared at the end of the little chapel.
She wore a simple, straight sheath dress, and her dark hair was topped with a wide, airy veil that made her look just like an angel. Or a model. She wore a wide, self-assured smile, and as she moved slowly down the aisle, she had eyes only for my brother. I was so happy for him, and just a tiny bit jealous. I wanted this. All of this.
As the quartet shifted, I realized they were playing an old Tom Petty song, “Here Comes my Girl,” which they drew to a close just as Zara reached Beck and they both turned to face the officiant.
There was no giving away of the bride or promising to obey—which I was glad about. So much of the tradition wrapped up in weddings seemed to be about women giving up their independence, and I knew that wasn’t what would happen between Zara and Beckett. And it wasn’t what I wanted, either.
If Clara wanted to wrestle a couple bears just before we got married, I’d be totally fine with it. I didn’t want to change her, I had realized. I loved her because of exactly who she was.
I also realized I was way ahead of myself. The woman I was planning the bear-wrestling wedding with wasn’t currently speaking to me, so there were a few details still to work out.
Zara and Beckett said their vows and kissed, and the chapel exploded into cheers and applause, and suddenly, Katie was back at my side. She was the only thing I hadn’t really planned into what was going to come next, since I hadn’t been able to coordinate with her ahead of time. Now though, I leaned down and whispered into her ear, explaining what was about to happen and asking if she’d be willing to help me.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes!”
Katie was excited about my plan. I gave her a high five, slipped something from my pocket into her hand, and sent her back to her mom.
The crowd had begun filing out of the chapel, and Zara and Beck were getting a few pictures taken up front, so I stood nearby sweating and trying to force myself to take deep, calming breaths as Dr. Hasselbeck always suggested.
CHAPTER25
CLARA
WOMBAT ACAPELLA
Zara and Beck’s ceremony had been wonderful, and so perfectly them. I loved everything from the music to the way they rearranged all the things so many people took for granted because there was a way that better suited their desire, their unique love.
My own wedding had been traditional. Every single part had been scripted, and it had felt as if I was just an actress in a complex production that Zach’s mother was orchestrating. My own parents had gone along with it, assuming it was what I wanted. And that had been the problem. I didn’t know what I wanted back then. I just wanted to be the girl someone chose, I guessed. And so I did what I thought was expected.
But I was done doing what was expected.
And so, as I filed out of the little chapel, accepting a glass of champagne from the waiter standing on the top of the steps, I decided that I’d find the bride and groom, wish them well, and then talk Katie into skipping the reception. We didn’t have to go. Her part was over. So now, I might like to just enjoy the beautiful setting for one night, and then go back home.
I told myself it had nothing to do with seeing Sly, or with the painful realizations that seeing him had pushed me even further toward. That I loved him, for one. Really loved him. Before, it had been a teenaged crush on the guy I thought he was, on the guy so many of my high school peers professed to be in love with. But now? I knew him. I’d seen past the facade. And I loved him.
But it didn’t matter.
“Mommy.” Katie was holding something, thrusting it upward toward me.
“What’s this, bear?” I took the little scrap of paper and held it, smiling down at the beautiful little girl before me. “You did so good, honey. Did you have fun?”
“Mommy.” Katie’s voice was stern. “The paper.”
I shook my head, making a face at her. “Okay.” Uncrumpling the little scrap of paper and reading it.
Go to the big tree at the edge of the lake between the chapel and the next cabin over.
I looked around, confused. “What?”
Katie had a funny look on her face.
