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“But you love Cleveland, and your mom lives here. How could you live in Boston?”
“My mom is feeling much better these days, thanks to you. I will go wherever you want. I only want you to be happy—and to say yes.”
The shock was wearing off, and a sob broke through, opening the floodgates and drenching her in happy tears.
“Yes,” she said. “Yes. Of course, I’ll say yes. A million times yes. And we don’t have to move to Boston. Cleveland is my home now. I’d be thrilled to move into your big ole’ lonely mansion with you.”
Tristan’s grin was wider than Lillian had ever seen it, and he got up and tugged her into his arms, holding her against his chest and the comforting sound of his steady heartbeat.
There was an explosion of sound from the shuttle bus, where a group of passengers had gathered, which was the moment Lillian realized they had an audience—Tristan, too, by the look of surprise on his face.
Lillian turned to see the crowd clapping and carrying on, led by Hannah, who stood in their midst. She gave Lillian a big thumbs-up and a wink, the little troublemaker, but Lillian was too ecstatic to care if her sister had used her talent to excite the crowd and instigate the impromptu celebration.
After all, Lillian had bigger items to think about. She had a wedding to plan.
ChapterTwenty-nine
“Where did you put my bouquet?” Lillian asked her sister, searching the dressing room frantically for the gorgeous arrangement of pale pink and white roses the florist had crafted.
“It’s right here, Lil, where you set it a minute ago,” Hannah said, handing Lillian the flowers from where they lay on the table behind her. Her sister’s dark hair was twisted into an elegant knot on the top of her head, and she wore the midnight-blue maid-of-honor dress they’d selected together. She would be Lillian’s only attendant, paired with Brian, who was Tristan’s best man.
“Thanks…I’m a wee bit nervous,” Lillian said.
“Don’t be. You look absolutely beautiful. Tristan is going to fall in love with you even more than he already has if that’s even possible. Are you ready?”
“You go ahead. I’ll be just a minute.”
Hannah stared at her a moment, her golden-brown eyes shimmering, before patting Lillian’s shoulder. “Mom would be so happy for you, Lil.”
Lillian sniffed. “I know.”
“He’s a good man, and he loves you so much. You’re perfect together. Now, if only he had a brother,” she winked.
Hannah was so earnest, Lillian laughed. “You’ll meet your Prince Charming one day. You won’t go through the doubts I went through, either. You’ll take one look at him and know from the start. The lucky guy will never be able to hide from your emotion detector.”
Hannah grinned. “That’s the heart of the problem, though. There are far too many insincere men out there. That’s why I don’t date. Your guy, though, he’s the real deal. I knew you were meant for each other the first time I met him.”
“Thanks, sis, for everything.” Lillian swiped at her eyes—she couldn’t seem to stop the tears from flowing. “I am happy…so happy. I don’t know why I’m crying.”
Hannah hugged her, and warmth flooded Lillian’s heart. “I do. You’re missing Mom, and you’re scared of getting married.” She released Lillian but held her hands. “I dreamt about her, you know.”
“When?”
“When you were in the hospital, and I wasn’t sure you’d make it. She told me not to worry, that she was taking care of you, and it would be up to me to take care of you when you woke up. That’s why I pushed so hard for you to see Tristan and bought the tickets to the Parade of Homes, even though I knew you’d be mad.”
Lillian squeezed her hands. “I might have been a little annoyed at the time, but I’m so grateful you did.”
“You’ve found your happily ever after, and Mom knows it, Lil. Don’t be afraid. Dry your eyes and make those tears of joy. I’ll head into the church now and send Dad to come get you in a few minutes. I love you, sis.”
“I love you, too.”
Lillian waited until Hannah left the dressing room before turning and considering her reflection in the mirror. Her dark chestnut hair glimmered under the fluorescent lights and seemed to bring out the glittery silver in her gown. Gone were the days of the long blonde wig and green contacts. The golden-brown eyes of the girl in the glass looked weepy and happy and like she could use a glass of wine to ease her anxiety.
“There’s my girl,” Lillian’s dad said, coming into the room with a big smile on his face. “Are you ready to walk down the aisle? You have one nervous and impatient groom waiting at the altar.”
Lillian managed a smile through watery eyes. In a few minutes, she would take her father’s arm and be led into the arms of the man she loved. She should be ecstatically happy, and she was, but she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t also acknowledge the day was laced with an edge of sorrow.
“What is it?”
