Always the Baker, Finally the Bride (17 page)

If the tiara has pin loops, secure it with bobby pins
to hold it in place.

When wearing an updo:

The tiara or headband should be placed in front of
or against the bulk of the hair.

Attach the veil behind and underneath the bulk of
the updo, and be sure that the tiara connects to
the edges of the veil, leaving no gap in-between.

If everyone has a glass of something, I’d like to propose a toast.”

Jackson’s arm rested loosely around Emma’s shoulder, and he looked down at her and smiled as she beamed at her father. Gavin stood at the other side of the room from them, glass in hand, waiting for the rest of the guests to join the circle.

“Tonight,” Gavin said, “two families come together in anticipation of the questionable blessing of being bound together for life because of these two.”

Avery jabbed Gavin’s rib with her elbow as she shook her head. “Really.”

“Well, come on, Avery,” he teased. “You don’t think these people would actually
choose
us if they had their choice, do you?”

“Don’t be silly!” Madeline chastised with a sweet smile. “We’re
three-illed
to consider y’all
fam-ly
.”

Jackson surveyed the room amidst the hum of the
oooh
s and
ahhh
s of the guests’ reactions. His oldest sister, Georgiann, looked radiant as she leaned in close to her husband, gripping middle sister Madeline’s hand. Norma, the youngest of the Drake sisters, crinkled her nose as she laughed at Gavin’s joke
and shared a smile with her husband, Louis. Miguel and his wife—Jackson’s niece—rounded out the Drake side of the well-wishers gathered in Norma’s parlor.

The Travises were well represented by Emma’s parents and her aunt Sophie, who stood just to Jackson’s left, clinging to his arm and seeming extraordinarily present-minded at the moment. Sherilyn, Andy, Fee, and Sean, also stewards of the Travis clan, joined the circle, glasses in hand. The room brimmed with one cohesive family unit of well-wishers and support, and a hot ember of emotion flickered in Jackson’s chest.

He leaned over and kissed Sophie’s cheek with a tender peck. “We’re so glad you’re here, Sophie,” he told her, and she nuzzled against his arm.

“As Emma and Jackson approach their upcoming nuptial—” Gavin continued, “and at long last, I might add—I think every one of us in Norma Jean and Louis’s gracious home offers them prayers of hope and encouragement toward a marriage built on our shoulders, the people who love them the most.”

Emma bookended Sophie’s affection by squirming against his other arm, and Jackson kissed the top of her head and breathed in the clean vanilla scent of her brown hair.

“To Jackson and Emmy!” Gavin exclaimed, his glass high in the air, and the others chimed in with their own good wishes for the happy couple.

“Thank you, Gavin,” Jackson said, lifting his glass toward his future father-in-law. “And I want to assure you that I’d choose you if given the choice.”

“Fortunately, no one gave it to you.” Gavin guffawed, and Avery nudged him again, shaking her head and laughing. “You just take care of our Emmy, Jackson, and we’ll be square.”

“I promise.”

Emma turned her full body toward Jackson and slipped one arm around his neck. “Kiss me,” she breathed, and he did. When they parted, she held her eyes shut for a few seconds before they fluttered open. “Oh, you’re so good at that!”

“You still want to marry me, then,” he surmised.

“Who said anything about that?” she teased him. “But I never grow tired of your kisses. Isn’t that enough?”

“Not quite,” he answered, and he kissed her again.

The metallic jingle of a bell rang softly in his ears, originating from the brass bell in Harriet’s hand.

“Dinner is served,” the uniformed fixture at Norma’s home informed them.

“Thank you, Harriet,” Louis replied.

“All right, you two!” Gavin exclaimed. “There will be time enough for smooching later. Jackson’s sister has put together a feast fit for kings. Let’s all indulge, shall we?”

Jackson offered his arm to Sophie, and he walked her into the dining room, followed by Emma on her father’s arm. When he pulled out Sophie’s chair and waited for her to sit down, she paused and looked up at him with a meaningful countenance.

“We’ll talk privately later, Jackson,” she whispered. “All right?”

“Of course.”

“Do you have to go so soon?”

“Vanessa’s with the baby,” Sherilyn stated, and that was enough for Emma. Despite the fact that she’d somehow managed to raise Andy, Emma suspected that his mother’s experience with babies included a nanny or two. “But we had a great time, Em. I’m very happy for you.”

“Even though I’m marrying the enemy?” Emma asked her with a grin.

“Even though . . . You look tired.”

“I am. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Love you,” Sherilyn offered with a hug. “Where is the enemy, anyway? I want to say good night.”

“Out on the veranda with my aunt Sophie. Their heads have been together for quite some time.”

“I won’t interrupt then,” she said. “Just tell him for me.”

Once she’d walked Sherilyn to the door and shared an embrace with Andy, Emma set out for the veranda.

“What are you two whispering about out here?” she asked as she joined them.

“Never you mind,” Sophie told her. “You don’t have to know everything about everything, Emma Rae.”

“I don’t? Because it feels like I do.”

Her aunt smiled at her as she struggled to stand up. Jackson helped her to her feet, and she kissed his cheek when he bent toward her.

“I’m going to ask Sissy to take me home,” she announced. “I’m tired now.”

“Well, thank you for coming, Aunt Soph. It wouldn’t have been a celebration without you.”

“I could have sworn you two were already married,” she muttered on her way into the house.

“Wait, you mean we’re not?” Jackson teased, and he wrapped his arms around Emma’s waist and drew her close to him.

The two of them stood there for several minutes, looking out at the midnight-blue sky beyond the lawn and falling under the spell of the flickering canopy of silver stars overhead.

“When I was a kid, I thought the sky was like a tent over us,” she told Jackson. “And since the sky was so many millions of years old, I figured it must be wearing thin. Proven, of
course, by the stars, which were just pinholes of light shining through the worn fabric from the other side.”

“Not very scientific,” Jackson observed. “But quite creative.”

“Do you think Norma would get her feelings hurt if we cut out?” she asked.

“No, why?”

She took a deep breath and then leaned into him as she exhaled. “I don’t know. I’m just so tired all of a sudden.”

“Let’s go, then.”

Jackson took her hand and led her into the house. Guests milled about the dining room and adjacent parlor, and Emma simply allowed Jackson to lead her past them.

“Emma’s worn out,” he announced. “I’m going to get her home so she can get some rest.”

“Oh, all right,” Norma sang. “You get a good night’s sleep and you’ll be right as rain tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much for tonight,” Emma told her. “I’m so happy you’re going to be my new sister.”

“It’s not new at all,” Norma said as she hugged her and swayed her from side to side. “We’ve been sisters since the day we met.”

“We’re going to hit the road as well,” Gavin told them.

While Gavin helped Sophie into her coat, Avery appeared at her side and smoothed the hair away from Emma’s face with a gentle hand.

“You’re a little pale, dear,” she said, taking hold of Emma’s hand. “Is there anything I can get you?”

“Eighteen hours of uninterrupted sleep?”

“Can you ease up a little, maybe sleep in late tomorrow?”

“No, I’ve got a full schedule from 9 a.m. and on through the day,” she replied with a sigh.

“Jackson,” Avery said as he stepped up beside them. “Emma Rae is pale, and her hands are a little clammy. Is your blood sugar low, sweetheart?”

“I don’t know how it could be, with everything I ate tonight,” Emma told her. “But I’ll check my glucose level as soon as we get into the car.”

“Jackson, you’ll watch her closely, won’t you?”

“I will, Avery.”

It seemed like a long path from the good-nights to the passenger seat of Jackson’s car, but when she finally reached it, there was no mistaking her sense of relief. After Jackson rounded the car and slid behind the wheel, he picked up her purse and handed it to her.

“Is your meter in here?”

“Yes.”

He flicked on the overhead light while she pulled out the small blue case that held her supplies.

“So what was that talk about with Aunt Sophie?” she asked him as she pricked her finger.

“Oh. She’d like me to lobby for her as your maid of honor.”

Emma giggled. The small screen flashed with the number: 109.

“It’s a little low after such a big meal,” she said. “But I don’t think it’s worth worrying over. I guess I’m just really, really tired.”

“How about we ask Fee to handle things in the morning? You have a good healthy breakfast and come in later.”

“No, Jackson, I can’t do—”

“Yes, you can. And you will, Emma.”

“Hey,” she said with a sigh as she leaned her head against the car seat and closed her eyes. “You’re not the boss of me.”