Independence (25 page)

I ignored her and tried to move on. "So…"

"So. Nervous?" Gran asked, fingering a curl near my ear.

"No. Why? Were you nervous?"
"I was so scared that I thought I'd never make it to him without passing out." She smiled, her eyes far away and clear. "But I did. How come you ain't nervous?"

"What's there to
be nervous about?" I told her, but looked at the floor. "It's just Caleb. I know he loves me, so why would I be nervous about this?"

She lifted my face with a finger under my chin. "You're telling the truth," she said in revelation. I nodded. "Well, I'll be… And here I thought I was supposed to be on runaway-bride duty."

I laughed. "No need
. So what's first on the agenda?
"

"First?" Rachel asked and put on her apron. It said, "I'm flippin' awesome" with a picture of a spatula. I pressed my lips together so as not to laugh. "Let's get some food in the bride's bellies. Pancakes or eggs?"

"Pancakes," Jen and I said together and laughed. Lynne was absorbed in squeezing oranges for fresh-squeezed orange juice. So I went and started a pot of coffee. Surely, I couldn’t screw up coffee, right?

After we finished cooking and eating, she pulled me aside and handed me a leather bound book. I looked quizzically at it and she urged me with a nod to open it. She had over 100 pages of handwritten recipes, all neat and orderly, organized by types of food. I felt my mouth drop open when I saw
Gran's Honey B
un Recipe.

"Gran was one who taught you to make those divine honey buns you made in California?"

"Mhmm. She taught me a lot. There's a lot of Gran's
recipes in there
, along with tons of our old family ones
. I just knew that learning to cook
was something that was important to you, and I wanted you to have a fresh start at it. And if you ever have any questions or
anything you can call me anytime. It took me years - years, honey - to be a good cook. But I love it now."

"I think I'll love it, too."

"And we got you something else, too." I waited knowing she'd tell me without being prompted. "It's from Peter and me." And she handed me a small
box. I opened it and produced a small locket. It looked just like… "This is Gran's locket."

"It's just like it." She
lifted her hand making the locket lift from the box. She moved her finger to tell me to turn around and she lifted the locket into the air and let it fall gently around
my neck. "We got Jen one, too. Though finding a picture of Bish was challenging." She smiled in amusement.

I opened the locket and there was a picture I'd never seen before of Caleb. He was doing that h
alf smile, half smirk thing he wa
s so good at.
I lifted my head and said, "Wow
, thank you."

She pulled hers from beneath her blouse. "It's a Jacobson tradition. We want to keep it going with you both."

I nodded. "Thank you. It's beautiful."

"I just can't believe this day is here," she said her voice, cracking. She looked out at Jen and then gave me a small smile before walking to her. She embraced her
,
and Jen sighed and laughed at the same time.

"Mom, you've got to stop crying already."

I laughed silently at them.

We all nibbled and watched an old movie together
, My Fair Lady,
until that afternoon when it was time to start getting dressed. I was glad that everyone didn't seem to be making a fuss. Your wedding day shouldn't be stressful, it should be relaxing and filled with laughter. That's exactly what we did.

I sat in between Fiona and Jen, and
we all laughed and made our
own Eliza Doolittle accents. Fiona was the best Eliza Doolittle.

When it was time to get dressed, that's what we did. Gran had made everyone's dresses for them according to t
heir likes and measurements. Lynne
and I both c
hose a shorter dress while Jen
and Fiona chose the more traditional long looking ones. But they were all blood red and as gorgeous as could be. I wore my new locket and let Rachel do my hair in big curls, and put in little diamond earring studs. Maria painted my toes for me, red of course, since this was a barefoot event.

When they said it was time to go, it seemed almost a little anti-climatic. I had been waiting for this and now it was here. I felt so calm and just ready for it.

I gave myself one more look in the mirror.

The dress was gorgeous. The red silk shimmered just a bit. The length was right above my knee
, but the part that was hard to take your eyes off of was the neckline. It was an off-the-shoulder, but the sleeves were longer and flowy. It looked like something out
of a magazine, not something an
old cranky woman had whipped up at the last minute. The necklace could be seen perfectly with the low neckline and my shoulder
was exposed in the most elegant way.

I was ready. This was it. The next
time
Caleb called me Mrs. Jacobson, it would be the truth.

So I didn't stall, or shake or worry. Honestly, I didn't even know how all of this was going to play out. There had been no dress rehearsal or anything, but it was all OK.

I padded down the hall with my bare feet and made it to the backyard double glass doors that Gran had said to meet her at. She was there, bare feet and a red shirt with black slacks.
She held her arm out to tell me to wait. Soon I was met by Lynne, Jen and Fiona.
They all made their way out, Fiona first, me last. When it was my turn Gran
s
wept her arm for
me to come
.
I walked to her and she put a red Malva flower behind my ear. I remembered the one Rachel had in her vision she showed me of her wedding. It was a tradition.

"Some people eat Malva flowers," she informed softly, rubbing the ends of my hair sweetly. "
They think it helps with maintaining weight. Some eat them as vegetables or in herbal teas.
Some say they
can cure stings on the skin. But though it's delicate and pretty, it needs help from no one to grow. They spread their own seeds with no help fr
om nobody. You're just like a
flower, pretty girl. You're beautiful, but strong. Useful, but fun and wonderful. And you don't need help from anybody to do what you need to do. But it never hurts to have a handsome guy around." She winked, causing me to laugh. "Caleb is the perfect guy. He's sweet and caring, very much like a flower himself with that pretty face. And though he would be fine all on his own, it wouldn't hurt for him to have someone that he belonged to. You two, though beautiful
and strong separately, are like this Mal
va flower when you're together. I'll know how good you'll be for and to each other. I'm glad that my Caleb can finally
say he's found you."

I nodded my head and wanted to scold her for making me want to cry before we'd barely even started the ceremony.
Just the Jacobson family was there
, no one that I didn't already know, and they all smiled and parted a path for me to go
through
. The more people I made it through, the louder a guitar rhythm got. I recognized it as
Beautiful Love
by The Afters.

Uncle Max was the one playing guitar. He grinned and nodded as I passed him. Everyone was so close as I made my way through that we rubbed elbows and I could smell the perfume of several mixed together.
Haddock, I realized, was the only person there from another clan other than Fiona. He smiled at me and touched my hand as I passed him.

And then I saw Peter. I realized that I hadn't seen him all day.

And then Caleb was there as the last people parted the way to reveal him. They circled and enclosed around me, almost pressing in to suffocate me, but none of that mattered. My mouth fell open and a small gasp fell from my lips. I looked him up and down
, lingering on his bare feet before moving back up to his clean shaven chin, his lips that were slightly parted, and his button-up red shirt with the top two buttons undone.

God…thank you, for he was beautiful.

He moved the
small inches that were between us and licked his lips before wiping under my eye with his thumb. I hadn't realized I was crying. And being without him all day made me sigh when he touched me. His calm, his love, his touch was just what I needed. He moved for
ward and kissed my cheekbone where
the tear was and I practically melted right there in front of his whole family.

He leaned back and looked me over, letting his fingers fall to my shoulder.

That dress is…

Gran made it.
I stated what he already knew.

That's not what I meant. At all.
His fingers moved along my skin and I got his meaning exactly. I shivered and he smiled in satisfaction.

All right, you
, I scolded.

He grinned and put his arm around my
back, pulling me into his chest. We both turned to face Peter. I saw Dad and Fiona on the opposite side of us, Bish and Jen were next to us
,
and Kyle and Lynne on Caleb's side. We all faced Peter as he stood in the middle as the vortex, we circled him as a rim and the family circle us as the outer crust. It was like our own little world. Nothing mattered except this.

Peter began to speak, facing us and being a little biased I think. Caleb was his son after all. "
Imprinting isn't a life sentence.
Our people thrive with our significant by our side. We all know the importance of what has happened since Maggie came into our lives. The proof of how destiny works and moves is right here in this circle, in these four couples that will
be
joined today. But more than destiny and purpose is love. The love one feels for his significant is bigger than any ocean, deeper than any well, more powerful than any storm.
When we join these significants today, they are telling us that
they
want no one else, will always be
there for each other and will never part from their mate. Not that I have to tell them that."

The chuckles resounded around us as Peter turned to Kyle and Lynne. "Do you dedicate yourself to your significant?"

Kyle spoke first. "I do, with all that I am."

Lynne said too loudly, "I do, too, with all I am."

Peter smiled, but didn't join in the laughter with the others. He turned to my dad and I felt my eyes crinkle as I watched him say that he accepted Fiona as his significant. He met my eyes across
Peter'
s shoulder and he smiled, showing full o
n
teeth and everything. Then it was Bish and Jen's turn. Peter choked up asking Jen if she would take Bish. And then Dad choked up when Bish said he would take Jen. Bish locked eyes with me and winked. I smiled and looked up at Caleb and it was so cliché. So predictable. So…everything I always imagined it would be. I was breathless and stuck in the trance of watching Caleb as he watched me.

When I heard my name loudly, I pulled my gaze from his and looked at Peter. He looked at me expectantly. "Oh," I realized he'd asked me already.
Even Gran's cackle didn't distract me from saying,
"I do…with all that I am," I whispered and didn't wipe the tears that fell. I wore them like a badge that said how happy I was. I was so full, it was spilling over.

And when Caleb said his words, they were low
and filled with emotion.
He brought his hand up, placing his thumb under my chin and his fingers on my cheek "I do
,
take you, Maggie, with all that I am."

I tried hard to keep it together and not crumble.

Peter cleared his throat several times and when I looked at him, he was fighting his own tears. "Now, as your first act as a married, mated couple, kiss her and claim her for all to see as your true heart and only love."

Caleb pulled me to him
,
and claim me he did.

Caleb