Always Loving You (Danvers #6)(70)
Epilogue
Ava stood still in a bubble of complete bliss as a flurry of activity hummed around her. She was getting married in Vegas just two days after she and Mac had coproposed to each other. She hadn’t seen him at all today, as her friends and torturers were insistent that she not see the groom before the ceremony. That didn’t mean that they hadn’t texted each other like crazy for the last twenty-four hours.
She finally looked around the room where they were all busy changing clothes to see a sight that she’d never expected. She had friends, good ones who had worked tirelessly for two days to give her a dream wedding. Suzy, the party planner extraordinaire, had refused to even entertain a trip to a drive-through wedding chapel. She’d paled alarmingly when Mac had jokingly suggested it. Instead she had opened her bag of tricks and secured them a beautiful outdoor venue with a breathtaking view of Red Rock Canyon in the distance. She had handled every detail, and despite their protests, Brant had insisted on paying for the wedding, stating it was his honor as head of their family. God, she loved her uptight brother. Finally, she and her brothers felt like a family.
Truthfully, she had been more than happy to hand over all the planning to Suzy, who seemed to do it so effortlessly. Ava just wanted to get married, and a justice of the peace would have been fine to her. Now her dear friends Suzy, Emma, Claire, and Beth buzzed around her, seemingly overjoyed to be part of her special day. She missed Ella and wished that she could have been there.
A knock sounded at the door and Emma rushed to answer it. When Emma didn’t return after a few moments, Ava looked over at the door to see the other woman passionately kissing Brant, and for once, Ava didn’t want to shudder in horror from seeing her brother making out with his fiancée. Actually, she’d never been happier that both of her brothers had found their forever persons. Despite years of doubt, it seemed as if there was a happily-ever-after on the horizon for all the Stone siblings.
Brant’s face was flushed when Emma finally pulled him into the room after ensuring that everyone was decent. He stopped in his tracks, just looking at Ava for a moment. She had chosen a simple white gown with a square neckline and delicate spaghetti straps. Tiny seed pearls were sewn on the white material, giving the dress a fairy-tale look. She had known it was her dream gown the moment she saw it. Suzy had given her an enthusiastic high five that she’d found her wedding dress within an hour.
“You look beautiful,” he said as he reached her. Emma ushered everyone from the room, seeming to know that Brant wanted a moment alone with his sister. He looked at her almost shyly before pulling two boxes from his jacket pocket. “I . . . um . . . think I can help you out with two things you might need before you get married.” He set one box on the table before holding a long, thin box in front of her. “You know that most of Mom’s jewelry has been in a safe-deposit box since their death.” When she nodded, he continued, staring at the box he held. “When you told me you were getting married, I remembered this one necklace. Mom always wore it to every party that she and Dad attended. It’s the only piece of her jewelry that I can remember seeing her wear on a regular basis. I . . . well, I thought you might like to have a part of her here today. I know it’s not the same, but . . .” Without finishing his sentence, he popped open the box, showing her the platinum pearl and diamond necklace nestled within. She choked on a sob as she too remembered it adorning their mother’s neck on several occasions.
Brant removed it from the box, walking behind her to gently move her hair aside before fastening it around her neck. Her hand automatically flew up, feeling the cool weight against her skin. His eyes were bright as he moved back in front of her. “I, um . . . had someone send this to me for you. I thought this could be your something old.”
“Oh, Brant,” she cried, “I don’t know what to say. I never knew how much I needed a part of them until now. Thank you for always taking care of me.” When she went to hug him, he held her off, setting the empty box down before picking up the other, smaller one.
“Wait. There’s another one, and I don’t want you crying more than once, so try to hold it until—” As a knock sounded on the door, Brant smiled and went to open it. Ava’s mouth fell open as her other brother walked in, looking equally emotional as he looked at her.
“Sorry, guys. I . . . got tied up. Oh, sis, you look beautiful.” As Declan leaned over to kiss both her cheeks, he whispered in her ear, “Mac is one lucky bastard.” Brushing an errant tear from her cheek, he pulled back, taking the box from Brant’s hand. His eyes softened as they lit on their mother’s necklace. “Looks beautiful on you, Av. I know she would have wanted you to wear it today.” Clearing his throat, he held up the velvet box in his hand, saying, “Ella and I wanted to give you something new for your day.” Opening the box, Declan turned it for her to see a bracelet very similar in design to the necklace that she wore. As he put it on her wrist, he continued talking. “I’m sorry if I haven’t always been there when you needed me, Av, but please never doubt that I love you. There is only one man that both Brant and I would ever pass your hand along to without reservation, and you’re marrying him today. He’s always loved you, Ava, and I know that he always will.”
After that, they all exchanged emotional embraces and just enjoyed the moment of togetherness with their feelings unguarded. As the rest of the gang filed back in, Suzy shook her head while the other women ushered the men out. “I’m not even going to bother fixing your makeup until your last visitor comes in, because I know you’ll just cry again.” Then in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, Suzy gave her a side hug, saying, “And you know what, you cry as much as you need to. If we can’t fix it, then screw it. Mac will only see your beauty, not your makeup.”