Blackout After Dark (Gansett Island #21) - Marie Force Page 0,99

right.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Mallory held up the skirt as she walked the short distance to a table where Lizzie had left two boxes of flowers. She removed a wrist corsage from one of the boxes and gestured for Linda to come to her. “Since my own mom can’t be here today, I was hoping you might be willing to stand in for her.” Mallory slid the corsage onto Linda’s wrist.

“I’d be honored,” Linda said, visibly moved.

“I’ll never have the words to properly thank you for the way you’ve welcomed me into your family. You never so much as hesitated to make me feel a part of things when you certainly didn’t have to, and I’ll always be thankful to you for that.”

Linda hugged her carefully. “We had no idea that we were waiting for you to make our family complete. You made it easy to welcome you, and we love you very much.”

“You’re going to make me cry,” Mallory said, smiling.

Linda laughed as she dabbed at tears. “You started it.”

The two women shared a laugh as they made good use of the tissues Big Mac handed them.

“I’ll see you downstairs,” Linda said, leaving the room after kissing them both.

“That was very nice of you to include her that way.” Big Mac looked as handsome and polished as she’d ever seen him, in a dark navy suit, a white dress shirt and light blue tie that complemented his blue eyes.

Mallory pinned a white rose boutonniere on his lapel and then looked up at him. “I love her as much as I love you. Thank you for this beautiful day.”

“We love you, too, and it’s our pleasure to give you this day. Thank you for letting me be your dad today and always. Linda was right, you know. We were waiting for you to make us complete.” He kissed her cheek. “Happy birthday, my sweet girl, and all the best of everything to you and your new husband.”

Mallory dabbed at new tears, hoping she hadn’t completely ruined her makeup. “Thanks, Dad.” Calling him that would never get old.

Lizzie came to the door, looking beautiful in a red dress with her blonde hair in a bun. “We’re ready when you are, sis.”

Mallory was delighted to be getting her as a sister-in-law and Jared and Cooper as brothers-in-law. She didn’t know the rest of the James family as well as she knew them, but looked forward to spending time with the rest of them.

Big Mac extended his arm to Mallory. “You don’t need anyone to give you away, but I’m so glad you asked me to.”

She tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. “I waited a long time to have a dad. I’m not missing anything else with you.”

Quinn had thought he was prepared for this day, to see Mallory as a bride on the arm of her beloved father. But as he stood on the lawn of the Chesterfield with the ocean behind him, he realized nothing could’ve prepared him for how beautiful and happy she looked as she and Big Mac appeared on the back porch.

Janey, Laura and Trish had preceded them down the aisle, with one of Trish’s colleagues handling the photos for this part of the day. Quinn had met Mallory’s longtime friend via FaceTime chats, but hadn’t met her in person until today.

Mallory’s dress was a knockout, but he hadn’t expected anything less from his gorgeous bride. She wore her dark hair up and never looked away from him as she came toward him on the arm of her dad.

With Jared, Cooper and Mason standing by his side and their bow tie-clad dog, Brutus, sitting at his feet, Quinn fought his emotions as he reflected on the journey that had brought him to this day. He’d fought a difficult struggle to regain mobility and to overcome the deep depression and alcoholism he’d descended into after losing a leg in combat.

When Jared and Lizzie had invited him to Gansett Island and offered him the job as medical director at the senior facility, he’d expected to give the place a year, maybe two, before moving on to something else. That was before he met Mallory and found a whole new life for himself. Now he couldn’t imagine anything better than every day with her at home and at work.

In the front row, Mason’s girlfriend, Jordan, was providing FaceTime coverage of the wedding for his parents and sisters, who’d been unable to change their plans in time to