A Merry Vested Wedding - Melanie Moreland Page 0,24

alone at Christmas since he has no family, and she invited him to stay. She offered him the spare room.”

Gracie paled. “What? He doesn’t need the spare room. He has his own home in Toronto.”

Heather glanced in the mirror, tucking a loose tendril behind her ear. “He told her that.”

Gracie blew out a relieved breath. “Oh. Okay.”

Heather grinned. “He said he’d love to come back, though, so he’ll be here Christmas morning.” She grabbed the door handle. “I guess Christmas just took on a different feel. I hope he learns to smile by then. Come say goodbye to Nan and Pops.”

She left in traditional Heather style, a whirlwind of fabric and her signature lilac scent.

Gracie and I exchanged glances. “Well.” I smirked. “This is gonna be interesting.”

She grabbed my hand. “You can’t say anything, Addi. It was a mistake, and it will be corrected. It’s private.” Her eyes widened. “My dad cannot find out. He’ll go berserk.”

“I won’t say anything, but I want the whole story.”

“I’ll tell you,” she promised. “Just let me get through this mess first. I need to go and uninvite Mr. Richards.”

I couldn’t help it. “Gracie?”

“What?”

“If you stayed married to him and hyphenated your name, maybe you could use Grace Richards-VanRyan. Sort of a twist, you know? Your dad might actually like that.” I tried to hold in my laughter, but a chuckle escaped my lips.

For a moment, her lips quirked, then she frowned. “Addi, that was uncalled-for. I think you’re channeling your inner Aiden.” She yanked open the door. “And this marriage is history. It never happened,” she hissed quietly.

Still chuckling, I followed her slowly, thinking about Jaxson’s remark and the determined look on his face.

I had a feeling Mr. Richards might not agree.

Brayden

Gracie rushed past me, heading toward the table where her mother sat with the guy she’d brought as her plus-one. Jason? Justin? I couldn’t remember. He seemed pretty intense, but I had other things on my mind right now.

Specifically, finding my bride.

She appeared ahead of me, and I strode toward her. “I’ve been looking for you, Mrs. Riley.”

She grinned. “Are you ever going to get tired of calling me that?”

I bent and kissed her. “I have waited a long time to be able to call you that, so nope. I will never tire of it. Pops and Nan are leaving, and I think I’ve partied enough.”

She grimaced. “I won’t argue there. My feet are aching from all the dancing. And I’m hungry.”

“If you’d eat something, you wouldn’t be so hungry. You’ve only picked all night.”

“I can barely breathe in this corset thing, let alone eat,” she admitted. “I want out of it.”

“That’s a plan I can get behind. Go say good night to Pops and Nan. I’ll get you a snack.”

She rose up and kissed me, her lips warm and soft. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

She floated away, her skirts billowing around her. I headed to the kitchen and ten minutes later found her still talking to Nan. Pops stood to the side, Nan’s coat draped over his arm as he listened to their conversation, a bemused smile on his face.

Sandy looked incredible. Her pure-white hair was swept up and away from her face, the vivid blue of her dress lovely with her coloring. She had lots of laugh lines around her eyes and mouth but refused to worry about them. “I’ve earned them,” she liked to say.

Still, her eyes were bright and her smile wide. She walked with a slight limp since her hip replacement, but she was active and energetic. Aiden made sure of that. Jordan was tall and strong, always close in case she needed him. They were a great couple and the best grandparents around. We were all lucky to have them as part of our lives.

Nan saw me approach and beamed. “There he is. You ready to take your bride away from all this?”

I kissed her cheek. “Her feet hurt and she’s hungry.” I indicated the basket I was holding. “I had the kitchen pack up some tidbits for us.”

“Already a good husband.” She patted my cheek. “Just like your father.”

My dad doted on my mother. She was devoted to him as well. It was a good example to try to follow.

I glanced around, noting Gracie in a serious conversation with her plus-one. He was listening to her, leaning on a pillar, sipping a brandy with a small smirk on his face. She looked pretty hot and bothered, but he seemed at ease and not at all put out by