door.
“Do you think anyone else heard us?” Rachel whispered anxiously.
“I don’t think so. Your parents’ room was far enough away from yours.”
Next to the late model Mustang convertible, Topper was in quiet conversation with Bennett, who looked like he’d just thrown on jeans and a wrinkled T-shirt. The two men turned as Ivy and Rachel came out.
The younger man’s face was filled with such a pure expression of love that Ivy’s heart swelled with happiness for them. She pressed a hand to her chest and sighed.
“Quickly,” Topper said as he took Rachel’s bag and dress. He draped the wedding gown carefully over their luggage.
Rachel turned to Ivy. “Thank you for listening to me. Without your advice, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to do this.” Her face bloomed with a dazzling smile. “My father knows of a beautiful spot in the mountains overlooking Lake Arrowhead where we can get married right away. We booked a room online, and he’s going to meet us there. This will be my real dream wedding.” She handed Ivy a folded note. “Will you give this to my cousin Carrie?”
“Of course,” Ivy said. She glanced back at the darkened house. No one else was up. “Would you like to take the bouquet Shelly made for you?”
“Oh, yes.” Rachel’s eyes glittered. “If it’s not too much trouble.”
Ivy hurried through the kitchen and into the sunroom where Shelly had been working. Quickly, she wrapped the bridal bouquet. Clasping the fragrant flowers to her chest, she rushed back.
Topper placed the bouquet in the back seat. “It’s going to smell great in there.” He reached out to shake hands with Bennett. “Thanks for the directions, sir.”
“That shortcut will help you avoid any morning traffic.” Bennett put a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “You’re doing the right thing, son. Safe travels.”
With cheeks wet with tears of happiness and excitement, Rachel flung her arms around Ivy. “Thank you a thousand times.” She cradled her slightly rounded abdomen. “For everything. We’re so happy to be starting our new life exactly the way we want. Maybe we’ll return on our anniversary.”
“We’d like that,” Ivy said, swiping a finger under her eyes, too. “We even have a crib we can put in your room.”
Topper assisted Rachel into the car, and then he slid behind the wheel.
Bennett crossed to Ivy. They clasped hands and watched Rachel and Topper ease from the driveway. He flicked on the headlights, which illuminated frothy ocean waves ahead for a moment before they turned toward the village and the highway beyond.
They’re free, Ivy thought happily. As the young couple disappeared into the night, she shivered. For the first time, she realized she was chilly in the cool night air.
Bennett wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Topper was a little worried about his parents, but he thought they’d understand. They’re not fond of Eleanor, and if the rehearsal was any indication of the wedding, he didn’t think they’d miss it much. His four older siblings have all married, so Topper figured they’d had enough of weddings anyway.”
“They seem like reasonable people,” Ivy said. “They’ll probably be eager to leave Eleanor’s orbit.”
They stood for a few moments, watching the waves roll toward the shore. Ivy turned her face up to his. “Shall we go back to bed or enjoy the morning?”
“Let’s have our coffee on the beach,” he replied. “I have a blanket we can share. Then I’ll help you prepare breakfast.”
As they made their way into the kitchen, Ivy thought about Rachel. She was glad the young woman found the courage to do what she wanted, even though Ivy would have to deal with Eleanor. Rachel would have the wedding she wanted, and that was all that mattered to Ivy.
19
Bennett drew Ivy close beside him, huddling under his beach blanket on a flat rock on the beach, not far from the inn. All around them, the beach was coming to life, with shorebirds pecking at the sand and gulls swooping low across the water hunting for fish.
“I love the fresh ocean air in the early morning,” Bennett said, breathing in.
Ivy did the same. “It’s the time of the day that holds so much promise.”
Bennett enjoyed the solitude of the beach with Ivy. Simply being together fulfilled him in a way he hadn’t known for years.
As the sun slowly brightened the dusky sky with ribbons of rose, they sipped steaming coffee and talked about the surprising turn of events with Rachel and Topper. This