Chapter 55
'So, how's everything going with the baby?' Emily asked her niece as they sat side by side in the hotel suite, awaiting Sara's return.
Hope's eyes remained glued to her son; she couldn't get enough of staring at him. 'It's been incredible. Even better than I'd imagined. And even though we're both focussed on the baby, it feels like Cam and I are even closer than before… if that makes any sense.'
Emily smiled and brought her hand to touch the baby's tiny hand as he nursed in his mother's arms.
'It makes perfect sense' Emily said softly. 'The two of you share this little guy and it's a bond you'll have for the rest of your lives.'
The baby sighed and pulled away and Hope expertly moved him over to her other breast as he resumed nursing without so much as a peep.
'Well, you seem to have the magic touch' Emily added.
'I don't know about that' Hope sighed. 'He's a pretty easy baby and so far, he sleeps most of the time and he only cries when he's hungry or if he needs his diaper changed.'
Emily had never had children of her own although she'd helped raise her step-daughter following her marriage to Mike Foster. Now that her husband was gone, she remained in touch with the young woman, although they lived in different cities and now that Sophie had a family of her own, they didn't see each other more than once or twice a year.
She thought back to the e-mail that had arrived so unexpectedly just days before Christmas, nine years earlier. How her heart had stopped as she'd read the short message from Sara, asking if Emily would be willing to get in touch with her. After almost thirty years apart, she'd practically given up on ever finding her baby sister and upon receiving the message, Emily had immediately reached for the phone, her heart full to overflowing as she'd heard her sister's voice after all those years.
Their reunion had come about as a result of Neal's dogged determination to locate her and, upon meeting him, Emily had instantly fallen for her brother-in-law's undeniable charm. He was a wonderful man with a heart of gold and she'd been thrilled to know that Sara had found happiness after their less than ideal childhood. Now, she had the unexpected pleasure of having a family again and she glanced down at baby Jacob as he drifted off to sleep.
Emily sighed. 'You know, I wasn't there for your mom when she got married the first time' she confided to her niece. 'I'm so happy to be here for her today.'
Hope looked over at her aunt with a warm smile. 'And I know how happy she is to have you here. When I was little, she used to cry every summer on the anniversary of the day you disappeared and Dad would sit and hold her hand and try to convince her to let him look for you. But she wasn't ready back then and she kept telling him not to go looking… I think she was afraid she'd find out that something had happened to you and she wanted to keep believing that you were safe somewhere.'
'Well, luckily your dad didn't give up on finding me' Emily said.
'I remember the day Mom found out he'd been looking for you behind her back. She was so angry at him. She stormed out of the house and ran over to Aunt Elizabeth's place. She couldn't believe he'd gone against her wishes.'
Emily listened intently; she'd never heard this part of the story.
'Dad finally convinced her that it was better to know what had happened to you and to make peace with it and in the end, Mom went to Canada with him and she was there when they finally found out you were living in Europe.'
Emily sighed; she felt so fortunate to have been given a second chance.
The quiet click of the door being unlocked was heard and the two women looked up expectantly as the door opened and Sara came into view, looking a vision - despite the fact she was wearing a pair of slacks and a t-shirt.
'Oh my God!' Hope said as she looked up at her mother. 'You look amazing, Mom!'
Sara beamed back; despite her recent insecurities, she was feeling beautiful and she couldn't wait to stand in front of Neal and tell him just how much she loved him and how lucky she was to have him in her life.
'Hey, you two!' she called out. 'Are you ready to come to my wedding?'
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Neal sat alongside Peter and Liam on the way back to White Plains, his legs bouncing up and down as he tried to contain the nervous energy that was bursting to get out.
'You okay?' Peter asked, glancing towards him.
'Yeah, fine' Neal replied breathlessly - and rather unconvincingly. 'The rings…'
'Got 'em right here' Peter reassured him, gently tapping the pocket of his suit jacket.
'Okay…' Neal said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a sheet of paper.
'Dad, you've been looking at that thing all morning. It's fine, believe me. You're ready.'
'Right…' Neal said, folding up the piece of paper on which he'd written his wedding vows and tucking it back into his jacket pocket. It took a whole three seconds for him to reach back in and pull it out again and this time, he began to look it over, mumbling to himself.
'Do you think this part here about… you know, what happened before… is it too… like should I maybe —'
'Neal, stop worrying. It's fine. Your vows are perfect the way they are' Peter said, trying to reassure him, seemingly without much success.
'Yeah Dad, relax' Liam echoed from the back seat. 'This is Mom we're talking about, she's a sure thing, okay.'
'It's just that, what if —'
'Neal! Stop it. Just look into Sara's eyes and talk to her like you always do, tell her how you feel' Peter suggested - easier said than done.
'Right…' Neal said again, his legs beginning to bounce up and down again as he looked out the window of the car.
'What about the gifts for the guests?' he asked, turning to look at Peter.
'Neal, El has taken care of everything. All you have to do is show up, stand next to Sara, look into her eyes, tell her how you feel and then enjoy having everybody around you while you celebrate.'
'Dad, you could look at Mom and tell her the sky is red and she'd still fawn all over you' Liam reminded him.
Neal laughed nervously and sighed as Peter glanced at Liam in the rear view mirror. He'd never seen Neal quite this nervous before - even at his first wedding.
'Maybe I should check on Sara, see how she's doing' Neal said as he pulled out his phone.
Peter grabbed it from his hand, keeping one hand on the wheel.
'You'll do no such thing. Now, stop it, you're being ridiculous.'
'Oh, I'm being ridiculous' Neal said, glancing at his buddy and reclaiming his phone.
Despite his best friend's advice, Neal began to type something into his phone. Liam and Peter exchanged looks; there was no way to stop Neal Caffrey once he decided to give in to his impulses and if it involved his feelings for his wife… well, all bets were off.
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Sara looked down at her phone as the text message from Neal came through.
'I love you so much, Repo. Will you marry me?' he'd written with a bunch of heart emoticons and some kisses.
She laughed out loud and looked up just in time to see Hope step out of the bathroom, looking stunning in a gorgeous dress she'd only seen her wear once before - at her stag do.
'Oh, honey…' she said, her breath hitching. 'You look beautiful.'
Hope smiled and twirled on herself. 'I am so happy I don't have to wear that monstrosity of a muumuu I had picked out.'
'Honey, it was a perfectly beautiful dress… for a maternity dress' Sara reminded her.
'Well, I'm just glad to be able to go back to my regular clothes' Hope commented. 'Luckily, this one has just enough wiggle room to accommodate my baby fat' she added, patting her belly.
'All right, Sara' Emily said, getting to her feet. 'It's your turn.'
Sara stood and giggled nervously as she walked over to the closet, reaching for the garment bag that held her dress. She'd had such a hard time deciding which dress to choose and she'd finally gone with the one she'd first fallen in love with - even though it exposed the area where her pacemaker was visible under the skin of her breastbone. Following her little visit to the salon, she was feeling fearless and she prepared to zip open the bag, noticing a small piece of paper had been pinned to the bag just where the zipper closed.
She narrowed her eyes, recognizing Neal's handwriting but without the benefit of her glasses, she couldn't read the message.
'What is it Mom?' Hope asked.
'I think it's a note from your dad' Sara replied as she pulled her arm back to get a better look.
Hope was instantly by her side, reading out loud what was written in Neal's tidy handwriting.
'You're going to look beautiful no matter what's in here. I love you. Neal xx'
Sara half laughed, half cried; he'd known just how much she'd agonized about her choice and he'd found a way of letting her know that he didn't care what she wore, as long as she was happy.
So sweet… and so Neal.
'You know, your dad is the most romantic guy in the world' Sara said to Hope as she wiped her eyes. 'And if this keeps up, I'm going to ruin my make-up.'
Emily chuckled and took her sister's arm. 'Come on, sis. Let's get you dressed. Your knight in shining armour is waiting for you.'
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There was nothing more that could be done. Everything was in place for an amazing party and at 1:20, Elizabeth Burke headed upstairs to Neal and Sara's bedroom to change into the dress she'd chosen for the occasion. Peter had texted to let her know he was on his way with the groom and best man and Sara would be arriving shortly thereafter with her maid of honour and her sister in tow. Guests would be starting to pour in any minute and Will and Caitlin had volunteered to act as the welcoming committee, greeting guests as they arrived and guiding them out to the backyard to await the beginning of the ceremony.
The Caffreys' yard looked like a fairy tale and El knew that when the sun eventually went down and the fairy lights came on, it would become even more magical. No detail had been skimped on and no expense spared to make this the most unforgettable occasion for Neal and Sara. El could feel her legs shaking as she stood in front of the full length mirror, checking herself out in a gorgeous taffeta dress in a pale shade of grey. She looked great and she smiled back at herself, happy with what she saw; hopefully, Peter would approve.
She took a deep breath and reminded herself that there was plenty of help around, from the caterers she'd hired, to the crew of servers (no strippers, this time), to the two young men who were on parking duty and the energetic young woman El had hired to coordinate the activities for the kids. All she could do now, was to keep a close eye on things from a distance and try to enjoy the party. There was still no sign of Mozzie although it was just like him to want to make an entrance and Elizabeth tried to put it out of her mind as she gave herself one last appraising look in the mirror and headed downstairs.
Within minutes, the first guests began to arrive.
First off, were Clinton and Ivy Jones with their two boys, Michael and Jonathan. The twelve and ten-year-old boys were guided over to the tent where games had been set up and were soon joined by Olivia and Virginia Berrigan who had been drafted to help out with the younger crowd. The girls were in their late teens and Olivia had recently started community college, studying in early childhood education; she was more than eager to help with the younger children and she and her sister joined the younger set at the back of the yard. Meanwhile, their mothers settled in next to Clinton and Ivy and Diana and Jones immediately started talking shop, unable to resist the urge to discuss their latest case. It didn't take long for their respective spouses to interrupt, demanding that the work colleagues move on to another topic and their discussion seamlessly moved to the wedding they were about to witness.
Ken and Ginette Murphy were next to arrive and El took extra care to make sure they were seated comfortably in the backyard, offering them refreshments and introducing them to the Jones and Cooper-Berrigans. Not far behind was the Rivers family who arrived with much fanfare, the twins excited to have gotten dressed up to go to a wedding. Moira and Scott settled in with the other guests as their four daughters disappeared to the back of the yard with the rest of the children.
'Behave!' Moira Rivers reminded them as she watched them run off.
As guest after guest arrived, Caitlin and Will tag teamed with Caitlin remaining by the front door to greet everyone and Will going back and forth to the yard to escort the guests to their seats, making sure they were settled in before returning to help with the new arrivals.
Before long, Cody and his parents arrived and Liam's boyfriend was put to work, helping out with the new arrivals as they began to turn up at a faster clip. Cindy arrived with her husband Jonas; with her mom and her aunt out of the country, she was the lone representative of the Ellington family for this illustrious occasion, happy to be there to support her partner on his special day.
Next to arrive was a big, black dude Caitlin had never seen before who introduced himself as Jim McDougall, a name she'd heard before but a man she'd never met. The gentle giant was escorted out to the back yard and Cody made sure to introduce him around before leaving him with the other guests and returning to the front door to do it all over again. The Masons were next, Jeff, Donna as well as Olivia and her fiancé, all looking very festive for the special occasion.
Cameron showed up, more than eager to lend a helping hand as he waited for his wife and son to arrive. He took the time to introduce his parents, Fred and Bonnie, to all those who hadn't had the chance to meet them the previous year at his own wedding.
Lydia and Sam Jordan weren't far behind and they arrived with the flower girl, decked out in her gorgeous outfit while her little sister pouted at all the attention Beatrice was getting.
'Don't get dirty!' Lydia called out to her eldest daughter as the girls joined the growing group of youngsters who were busy making cards for the newlyweds in the arts and crafts area.
The buzz in the Caffreys' backyard got louder as the group of guests grew larger and laughter and chatting could be heard as everyone awaited with anticipation the arrival of the bride and groom. Servers with drinks roamed around, making sure everyone had something to drink while they waited and Elizabeth roamed from one group to another, making sure everyone had what they needed.
At 1:45, Dr. Joanne Cooper arrived and began to mingle with the other guests; she had the gift of the gab and took no time at all in getting familiar with everyone in attendance, taking extra time to admire little Jacob Armstrong who, to her chagrin, had arrived in the world without needing her assistance.
A small, round woman arrived and Cody took her around the group, introducing her as Marion Birch, therapist extraordinaire who had played such an important role in supporting Neal and Sara through some tough times. She and Joanne Cooper struck up a conversation and before long were settled side by side, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Although they lived right next door, Myrtle and Charlie Stevens were the last to arrive and they gravitated towards the Masons, friends and neighbours. They'd never seen the Caffreys' backyard looking so festive and they took a seat, admiring Neal's prize garden and eyeing the large gazebo which had been installed at the back.
The string quartet played in the background and by ten minutes to two o'clock, all the guests had arrived and there was still no sign of Mozzie. Elizabeth got busy, trying several of his known phone numbers, frustrated that she kept getting answering machines one after the other. The ceremony couldn't happen without him and he knew it all too well; she was going to throttle him when she got her hands on him.
'What's wrong?' Caitlin asked as she saw Elizabeth pacing.
'Mozzie's not here yet' El replied with a worried look.
'It's fine. He's always late' Caitlin reminded her.
'Did you try this number?' Cody asked as he looked something up on his phone, showing it to Elizabeth. 'Liam was with him last weekend and he left me this number in case of an emergency.'
El smiled at him as she walked away, punching away at her phone.
Will made his way back to the front door, joining Caitlin who was looking gorgeous in a pale green dress Sara had sprung for.
'I think that's everybody' he said as they stood close together and checked the list of guests.
The only no-shows were Scott Connor, Neal's sponsor, who was out of town as well as June's daughters Marion and Lorna, both of whom had sent generous donations to the June Ellington School of Art.
Elizabeth was pacing by the front of the house when Peter arrived with Liam and Neal. She could tell by the look on Neal's face that he was a mess and she thought better than to share her concern about Mozzie, opting instead to usher both the groom and the best man down to Neal's studio to await the bride's arrival.
'You look amazing, Neal' she whispered in his ear in an attempt to keep him calm. 'Sara's a very lucky woman.'
He was clad in a gorgeous navy blue suit, a classic look with a pale blue shirt and a tie with the same magenta that was reflected in his boutonnière - the same flower and colour he'd worn at his first wedding.
'Is Sara here?' he asked breathlessly as he peeked out the back door, seeing the crowd assembled.
'I just talked to Hope' El said reassuringly. 'They're about five minutes away. Now, scoot, you don't want to see the bride before the ceremony.'
'Come on Dad' Liam said, taking his father's arm and leading him down to the basement to wait.
Peter turned to look at his wife, sighing loudly; getting Neal there in one piece had been quite an ordeal.
'Wow! Look at you' Peter said as he admired his wife. 'You look spectacular. Are you sure you're not the bride?'
She smiled nervously. 'So, how is he?' she asked.
'I've never seen him like this. He's acting like he's about to propose and he's afraid Sara's going to say no.'
Elizabeth laughed nervously. 'Honey, Mozzie's not here yet and I'm starting to get worried' she confided, looking around furtively.
Peter scoffed; it was just like Mozzie to be late. 'El, you know Mozzie. He'll be here, he's not going to want to let Neal down.'
She nodded nervously. 'You go on in and mingle. Everybody's here.'
Peter touched her elbow, forcing her to look at him. 'Honey, everything's going to be fine. The place looks amazing and all you can do now, is let everyone have fun and try to relax.'
She nodded half-heartedly, watching Peter walk away to join the others as she resumed her watch by the front door.
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Driving through their neighbourhood all decked out in her wedding outfit felt surreal to Sara who sat in the back seat, next to her grandson, watching him sleep. She'd been a chatterbox since they'd left the hotel, talking mindlessly about this and that - the weather, how cute Jacob was when he sighed, their upcoming trip to Paris, how she wished she hadn't had that second glass of champagne… yada yada yada.
'You know, it's really comfortable back here' she commented to her daughter who was in the driver's seat.
She'd been saying silly, innocuous things for the past half hour, a very feeble attempt at masking her obvious nerves.
'Yeah…' Hope replied with false enthusiasm as she glanced over at her aunt and rolled her eyes. 'Really roomy.'
'You know, we should really get our fence painted' Sara continued as she looked around at the homes in their Prospect Park neighbourhood. 'The Pearsons got their's done last year and it looks…'
'Mom?' Hope called out as she finally turned onto their street.
'Yeah…' Sara replied breathlessly.
'Are you all right?' Hope asked.
'Of course I'm all right' Sara lied as she continued to glance around the houses up and down their street.
'You sound a little… tense' Emily said from the passenger seat.
'No… I'm not… oh, look' Sara said, interrupting herself. 'There's Mrs. Mattson out watering her flowers. She has a beautiful garden. Do you know that she won a contest for her roses last year and —'
'Hey Mrs. Mattson' she called out from the car window as the woman looked up and waved back at her.
Hope and Emily exchanged worried glances. 'Got any valium in there?' Hope murmured, pointing to her aunt's purse.
'What was that, honey?' Sara asked from the back seat, totally oblivious to what was going on in the front seat.
'Nothing, Mom. I just said… we're almost there!'
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Elizabeth spotted the Armstrongs' new car coming up the street and checked her watch; it was a few minutes to 2:00 and the bride was arriving, fully expecting to get married… and they still didn't have an officiant.
She took a deep breath; Sara didn't need to know Mozzie was a no-show. Right now, her job was to keep both the groom and the bride calm and relaxed while she frantically searched for the little man that drove them all crazy.
'Hi Aunt Elizabeth!' Hope called out as she stepped away from the car.
Elizabeth couldn't hold back a sincere smile at the sight of her goddaughter, looking so happy and relaxed and her eyes grew as both Emily and Sara stepped out of the car. Sara looked gorgeous, even more beautiful than she had on that day twenty-five years earlier when she'd first married Neal. With the passage of time and experience, she had become even more poised and self-possessed as she'd grown into her role of loving mother and now, doting grandmother to little Jake.
'Welcome!' El called out, rushing out to meet Sara halfway.
The two women hugged and Elizabeth linked her arm in Sara's, ushering her towards the front door with Emily carrying Jacob and Hope following with the large diaper bag.
'Your groom has already arrived and he looks wonderful' El whispered in her best friend's ear as Sara smiled, seemingly relaxing.
They stepped into the house and the loud hum of voices could be heard coming in from the backyard as Sara tried to sneak a peek, just as Neal had done.
'Honey, take your mom upstairs' Elizabeth instructed her goddaughter.
Hope looked over at Emily who was holding her son in her arms.
'Go on' Em said reassuringly. 'We're fine; I'll go find this little guy's daddy.'
Hope guided her mom up the stairs and upon arriving in her bedroom, Sara seemed to relax, taking a seat on the edge of her bed and trying to quiet her breathing, thankful, perhaps for the first time, that she had a fully functioning ticker, compliments of her new pacemaker.
She rifled through her purse, looking for her phone.
'Mom, what are you doing?' Hope asked, joining her on the edge of the bed.
'I'm calling your dad' Sara replied matter-of-factly.
'Don't do that' Hope pleaded, 'You'll ruin the surprise.'
'What surprise? I just need to hear his voice' Sara explained as she dialled.
Two floor down, Neal felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and Liam looked up at his dad, eyes wide.
'What are you doing with your phone on you? You're getting married in five minutes' he said, incredulous.
'It's your mom' Neal replied, his eyes brightening and a smile breaking out on his face.
'Sara!' he said into his phone as he began to pace around his studio.
'Hi!' Sara said, sounding like a giddy teenager. 'How are you?'
'I'm good… excited. You?'
'Same' she giggled. 'I'm up in our bedroom.'
'Yeah?' Neal replied, grinning goofily. He glanced over at his son and turned away, letting his voice drop. 'I can't wait to see you. Did you get my note?'
'Uh huh' she murmured coyly while Hope watched her mom morph into a giddy teenager. 'Are you wearing your pocket watch?'
'Of course' he cooed. 'I'm never going anywhere without it. So, how's your dress?'
Sara smiled coyly. 'You'll find out soon enough' she replied with a titter.
'I can't wait…' Neal said dreamily.
The conversation continued and Liam took a few steps away from his dad and grabbed for his own phone, dialling his sister's number.
'Are you hearing this crap?' he whispered into the phone once Hope answered.
She slipped out of her parents' bedroom and out into the hallway. 'If I ever sound like that, please… shoot me' she replied, keeping her voice low.
He giggled; actually, she and Cam could get pretty starry-eyed too - and come to think of it, Cody was a real sap whenever he got in the mood.
'She was a bit of a mess' Hope admitted, peeking into the room and hearing her mom giggling '…but she's smiling now.'
Liam looked across the room, seeing his dad's shoulders relaxing. 'He was a wreck too but he seems to be relaxing a little.'
'Do you think they're doing the right thing? Getting married?' she asked jokingly.
'Hell, yes. Do you really want to be the illegitimate offspring of an insurance investigator and an ex-conman?'
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Peter stepped into the house, intent on finding out what the holdup was. It was a few minutes past the bewitching hour and although the guests seemed reasonably content with chatting and waiting for the main event to start, he knew El would be going crazy if the schedule wasn't strictly adhered to.
'The natives are getting restless' he said as he caught up with Elizabeth who was still standing just outside the front door.
'Tell me about it —' she began, spotting Mozzie's old beat up van coming up the street.
'Finally!' she sighed as the van pulled up.
She watched in horror as Mozzie stepped out wearing what could best be described as an elaborate head dress and a long colourful tunic with fur trim. As if that wasn't enough, three other men stepped out of the van, similarly clad and carrying large African drums.
Elizabeth's eyes grew wide and she turned to look at her husband as she felt her knees buckle underneath her.
'Holy shit!' Peter murmured.
TBC
