Chapter 10 - Anticipation

"Cassie, are you absolutely sure about this?" Mac looked at the beautiful dress that hung on the back of the door. "I really can get married in my uniform; my terminal leave isn't up so I haven't technically retired yet."

"I am absolutely certain. I didn't end up wearing it, but it is a beautiful dress and I have a feeling it'll look amazing on you." Cassie smiled as she looked at the wedding dress she'd bought before Elizabeth's dress turned up. "If you don't like it, please don't feel obligated to wear it. If you do like it, I would be honored if you would. Consider it your wedding gift."

"You, your family and friends are already gifting us our entire wedding; lodging for all of our guests, Abigail is giving us the flowers, Stephanie is gifting us the catering, Martha is officiating, and all of you have refused to let us pay for anything. I'm starting to feel like we're taking advantage of people, you and Sam especially. You two should be off on your own honeymoon right now, not catering to Harm and I."

"You are absolutely not at all taking advantage. Everyone is so happy for you two; we're honored to be a part of making your day happen."

"I still can't believe that it's finally happening." Mac looked down at her engagement ring again. "This time tomorrow, Harm and I will be married." She looked up at Cassie now. "Can I confide something in you?"

"Of course."

"I'm scared half to death. What if he changes his mind or we screw this up again?" Mac hadn't actually meant to blurt it out, but there it was.

"Well, you two haven't been married before so technically it's impossible for you to screw it up again," Cassie touched Mac's shoulder. "Harm is not going to change his mind. He'll be there tomorrow, waiting to become your husband."

"I've been married before; I was never this nervous the night before my wedding."

"Maybe because you weren't marrying the love of your life before. Harm means more to you so this wedding means more to you and it's making you anxious."

"You're right, of course." Mac hugged Cassie tightly. "I don't know how to thank you for everything."

"You just did. Now, get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow."

Cassie left the suite and went downstairs. She found Bud, Harriet and AJ sitting in the parlor. "Can I get any of you anything?"

"You could join us for some conversation," Harriet told her.

"I'd love to." Cassie sat down on the wide velvet chair near the fireplace. "It's so wonderful of you all to be here for Harm and Sarah. I know it means a great deal to them both."

"We've been waiting for this wedding for over a decade; we wouldn't have missed it for the world," Harriet added.

"I was seriously starting to question if the two of them would ever get their heads right and follow through on what we've all seen for the last twenty plus years," AJ remarked. "Something tells me that we owe this evening and tomorrow at least in part to you, Mrs. Radford."

Cassie smiled at the name and unconsciously touched her wedding ring. "I do wish you would call me Cassie, AJ. Especially since Sarah and Harm speak so highly of you. I feel almost as though I already know all of you."

"It's been my experience that recently married women tend to enjoy being referred to by their husband's name. But if Cassie you prefer, then Cassie I shall call you."

"Thank you," Cassie smiled at him. She looked to the hallway when she felt Sam coming through the front door. "Hello, darling," she called at the exact moment that the door opened. Sam walked over to her and perched on the arm of the chair she was sitting in. She looked up at him with a curious expression for a moment before asking "What is it?"

"I was just next door. It's odd seeing Harm on edge. He has checked and double checked where the rings are about a dozen times, checked on Mattie way more times than he will ever admit to, he's texted Martha and Stephanie to make sure they'll be here on time, called Abigail to see if she needs help bringing the flowers over, twice…" He smiled as he remembered feeling the same way just a few weeks earlier. "He wants everything to be perfect for Sarah tomorrow and has a little too much adrenaline right now. I know how he feels; I was a mess the night before our wedding. I took the lint roller to my suit often enough I'm surprised I had a suit left to get married in." Sam's brow furrowed as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, looked at the text and chuckled before typing for a moment and putting it back in his pocket. "If you'll all excuse me, I have to go change."

"Change?" Cassie asked as she looked at the clock. It was almost eleven o'clock.

"Yeah, it looks like a nice night to get a couple of miles in. Apparently." Sam smiled as he crossed the parlor and turned back to shrug at Cassie before bounding up the stairs. A couple of minutes later he came back downstairs in track pants, a hoodie and sneakers. "Hopefully he runs out of steam before we make Chicago," he joked as he quickly kissed Cassie on the forehead.

"You're a good man, Doc," AJ said with a grin and a nod.

"Remember that when I call for a ride back from the middle of nowhere in a few hours," Sam remarked as he headed for the door.

AJ smiled. He usually didn't have much use for civilians, but there was something about Sam that he liked. "Your husband's a good sport, Cassie," he leaned back and smiled at her. There was no doubt that he liked Cassie, he had since the moment they'd been introduced. She and her daughter had an energy about them that drew everyone towards them. And then of course there was Cassie's cousin, Abigail.

If Cassie and Grace were magnets, Abigail was gravity itself. She was vibrant, endearing, vivacious and had a fiery, independent side that had completely captivated him since he'd arrived. He'd never admit to how much of these last four days he'd spent quietly observing her, becoming more enamored with her by the day.

"I'm very fortunate," Cassie nodded. "Thank you for agreeing to walk Sarah down the aisle tomorrow, AJ. I know it means so much to her."

"How did you know she…" AJ began to ask then stopped himself. "Why am I even asking?" He smiled warmly at Cassie; he was already becoming accustomed to the way that the Merriwicks seemed to just innately know things.