Chapter 28

Mac and AJ stood there facing the teen in their wedding attire. She was wearing an ivory silk dress that Francesca had brought with her from Italy as her wedding gift to Mac and AJ was in his dress uniform. His arm was around her waist as she turned to look up at him in horror.

"I TOLD you I'd thought I was forgetting something!"

"Yes you did!" he chuckled.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on here?" Chloe demanded.

Stepping out of AJ's arm, Mac approached her 'little sister'. "Sweetie, there's been a small change to the wedding today."

"Small?!" AJ grumbled lightly from behind her.

Throwing him a glance over her shoulder that she hoped conveyed that she was sorry for her choice of adjectives, Mac turned back to Chloe and said, "I'm not going to marry Harm. I'm going to marry AJ."

"Wow! I would say that was a MAJOR," she giggled and added, "or should I say ADMIRAL change, not a small one Mac! But you know, I always did think the sexy Admiral was better for you than Harm! Remember when we first met how I asked him when he was going to ask you out?"

While AJ laughed in the background, Mac answered, "Yes I do! You almost embarrassed me to death that day!"

"Hey…what can I say? If you'd only listened to me back then you could have been long married by now and could have been working on a houseful of kids! I just hope you guys aren't too old to do it now!"

"CHLOE!" Mac gasped.

AJ stepped forward, putting his arm around Sarah once again. "I promise you we'll start working on them as soon as possible, Chloe. How many do you think we should have?"

"Well…I know Mac likes kids, and as sexy as you are…you should be good for ten or twelve, don't you think?"

"We'll see what we can do," he promised, as Mac looked on in shock, and then added, "But we should get married first and I believe everyone is inside waiting on us."

"Okay cool," Chloe said as she pushed her way between them and linked an arm with each.

As the three of them reached the stairs to the chapel, a vehicle quickly pulled into the lot and parked in the first space available. Harm and Mattie had arrived. They were rushing towards the door before they saw the three that had been about to enter.

Harm stopped short causing Mattie, who was still a bit slow because of her injuries, to run into his back. "Were you waiting on us?" he inquired rather abruptly.

"No," Mac replied. "We were just talking to Chloe," she added by way of explanation.

"Yeah, we were deciding on how many kids they should have!" Chloe chimed in.

Mattie had moved to Harm's side and now glared up at him, "I thought you told me she couldn't have kids?!" she demanded.

Seeing the hurt look on his bride-to-be's face at this careless discussion of her ability to have children, AJ placed his arm around her protectively and said, "We'll be sure to send you and Harm an announcement every time we add to our family Miss Grace, but right now we have people waiting for us to get married." He turned and swept Mac and Chloe into the chapel with him.

The ceremony was short and sweet and Mac's only moment of worry was that Harm might say something when Chaplain Turner asked if anyone objected. But he didn't and minutes later AJ and she were pronounced husband and wife.

With so few guests the atmosphere was more casual than formal and rather than wait for the newlywed couple to reach the back of the chapel for a reception line, they filled the aisle hugging and kissing the happy couple. When everyone, except Harm and Mattie who had deliberately hung back from the group, had offered their enthusiastic congratulations and best wishes, AJ suggested that everyone join them at Callisto's where they had reserved their private dining room for a wedding lunch.

Harriett wanted to speak to them for a moment so it turned out they were the last ones to leave the chapel. It was then they found out why Harriett had kept them behind! As they walked out the door, they were pelted with birdseed. The chapel had a rule against the traditional rice. Laughing and covering their heads, they made a dash for the Escalade.

To be continued….