Page 113 of The Pining Paradox

She earned a small smile from Hallie for that one. Not thirty minutes ago, they’d caught the brides-to-be in their room turned bridal suite in a less-than-delicate position. Luckily, no dresses were harmed then either.

In less than five minutes, the bridal parties were due out in the lobby, where they’d all make the walk down the long hallway that led to the patio. Once that happened, the forty guests already seated would experience the first wedding that The Stone’s Throw Inn had ever hosted.

It was a big deal. For Sydney and Reese, obviously. But also for Hallie.

Brynn lifted her hand and ran her fingertips soothingly along Hallie’s cheek, her own shoulders relaxing when Hallie sighed. “You have done so much, my love. For Sydney. For Reese. For The Stone’s Throw.”And for me, she added silently, but this moment wasn’t about them.

What Hallie had managed to accomplish in the last few months was nothing short of incredible. Tonight, the inn was positively transformed. And it had all come together because of Hallie’s vision and attention to every painstaking detail.

When Sydney and Reese had expressed a desire to get married at The Stone’s Throw, Brynn had been elated. Hallie, conversely, had looked like she was going to keel over. But in the last six months, Brynn had seen her bloom into someone who, while still not overwhelmingly excited at the prospect of change, tackled planning Sydney and Reese’s wedding with an intensity and verve that Brynn had never seen in her before. Except maybe when it came to the way that Hallie loved her.

“You’ve taken The Stone’s Throw and made it something really special,” she said, meeting Hallie’s wild eyes. “And regardless of whether a plate gets broken or a bulb on a string of lights is burnt out, this wedding is going to be perfect because of all the love and care that you’ve put into it.”

“I do want it to be perfect,” Hallie whispered into the space between them, her vulnerability on full display.

Brynn had never understood the meaning of “holding space” until she’d met Hallie. The idea that all she wanted was to bethere for her in the good and the bad, to anchor her amid the chaos of life.

But here she was, eleven months into learning that Hallie existed in the world, and everything was different. Brynn woke up every single day now, finally feeling like she understood her place. Had found herperson.

With that awareness rushing through her, she leaned forward and kissed Hallie softly. She connected their foreheads, enjoying the feeling of sharing the same air. “This is going to be the first of many incredible events here. The vendors love working with you. The guests are obsessed with you. And the inn is the perfect space because you’ve made it that way.”

Which was no surprise to Brynn. Everyone in the world should be obsessed with Hallie, as far as she was concerned.

Reese and Sydney’s wedding was the flagship event to kick off what Hallie had billed as an intimate, all-inclusive experience for guests to celebrate important occasions in their lives. The inn already had full buyouts this coming winter, which was usually their least busy time of year, for a fortieth wedding anniversary, a fiftieth birthday party, and three more weddings. More calls were coming in weekly.

Brynn couldn’t possibly be prouder of what Hallie had accomplished. And even if her girlfriend was unsteady at this moment, she hadn’t shown it in the hours leading up to the ceremony. Anyone who’d watched Hallie flit from the brides to the vendors to the guests, looking so in her element that this could have been the hundredth event that they’d hosted, would believe that Hallie was a seasoned professional.

Hallie’s eyes went wide. “Linguini!”

“Is in our apartment, already decked out in her matching burgundy bowtie,” Brynn assured her before reaching into a hidden pocket in her dress and running her fingers along two gold bands. “And I have the rings.”

“So there’s…” She could see Hallie’s mind running through the miles-long list of everything that went into making tonight happen.

“Nothing else for you to do except be an incredible maid of honor.” Brynn could picture it so clearly, how beautiful Hallie would look walking down the aisle in her dress, holding a white and burgundy bouquet that was already waiting in a tray off to the side of the lobby.

“I will try my very best,” Hallie said earnestly, and Brynn felt the butterflies flutter in her stomach.

She’d been able to picture a lot of things lately. Namely, the future that she wanted to solidify with Hallie. Because there was no one in this world that made Brynn see the possibilities in life more than Hallie. Even if that life was a simple one, with shelter dogs and event planning and cozy nights in with Linguini and more love every single day than she felt like a lot of people experienced in a lifetime.

“I love you,” Brynn said as the sound of the wedding party heading toward the lobby grew louder. These were their last few seconds together before the night kicked into high gear. She loved these quiet moments with Hallie more than anything.

“And I love you,” Hallie responded easily, her dimple now on full display, even though Brynn knew there were still a million things on her mind. But Brynn also knew that none of them would ever eclipse Hallie making her feel seen.

Recently, they’d started talking, together, about what their own future would look like. Marriage, definitely, which had made Brynn’s heart swell up and feel like it was going to beat out of her chest, imagining the idea of Hallie being her wife. Of beingHallie’s wife.

She wanted it. So much. And for the first time, it wasn’t because it was what she felt she was expected to do.

No, Brynn wanted it because, whenever she looked at Hallie, the way that she was doing now, she felt so overwhelmed with the depth of her feelings that it made it a little hard to focus on anything else. Hallie, with her love and kindness and strength, had opened up Brynn’s whole world. And at the same time, shewasBrynn’s whole world.

Really, it was a paradox for the ages. And Brynn wanted to spend the rest of her life trying to figure it out.

THE END