Page 76 of I’d Be Honored

A rush of love swept through Hayley, steady and all-consuming. She cherished the feeling burning inside her now, the honor of being held by Maddie, wanted by Maddie, known by Maddie. In that suspended moment, with the sky lighting up around them, Hayley understood with absolute clarity that this was where her heart had always been leading her. She leaned in and kissed Maddie again with the force of every desperate, aching hope that she held locked in her chest.

TWENTY

ON THE EVE OF THE WEDDING, both brides and their maids of honor shared dinner and wine at the brownstone, letting the stillness of the evening settle around them before the chaos of the next day. All four of them were lounging in their pajamas on the terrace as Maddie watched Caitlin and Gemma in their final hours before officially becoming wives.

Soon, Gemma would head back to Hayley’s so that she and Caitlin wouldn’t spoil the surprise of seeing each other until the walk down the aisle. Meanwhile, Maddie would stay there with her best friend, having one last sleepover, just the two of them, for old times’ sake.

“So, you two ready to officially tie the knot?” Maddie asked as she topped off each of their glasses, emptying the second bottle of wine.

The couple exchanged a giddy smile, both charged with devotion.

“I’m so ready,” Gemma beamed. “Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting sixteen years to marry this woman.” She laughed and laid a soft kiss on Caitlin’s lips.

“As far as I’m concerned, tomorrow cannot come soon enough,” Caitlin murmured, her eyes still on Gemma. “I love you, Squish. I can’t wait to make you my wife.”

Maddie glanced at Hayley, who had been even quieter than usual all evening. There seemed to be a storm raging behind her dark eyes, causing unease to tighten in Maddie’s chest. She wanted to reach for Hayley, to ask what was troubling her, to pull whatever it was out into the open, but it didn’t feel like the right time.

After the wedding, she assured herself, they would finally voice everything they hadn’t been saying.

“We should probably get some sleep,” Gemma suggested as she finished her glass. She stood, reaching down to guide Caitlin off the couch. “I’ll see you in the morning, my beautiful, blushing bride.”

As the flames in the fireplace subsided in solidarity, the four women walked to the front door together. While Caitlin and Gemma drew each other into a long embrace, Hayley brushed her palm against Maddie’s, briefly entwining their fingers.

“Goodnight, Maddie.” Hayley gently kissed her cheek before following Gemma out the door.

The air caught in Maddie’s lungs, suddenly unable to expand. The idea of ever facing a day without Hayley flooded through her, sharp and overwhelming. She hid her trembling hands in her pajama pockets and swallowed hard against the thick lump rising in her throat.

Maddie forced her lips into a mask of a smile and took her best friend’s arm. “Last night before you’re a married woman. Should we break out the good stuff?”

Caitlin grinned. “You get the glasses, I’ll go grab the Macallan 30 from the bar.”

With a two-finger pour each, they settled into the warmth of the dark aged liquor.

“I can’t believe it’s finally happening, Mads. If you had told me twelve years ago when we first met that this would be my life, I wouldn’t have believed you.” Caitlin’s shoulders dropped as she exhaled, as if a weight had finally slipped away. “I spent so long thinking that I had lost Gemma for good, and I—” She shook her head, her voice cracking with emotion. “She’s my soulmate. I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with her.”

Maddie felt tears well up behind her own eyes. “I’m so happy for you, Cait. You deserve this, you both do. You’ve loved each other for more than half your lives.”

It was still hard for Maddie to wrap her mind around the fact that they had met when they were just high school sophomores. She thought of the women she had dated since she was fifteen and laughed internally. There was not a single one that she could have imagined staying with, let alone marrying.

Until now. Thanks to Caitlin’s fiancée, there was finally one woman whom Maddie could see in her future with absolute certainty.

“Daydreaming about Hayley?” Caitlin asked, smiling.

Maddie let out a soft sigh. “I’m hoping to talk to her after the wedding. I just want to know what happens next.”

“For sure,” Caitlin agreed, nodding encouragingly. “I get the impression that it’s hanging over both of you right now.”

It was, even if the answer scared Maddie more than the unknown.

“Enough about me, soon-to-be Mrs. Caitlin Quinn Stone.” Maddie waved a dismissive hand, determined to push her worries aside. There was nothing that could be done about her fears right now. “What do you want to do tonight?”

“Actually, I need your help.” Caitlin’s face lit up, her eyes sparkling with a secret plan. “Since our honeymoon isn’t until next month, I want to do something here—something cute to surprise Gemma for our wedding night.”

“What do you have in mind?”

Over the next hour, Caitlin and Maddie transformed the outdoor terrace into a breathtaking fairytale escape. With meticulous care, they arranged the pieces Caitlin and her assistant had discreetly gathered and stashed away over the last few weeks. They wove more delicate fairy lights through the overhead trellises, casting a soft golden glow that chased away the deepening darkness. Mini electric tealight candles dotted the perimeter, twinkling like a ring of captured stars.

At the center of it all stood a long dining table draped in a pale orange linen runner. Gemma’s cherished Diptyque Baies candles lined its length, the scent of blackcurrant leaves and rose lightly perfuming the cool evening air. Sixteen opulent bouquets waited nearby, each one a cascading blend of fragrant white lilies and velvety white roses—one perfect arrangement for every year Caitlin had loved Gemma.