An Island Christmas by Nancy Thayer Page B

in her heart. She knew she had to discuss the possibility of having children with Archie soon.
    Portia, noticing Felicia’s tears, rushed to her and held her hands. “We brought you a special present, Auntie Felicia. We made it ourselves!”
    Not to be overshadowed, Lawrence leapt off Jilly’s lap and ran to Felicia. “Yeah, Auntie Felicia, and Mom said I get to be ring bearer in your wedging!”
    “Wedding.” Portia corrected her older brother wearily, as if this were a burden she had to bear.
    “Wedging sounds rather appropriate,” Felicia said to her mother, who returned a smile.
    Felicia hugged the children to her. “Archie and I have special presents for both of you, too.” Inhaling the sweet scent of their flawless skin, their lush hair, their sweet breath, she closed her eyes simply to be in the moment.
    And it was only a moment before her nephew and niece wriggled away, eager to be on to the next thing.

12
 
    Because the children had spent so much time sitting on a plane, George, Archie, and Porter took the children out to play in the snow before lunch. When they returned with rosy cheeks and big appetites, the children were yawning.
    When the meal—with no broken chairs—was finished, George asked, with an odd adolescent grin, “What are you girls doing this afternoon?”
    Lauren jumped up. “We’re going to try on wedding clothes.”
    “Great! Archie and Porter and I are going back out for a, um, little jaunt,” George announced. He was almost snickering.
    The women were delighted to see the men bonding, even if they kept exchanging guilty looks. Probably off to buy some idiotic present, Jilly thought. “Have fun!” she told them, waving them away. The men went out into the cold winter day.
    “Just give me a moment to settle the kids with a video,”Lauren said, herding her son and daughter into the family room.
    Jilly went to Felicia and took her hand. “Sweetheart, before we go upstairs, I want to apologize for anything I said that hurt your feelings.”
    A huge sigh passed through Felicia. Her shoulders relaxed. “Thanks, Mom. But you know—”
    “I’m ready!” Lauren announced. “Let’s go up to Mom’s bedroom—it has the most space and the full-length mirror.”
    The three women hurried up the stairs. Felicia removed her jeans and sweater. Jilly moved a pile of clean laundry from the armchair so she could sit and watch this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
    “Of course that won’t be the lingerie you’ll wear beneath your dress,” said Lauren, eyeing Felicia’s sports bra and white cotton underpants.
    Felicia rolled her eyes. “This is what I have. This is what I wear. Do you have a problem with that?” she challenged her sister.
    “I absolutely do have a problem with that! This is for your wedding day. I’ve made you an exquisite gown. You need something new, sensual, extraordinary, and feminine.”
    “You said it, Lauren. This is for my wedding day. I’m not you. Plus, come on, no one will see.”
    Jilly listened to her daughters argue with a smile. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed. This was like Throwback Thursday up close. All their lives, her two very differentdaughters had held different opinions and neither one had been shy about expressing how she felt. Sometimes this had led to terrible fights, slammed doors, and even floods of tears. But now they were grown up, and Felicia was finally getting married, and the matter of her second daughter’s underwear was only a feather blowing in the breeze.
    “Could I please see my dress?” Felicia said.
    Lauren lifted a suitcase onto the king-size bed, unsnapped and unfolded it. Carefully she unzipped it, obviously enjoying this dramatic moment. The suitcase revealed layers and layers of white tissue paper. Then white satin gleamed, and Lauren lifted out the gown.
    Jilly and Felicia gasped. Long-sleeved, full-length, the dress had an empire waist and a gently rounded neckline. Lauren helped Felicia step into the dress, and