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"Of course, Taylor and Christy can change their reservations, if necessary," someone said That was Paul, and Charlotte wanted to thank him

"Personally, I think it’s wildly ro in the recliner, her hand resting on her swollen abdo on the armrest, his arm wrapped around his wife’s shoulders, his eyes filled with love as he gazed down on her

"Naturally I haven’t made any final decisions--that would be up to you," Elizabeth said

"I…don’t knohat to say"

"Youold wo’s been finalized I don’t generally meddle in ry with anyone, it should be with the rest of us," Jamie told her "Jason is the fa She’d been looking forward to it for years and we all disappointed her She’s always done a fabulous job with the receptions, though"

"We’ve had our hearts set on a for," Eric said

"But in three weeks?" Charlotte ether, of course, but we can do it" Jason’s ht out Charlotte’s and, in their beautiful blue depths, Charlotte sa much Elizabeth wanted this How much the entire fa

"Charlotte," Jason said softly, "would you like lanced around; everyone aiting The rooone completely silent; even the children were quiet Charlotte didn’t kno she could refuse She closed her eyes and tried to think If she postponed the wedding, the elder Mannings ainst her It could taint their future relationship The others were just as eager for this to happen Each one felt guilty for cheating Eric and Elizabeth out of the fa faht

"Do I…need to decide now?" she asked after an aard moment

"There’s so little tilanced from one to the other and knew she couldn’t refuse She loved Jason and wanted toin her life She could be happy with hiined before And for the first time she and Carrie had the chance to be part of a real family

If she were toanother child If she conquered her fear of sex The hollow ache inside her intensified as she studied the soft swell of Leah’s abdo some kind of confir His eyes, so like his mother’s, blue and intense, reflected his love for her His faith in her The desire to be part of her life He believed their love was enough to overcome any obstacle Their love was all that was necessary

For now, because she wanted to believe it, too, that was enough for her, too

"We have a lot to do, then, don’t we?" she said, reluctantly dragging her gaze away froree?"

She nodded and the entire family broke into cheers

The excitement and the enthusiasm carried Charlotte for a full teeks Two of the busiest weeks of her life When she wasn’t putting in her final days at work, she ith Jason’s ether, it becaanizer She’d have to be in order to pull off a full-scale wedding in less than a norance had been bliss Had Charlotte realized the sheer nitude of what they needed to accomplish in such a short time, she would have refused

Not a day passed that she didn’t have some kind of appointment, some place to be, someone to meet, soraphers, caterers and printers And countless decisions, all of which had to be dealt with right that minute There wasn’t time to ponder or reflect As soon as one task was completed, Elizabeth steered her toward the next

Carrie was delighted to be her mother’s maid of honor Charlotte’s four soon-to-be sisters-in-laere to be her bridesmaids, and that meant frequent conference calls between Montana and Seattle

When Charlotte somehow found time to see Jason, it was for a fewHe, too, was exceptionally busy

Just when it looked like everything was falling neatly into place, and Charlotte would finally be able to return to a life of her own, a series of showers and parties began Every night was busy with one event or another Even the women in the office held a bridal shower for her on her last day with the agency

The Mannings were a well-established, well-liked family Three of Elizabeth’s closest friends decided to honor Charlotte with a shower the Monday before the wedding

"I can’t believe how generous everyone is," Charlotte said to Carrie, who had just attended the shoith her They were carrying the wide array of gifts from the car into the apartment

"Those old ladies don’t even know you," Carrie reifts! You don’t suppose they’d throw a birthday party for , Moaily decorated box that was still unopened Charlotte had been told the gift was for Jason, therefore he should be the one to open it The giver was his godmother, a spry older woman named Donna Bondi