"Are you nervous?" Cassie asked, standing next to her.
Veronica's eyes were trained ahead, watching as the guests for Jessica and Jack's vow renewal filtered in through the large front doors of the inn.
She had held bigger events than this. But she couldn't ignore the knots in her stomach. It was the first time she knew the people she was holding the event for. The magnitude at which she could fuck this up was enormous.
"I feel like I will throw up any second," Veronica filled in her best friend. Her palms were clammy underneath her black gloves.
"Not in this dress," Cassie replied, turning to look at Veronica. "It's too pretty."
The dress was too pretty. Since Jessica had settled on a Regency-era-themed party, her dress resembled the gowns worn during that time. Veronica had looked and looked but hadn't been able to find something that didn't cost her an arm and leg.
And then one day she came home to a huge parcel sitting right outside her apartment door. Chan's mom had gifted her a dress for all her help in the vow renewal planning.
Veronica had tried to return the dress. It was gorgeous and too expensive of a gift for her to accept, but Jessica had been adamant.
So there she was, dressed in a black silk dress that was something out of a dream. The fabric was embroidered completely in golden thread, the work so exquisite that Veronica couldn't help but look at her reflection every time she passed a mirror.
The inn had been completely transformed. It looked straight out of a historical drama. Heavy draperies hung from the windows. There was a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and although it wasn't era-appropriate, given that it worked on electricity, it made the place look majestic.
The guests had taken the dress code seriously. Every person who walked through that door was dressed up accordingly. It was beautiful to see all these people willing to put in so much effort to make their friends' special day such a success.
Servers moved around the room, wearing waistcoats and breeches. Cassie herself had taken care to dress up in a plain grey skirt, a white apron, and a headscarf to cover her freshly dyed purple hair.
"Everything is going to be fine," Cassie said enthusiastically before disappearing through the doors of the kitchen to help the other servers.
They had hired a live orchestra that was playing music from the playlist curated by her and Jessica. Veronica had been too nervous to pay attention, but as she listened, she realized the song playing was 'I Will Always Love You'.
"Veronica?" Someone called her name, and she turned around. It was one of the new staff that Martin had hired for the event.
"Yeah?"
"Mrs. Jessica is asking for you," the girl answered before dispersing through the crowd with her tray of drinks.
Veronica spotted Jessica at the other end of the room, talking animatedly with someone. When their eyes locked, she waved her to come over.
Veronica slid between groups of people standing around her, catching conversations in the middle before reaching Jessica.
"Is everything okay?" She asked, the hostess's smile plastered on her face. "Can I get you anything?" Jessica was wearing a beautiful dress in shades of pink and lavender.
"I was just telling my friend Dolly," Jessica explained, gesturing to the woman standing before her in a pastel green dress. "That you are the mastermind who orchestrated all this."
Dolly looked around Jessica's age. She had bright blue-eyed and fading red hair that was tied back in a bun. She looked at Veronica with a very welcoming smile.
"I have to say," Dolly said, looking around the room with wide eyes. "This is very impressive. You are a very talented young lady."
Veronica felt her face heat up. "Thank you," she replied. "I have a very nice team of people. I simply did what Mrs. Jessica asked me to do."
Jessica wrapped her arm around Veronica, warmly pulling her in. "You brought to life something that was merely a vision. It's not a small feat."
Veronica opened her mouth to reply but was cut off when Dolly suddenly exclaimed, "Christopher! It's been so long since I have seen you."
Veronica watched as Chan hugged the red-haired woman warmly. She took in his appearance. He was wearing a beautiful black brocade waistcoat over a white shirt and tie. His curls were set back, and she noticed that he was wearing red studs in his ears.
"I have missed you, Aunt Dolly," he replied. Moving away, he hugged his mother, kissing her cheek lightly. When he reached Veronica, he took a couple of seconds to look at her completely before leaning down and kissing her.
Veronica's brain could not tell the difference between kissing Chan for the first time or the twentieth. It still made her light-headed and giddy.
Circling her waist, Chan came to stand behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. She could feel Dolly's gaze on them.
"What were we talking about?" Chan asked, his breath brushing her shoulder.
"About how good Veronica is at her job," Jessica supplied, looking at them fondly.
"Oh, I know. My girlfriend is very talented," Chan said, squeezing Veronica's hand fondly.
She looked up at him only to find him looking down at her. Jessica and Dolly continued with their conversation about some other friend of theirs.
Veronica felt Chan's lips on her ears. "Hey."
A shiver ran through her body at the contact. "Hey," she whispered, her voice breathy.
"So," he continued whispering in her ears, unaware of the effect it was having on her. As if they were the only two people in this hall. "I don't see a dance card hanging from your wrist."
Veronica looked up in surprise. Chan shrugged. "What? I watch Bridgerton. I know stuff."
She laughed. Her eyes caught Martin, who was staring right at her. "Martin is staring at me very creepily, I will go and check on him."
Chan groaned, not letting her leave. "But I just got you. Will you save me a dance?"
Veronica tried to control herself but then gave in and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "I will save you two."
She was still smiling when she reached Martin, who hadn't smiled since they had abolished the guillotine.
"Is everything okay?" Veronica asked, her stomach coiling at the thought of something going wrong.
"Everything is fine," he replied. "I think it's time for the main event."
Veronica checked her watch. He was right. They had decided to do a 'down the memory lane' kind of thing where they were going to play clips and photos of Jessica and Jack throughout the years.
Veronica nodded at Martin, and he went away to make sure everything was set. She scanned the crowd, and when her eyes landed on Hannah, she waved her to come over.
"Is it time?" She asked. Hannah had wanted to host this part of the evening. Martin came back with a mic and offered it to Hannah.
Veronica offered her a comforting smile and took a step back, letting her take the stage.
Hannah cleared her throat, the mic echoing her voice. At once, the chatter streaming throughout the room stopped.
"Welcome everyone," Hannah started, her voice firm. "I would like to thank all of you for making time and joining my family to celebrate the best people in my life."
Veronica looked at the crowd gathered below. She spotted Jessica and Jack standing together, arms intertwined. She saw Chan and Lucas standing next to them, eyes trained on their sister. They were a beautiful family. Veronica was glad to know them.
"I would like to take you all on a little journey today," she continued, gesturing to the wall behind her. At her words, the wall was projected with an image of Jack and Jessica as kids. "A journey of two people finding each other. Of choosing to love each other every single day."
Veronica had made the slideshow with both Jack's and Jessica's input. She knew it by memory but watching it like that. With Hannah narrating their backstories, the little personal anecdotes made it an emotional experience.
Now and then, Jack and Jessica would chime in with their own stories behind the projected clips. Veronica could feel the love in the room. Not just between the couple but from the gathered friends to the couple as well.
When the time came for the vow renewal, Berry walked in with the ring boxes perched on her back. Veronica couldn't stop smiling. Chan was standing next to his mom, his face bright with happiness. He whispered something in Jessica's ear that made his mom laugh and swat his arm playfully.
The ceremony was over swiftly. The orchestra played 'I Just Wanna Be Your Everything' by Andy Gibb. It was the song that was playing when Chan's dad first saw Jessica. It was also the song for their first dance. It was only appropriate that they entered this new era of new memories with the same love.
Veronica was drinking champagne when she found an outstretched palm before her. Without looking up, she knew who it was.
"A dance, M' lady?" Chan asked. Veronica drowned the rest of the champagne in a gulp, a warm weight settling in her stomach, and grabbed his hand.
All around her people were dancing, joining the main couple in their happiness. Pressed this close to him, Veronica had a sudden flashback to the party she had attended with Cassie, where she had danced with Chan to make Diana jealous. All of that seemed so far away.
Chan placed his hand on her lower back as Veronica rested hers on his shoulder. He had ditched the waistcoat, and his tie hung loosely around his neck, the button open. Veronica watched his face, the carefree expression on it, and wondered how she could freeze this moment forever.
"What?" Chan asked, looking down at her. The two were moving slowly to the beat of the music.
"What?" Veronica echoed.
Chan smiled. "You were looking at me." He twirled her under his fingers and caught her again.
"What can I do," Veronica replied. "My boyfriend looks so handsome."
Chan laughed. His steps moved expertly to the music, changing their pace according to its rhythm. "How are you so good at this?" She asked, slightly in awe. "Have you been taking lessons?"
Chan shrugged, pulling their bodies close together. "What can I say? I am a man of many talents."
Veronica rolled her eyes fondly. There was a foreign feeling swimming in her chest. Something she couldn't identify. It took her a moment to realize that it was contentment. That in this moment, she had everything she had ever wanted in her life. In fact, she had more than she had ever dreamt of having. She had a life she had created for herself. A life filled with people who cared about her just as much as she cared about them. This man before her, the one who had walked in and upturned every rule she had made for herself. The one who loved so deeply and freely. Chan had no idea how much his being in her life had changed her. And she wanted to tell him that. To let him know the effect he was capable of having on people.
"For the first time in my life," she started, placing a hand on his cheek. "I am not scared."
His eyes softened. "Yeah?"
Veronica nodded and wrapped her arms around his body so that they were hugging. Chan's lips rested on her shoulder and pressed a lazy kiss on her bare skin.
"I am not scared of ruining this for myself," she continued, running a hand through his hair. "I am happy, Chan. Are you?" The last part came out as a tentative question.
He tightened his grip around her. "I am grateful that you walked into that bar that day to pick up Charlotte. I don't know if it was fate in disguise, luck, or sheer coincidence. You came into my life and changed everything. Made me believe in myself again. So yes, Veronica. I am very happy."
They stayed like that for a couple of moments before someone cleared their throat next to them. It was Martin.
"Hello Martin," Chan said. "Here to steal my girlfriend again?"
"No," Martin deadpanned, hands in his pocket. "Just wondering if my assistant would like to get back to her job."
Veronica rolled her eyes and stepped away from Chan. "You know Martin if you were nicer the staff would listen to you too instead of avoiding your face."
She followed him back to the gardens, where the dinner was set up. The white tent was covered with flowers and lights, and the ground layered with petals. The servers were moving around setting up places according to the seating chart. Minho had devised the entire meal starting from the starters to the dessert. She had walked in on him last night paper bagging in the middle of the kitchen because he couldn't find the churner. He was holding it.
"Is Minho ready?" She asked Martin, setting down a vase of flowers on the table.
"I think if we waited five minutes longer he would have a panic attack from the stress," he replied, readjusting one of the chairs. "So it's better if we start serving now."
As if on cue, the guests began streaming out of the inn, searching for their names on the plaques set on the table and taking their seats. Veronica trusted Minho as a chef. If she was shaking from nerves, she could only imagine how tensed he must be. The waiters brought out trays of hors d'oeuvres, along with fennel salad. This was followed by roasted duck with blackberry-orange sauce. Veronica was too excited to find her appetite. So she stayed in the kitchen and watched as the servers zipped past one another. Finally, when it was time for dessert, trays filled with mini carrot cakes left the kitchen.
Veronica watched Minho sag against the wall as the realization that he had done it hit him. She walked over and placed a small piece of carrot cake in her mouth. The sweetness of the carrot mixed with the subtle flavour of cinnamon made a soft moan escape her mouth. "This is divine, Minho."
Once the dinner was over, the orchestra resumed their music. Some people danced together while others were sitting down talking. As the clock moved past midnight, a lot of people started going up to their rooms. Most of the guests were staying over as they had driven large distances to get to South Molton. Veronica had also planned to stay over because wrapping up everything was going to take time and by then it would be too late to go back home.
"I hope you enjoyed the event," Veronica said as Jessica and Jack came over to bid her good night.
Jessica moved forward and hugged her. "Thank you for making this day as special as it is to us."
She watched them go up the stairs to their rooms. Veronica had half a mind to go to hers and change into something more comfortable because as beautiful as this dress was, she wanted to get into her pyjamas so badly.
"Do you have to stay and help?" Chan asked, coming up behind her.
"Yeah, I am thinking of changing back into my pyjamas so that I am more comfortable. Do you-"
"Veronica I have everything covered here," Lucielle chimed in. She must have overheard them talking. "You have been working all day, just go to your room and rest."
Veronica opened her mouth to counter but Lucielle was already making her turn away. The protests died on Veronica's lips. Rest sounded nice. She was exhausted and if she was being honest, she was excited to stay in one of the rooms at the inn.
She knew Chan was following her. As they reached her room, she fished out her keys from her purse. Chan leaned against the wall, watching her. She felt conscious under her gaze and struggled with the lock for a good twenty seconds before it turned under her fingers.
"So," she said, opening the door slightly.
"So," he repeated, his eyes on her intent. "It was a great event, Veronica."
She knew this was one of those moments that would change everything. She could either invite him in or bid him good night. Chan would gladly accept either option, respecting her decision. She could open the door wider and let him in. The thought didn't make her apprehensive. So she did.
"Do you want to come in?" She asked, her voice shaky.
He didn't move. Just continued to watch her for a second. "You sure?"
She was. She trusted him. And more importantly, she wanted this. With him. She opened the door wider and stepped in. "Come in, Channie."