Jos fumed for a moment longer and then took a deep breath. Before long, they were at the top of the stairs at street level. The wedding party had their own limo, the parents were sharing a luxury sedan, and while some people would drive themselves, Jai and Stuart had arranged for two shuttle buses to take most of their guests out to the reception and back to various hotels all over town. As the maid of honor, she should stay out here in this frigid chill and help direct the guests to the right buses, but she could hardly focus on any of that right now, as she, like Jos, was far too cold to do anything but shuffle as fast as she could to the limo on her frozen legs and feet. She had to hope the parents would take charge of the logistics before leaving.

The limo was white and new, with heart and cupid decals splashed everywhere across the side panels and windows. She waited by the door a moment until Maddie caught up to her, the two of them kissing briefly before climbing inside at last. Maddie’s hands were warm, and she covered hers with them, rubbing them lightly. Jai and Stuart finally climbed in, and everyone in the cabin cheered and clapped again, especially when the door was shut behind them. More cheering erupted as Jai and Stuart popped two bottles of champagne, and everyone passed the glasses down the line until they were all holding one.

“Uh,” Jai said, clearing his throat. He held up his glass. “We’re doing our vows after dinner, but I wanted to say thank you to all of you wonderful ladies for being part of this today.”

Stuart held his glass a little higher, too. “It was so nice to have all of you together for this, and I wanted to add a special thank you to our maids of honor, who did most of the footwork with very little time. Thank you, Ryann and Maddie!”

After more cheering, and everyone took a long sip. She could hardly stomach more of the cold drink right now, and Maddie, seeing her expression, took her glass from her, setting it in a little cup holder to her right. Maddie put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, and eventually, finally, she began to warm up. Everyone was chatting around them, but she and Maddie stayed like that, she quiet and happy simply to be here with her. A little tremor of misgiving continued to try to intrude. Tomorrow, she thought, and then pushed it away from her mind. She needed to enjoy this moment.

“You look incredible,” Maddie said, low enough that only she could hear.

“Thanks. So do you.”

Maddie lowered her voice, bending closer to her ear. “I hope you’ve saved a dance for me, Ms. Sands.”