“You look beautiful. Don’t touch a thing.”
Jess set the comb back on the counter and slowly turned to Scott. She had never seen him look more handsome—even on their first wedding day. His dove-gray suit sat well on his broad shoulders, and his silver-and-maroon tie looked elegant against his starched white shirt. The silver flecks in his hair added a distinguished touch, and the fine lines in his face that had appeared over the past few years spoke of character and caring rather than age.
But it was his eyes that set her heart racing. Because they were the eyes of a man deeply, irrevocably in love—who was making no attempt to hide his love as his gaze moved leisurely, appreciatively over his wife.
“I like the dress.”
Jess blushed and self-consciously smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle out of the sleeveless, knee-length ivory lace sheath that flattered her slender figure. Though it had been hastily purchased, it was clear from Scott’s expression that she’d made a good choice. “Thank you.” She reached for the boutonniere that lay next to her bouquet. “Do you need some help with this?”
“Absolutely.”
She stepped toward him and reached up to his lapel, all too aware of his almost tangible—and overpowering—virility. The distinctive, masculine scent of his aftershave filled her nostrils, and they were so close that his breath was a warm caress on her cheek. Suddenly she began to quiver. Not in fear, but in anticipation. For soon they would once again be man and wife in the fullest sense of the word.
It took her fumbling fingers several tries to secure the boutonniere, but at last it was firmly in place. She made a move to step back, but Scott grasped her upper arms and held her in place, forcing her to meet his eyes. His gaze searched hers, incisive, assessing. “Any second thoughts?” he asked.
She looked at him steadily and shook her head. “None.”
He studied her for a moment longer, as if to reassure himself, then lowered his head to claim her lips in a lingering kiss that was filled with passion and promise.
“No more of that until after you renew your vows,” a voice interrupted teasingly.
Scott and Jess turned to find Reverend Young in the doorway, and Scott grinned. “Then let’s get this show on the road.”
The minister chuckled. “My sentiments exactly. I’ll meet you in the gazebo.”
Scott retrieved Jess’s bouquet, then reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “Ready?”
She smiled, and when she spoke her voice was quiet but confident. “Yes.”
With an encouraging squeeze of her hand, Scott led her outside. And as they began their walk through the garden he had so lovingly created, she thought about her answer. Yes, she was ready. Ready to let go of the past. Ready to move forward, into the future, with the man she loved. Ready to touch the sky.
Scott, too, was ready. To start a new chapter of his life with the woman he cherished. And he was glad they’d chosen to begin this way. Though their marriage had never actually ended, he and Jess had felt that it needed an official new beginning. And they’d wanted to share this moment with the people who meant so much to them.
As they walked down the path toward the gazebo, he let his gaze travel over the group assembled by the lake. Karen and her family were there, and even from a distance he could tell that his sister, always a sucker for happy endings, was already misty-eyed. Seth had come as well, looking slightly uncomfortable—but remarkably distinguished—in a suit. And Mark was there, grinning from ear to ear, clearly elated that his sister had at last taken his advice. Even Jess’s parents had come. It had been touch and go with her father until the last minute, but in the end his love for Jess had outweighed his feelings about her husband. Scott knew he still had fence-mending to do with Jess’s father, but he took Frank’s presence today as a hopeful sign.
When they reached the gazebo and stepped up to join Reverend Young, Scott glanced down at Jess. Their gazes met and held, and her eyes reflected what was in his heart—gratitude for this second chance at love, and absolute trust that the Lord who had brought them back together would continue to stand by them and give them the strength and courage to face whatever challenges might lie ahead. And in that moment of silent communion their hearts pledged what words would reconfirm in just a few moments.
Reverend Young began to speak, and as Scott transferred his gaze to the minister he was filled with a feeling of absolute peace and completeness. For he and Jess had now come full circle. They’d survived the dark, bleak winter of pain and separation and loss. Now they stood poised on the threshold of a new day, a new season, one filled with the promise of hope and joy and love.
And as he and Jess prepared to renew their vows before God and their families and friends, he suddenly recalled the words Seth had said to him the first time they met. And he knew that they were true.
Spring always comes.