Twenty-four hours earlier
When Sher woke up, she felt wonderful. Before she crawled out of bed, her thoughts carried her back to the night before when she and Glen had made love. She vibrated with happiness every time she looked at the man she loved. And she felt so blessed because he loved her also.
She heard the shower running and knew that was where Glen was, so she went to start the coffee. If someone told her two months ago she would be married in eight days, she would have laughed. Then again, two months ago just about everyone she cared about was recovering from bullet wounds. She shuddered as she remembered those horrible times.
Deciding to change the direction her thoughts, she instead planned out her day. Since the triple wedding would be in eight days, today she would be moving out of Glen’s apartment and over to her best friend’s condo until the wedding. She would miss being able to curl up in her husband-to-be’s arms before she fell asleep, but those days would soon return after the wedding.
She was astounded at how fast everything happened over the past three months. Her brother Brad met Hannah, and not only were they part of the triple wedding, but they expected their first child in four months. Her best friend since grade school, Lynn, met Officer Rick David, Glen’s partner and best friend. They, too, were part of the triple wedding. Anyone who knew Sher understood why she smiled constantly.
She heard the shower stop and knew Glen would join her in a few minutes. She poured his coffee, sat it on the table next to hers, and cooked them both some breakfast. He joined her just as the eggs and toast were ready.
“Good morning, my love,” he said as he kissed her fully on her lips.
Sher smiled as she replied, “Good morning to you too.”
As he picked up his mug of coffee and took his first sip, he said, “So today’s the day. You’re leaving me.”
She laughed. “I’m not leaving you, silly. I’m preparing for the soon-to-be day when I will be yours forever.”
“True, but I will miss mornings like this and nights like last night. I know it will only be for eight days, but I will still miss you.”
She walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek. As she walked to collect their breakfast, she said, “It will make it that much more exciting once we join again as husband and wife. I will miss this also, but I’m trying to think ahead. Time will fly by; you’ll see.”
After eating their breakfast and cleaning up, they said their goodbyes with kisses and long hugs. Glen was heading to work, and Sher needed to pack for her stay at Lynn’s condo for the next week. Though it was tough to say goodbye—even temporarily—she could feel excitement building for what was to come. Her wedding day. “Call me tonight so I can tell you how much I love you,” Sher told Glen.
“I will. You know, the only consolation I have over this separation is that Rick will be going through it too,” he said with a laugh before he headed out the door. Sher smiled at the comment, but she wasn’t upset really. She knew they would be spending time together still, just not under the same roof. After everything that had happened in her beautiful home lately, she felt uncomfortable even to walk in her front door. It was bad enough after she was shot in her home and still lived there. But after the diamond smugglers hunted down Lynn, who was staying in Sher’s home at the time, and more damage was done, she knew she had to move.
Therefore, her home was on the market, and her belongings were in storage. She had been staying with Glen for the past few months. They would close with the escrow department in two days on a wonderful cabin in Estes Park, right on the Big Thompson River. Then immediately after the wedding, they would move in and spend their honeymoon at their new home.
Not only was she getting married and moving into a new home, she had also made changes to her deli business. Since their new home would be too far from the deli to make daily trips like she usually did, she made her assistant, Cathy, the manager. Now Cathy would run the deli along with two part-time clerks.
With thoughts of their secluded home and honeymoon just around the corner, Sher grinned. She doubted she could be any happier than she was at this moment.
She also looked forward to her spending more time with her best friend Lynn, and her future sister-in-law, Hannah. All three women enjoyed each other’s company and had so much in common. These eight days would fly by, she knew, so she wanted to relish every moment.
She wondered if they would be so close had it not been for their experiences from hell—certainly the recent scares had played a part. To her, it didn’t matter. She was just glad they were all three like sisters. It wasn’t only that the three women who were close, but the three men were too. Glen and Rick already had a close relationship since they were partners on the force. Glen and Sher’s brother Brad were close because of Sher. Glen thought of Brad and Rick as the brothers he’d never had.
All six people loved and respected each other. Sher knew it just wasn’t from the horror they all endured, but from the good times they all shared as well. Sher’s family used to consist of only her and Brad. Now she felt she had a large family that included Hannah, Lynn, and Rick, as well as Glen, of course.
Originally, the ceremony was to be a double wedding with her and Glen, Brad and Hannah. But along the way, Lynn and Rick had fallen in love, so they all agreed to make it a triple wedding.
Things got a little complicated when they tried to decide on who would be the best man and who would be the maid of honor, because all likely choices were already going to be a bride or a groom. Sher wanted her new manager at the deli, Cathy, to be her maid of honor. Hannah chose a friend from the CheleyCamp where she worked, and Lynn chose a coworker from the department store. The men’s choices were a lot more difficult. Brad decided he’d have his business partner, Todd, as his best man. Glen would’ve chosen Rick, but now Rick was to be the groom, so both Rick and Glen chose fellow police officers from their precinct.
All these thoughts went through Sher’s head as she went from room to room, gathering her belongings and placing them either in a box or her suitcases.
Finally, she finished packing and then made three trips to her car, loading it all. When she was satisfied she had everything, she sat down and wrote a love note to Glen, which she left on the pillow on his bed. He would see it tonight when he got home, and she knew it would put a smile on his handsome face.