The girls had flower crowns in their hair and white baskets in their hands, their gauzy dresses brushing the top of sparkly blue shoes. No heels. Although, they’d begged to be allowed the privilege.
Tessa would have conceded, but Henry had told them they could wear heels when they were old enough to walk in them without tripping. He didn’t want any visits to the emergency room on their wedding day.
Their wedding day.
Even now, as she stood in a floor-length lace gown, facing the sanctuary doors and waiting for her cue to enter, she couldn’t believe it was happening. After so many years of being alone, Henry had filled her life with everything good and wonderful and right.
One of the girls giggled, twirling around so that her dress whirled in a circle.
Everly. Of course. She’d spent the day coming up with excuses to call Tessa and check in. Just to make certain everything was going okay, she’d said. Tessa suspected she’d wanted to be sure the plans weren’t changing, that they really were all going to walk down the aisle.
A sunset wedding had been a great idea. In theory.
The long day of waiting had been difficult on everyone.
Especially the twins.
“Everly Anne!” Rachelle chided. “You’re going to wreck your beautiful hair.”
“If she wrecks it, I can fix it,” Aria said, clutching her flower basket as if her life depended on it.
She’d been quieter since she’d been tricked by Patrick. She hadn’t been injured, but six months after the incident, she was more cautious than ever about strangers. She’d been worried about the wedding since the day Tessa and Henry had told the girls they planned to get married, often wondering aloud about the possibilities of bad guys being there.
Tessa and Henry had assured her that Patrick was in jail, and that he wouldn’t ever be getting out, but Aria still seemed worried.
Tessa touched her shoulder, smiling when Aria met her eyes. “It’s going to be okay, honey.”
“There’s going be a lot of people in there. If I see that guy, I’m going to yell, and you run, okay?”
“He won’t be there, pumpkin. He’s going to be in jail forever,” she said, knowing that the pet name would make Aria smile.
“Why do you always call me pumpkin?”
“Because, pumpkin is one of my favorite things.”
Aria grinned, but there was still fear in her eyes. They’d been taking her to a counselor, who’d been helping her work through her anxiety, but she was still often afraid.
Time.
Love.
That’s what she needed.
Those things were healing balms to the troubled soul.
Tessa knew that. She’d lived it.
And, now she was here. In this place she’d never imagined she’d be. With people she cared about and who cared about her, looking into a future filled with possibility.
Soon, she’d be a registered nurse.
A mother to the twins.
A wife.
Her heart fluttered at the thought.
“You know what, Tessa?” Aria whispered.
“What?”
“You are beautiful.”
“I guess most brides are,” she said, smiling.
“You’re not beautiful because you’re a bride. You’re beautiful because of the way you love us. And, the way you love Daddy. And, the way you fit into our lives. Just right.”
“Thank you, honey,” Tessa said, crouching so that they were face to face, her eyes burning with tears of joy and thankfulness. “You make it very easy for me to love you, and you give me a very comfortable place to fit.”
“Are you crying?” Everly asked, twirling toward Tessa and stopping so close to Aria, the skirts of their dresses touched.
“Of course, she’s not,” Rachelle said, brushing a few strands of Everly’s hair back into place. “This is a day for smiling and for laughing and for joy. Now, you two get yourselves ready. In just a minute, you’ll be walking your new momma down the aisle,” her voice broke.
Tessa straightened, taking Rachelle’s hands and squeezing them gently.
“I know this must be bittersweet,” she began, but Rachelle shook her head.
“There is nothing bitter about it. It’s all sweet. Any tears that fall from these eyes are going to be joyous ones. The day we lost Diane, I prayed that God would bring something good out of the heartache. Over the years, He’s shown me again and again that tragedy doesn’t have to define my life. Today? He’s showing me that lovely things can rise from the ashes of our brokenness. If we all allow them to.”
Tessa smiled, but she couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat.
This was what she’d always wanted—acceptance and family and home. What she’d hoped and longed and prayed for.
And, what she’d never really believed she would have. Until she’d met Henry.
The sanctuary doors opened, and Betty slipped into the vestibule, her eyes bright with excitement, her cheeks pink. She’d worn her best dress and low heels. Her hair was pulled away from her face with a tortoiseshell clip. If Hester had lived to see this day, the two of them would have been fast friends.
“Well, this it!” she proclaimed as she straightened Tessa’s veil. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Tessa responded, and Betty smiled.
“That’s what I like to hear. Confidence!”
“We’re confident, too, and we’re ready,” Everly said. “We’ve been ready for ages and ages and ages.”
“I think she’s right,” Aria agreed, some of her somberness replaced by excitement. “I think we have been waiting an awfully long time.”
“Well, girls, the wait is over. Hear that?” Betty asked as the organ music swelled into the first strains of the wedding march. “That’s our cue. Now, each of you grab one of Tessa’s hands, and let’s go. We don’t want to make your daddy wait. He might think you’ve all gone and eaten the cake without him.”
“We would never do that,” Aria proclaimed as she took Tessa’s left hand.
Everly grabbed her right. “Well, it is chocolate, so I might think about taking a nibble, but I’d leave him some for sure,” she murmured.
Tessa was laughing as the door swung wide, the joy of the moment filling her heart as she took her first step into the sanctuary.
Henry was waiting near the pulpit, the ends of his sandy hair just brushing the collar of his dark blue suit. He had a white rose on his lapel, and his eyes were a soft misty shade that she knew would always speak to her of home.
He stepped forward, smiling into her eyes as the twins placed her hands in his.
“You are stunning,” he said.
“So are we,” Everly added.
Tessa heard a rumble of laughter coming from the pews. If she looked, she knew that she’d see Wren and Jessica sitting beside Ernie in the front pew, several of Henry’s coworkers nearby. Behind them there’d be a sea of faces—Kayla, the chief, people from the congregation and from the diner, neighbors and friends of Henry’s who’d seemed happy to add Tessa into their circle.
Her focus was on Henry. A lock of hair had fallen across his forehead, and she brushed it away.
“You are everything I didn’t dare believe in when I came to Provincetown,” she whispered. “I love you.”
He smiled. “I love you, too. You are everything I didn’t know I was looking for, and I am so thankful that I found you.”
Pastor Walker cleared his throat, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “I hate to interrupt, but I believe we have a wedding to attend to.”
“Yeah. Let the man get on with things. I want this shindig over with,” Ernie called out.
“Ernie!” Betty whispered loudly. “Enough!”
“What? I haven’t been in a suit since 1967, and you chose me the itchiest one on this side of the Mississippi!”
“I’ll be choosing you an itchy casket lining if you don’t quiet down!” Betty hissed.
The guests laughed again, the warmth of their happiness washing over Tessa.
The windows glowed pink with fading sun, the old floors glistened with muted candlelight. And, Henry was beside her, strong and true and steady.
He smiled, and her heart soared, her soul seeming to reach for his. This was where she belonged. In this place with this man. She knew it the same way she knew that the sun would set and rise again, that one season would change into another. That time would continue on and that they would continue with it.
Side by side.
For as long as God allowed.
If you enjoyed this story, don’t miss the previous books in the FBI: Special Crimes Unit series from Shirlee McCoy:
Night Stalker
Gone
Dangerous Sanctuary
And be sure to pick up these other exciting books by Shirlee McCoy:
Protective Instincts
Her Christmas Guardian
Exit Strategy
Deadly Christmas Secrets
Mystery Child
The Christmas Target
Mistaken Identity
Christmas On the Run
Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Guarding the Amish Midwife by Dana R. Lynn.
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