Nine months later
Notes from the pipe organ filled the large sanctuary, and Hunter shifted his weight onto his toes, then back again. Blake stood next to him, with Wade on Blake’s other side, and finally Hunter’s cousin, Phillip. The church was decked out with flowers, but nothing was overdone. The decor was simple but elegant. Just what he would expect from Meagan.
With most of Cedar Key on the guest list, along with his Ocala friends and family in attendance, they had chosen to hold the ceremony and reception in the large church in his hometown. It was a good thing. Every pew was packed.
The music changed, and Darci started up the aisle. She was wearing a light purple dress. No, not purple—Radiant Orchid, according to Meagan. She had corrected him several times. Radiant Orchid was not purple, just as salmon and mauve were not pink.
Meagan had put the whole wedding together herself. Hunter had always been impressed with her artistic ability. But watching her design and create floral arrangements, and set out in search of just the right piece of fabric or lace or other accessory for the image she had in her mind, gave him a new respect for her artistic eye.
When Darci was halfway up the aisle, another young lady followed—his sister, Amber. The smile she wore stretched across her face, and her eyes shone. When he’d announced his engagement to Meagan, Amber had been the most excited of anyone. At least she was the most vocal. She never ran out of energy. And rarely shut up.
The final bridesmaid coming down the aisle was Meagan’s sister, Jennifer. Her dress was a shade of deep purple that also had a fancy name. He just couldn’t remember it at the moment. A younger version of Meagan, she was struggling to hold back tears.
His gaze shifted to the right, where Meagan’s mother sat. If she was fighting tears, she had apparently lost the battle, because hers were flowing freely, making twin trails down her cheeks. He understood. Both women were experiencing something they’d thought they would never see—Meagan on her wedding day, having been brought back to them from the dead.
Jennifer stepped onto the platform and grinned over at Amber. Since Meagan’s mother and sister had moved to Ocala six months ago, Amber and Jennifer had become best buds.
Once all three bridesmaids were in position, mirroring the locations of the groomsmen, the music changed again, becoming louder, slow and deliberate. The mother of the bride stood, and the whole church followed suit.
Then Meagan appeared at the end of the aisle, her arm looped around Darci’s father’s, and the sight of her took Hunter’s breath away. Soon he would vow to have and to hold her, to love her till death. And she would become Mrs. Elaina Kingston.
But to everyone in Cedar Key, and to him, she was still Meagan. Though her bank accounts and identification said Elaina Thomas, Meagan had become somewhat of a nickname.
Everyone knew her story. And when Hunter encountered someone who didn’t, he shared it. Because he was proud of her. Proud of her courage. Proud of the strength and determination that had kept her alive against all odds. Proud of the serene, confident woman she had become and the example she provided to the youth of the church in her position as an assistant to the director.
As she started down the aisle, her eyes met his through the sheer veil, and his heart almost stopped. She was beautiful. In the months since Edmund’s capture, her hair had gone back to its natural blond color and had grown out to fall against her shoulders. But today it was up, woven with tiny flowers. And her green eyes were lit with a happiness that even the veil couldn’t hide.
When Darci’s father put Meagan’s hand in his, Hunter’s heart swelled with love and gratitude. In moments, he would recite his vows. But as he stood facing her, clasping both her hands, he made some silent ones of his own.
He would never take her for granted. Or saddle her with unrealistic expectations.
She was a precious gift, sent from God.
The only one able to heal his heart.
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Keep reading for an excerpt from HEADLINE: MURDER by Maggie K. Black