44

Jake wrote and revised his wedding vows in a notebook. Once he had them figured out, he copied them on a fresh page, but as he set about memorizing them, he made a few more changes.

Now, Caleb held the scratched-up page and prompted Jake when he forgot a line as he practiced.

Jake’s phone interrupted. He rose from the couch and crossed to the window that overlooked the field behind the Bethel apartments. The tree in the center of it had lost half its leaves already, though most were preparing for winter more slowly. He swiped his finger across the face of his phone. “Yeah, Devin.”

“Harold’s Books is on fire.”

He pivoted back toward the living room. “Is this a wedding prank?”

Caleb dropped the notebook to the couch.

“No.” Devin hesitated. “No. It’s burning up. Some of the windows are, like, split and flames are coming out of the bottom two floors.”

“You’re serious. Harold’s is burning down. Right now. As we speak.” It was late, almost eleven o’clock, the night before the wedding.

Caleb stood, staring.

“This is really bad.” Devin shouted like a play-by-play announcer. “I don’t think places come back from something like this.”

“Did you call the fire department?”

“Yeah. Not that I wanted to.”

Jake nodded to Caleb to relate the answer.

“You really ought to see this,” Devin said.

He’d be in North Adams tomorrow. He and Caleb would dress for the ceremony at Hillside before meeting Brooklyn at the church. A special trip to watch the place burn down would be spiteful.

“Oh, here they are. Fire trucks. I’m going downstairs.”

“There’s no one inside, right?”

“The place was completely dark a couple of hours ago. They’ve been closed since seven, so yeah, should be empty. Better be.”

“OK.” Jake pressed his fingers against the back of his neck. The movement was meant to be a massage, but brought back the feel of his father’s hand on his shoulders, steering him away from trouble as a boy. “I’ll see you in the morning. You remembered to pick up the tuxes today, right?”

“Yup. Right here. As long as Harold’s doesn’t send a spark across the street and burn us down, too.”

“Don’t even joke, Devin.”

The call ended. The broken windows at Hillside were bad enough. A fire would be a million times worse. Was it really only a couple of months ago he’d spent hours dreaming this kind of disaster would strike Harold?

Caleb continued to stare. “The kid wouldn’t have lit it, would he? As a wedding present?”

“No way.”

“Harold wanted insurance money, then. It’s his way of cashing out.”

“He was pretty intent on staying in business, last I saw.”

Caleb retook his seat, smirking. “Is it wrong to hope they discover it’s insurance fraud? That way, they wouldn’t cover a rebuild.”

Jake refused to focus on it. He didn’t want to reap the rewards of someone else’s misfortune—even if that someone was Harold. Not anymore. He took one deep breath and rattled off his vows without pausing for air.

Caleb snorted. “Yeah, say them just like that tomorrow. You’re the king of romance.”

“You really want me to say them to you like I’m going to say them to her?”

“Good point.” Caleb took the notebook. “Besides, you missed the one line you two both agreed to use. Seems like that’d be important.”

Jake and Brooklyn had agreed to end with the same sentence. He hadn’t forgotten. He had run out of air. “All right. From the top.”

~*~

The dress, an inexpensive jersey knit, draped over Brooklyn in rich folds that lent even her, in week thirty-eight of her pregnancy, the beauty of an ancient Greek princess. She gazed into the full-length mirror as Haley brushed her hair.

“The practice run was good, right?” Haley asked. “Nothing you want to change?”

Brooklyn nodded slightly, enough that Haley would notice but not unintentionally tug a snarl. Margaret had set up the mirror for her in one of the church classrooms so that the space could act as a dressing room for the tiny ceremony. The dress shone in the sunlight that poured from the window.

A white dress.

For her, of all people. The woman who never planned to get married, whose mother had so little respect for the institution that she hadn’t canceled her other plans to attend. Brooklyn, who’d been raped. Who was bearing the child of another man as she married the Davidson boy, as Elizabeth had called him.

Yes, a white dress. She let the thought thunder through her mind. Jake wanted her and never second-guessed her worth, and the only thing he didn’t deserve from her was self-doubt, the very thing that had kept them apart for so many years. If she let that into her marriage, she’d be setting up their future for failure.

More than that, when she doubted herself this way, she doubted God’s healing. Since God called her daughter and loved and redeemed her, she had no right to question her worth.

Haley ran her pointer finger along Brooklyn’s scalp, separating a lock of hair to work with.

Brooklyn had bought Jake a wedding gift, a nice watch to replace the one he’d nicked and dented over the years, but now she wanted to give him something more. Something to show her commitment to not condemn herself anymore, a sign of God’s healing. At such short notice before the ceremony, only one option presented itself.

“What if we leave my hair down?”

Haley’s fingers froze and a smile took over her face. “Really? You’ve worn it up since…haven’t you?”

Not naming the event seemed fitting. She was done letting that night define her. “I think it’s time to change that. To start over.”

Haley’s excited nod jiggled the curls she’d styled in her own hair before beginning Brooklyn’s. She began removing the bobby pins she’d placed. “He’ll love this.”

Half an hour later, Haley put down the curling iron and stepped back. Brooklyn’s hair was a cascade of waves, restrained only by rhinestone pins that kept the locks from her eyes. Haley arranged the waves to fall down her back instead of over her shoulders. “Otherwise you’d never see the necklace.”

Brooklyn touched the pearl on its delicate chain, a gift from Elizabeth.

“All set. Do you feel like a bride? Because you sure look like one.”

“Yes.” Very much so. Pure and happy. Loved and redeemed. Since the dream that brought Jake to Bethel, he’d often said that nothing in the universe was left unattended. He never spoke the connection, but God hadn’t left her unattended that night in New Wilshire. He’d been caring for her, even then. He’d allowed her to escape with her life. No, with two lives—hers and Gabriel’s. And now there’d be three lives, joined together by an awesome God. She ducked her head away from Haley and stood. “I’m going to stop in the bathroom quick before everything starts.”

Haley giggled. “Want me to hold the dress for you?”

Brooklyn shook her head—the dress wasn’t that fancy, and Haley knew it. In the restroom, she took a deep breath and bowed her head. “God, every day for the rest of my life, however many times a day I forget, remind me that I’m Yours and that I’m redeemed. I want to live my life with the joy You’ve promised, and I want to trust Your power to work evil for good. I don’t deserve anything, but You gave Your Son to give me everything. I’m sorry for my doubts. Thank You for Your love and Your grace.” She glanced at herself. Haley was right; Jake would love to see her with her hair down. She loved to see herself this way, too. “And thank You for Jake. Bless our marriage, and allow us to bring glory to You as we live our lives together.” After a slow breath, she nodded. Time to get married.

She returned to the classroom to find Haley standing at the window. Her friend turned, mouth pursed.

“What’s going on?”

Haley shook her head. “Nothing. Jake’s here, so don’t look out there. Tradition for you to not see him, right?” But Haley was worried about something.

Brooklyn approached the window.

Jake stood in the lot, but he wasn’t alone. Two police cars were parked near his sedan, and the officers spoke with him, their uniforms almost as dark as Jake’s tux.

“He wouldn’t be the first guy to get pulled over for speeding to his wedding.” Haley’s chuckle sounded forced. “I’ll kill him for you. After the wedding, of course.”

When Brooklyn stole another glance, Caleb’s car was parked next to Jake’s and both men were in conversation with the police. This was no speeding ticket.

Haley stood at her elbow until the group in the lot broke up.

Jake headed for the main doors, Caleb for the entrance closest to Brooklyn.

“Focus,” Haley said. “This is it. Last check.”

Brooklyn turned to the mirror and wiped at her eyeshadow as Haley smoothed her hair.

Gabriel gave a swift kick when a soft knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

Caleb opened the door, but only the crisp, black shoulder of his tux appeared. “Everyone decent?”

“See for yourself.” Haley wiggled her fingers at Brooklyn and slipped out of the room.

Tugging the sleeve of his jacket, Caleb stepped in. His hair was freshly cut and styled, but he swiped his hand over it. Brooklyn had never seen him more ill at ease in his own skin, but she’d also never seen him more handsome. As his gaze settled on her, he stopped fidgeting. “You’re beautiful, Brook.”

“Thanks.” She straightened his boutonniere. If Jake’s was in the same condition, hopefully one of the women would notice and fix it before the service got underway. “You’re pretty dashing yourself.” She took the trio of calla lilies from the table and rested her free hand in the crook of his arm, but when he stepped toward the door, she held him back. “What was going on in the lot?”

The creases around his eyes faded as his smile died back. But then he winked. “A little wedding day fun. We’ll all laugh about it later.”

“So Harold’s not trying to break up the wedding?”

“No.” His voice was smooth and strong, reassuring. “I’ll let Jake tell you about it another time. At the moment, there’s nothing you need to worry about besides making that guy the happiest man in the world. Let me walk you down there.”

She cast one last look at the mirror. Her stomach—what little of it Gabriel hadn’t taken over—tightened. Unlike so many feelings that had jolted and turned her insides over the last eight and a half months, this wasn’t guilt or anxiety. This was anticipation. Pure anticipation. And that reflection in the mirror? That woman really was beautiful. Glowing. Happy. Taking this step, getting married, was reclaiming her life. “I’m ready.”

Caleb tightened his hold on her hand and led her down the hall. “Now, watch, because if you think you’ve ever seen him look happy before, this’ll blow your mind. He’s like a sparkler today.”

“Didn’t they make those illegal here?”

“Why do you think the police wanted to talk?” He grinned and pulled open the door to Pastor’s office.

Jake and Pastor Simeon spoke near the desk while Margaret, Elizabeth, Haley, and Devin waited on the couch. As soon as Caleb led her into the room, everyone stood. And Caleb was right. When he handed her over, Jake’s smile was subdued, but something about his eyes suggested joy a smile could never convey.

Pastor spoke, but the warmth of Jake’s hand was louder than the traditional words of the ceremony.

It was Jake’s movement that woke her to the fact that they had been told to face each other and join hands.

How had she become so blessed? The people in the room meant the world to her. This man who held her hand and seemed reluctant to look anywhere but into her eyes, this man wanted to commit his life to her.

At Pastor’s prompting he comfirmed it, sasying, “I do.” His gaze didn’t shift, his grip on her hands didn’t falter.

As Pastor Simeon repeated the same words he’d asked Jake, Brooklyn’s heart pounded air from her lungs. How did people do this in front of hundreds of witnesses? She was so breathless she wasn’t sure she could speak clearly enough for the seven people in the room to hear. She squeezed Jake’s hands to borrow strength. “I do.”

No fitted ring would make it over her puffy fingers at this point. Even her engagement ring, which had initially been large, didn’t fit anymore. But they’d left her wedding ring large, to be sized after Gabriel’s birth.

Jake held her hand as if it was the hand of a princess and slid the diamond band onto her finger.

When her turn came, she had to twist the band to get it over his knuckle. When she glanced to make sure she hadn’t hurt him, he tightened his hand around hers, his warmth already soaking through the white gold to her fingers.

“Jake and Brooklyn wrote personalized vows. Jake?”

Instead of reaching into his coat pocket for notes, Jake kept his hands firmly around hers. “Brooklyn, I love you and all the ways you’ve spurred me on to deeper faith, starting not all that long after we met in fifth grade. Trusting in God’s faithfulness to enable me, I will strive to follow Christ’s example in loving you with sacrificial love. I vow to put God first, you second, and myself last, as I lead, care for, and protect you. Whether it’s my life on the line…” His serious expression gave way to a smile. “…Or which roast we brew in the morning…” Chuckles went up around the room, but his own face sobered. “…I will sacrifice for your best interest. I pledge you my love and my faithfulness from this day forward.”

Her eyes were dangerously liquid. She worked a tissue out of the small pocket Elizabeth had sown into the waistband of the dress and dabbed at her face. She’d spent hours writing and memorizing her vows. In case she went blank, she’d written them on a card and tucked the card into the ribbon that held her flowers together. The vase with the lilies sat on a small table next to her, but her mind was clear enough. She tucked the tissue away.

“Jake, behind God, you are the love of my life. Through the years and through my darkest days, you have been a steady voice reminding me of my worth and value. My promise to you is to stick with you through dark days and sunny days, to listen to your voice, to submit to you as your wife the way the Bible instructs, and to care for you.” She took a slow breath, savoring the last line. “I pledge you my love and my faithfulness from this day forward.”

Pastor talked some more, but she missed his words as she watched tears gather in Jake’s eyes. One fell, the others disappeared.

When Pastor Simeon finished the ceremony by saying Jake could kiss her, Jake stepped closer, his torso pressing lightly against the swell that was Gabriel. Before Jake could obey the pastor, Gabriel let loose another kick.

Jake stepped back, eyes fixed on her belly with an amazed smile.

Someone in the room shifted.

Caleb cleared his throat. “You did hear the man, right?”

Jake met Brooklyn’s gaze, and then glanced at their audience. “Our son’s not sure how he feels about all this romance stuff.” He laughed and refocused on Brooklyn.

Even if Gabriel kicked again, she suspected Jake wouldn’t back off. He’d waited for this, their first kiss, too long. He ran one hand up her arm to her shoulder and rested the other on her waist. His breath brushed her lips. Why did her joints stiffen? Should she lean in more? But as soon as his mouth met hers, the worries melted. The kiss was over in the space of one missed breath, but if Jake was a sparkler today, she’d become a firework.

~*~

Jake led Brooklyn from the church to his car. Their reception would be a gift-opening party at his mom’s house, and these few minutes would be his only chance to talk to her before the party broke up and they got to drive home. Where he’d get to spend the night with her. Granted, it’d be without the perks other newlyweds enjoyed, but at least he’d get to hold her close. And Gabriel. Maybe he’d feel the baby kick again. What a perfect end that had been to the ceremony, his first time feeling his son move.

“What did the police want?”

He turned the key and shifted into drive. “I wanted to talk to you about that. I just...are you sure you want to know today?”

Her expression hardened from curious to determined. “Yes.”

He put the car back into park. He couldn’t drive and talk about this at the same time. “Harold’s Books burned down last night. Police found Ronny poking around this morning, trying to get to that roaster Harold bought.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

Jake shook his head. “They must suspect I’m involved, but today is the first time I’ve been back to North Adams since I left in August. I told them to check traffic cameras and cell phone records or whatever else it would take, and Caleb’s an alibi for all of yesterday, when the fire happened.”

Her hands had turned into a knot on her lap. “They won’t arrest you, will they? The Keen family has a lot of sway.”

“Nah. They’re giving a guy a break on his wedding day.”

“What about when it’s not your wedding day?”

“They have no evidence. I’m innocent, I left it to God, and I’m leaving it with Him. Just watch. The whole thing’ll be figured out before we have anything to worry about.” The seatbelt zipped out more length as he leaned toward her and kissed her cheek. “I’ve been waiting for the chance to tell you. I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman in my life.” He ran his fingers through the gold that was her hair, waited for her to smile, and then shifted the car in gear.