Counting on Cayne (Hallow River Book 1) (13 page)

On a Saturday morning in
May, I walked over a blanket of flower petals on the banks of the Hallow River.
Aunt Lu held my arm as we progressed slowly down the aisle. The hem of my
dress, a simple design of cream colored lace with cap sleeves and a yellow
ribbon around my waist, fluttered softly in the breeze.

Rounding the corner of
the assembled guests, I caught a sudden whiff of orange blossom. I turned my
head and locked eyes with a pretty blonde woman in a lavender sundress and a
string of blue beads that perfectly matched the spring sky. In the weeks
leading up to the wedding, I had worried that my mother’s presence on this most
important day of my life would be too much of an emotional distraction. But I
now realized that my fears were misplaced. In her gaze, I saw a love and pride
that bolstered my heart and erased the years of absence.

I nodded gently and
returned my attention to the altar. Cayne’s smile was warm and serene as he
waited for me beneath an archway twined with leaves and vines. He looked handsome
in a light gray suit. His eyes reflected a satisfied contentment and tender
affection. Cami, my maid of honor, radiated perfect happiness in a dress of
pale green silk. She tossed a flirty wink over to Jasper, who stood off to the
side as Cayne’s best man. I kissed Aunt Lu on the cheek, handed my bouquet of
sunflowers to Cami, and grasped hands with the man who was about to become my
husband.

This moment would have
seemed impossible to me only a year ago. In my wildest dreams, I could not have
imagined such a wonderful reversal of fate. Since my return to Hallow River, I
had changed and grown in uncountable ways. Under the watchful care of the
family and friends who now surrounded me, I became whole again. They knit the
broken pieces of my soul together in a bonded and unbreakable patchwork of love
and trust. With their strength and guidance, I learned to let go of the dreams
of my past and embrace the dreams of my future.

Cayne and I spoke our
heartfelt vows. I tried to hold back tears of joy as we promised to love and
cherish one another till the end of our days. Later that evening, when the
guests departed, the music stopped, and we once again rested peacefully in each
other’s arms, I planned to reveal to him my very last secret, one which foretold
the next amazing step in our life’s journey together. In eight more months, we
would be parents.

“I now pronounce you
husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”   

Cayne held me close and
kissed me. We paused and stared into each other’s eyes. Then we stepped forward
as one toward a future filled with hope.

THE END