Faithful (36 page)

She could barely sleep last night, though admittedly that part had little to do with Stephanie. She couldn't get her mind off of Cedric and all that lay ahead—both today and the rest of their lives.

He had called at eleven forty-five last night—after several conversations that day—and they'd talked until the clock struck midnight, their agreed-upon time to cut off contact until she walked down the aisle. After they'd hung up, she couldn't get his voice out of her mind, couldn't believe she'd be hearing that voice—and seeing his face—every night and every morning. She missed him even now, and thought of sneaking in a call—when the phone rang.

Was he thinking the same thing? Cyd smiled as she reached across a furry lump for the phone. Soon as Reese was potty-trained, she'd had freedom to roam about the house at night—and always ended up in Cyd's bed.

The handset glowed with the words
Stephanie London
. Cyd's countenance fell, but only slightly. She was eager for some answers.

“Rise and shine! How's the bride-to-be this morning?”

Cyd liked the sound of that. “Raring to go. What's the plan?”

“Your big day kicks off in a couple of hours.” Stephanie sounded official. “We've got appointments at eight.”

“Where? And ‘we' who?”

“You, me, Dana, and Phyllis. Bridal party pampering at the Horizons Day Spa. I'm calling it Daughters' Fellowship—Extreme Edition.”

Cyd laughed. “I have to admit it sounds like fun. I've never been to that day spa.”

“Cyd, you've never been to a day spa, period. You never take time to treat yourself. But today you're getting the works—hair, nails, toes, and a massage.”

“Massage? Who's got time for a massage? I don't think that's really necess—”

“Cyd, Cyd, Cyd . . . it's your special day. How long have you waited for this? We're gonna do it up right, girl!” Stephanie was relishing her semi-coordinator role. “We've got plenty of time. Wedding's not till four.”

Cyd let the thought wash over her. It really was her special day. Finally. “Am I meeting you all at the spa?”

“No,” Stephanie said. “Your chariot will arrive at seven forty-five.”

C
HARIOT INDEED
. T
HE
back window had been spray-painted with letters that read:
Bride on board—Honk to wish her well!

Stephanie got a hoot out of the number of cars happy to oblige . . . and needled Cyd for slumping low in the seat. They arrived none too soon, and Cyd spotted Dana, Phyllis, and—She squinted. Was that her wedding photographer waiting in front of the spa?

“Here comes the bride,” Dana and Phyllis sang as they greeted her with big hugs. The photographer clicked away.

Cyd waved for the camera. “Hi, Mr. Hughes. Um, what are you doing here?”

Mr. Hughes was a longtime member of Living Word who'd done photography on the side for years. Now that he was retired, he'd made it his full-time business.

He tossed a nod to Stephanie, camera still to his face.

Stephanie led them to the door. “He's doing a little side work for me—capturing DF Extreme in all its glory.”

“Oh. Why?”

Stephanie sighed. “Okay, if you must know, I'm going to make a scrapbook of our time together to give to you as a gift.”

“That's so nice! But . . .” Cyd frowned slightly, and Mr. Hughes caught it. “. . . you don't scrapbook.”

Stephanie winked at Phyllis as she opened the door. “A little bird's gonna teach me.”

Inside, a host awaited them and carted Cyd off to her massage. When she rejoined the others—wonderfully wobbly at the knees— they sank into four comfy chairs in the pedicure room, pausing the chatter only long enough to vote on the polish for Cyd's toes and ham it up for the camera. After nails and hair, the ladies—and Mr. Hughes—climbed into their cars and moved out.

“Steph, that was awesome.” Cyd was so refreshed she forgot to slouch down. “Where to now?” She checked her watch—eleven thirty—and wondered what Cedric was doing with his side of the wedding party—Lindell, Scott, and a childhood friend.

“You'll see soon enough,” was all Stephanie would allow.

The caravan found itself at Cyd's house, and Cyd noticed Stephanie, Dana, and Phyllis carrying garment bags from their cars.

Hmm . . . guess we're getting dressed here
.

When Cyd pushed the door open, a delicious aroma greeted her, and a moment later her mother appeared, with Reese in tow, and led them to the dining room Cyd rarely used.

“Okay, I didn't expect this.” Cyd looked from Claudia to Stephanie to a table laid with fine china, fresh-cut flowers, and place cards with their names whimsically written.

The camera registered her surprise.

“This is incredible. How did you—?” She didn't bother to finish. “I need to figure out how many of my house keys are floating around out there.”

They ushered Cyd to the head seat and showered her with funny memories and even funnier marriage wisdom while savoring spinach quiche and assorted fruit.

When a bout of laughter settled, Dana's voice drifted in. “Not trying to get too serious here, but since we're offering wisdom . . .”

Cyd and the other women waited to hear what she had to say. Mr. Hughes had taken some candid shots and left to give the women privacy.

“Right now,” Dana said, her eyes on Cyd, “you're living a fairy tale. And I know it's awesome. But every day won't be a fairy tale.” She took a breath, her eyes glistening. “But I can tell you this—every day, God is faithful.”

Cyd was already tucking Dana's words into her heart.

“Who would've thought God would use Stephanie and Lindell to help heal our marriage?” Dana was saying. “But He did.” She smiled at Stephanie. “Hanging out with you two—double dating and acting silly—has done so much for Scott and me.” She turned back to Cyd. “My ‘wisdom' for you today is to keep the faith, so that when you don't see the fairy tale, you'll still be able to see the beauty of God working.”

“
Keep the faith
—that's beautiful, Dana,” Claudia said. “Bruce and I are about to celebrate forty-five years, and you can imagine we've had our share of bumps in the road.”

“
I
can't imagine,” Stephanie interjected. “You and Daddy?”

Cyd chuckled. She was thinking the same. Even though Cyd knew her parents had to have issues, those issues rarely manifested openly. What showed was their love and respect for one another.

Claudia was nodding big for emphasis. “Yes, your daddy and me. Every marriage has difficulties. But looking back, I can say God was in the midst of each and every one, working it out. That's a lot of faithfulness.”

“I guess when I think about it,” Stephanie offered, “God's been working in my marriage too.”

The women couldn't help but show amusement.

Stephanie joined them with a chuckle. “Okay, maybe I'm the last to see it,” she said. “Dana, you said Lindell and I helped you and Scott, but I don't know where we'd be without you two. No telling what I'd be up to.”

“I'll add my amen to ‘keep the faith,'” Phyllis said, “which I failed to do for a while.” Despite her words, Phyllis had a peace about her. “For the longest time I thought God had forgotten about us. I wondered what was the use of praying.”

Cyd's heart went out to her friend. She wondered herself why God hadn't answered years of prayers regarding Hayes, yet her own husband-to-be had become a man of faith. It didn't seem fair.

Phyllis continued, “But even though God hasn't answered in the way I would like, I've been able to see that beauty Dana talked about . . . in the love Hayes shows for me and the kids.
And
,” she added, “I've caught him reading my Bible a couple of times lately.”

“Woooo,” Cyd exclaimed, the others in chorus with her. “Why haven't you mentioned that? Girl, that's a praise update!”

Phyllis smiled. “Believe me, I did praise God. And if I have any wisdom to offer, it's to
look for
His faithfulness in your marriage. There will be times when it won't be packaged with bright bows, but it'll be there.”

“This is so good.” Cyd held their faces in her gaze. “Being able to spend meaningful time with you all on my wedding day, reflecting, sharing . . .” She got up and hugged her sister's neck. “I have to give it to you. Things didn't turn out too badly after all!”

“Told ya!” Stephanie hugged her in return, then checked the time. “Ooh! But they will if we don't get moving. Cassandra'll kill me if we're late.”

A
LL THE TALK
of marriage made Cyd's insides a jumble—a wonderfully expectant jumble that built and swirled and didn't seem near real until she was staring at herself an hour later in the bathroom mirror, tears threatening to spill on her freshly made-up face. As Stephanie fussed with the zipper and messed with the train, Cyd was corralling the moment. Just last fall she thought she'd never see this day, and here she was. A bride. Cedric's bride. As incredible as the day had been thus far, she hadn't lost sight of the main event. She was about to marry the man who'd captured her heart . . . in only a matter of hours.

Thank You, God
. She let the tears fall.
Thank You
.

Stephanie dabbed the wetness in a flash and gave her a look as she applied some powder. “Okay now, there'll be time for all that later.”

Cyd smiled at her sister.

“I think we're good,” Stephanie said. “Oh, wait a minute.” She did something with the back of the gown and stood back. “Wow. You look really good.”

“Thanks, sis.”

“Okay, come on.”

Stephanie opened the door and Cyd stepped into her bedroom, where the others had been dressing and waiting for them. There was silence when they saw Cyd. They walked forward and took her in.

Tears started in Dana's eyes. “Oh, Cyd, you're absolutely beautiful. I'm so happy for you. So, so happy for you.” She hugged Cyd and pressed the tears in the corners of her eyes. “That dress is amazing.”

Phyllis was taking in the view all around. “You would've looked good in just about anything, Cyd, but nothing would've been this perfect. You're a vision.” She smiled at Claudia. “Pretty special, huh?”

Claudia fingered the embroidery, her emotions stifling an immediate response. “Cyd wanted to surprise me, so I haven't seen it on her till now.” She brushed her watery eyelids, embracing her daughter. “I could've never envisioned this.”

“Me either,” Cyd said. The dress swished as she walked to the full-length mirror, feeling every bit the princess. “It was better than I envisioned.”

She'd only had three months to prepare for her wedding, and the gown was high priority on the list. But she'd just gone bridal boutique hopping with Stephanie last fall, and the pickings were fresh in her mind. Many were gorgeous, but only one stuck in her mind, and she hadn't seen it in a store; she'd seen it on the mantel of her parents' fireplace. Maybe she still saw it with the eyes of a young girl—and maybe it had everything to do with who had worn it—but it always seemed to her the dress of her dreams.

When she inquired, Claudia handed it down with a heart of joy. She'd preserved it well. The dilemma was the season, since the dress was suited to fall, the time Cyd's parents had married. The solution was simple, for a seamstress at least. The long sleeves were shortened and restyled with cutout lace, and the high neckline recut to a graceful scoop. As a special touch, the seamstress hand-beaded the bodice, leaving the balance of the lustrous satin sheath untouched.

“Turn around so I can get some pictures.” Dana was filling in for Mr. Hughes, who had returned and was waiting for them downstairs. “So you've got your old,” she said between clicks of the camera.

Cyd looked confused.

“You know, something old, something new . . .”

“Oh, I forgot about that.” Cyd thought a moment. “My shoes are new.” She lifted a foot. “Does that count?”

“I don't see why not.” Phyllis was double-checking herself in the mirror. The bridal party wore ankle-length champagne-colored dresses, and they all looked fabulous. “What about something borrowed?”

Cyd moved her hair behind an ear. “Momma let me wear her diamond earrings.”

“Those are gorgeous!” Dana said, turning an impressed look to Claudia. “You've got two bases covered, Ma Claudia.”

“I just need something blue.” Cyd wasn't big on the tradition, but since she had three out of four, she figured she might as well try.

“Girl,” Stephanie said, “didn't you see me pin that little piece of blue fabric to the inside of your dress? I did the same thing with my own wedding gown.”

Cyd kissed both of Stephanie's cheeks Euro-style. “Cassandra better watch out. You might be able to really run with this coordinator thing.”

Stephanie laughed. “I don't know about that, but I
do
know we need to get out of here—'cause Cassandra's already called twice to check up on us.” She put her hand to the doorknob. “Ready, ladies?”

C
YD'S ROSE-STUDDED WALK
down the aisle was flanked by faces from every facet of her life, though mostly from Living Word—and most of
them
seeming on the verge of outright applause. They were on their feet, grinning, half waving, easing into the aisle to get a good picture, apparently as awed as she that this was actually happening.

Hand looped inside her dad's arm, her eyes bounced naturally among the familiar faces, but always landed again squarely on Cedric, whose gaze remained fixed on her. As they took in the sight of one another now, she felt their love to her very core. This man, this moment, was ordained for her. Her heart echoed the day's refrain.