The Marine's New Family

by Roz Dunbar

  “If you ever want to talk about it more, I’m always here for you. Always, Tess.”

  “I know that I will. Thank you, Luke, but what you’ve told me is enough for now.”

  He cleared his throat, because his voice sounded gruff to his ears. Yes, he would always be there for her—he knew that in his heart. He wanted nothing more in life than to be there for his son and Tess. Suddenly he felt like an awkward schoolboy getting ready to ask a girl out for the first time. Since when did he get nervous? He was a battle-hardened marine. They didn’t get nervous.

  “Thank you, Luke, for everything, but most of all for saving my life. I really thought that God had made a mistake by keeping me alive and letting so many innocent people die. But He brought me here and showed me through all of you that life is still good and meant to be lived. It’s such a glorious gift.” She hesitated before adding with conviction and strength, “I’ll never take a moment for granted again. Ever.”

  He nodded. “I’d do the same a thousand more times for you if you needed it.” Well, that sounded awkward and ridiculous, but she only smiled softly at the words.

  “Which leads me to another issue we need to discuss.” Again that nervous feeling washed over him; nerves and a bit of excitement mixed. “I hear that you’re thinking of leaving soon.”

  He watched her face closely. She looked dumbfounded before clarity lit her jade eyes as she nodded. “The aunts?”

  “The aunts,” he confirmed. “They told me when I went to speak to them last evening. I thought you loved this place as much as I did? Why would you want to leave? I know Seattle is a nice city, but it’s got nothing on Swansboro.” He tried to sound calm and casual, but the thought of her leaving had taken all of the wind out of his sails for a moment. He needed to convince her to stay; if he could.

  Lord, please help me to convince her that this was all as You meant it to be. You brought her back into my life for a reason. She was meant to be with Caleb and me. She was meant to make this village her home.

  “Luke, I love this town and wish that I could stay, but it’s time to go back to the real world. But not until you’ve found someone to care for Caleb,” she added hurriedly. “I would never leave you in the lurch.” Her words gave him hope that he had at least a little bit of time left to change her mind.

  “What will you do?” he asked curiously, his heart still contracting a bit at the thought that she would leave the village and he might never see her again.

  “I don’t know. I really haven’t thought it all the way through. With what you’ve told me today, and being able to help Mr. Lockard, I’m sure I can go back to work now. I’ll get a job and pick up the pieces and move on, I suppose.”

  “Why not stay, Tess? You have family here. Your brother lives three hours away. The aunts are here. You can get a job at the clinic. They’re still looking for help. You have a church family that’s taken you into their hearts, whether you wanted them to or not. Pick up the pieces here. You’ve already started. Finish.”

  He laughed a little as she rolled her eyes. She had fought tooth and nail to not get involved, but the town refused to let her withdraw. It had been a conspiracy of sorts, but a lovely one filled with good intentions. From the moment she had hit town, the villagers had done their best to help her move beyond the tragedy that had dogged her for months.

  “I want to,” she whispered, doubt in her eyes.

  He cleared his throat again. There was no way to say what he had to say next other than to, well, just say it. If she said no, so be it. He knew that just as his son was worth fighting for, so was this woman.

  “I want you to stay, Tess. Caleb wants you to stay.”

  “You do? Both of you?”

  “We do,” he said with more confidence. “Especially me. I want you to stay so that we can get better acquainted. I want to court you, if you’ll let me, that is. I have permission from the aunts,” he added quickly when he saw the look on her face.

  “You do?” she asked faintly.

  “Yes. I asked them last night. It’s why I went to see them. Please say yes.”

  *

  Court. Such a lovely old-fashioned word. Such a lovely word, period. Suddenly the clouds in Tess’s heart and mind began to clear and the sun shone a little brighter, if that was possible. Luke wanted to court her, baggage and all! The words swirled through her mind and tangled with her emotions.

  “Yes, please.” It was all she could think of to say. It was the only thing she wanted to say.

  Luke crossed the distance between them and lifted her gently, wet towel and all, into his strong arms. She felt at home there, instinctively remembering from her dreams the safe embrace of the day he had saved her life. He kissed her gently on her forehead. She closed her eyes and laid her head under his chin, breathing a simple prayer of thanks to God. All things were possible with God and she thanked Him a thousand times for bringing Luke back into her life once more.

  As he sat down in the chair with her in his arms, a thought occurred to her.

  “Luke, what will people say? It seems so fast. What about Sarah?”

  “It’s not so fast. I’ve known you for almost a year, and really, for my whole life. I’ve been waiting for you forever. As for Sarah, she’s a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. As for what people think, who cares?” She started to say something, but he lifted a finger and pressed it to her lips. “Seriously, who cares?” he whispered quietly.

  She stared into his eyes and couldn’t quite think of a reason she should care what anyone else thought. Everything that had been on her mind was forgotten as she felt herself caught up in his serious gaze. Her lips tingled where his finger touched them lightly, and his words warmed her.

  “You’re right.” Then another thought occurred to her. “What about Caleb? Will he be all right with this?”

  “Are you serious? That kid thinks you’re the best thing since the Cardinals won the World Series. Caleb will be thrilled.” Luke gave her that slow, easy smile and her heart tripped.

  “And I think he is, too.”

  Luke looked intently into her eyes. Then he leaned forward and kissed her gently on her mouth. It was a prayer and a vow wrapped in one exquisite gesture, and Tess felt her heart melt. She felt him sigh as he pulled back and she laid her head on his shoulder, watching seabirds dip and dive in the distance over the sound.

  “I want to ask you something before we talk about other things. So many other things.” His voice was low and gruff as it rumbled close to her ear. She peered up and caught the serious look on his handsome face.

  “Okay. What is it?” She pulled back and put a hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment and then drew her hand to his mouth to kiss the palm gently.

  “Are you okay with attending church with Caleb and me? Are you still struggling with your faith?”

  The look in his beautiful eyes was so intense. Tess realized that this was a very important matter to him. He was a man of strong faith. He lived it daily and made certain that his son knew God, as well. Her whole life prior to the bombing had been predicated on faith and her love of God. She had become lost for a while, but knew that she was making her way back to Him. The anger was gone and had been replaced by hope.

  She smiled at Luke gently and stroked her hand over his cheek. “Of course I’ll attend services with you and Caleb. The anger is gone, Luke. I may not have the answers I was looking for, but I have faith now that He had a plan. I just happened to be an unwilling witness to it. But I know now in my heart that I was there for a reason, and so were you. No struggles on my part any longer. It was His will. I’m making my way home.”

  The light that shone in Luke’s eyes almost took her breath away, and she caught it again when he leaned forward and kissed her gently, framing her face with his strong hands.

  “He brought me you not once, but twice. How blessed I am,” Luke said softly against her lips. Tess’s heart melted at his words. Then a thought struck her.

  “Oh
, the time!” She stood up, reluctant to leave the safe haven of his arms. “The aunts will be here soon. I have to shower and get dressed or I’ll be sitting at the luncheon in a wet bathing suit.”

  He gave a disappointed pout before giving her that wonderful smile, and her heart skipped a beat. She hoped that feeling never went away, and she promised herself that she would never let it, although she had a pretty good idea she wouldn’t have to try too hard.

  Had there ever been a better day? she wondered. Had God ever given her so much at once? Again she sent a heartfelt prayer heavenward. Life was so good. Let the courtship begin.

  Epilogue

  “Butterfly, this is Hummingbird. Come in, Butterfly.” Katie Salter held the walkie-talkie close to her mouth as she tried to get her sister to answer. No response. “Butterfly, are you there?” No response.

  “Maybe she put it down somewhere,” Luke suggested, when he saw the look of consternation on Miss Katie’s face.

  “Well, she had better pick it up. I’ve got a bride ready to walk down the aisle. Where could my sister be?”

  “We’ll go look if you want us to, Aunt Hummingbird.” Little Annie piped up, and her twin sister nodded her bright red head in agreement.

  “Aunt Katie, dear, and yes—please go see if you can find her. And don’t get your dresses dirty.” Katie looked down at her great-grandniece with a pained look on her face. Clearly the moniker Aunt Hummingbird didn’t sit well with her, even from a six-year-old. Ah well, Luke thought. Terms of endearment.

  “I like Aunt Hummingbird better,” the little girl said pertly, before she raced off in the direction of the backyard.

  “So do I,” Luke heard little Katie assure her sister as they ran past him.

  “Relax, Miss Katie. Everything is beautiful and we have plenty of time,” Luke assured the older woman with a smile.

  His wedding day. He was in awe. A year ago if someone had told him that he would be getting married he would have laughed at them. He couldn’t have imagined it happening. Today he couldn’t imagine it not happening. He couldn’t imagine life without Tess, and he didn’t want to. It seemed that he had been waiting for her all his life and now she was here. Soon, the good Lord willing, they would have a family—brothers and sisters for Caleb. Tess would be a wonderful mother, and with God’s help he would try his best each day to be a good father to his children.

  “Luke, you’d better get out there. Tell Adam that he needs to be with you. Did you give Michael the ring? Where is Michael?” Miss Katie looked around the guest room as if searching for the two men.

  “Aunt Katie, I gave him the ring, and he’s already out by the rose trellis with Caleb and Adam.”

  Katie heaved a sigh and then shot Luke a critical look, her face softening slightly as she took in his appearance.

  “I declare, child, you are so handsome, especially in those dress blues. And I like that you just called me Aunt Katie. Makes it official that in an hour you will be family for real.” She cleared her throat and Luke could have sworn that he saw her eyes tear up. She really was a sweetheart. He walked over to her and took her in his arms, hugging her tightly.

  “Love you, Auntie,” he whispered above her head.

  “Love you back, nephew.” She cleared her throat again and pushed him away, patting his chest with both hands. “All righty, then. I really must find Annie and figure out what’s going on out there. The natives are probably getting restless.”

  Just then, the walkie-talkie crackled and Miss Annie’s voice could be heard asking for Hummingbird. Katie scooped up the handset and shot an exasperated look at Luke, while pointing to the door.

  “Annie! Where have you been?”

  “I’ve been here—well, mostly here, until Jack ran off with the walkie-talkie. The babies found it under one of the food tables in the buffet tent. So anyway, I thought I was Butterfly.”

  “You are Butterfly. Sheesh.”

  “What did you need? Oh…over. Am I supposed to say over?”

  “No, you don’t have to say over. Is everything in place? Is Reverend Fulcher ready?”

  “Yeppers. You can send the bride out stat. Everyone has been seated… I think.”

  “What does that mean, you think?”

  Katie sighed, shaking her head, and locked eyes again with a grinning Luke. A smile lit her face in return as she made hand motions, shooing him from the room. He walked out the door and headed for his place in front of the seated guests. He was more than ready.

  *

  “You look beautiful, girl. Are you nervous?” Livie asked. She helped her cousin Harper and Luke’s sister, Molly, fluff the skirt of Tess’s wedding dress one more time before putting her hands on Tess’s shoulders and leaning in to kiss her cheeks.

  “I hope Luke thinks so. No, not nervous, just anxious to get started on a new chapter in my life.” Tess smiled at her sister-in-law and Harper before looking in the mirror.

  “Well, if Hummingbird and Butterfly have their way, your day will be nothing short of perfect. And how could Luke not think you’re beautiful, especially today? I suspect he thinks you’re the best thing since colored jelly beans, anyway,” Harper said stoutly as she adjusted Tess’s fingertip wedding veil and small pearl tiara one more time. “Perfect,” she pronounced softly. “Just so perfect. Too bad your parents couldn’t be here.”

  Tess liked Livie’s cousin Harper and Luke’s sister, Molly. Harper and her children were getting ready to move back to Swansboro after a long absence. She was just as kind and loving as Livie, and Tess was happy to have her at the wedding.

  As for Molly, she had welcomed Tess with open arms and an open heart, as had her husband, Sam. Luke’s nieces and nephews were funny and warm. It was a big, wonderful family and she was happy that she was part of it now.

  Turning to the mirror, she looked at herself thoughtfully one last time. She missed her parents and wished they could be there, but it couldn’t be helped. Once again they were in the middle of nowhere in Africa and couldn’t get out in time. Bless them both. The work they were doing as medical missionaries was important, but they promised a celebration when they returned. They couldn’t wait to meet Luke and their new grandson.

  “Come on, girls, it’s time…” Katie poked her head in the door and her voice trailed away when she saw Tess. “Oh, my dear. You are stunning. Simply stunning. Words fail me.” The older woman’s face softened as she continued to stare at Tess. “You know, I think you are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen,” she declared quietly.

  Tess moved over to hug Aunt Katie. “Thank you,” she whispered in her ear. “Thank you for everything.”

  The woman nodded before speaking. “Don’t thank me yet, dear. Annie is out there and I have no idea what the seating looks like.”

  Livie and Tess laughed as they took Aunt Katie’s arms and headed for the garden. Harper gave Tess a thumbs-up as she left to take her place in the audience, and Molly kissed her cheek.

  Livie was Tess’s matron of honor. Little Katie and Annie were doing double duty as flower girls and bridesmaids. Aunt Katie and Aunt Annie were giving the bride away. Adam, Caleb and Mike were Luke’s groomsmen.

  Mike was still adjusting to life after his injury. Just a week before the end of his deployment, he was injured by an improvised explosive device, leading to an amputation of his lower leg. Recovery had been a struggle, but the wedding had given him a goal to aim for—he’d been bound and determined to adjust to his prosthesis so he could stand by his best friend on Luke’s wedding day.

  To Tess’s mind it was perfect. All family in the wedding party, which was exactly how she wanted it.

  She looked over to a corner in the kitchen at her cane and smiled softly. She didn’t need it any longer.

  When they arrived at the French doors and stepped out, Tess could only smile and breathe a soft prayer of thanks to God. The day could not have been more perfect. It was late afternoon, that wonderful time before dusk. The weather was soft and warm, wi
th a gentle breeze blowing in off the sound. The sky was a clear Carolina blue with only a few puffy clouds drifting through it. The flowers in the garden were still in full bloom and the scent of the old cream and lavender roses that hung from the trellis mingled with the fresh salt air.

  More than a hundred people were seated in white wooden chairs on either side of the velvety green grass aisle. As Tess had come to know more people in the village, the aunts had increased the size of the invitation list considerably.

  “Well, we can’t leave certain people out,” Aunt Katie has reasoned, and Tess had let them go. They had worked so hard to bring this day together and she loved them even more for all they had done.

  “Ready?” Livie gave Tess’s arm a squeeze as she motioned for her daughters to come over. The younger twins picked up two white wicker baskets from the table on the terrace. They had filled them with petals from the garden earlier in the day.

  “More than ready,” Tess said, as Aunt Annie came up and took one of her arms, and Aunt Katie the other.

  “I declare, Tess, I am so proud of you. You are lovely.” Annie breathed the words softly as the string quartet began playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D. “Look at Luke, dear.”

  Tess glanced toward the trellis and caught her breath at the sight of him standing tall and proud in his dress blues. He was so ruggedly handsome that love mingled with pride in her.

  So, marine, here we are, she thought. And I couldn’t love you more.

  She marveled at the look in his eyes. She saw love and felt it even from this far away, mirroring the love for him that filled her heart. It enveloped her as if she was being held in his strong arms.

  The little twins, with their mother following close behind, made their way down the aisle, tossing flower petals left and right. They took the job seriously, to the point that several guests ended up with petals in their laps and on their feet. Tess heard Joey Mason yell “Hey,” as the girls seemed to take particular delight in flinging petals in his direction, and Livie had to grab their little arms and steer them toward the end of the aisle. Their whispered protests carried back to Tess and she began to laugh, as did nearly all the guests.