As she raised her head to look at Shane, something caught her attention. She’d barely glimpsed it out of the corner of her eye, but it was far too dramatic to dismiss.
It caused her to draw in her breath sharply in utter surprise.
Shane stiffened. “What is it?” he asked, looking around and not knowing just what to expect.
Cris pointed behind him. “Mama’s azalea bush,” she said in wonder. “It was in full bloom this morning. I thought it was Mama’s way of saying she was happy about Alex finally marrying Wyatt. But look at it now!” she cried.
The azalea bush was the very last thing on his mind, but he knew how special that plant was to her. So he turned toward where the bush had been planted.
The bush was an explosion of blossoms and color. He’d never seen anything like it. “Is it supposed to do that?” he wanted to know.
“The blossoms have tripled in size.” Smiling at him, she said, “You realize what that means?”
He took a guess grounded in fact. “Silvio overfertilized it?”
“No.” She laughed. “It means that Mama’s not just happy about Alex and Wyatt, but about us, too. I think she wants us to stay married.”
He took Cris back into his arms. This was going to work out, he told himself, finally beginning to relax. “Well, that makes two of us.”
“Three,” Cris corrected, her eyes dancing. “That makes three of us.”
“Can’t beat those odds,” he agreed.
“Don’t you even try,” she told him just before he kissed her again.
EPILOGUE
“WELL, WE DID IT. We got them married,” Richard announced happily.
He had come to the tiny private cemetery and he was standing between the headstones of his wife and his best friend.
Oh, their remains might be buried beneath his feet, but he knew Amy and Dan weren’t really there. Their essence, the special thing that made them who they were, was all around him. Both were with him in spirit, and would be no matter where he might go.
“I wish you both could have been there—in fact as well as in spirit,” he went on. “Alex made a beautiful bride, Amy. And Wyatt, Wyatt never looked handsomer, Dan. You would have been proud of them,” he said. “They were a striking couple.
“But that we were all prepared for. The surprise,” he continued with a smile, “was when Cris and Shane came down the aisle. Rather, when Cris came down the aisle after Alex to join Shane, who was standing beside Wyatt at the altar. I was as surprised as anyone when I saw them. Turns out it was all a last-minute thing—really last-minute,” he emphasized.
Richard laughed, shaking his head. He was still a little stunned by it all.
“You know that marriage of convenience Cris and Shane had agreed to so she could to keep custody of Ricky? Seems those two really did have feelings for each other. Strong feelings that apparently blossomed into love when no one was watching.
“From what I gather,” he continued, getting comfortable in his recitation, “Cris looked so wistful helping Alex into her dress that when she let slip she and Shane were staying married, Alex immediately suggested a double wedding. You know Cris—she doesn’t like to fuss. But according to Stevi, the girls could all see how much she wanted to have a real wedding, with flowers and everything—you remember I told you she married her first husband in city hall, so the girl never had a proper wedding. Anyway, Alex, Stevi and Andy wouldn’t take no for an answer. They got your wedding dress out of the attic and it fit Cris like a dream—”
Richard paused and sighed. “When the music played and I saw her walking down the aisle, it was almost like seeing you on our wedding day all over again—I can’t begin to tell you how much I miss you, Amy.”
His eyes were misting and he wiped his eyes with the tips of his fingers.
“I know, I know, I’m not supposed to get sentimental. But you two will have to cut me a little slack, here,” he told them. “This has been a very emotional day.
“As for Shane—he’s a fine man, Amy. You’d like him. Strong, handsome—reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age,” Richard added with a chuckle. “Anyway, you’d think that he’d look out of place in the wedding party beside Wyatt, but that boy of yours, Dan, he’s got a gift for making things happen. Managed to make a few phone calls, and before you know it, Shane is in a tux looking just as splendid as Wyatt. It was a sight that would have warmed any parent’s heart. It certainly did mine.” Richard beamed.
“So now it’s done. Two down and two to go, Amy. Although between you and me, honey, whoever winds up with Stevi’s going to have to have the patience of Job. She’s a handful and she talks faster than anyone on my side of the family....” He trailed off and was silent for a moment. “I’m a lucky, lucky man, having those girls for daughters. The only thing that would have made me luckier is if you could have stayed just a little while longer, Amy. You, too, Dan.” He looked at his best friend’s headstone. “It gets lonely sometimes, not hearing your voices, being the only one doing all the talking. But I know what you’d both say.”
He nodded.
“Yes, I’ll carry on for the three of us until we can all be reunited again.”
Richard looked toward the rear of the inn. He needed to be getting back before someone came looking for him.
“I’ll keep you posted,” he promised, and turned, but glanced over his shoulder at the headstones one last time.
Then, with a smile, thinking of the family waiting for him at the reception, Richard began to walk slowly back along the winding path that led to the inn.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460324851
A WEDDING FOR CHRISTMAS
Copyright © 2014 by Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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