Into the Storm: Into the Storm Trilogy Book One

by Serene Conneeley

  Turning back to the bride, who was becoming even more radiant with every step she took towards her beloved, Beth was overwhelmed with pride and love for this girl – this woman – who she’d grown up beside, who’d suffered at the hands of their mother too, far more than she’d known at the time, but who had never let her gentle heart feel resentment or lash out in anger.

  As though she felt the thought, Jenny looked up at her and smiled, then mouthed “I love you,” to her.

  Afraid that she would break down and start crying with the emotion of it all, Beth shifted her eyes back to the groom, and was overwhelmed all over again by the love and pride on his face as he gazed adoringly at his bride-to-be.

  The ceremony was beautiful, but passed all too fast. The priest’s words rippled over Beth. “Dearly beloved. We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and woman in Holy Matrimony…”

  Words of protection and promise, vows to love and obey, declarations about the bond and covenant of marriage, in God’s name. Standing next to her sister, she couldn’t see her, but she was transfixed by the look on Josh’s face, a look of such love, such devotion. She wanted someone to look at her that way, and it moved her greatly to see it, to know it was possible.

  The priest’s words broke into her reverie.

  “Jennifer, will you have this man to be your husband, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honour him and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him for as long as you both shall live?” he asked sternly.

  Her sister nodded, then found her voice. “I will.”

  “And will you, Joshua, have this woman to be your wife, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honour her and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her for as long as you both shall live?”

  His face lit up even further. “I will.”

  “And do you promise each other to give and receive love with faith and trust?” the priest continued. “To speak and listen with kindness and consideration, and in all circumstances of your lives be loyal to and respect each other?”

  “We do.”

  Then, almost reluctantly, the priest indicated that they should share their vows. Josh took his bride’s hand and spoke, his voice gentle, yet clear and strong, projecting to the furthest corners of the old stone building. He had no need of notes, as he’d committed his promises to memory and was simply speaking from the heart.

  Darling Jenny, you are my dearest friend and my one true love, the person I trust and respect more than any other, and the one who knows me best, flaws and all.

  Today I am so grateful that you have granted my greatest wish, by becoming my wife, and I am so honoured that you have taken me to be your husband.

  I promise you that I will trust you and honour you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully and deeply through our life’s challenges and adventures.

  I promise you that I will cherish the depth and breadth of our friendship always. I will commit to the work goals we share. And I will love you today, tomorrow and forever.

  I promise you that I will encourage you to explore and grow, to change if you are called to do that, to fulfil all of your dreams, and, most importantly, to always be totally yourself – because it is you, just the way you are, and will be, that I love and adore more than life itself.

  Darling Jenny, I am so honoured to stand before you on this magical day, and so excited to take this next step with you on our wonderful journey of the truest love.

  His eyes were shining as he finished, lit up with love and devotion, and Beth doubted there was a dry eye in the place. Well, her parents excluded, but what would they know of love? Then the priest indicated it was Jenny’s turn to speak her vows.

  My darling Josh, you are my closest and dearest friend, the one person on earth who knows me fully and completely, insecurities and all, and loves me despite them.

  With you I feel safe, I feel supported, I feel accepted and I feel seen. Your love has changed me, has bettered me, has transformed me – you have let me see all that I can be, and you make me want to achieve it. You inspire me to be more than I am, better than I am, kinder than I am, to be the light-filled being you see when you look at me.

  I promise you that with every breath I take I will love you, and support you, and cherish you, and adore you.

  I promise you that I will appreciate you, and inspire you, and forgive you, and trust you, and honour you.

  I am so proud to stand with you today and profess my love for you to all of our friends and family members, and I’m so excited to be leaping in to our brave new adventure in our magical home, manifesting our love and passion into reality, changing the world through our commitment, our dedication, and our sense of shared purpose.

  Darling Josh, you are my partner in life and my one true love, the keeper of my heart and the guardian of my soul, and I will love you through every moment of our journeys and adventures together – today, tomorrow and forever.

  When Jenny finished speaking, Beth had tears streaming down her face, so touched by the beauty of her sister’s words and the sentiments she’d expressed. Joy and relief swept over her, that Jenny had found someone who had healed the soul their mother had broken, someone who made her realise how worthy of love she was, someone who saw her. It reminded her so profoundly of the healing she’d had with Rose, when she had felt seen, and accepted, and loved, for the first time in her life, and she had a new respect and admiration for her sister’s husband.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the priest, who was coughing for attention and looking very uncomfortable. With a stoic expression he turned to Brandon to receive the rings. Then, a sour look on his face, he held out his hand to Katie and placed the beautiful rose-gold wedding bands in her palm.

  “Jennifer and Joshua want to pass these rings among the six of you, their dearest friends, to add your blessings to them before they exchange them,” he stated, disapproval clear in his voice and his posture.

  Panicked, Beth looked at Katie, who was holding the rings to her heart, then followed their progress as she handed them to Phoebe, who raised them to her mouth and solemnly whispered words into them, before passing them to Beth.

  She glanced at her sister, not sure she was worthy of this honour, but Jenny smiled at her and mouthed “thank you,” and Beth felt the warmth of her sister’s love flooding through every cell of her body.

  Clutching the rings tightly in her hands, she held them to her heart. She wasn’t certain that she knew the right thing to do, but her thoughts drifted to Rose and all she’d said of intention. So, closing her eyes and going within, she said a little spell, or wish, for Jenny and Josh’s happiness, then handed the rings back to the priest. With a frown at her, he took them over to Mike.

  Beth peered at him nervously, worried that he would feel out of his depth and not clear on what he had to do, but with a quick smile across at her, he closed his eyes, held the rings in his left hand while moving his lips slightly, then passed them to Eric. She almost laughed out loud. Of course she shouldn’t have worried – Mike had been dating a priestess’s daughter for years!

  Finally Brandon had the rings in his hands, and he said a silent prayer before returning them to the priest, who looked relieved to have them back. Beth risked a quick glance at her parents, and it took every ounce of her strength not to roll on the floor laughing at the anger and disapproval radiating from them. Jenny caught her eye, and they exchanged a conspiratorial and elated smile of triumph, before turning back to the proceedings. They would not let their judgemental parents spoil even a second of this magical day.

  “These rings will be a reminder to Jennifer and Joshua of this special day that you are sharing with them and supporting them in,” he said to the bridal party, then turned back to the congregation with relief.

  “But most
importantly they are a symbol of the promises Jennifer and Joshua have made to each other before God,” he concluded, while Jenny rolled her eyes and Beth tried to hide her grin at his obvious dismay at their unconventional addition to the ceremony.

  Again Josh stepped forward. “My darling Jenny, I offer you this ring as a symbol of my enduring love.”

  Smiling, Jenny moved towards him, and he slid the ring onto her finger. “My beloved, I will wear this always to seal our vows with love,” she said, gazing joyfully down at the plain but pretty engraved rose-gold band. She’d told Beth that diamonds would be wasted on her while she worked outdoors and in the freezing seas off the Orkney Isles, and this ring was perfect.

  “And my darling Josh, I offer you this ring as a symbol of my enduring love.”

  Leaning close, he extended his own hand, and she slid the matching band onto his finger. “My darling Jenny, I will wear this always to seal our vows with love,” he echoed.

  Looking a lot more comfortable now that they were back on familiar ground, the priest stood between the happy couple and addressed the audience.

  “Jennifer and Joshua have come here today to celebrate their marriage, by committing themselves to each other, in front of us who witness their promises, and to God who seals it for them. I now pronounce them joined together in love, as husband and wife, for as long as they both shall live. You may now kiss the bride,” he said, and hastily stepped out of the way as Josh pulled his new wife into his arms and kissed her passionately. Clapping and cheering, and the odd wolf whistle, echoed through the church.

  After a few last words from the priest, Beth suddenly found herself walking back down the aisle in Jenny’s wake, Mike holding her hand again to steady her, and the rest of the bridal party keeping step with them. First there was a short photo shoot on the steps of the church, followed by a longer, more formal one in the park across the road. Then they all climbed back into the limo and headed to the reception so they could finally let down their hair, Beth ecstatic that she’d have some glamorous photos of her with Mike – a reminder of their closeness on this magical day, and of their friendship. For a moment she even wished that Violet had been able to share it with them too.

  The reception was as personal and romantic as the wedding ceremony had been. After a casual dinner, Katie and Eric both gave hilarious yet touching speeches, and had all the guests moving from laughter to tears and back again. Josh’s parents both spoke as well, welcoming Jenny to their family, and sharing how much their son had blossomed since he met her. And then the groom stood up and brought the house down with a wonderful toast to his beloved, and Beth was awed again by the love he had for her sister, a love that was so clearly returned just as strongly and deeply.

  A few times she cast a furtive glance at their mother, and each time she received a death stare in return. Patricia had not been happy, to say the least, that Jenny had refused to let her speak, although she suspected it was more from the perceived insult than from any real desire to wish her daughter well. Her face had been like thunder in the church too, when the priest had passed the rings around the bridal party, but Jenny clearly didn’t care at all that her mother wasn’t impressed by her choices.

  This was her day, and Beth was so proud that, while Jenny had gone along with some of their mother’s expectations, she’d put her foot down on the things that really mattered to her. She’d agreed to a church wedding, but had added the ring ritual and their own vows to make it theirs. And judging by the speeches and the toasts being made, their parents had no idea who their daughter was or what she had planned for her life anyway. Beth was discovering new depths to her sister.

  Finally Brandon stood up, and tapped his champagne glass with his fork for attention. “Now, I know you all want to hit the dance floor, and the band is warming up as I speak, but on behalf of my brother and his beautiful wife, I just wanted to thank you all for coming today, and making my little brother’s big day even more perfect than he’d imagined,” he began.

  “Josh and I spent most of our lives together – growing up alongside one another, going to school together, then to university. Holidaying, surfing, adventuring together. We even did our research in the same field, and graduated at the same time, so we could start our big, bold company together. But all that came to an abrupt end the night he met Jenny – and I couldn’t be happier about that! I love you Jen. You are the sister I never had, the sweetest girl I know, and I thank you for showing all of us what real love is.”

  Raising his glass, he stared at the glowing couple and smiled with genuine joy. “Jen and Josh, as you undertake your united journey through life, returning to your beloved Scottish isles, may your joys be as deep as the ocean and your misfortunes as light as its foam. May you ride the waves at work and at home in harmony with each other and with nature, and always pull together, whether the tide is with you or against you. May this loving bond you share grow deeper and stronger every day, enriching your lives and the lives of those around you. You inspire us, you challenge us, you make us all want to be better. I love you both so much – everyone here does – and wish you the happiest of lives together.”

  For a moment his voice cracked, but he recovered quickly. “Now, I think we all need some of that amazing cake, and then we’ll hit the dance floor.”

  He sat down to rowdy cheers, and Jenny and Josh laughed as they stood up to cut the cake as instructed. It was a massive three-tiered confection, with the top layer angled precariously, so Beth went over to help Josh’s mum serve it up, before taking two pieces and returning to Mike’s side.

  Part of her had been dreading this night, worried that their parents would somehow ruin it, would embarrass Jenny on her big day, and that she would feel out of place and in the way. Yet she was having the most fun she’d had in ages, and Mike was the perfect date. Not that it meant anything, she reminded herself quickly. This was a strictly one-night-only thing, Mike on loan to her from Violet.

  But when he asked her to dance, all that fell away, and she felt like she was in a dream of some kind, where all the pain and rejection she’d held so close to her melted and slipped away, and all her angst dissolved, so that the only thing she could feel was peace and contentment.

  Swaying in the circle of his arms, one of his hands on her shoulder, the other low on her back, she felt safe, and protected, and perfectly content with the world.

  “Did Violet mind you coming as my date tonight?” she whispered up at him, then blushed. She hadn’t meant to use that word. “You know what I mean,” she muttered.

  He smiled at her, kindness and warmth blazing in his eyes. “Of course she didn’t mind. She knew how awkward you felt about attending on your own, of not having anyone to walk you down the aisle, or sit with at dinner, so she suggested that I ask Jenny if I could accompany you.”

  Oh god, how embarrassing! That was even worse than Violet minding! Her thoughts must have played out across her face, because Mike stopped dancing and squeezed her shoulder. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, silly. You haven’t lived here for years, so why would you know anyone you wanted to bring with you tonight?” he asked – which just made Beth wish even harder that the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

  A tap on her shoulder was a welcome distraction from the awkward moment, and she spun around with relief. It was Jenny, who asked Mike if she could cut in, then swung her sister around the dance floor. Soon they were laughing like little kids, and Beth felt another part of her starting to heal.

  “I just wanted to thank you for being such an important part of my big day sis. Having you here made it complete,” Jenny said, and Beth smiled, but shook her head.

  “No, thank you for allowing me to be part of it,” she insisted. “I’m so happy for you, and to see how perfect you and Josh are for each other, to know that you’re so deeply loved, and so in love – it means the world to me. And I’m just so grateful that I’ve been able to spend this time with you over the past few weeks, and r
econnect with you. I guess I let my anger with Mother and the misery of my childhood spill over and taint my feelings for you, and I’m so sorry for that.”

  Jenny drew her into her arms. “Sweet Beth, please don’t worry about that. We’re both free of them now, free to live our own lives, and I want you to create the life you’ve always wanted, to do what makes you happy. Promise me you will?” she implored her.

  Something clicked within Beth, and she felt a rush of freedom and confidence wash over her. Yes. It was time she stopped using her awful, cruel parents and her miserable childhood as an excuse for her life not being great. Time to take some responsibility and stop jumping from one thing to another, sabotaging her self and her potential career.

  She knew deep down that she wanted to be a teacher, she’d always known, so she had to stop messing around, doing whatever jobs came her way, and make that happen. Melisande and Julius had got a temporary nanny in to cover her for the time she’d planned to be gone – but she would call them tomorrow and let them know she wouldn’t be returning to France. Then she would call the nearest college and find out what she had to do to enrol. Term should be starting soon, and she hoped she could be in class from day one.

  When Jenny hugged her again then left to thank the other bridesmaids, Beth made her way back to Mike, eyes burning with joy and passion.

  “Wow, I’ve never seen you look so happy,” he said warmly. “I’m really glad.”

  She threw her arms around him. “Thank you so much Mike, you and Violet, for seeing the best in me when I couldn’t, and for sharing your lives with me, and being such wonderful friends,” she raved, brimming over with gratitude, and exhilaration.

  “I’ve just realised that I’ve put my life on hold for the last few years. I’ve been treading water, in some twisted attempt to get back at my parents. But the truth is, nothing I do or don’t do will make them happy, and nothing I do or don’t do will punish them. So I have to stop avoiding what I really want to do in an effort to spite them, and just move on and make my life work for me. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, so tomorrow I’m going to find out how to get my qualifications,” she said, words falling over each other as she tried to explain her new-found enthusiasm.