She hung up and grinned at Luke. “Music. Check!”
Luke took the mop from her and sent her to decorate. “I’ll finish this and then put up chairs behind you. It’ll be easier for you to work if you don’t have to fight the chairs.”
~*~*~*~
The children were asleep. The house—silent. Aggie and Luke found themselves seated across from each other at the island playing paper hockey with plastic knives as sticks. The clock struck a quarter ‘til midnight. Luke grinned. “Fifteen minutes and it’s our wedding day.”
“I thought you were going to say you had to leave, so I wouldn’t see you.”
“Are you kidding? This is the first chance I’ve had to be alone with you all day!”
Feeling quite flirtatious, Aggie shook her head. “What, two weeks of no one but me isn’t enough?”
“Never.”
Her knife batted the wad of paper around on her side for several seconds before she sent it flying across the countertop. “Are you nervous?”
“About what? Tomorrow or two weeks?”
“About all of it?” Illogically, her lower lip trembled.
“Mibs? You ok?”
“Yeah… I think.”
Luke didn’t hesitate. In seconds, he engulfed Aggie in his arms, murmuring reassurances and prayers for comfort and confidence. “If you have any doubts—” his voice cracked as he tried to say the last thing he’d ever want to speak.
“No! No doubts—just a few fears and a lot of worries.”
“Do you trust me?”
She nodded.
“Do you trust Jesus?”
Smiling, Aggie whispered, “Yes, of course.”
“Then it’ll be ok. He’ll never fail you, even when I do.”
“If—”
“Unfortunately it isn’t if, Mibs. It’s when.”
The clock struck midnight. Aggie’s face brightened. “Today is my wedding day! Last year—right now—I was probably stumbling downstairs, tripping over toys and laundry and today my house looks like it was decorated for a bridal magazine.”
“Not a magazine—just you. It’s decorated for you.”
“For us.”
Though he’d been given permission at their engagement party, Luke hadn’t risked another brotherly kiss on her forehead or cheek, but after just a moment’s hesitation, he kissed the palm of her hand, closed it, and murmured, “Hold it there for a few more hours. Goodnight, my Mibs.”
“Night.”
Mibs says: I wanted to say something while you weren’t around to make me too shy to say it.
Mibs says: I love you. I know you know that, but I don’t think you really realize just how much I really do love you. How’s that for a lot of real-ity?
Mibs says: So, I want to tell you while I know you can’t get on and make me self-conscious. I love you. I love how you think of my children as yours. I love how you put us before you even when it is uncomfortable for you or a financial blow.
Mibs says: Sigh. This is hard. I love how you smile at me. The way those smiles make my stomach flop is the most wonderful feeling.
Mibs says: The way you reach for me and then hesitate, making sure you are being honorable in your actions.
Mibs says: I love the tone of your voice when you say you love me.
Mibs says: I love knowing that you mean it when you say it.
Mibs says: And how you protect me, even from my children and from myself.
Mibs says: I love your delight in your sisters, your nieces, and your nephews. I love how you cherish your mother and how that spills over into cherishing me. I’ve never doubted how you’d treat me. It shows every day in how you treat them.
Mibs says: And I love how you call me “Mibs.” I love the way you say it, the tone of your voice, the little smirk around your lips…
Mibs says: Whew. This is killing me. I love that you find me attractive. You don’t say much, but I see it in how you respond to me. It amazes how much I see that you desire only me.
Mibs says: But most of all, I think I love the way you love the Lord even more than you love me. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Mibs says: I love that I get to be the one you call wife.
Mibs says: Goodnight.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Here We Come
Saturday, March 7th
Never had Aggie been more covered while wearing only her underwear. The photographer snapped a dozen pictures, promising that she would not upload them to the website, and hurried downstairs after Tina. Left alone, Aggie stared at her fingers, trying to remember when they’d been painted the delicate pink that now sparkled at her in the light. The room smelled strange—like a florist’s shop and beauty parlor combined into one unique business.
Her eyes rose and gazed into the mirror. Was it really her in the reflection? It wasn’t just the cosmetics that she rarely wore or the hairstyle that she loved but had taken much too long to repeat on any kind of regular basis. No, something else was different. She was different. Maybe that’s what becoming a wife meant.
Fingers slid across the vanity for her phone. She hesitated and then typed a quick message. ARE YOU GETTING EXCITED?
The reply came much swifter than she expected. GETTING? I’M ALREADY THERE. Another followed seconds later—Luke was much swifter as a texter than as a conversationalist or messenger. I LOVED YOUR MESSAGES LAST NIGHT. I WROTE A SET FOR YOU TOO.
Happiness welled in her heart. It had been the right decision. As difficult as it was, telling him was probably the best gift she could give someone like Luke. Her fingers flew over the keys. JUST A FEW MORE MINUTES—LESS THAN FIFTEEN!
He replied with just three simple letters. CYE
Aggie flew to her laptop, flipping it open as the photographer stepped back in the room. “Tina is on her way back up, but you’ve got to see what I caught.”
Frustrated at the delay in reading the note, Aggie tried to give real attention to the picture the photographer, Vickie, tried to show her and was rewarded. “Oh, it’s perfect! I can’t wait for her to see that.”
“You’d think she was the bride, wouldn’t you?”
“He loves her. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
Vickie disagreed. “I think he does now.”
Tina burst into the room, “Ok, I think everything is nearly ready. Ian is settled in with Libby, the little girls have their baskets full of petals, and Vannie is coming up right away. I promised her some pale lipstick and a slight gloss, so don’t panic.”
The email popped up and Aggie turned away from the others, lying on her stomach across her bed, reading. Her feet kicked the air absently, as each line filled her mind and heart. Once finished, she scrolled up and read again.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: My Dear Mibs,
I just read your “how do I love thee, let me count the ways” messages and was inspired? compelled? anxious? to open my heart in a similar fashion.
I love your smile. It reaches from somewhere within you and radiates until it touches everyone in sight. I think it is what first touched my heart.
I love your grit. No, it doesn’t sound very romantic, but it is a beautiful thing to see you pick up, time after time, and keep going when I know you want to quit—even if just for a while.
I love how much you enjoy life. You make it an adventure and take everyone you know along for the ride. I will never be able to merely exist. That is marvelous.
I love that you accept all of me. I’m slow to say what I think and feel, and you never make me feel awkward about that. I don’t have your education, but never have you made me feel intellectually inadequate.
I love that already you think of me as “your” Luke. I can almost hear you at ninety, rocking away in your chair, toothless and silly saying, “My Luke…”
Most of all, though, I love how your love of the Lord shows through every song that overflows your spirit in praise to Him. You
r smile may have first touched my heart, but your songs first drew me to you.
We have a lifetime together starting in just a few hours. I am sure it will be as beautiful as you are.
I do love you dearly,
Luke
“I need Kleenex!”
Tina threw the box onto the bed and ordered, “Do not cry, Agathena Grace Milliken! Do. Not. Cry. We don’t have time for reconstruction on your face!”
“But it’s so beautiful.”
“Close it.”
Aggie glared at the women who dared order such a thing, but Tina’s hand snapped the lid shut before she could stop it. “I can’t believe—”
“We can’t afford it. You can read it again later. I always knew that man was a sap.”
A giggle escaped. “Isn’t it great?”
“Get her in that dress before we have a mess on our hands.”
Vannie arrived just in time to help protect the skirt from getting wrinkled. While they zipped and hooked her up, the photographer stepped outside the door and beckoned someone. Martha stepped in the room seconds later.
“Oh, Aggie!”
“Mom! Should you be up here?”
“Try to keep me out!”
Mother and daughter clung to each other, both trying ineffectually not to cry. Desperate to salvage Aggie’s face, Tina thrust tissues into their hands. “Please try to keep from wiping off her foundation!”
“You should have used waterproof and smudge proof mascara!”
Tina snorted. “I did! I’m worried about the rest of you!”
A knock at the door signaled the beginning of the rest of her life. “Aggie? Are you ready?” Ron stepped into the room. “It’s time…”
The next moments passed in a blur that her memory could never seem to separate into discernible and distinct moments. She remembered a prayer—that familiar time of communion with her father and her Father. The gate that was supposed to take just a moment to attach behind them refused to stay in place, nearly causing her to fall several times. Had people heard their giggles?
Music drifted to them, changing from one song to the next—what songs were they? Aggie couldn’t remember the names. Illogically, she thanked the Lord for enough room on the stairs for her father to walk beside her. The wide stairs that seemed such a waste of space during her first days in the house were now cherished memories in just the flash of a second.
She refused to look at Luke’s face at first—certain that she would weep. Her eyes sought her mother, Libby, Zeke. Lips—they must be her father’s—touched her cheek. A trail of dampness slid down her face. Were they her tears or his?
Hands covered hers and Zeke stepped up to face them at the base of the stairs. Aggie’s eyes lifted and met Luke’s. Love. In Luke’s eyes, she saw the love that he’d written of in his letter.
~*~*~*~
Anticipation. That was the only purpose to processionals of bridesmaids and flower girls—anticipation. It was designed to ensure that a groom was half-crazy by the time his bride appeared. It was designed to befuddle him so much that if he had any doubts, he forgot them. Luke had no doubts, but the anticipation was killing him.
The tips of her shoes preceded a simple satin hemline. Of that much, Luke was confident. Any other design elements were likely beyond his description. He didn’t care. Her waist appeared and had he strained, he could have seen her face, but he was determined to wait for the full picture now. A veil… of course she’d wear a veil. It was enough for him to want to let out a primal yell, jerk it from her head, and drag her from the house declaring she was his by right of conquest.
That thought brought a smile to his lips. Did she see it? She didn’t. She looked everywhere but at him. Why? Her father tossed back the veil and kissed her cheek, leaving tears behind. Would he feel the same way when Vannie married? He had five daughters—five! Were there more daughters in store? Would he have to hand them over to men like him someday? He’d never be able to do it. No man was good enough for his little girls. He wasn’t good enough for his Aggie.
He stepped up beside her and took her hands, wrapping his around the small, trembling fingers that held her bouquet. His Aggie. Luke met her eyes and saw all the love she’d written of on the messenger just hours earlier. She was truly his Aggie.
Uncle Zeke’s voice jerked Luke from his reverie. “Friends and family, thank you for coming. Luke and Aggie have asked you not only to share in the joy of this celebration, but to be witnesses of the vows they make together today.”
He pulled her just a little closer, marveling that it was really happening. Their wedding. His bride. What was Uncle Zeke saying?
“…the hard times come, you can bear witness to these vows. You can take them aside—and they ask today that you will—and remind them that they vowed for better or worse. They vow today to glorify the Lord together in this marriage and only death will tear them apart.
“Luke promises to love and cherish Aggie as Christ does the church.”
Those words hit Luke in the heart and lodged there like a weight. Such a solemn promise and trust. He must not fail her—especially when hard times came. His eyes rose and roamed the room, meeting the gaze of many of their guests, pleading silently and earnestly for them to hold him accountable. His mother, sisters, brothers-in-law, Chad, Uncle Christopher and Chris... What was that? What had he missed?
“…submit to him as unto the Lord. That is a terrifying promise for a woman. My wife tells me that childbirth with a breech baby was a million times easier, but Aggie makes that vow today. It won’t be easy, but with your prayers and his servant heart, it can be done.”
Servant heart. He couldn’t forget that. He must be a servant to lead his family. Luke’s eyes met Laird’s. The boy nodded solemnly. Tavish grinned and the little girls almost exploded from repressed excitement. Vannie’s heart shone through the love in her eyes. He wasn’t her father—he never could be. He was, however, now her uncle. He’d show her what to look for in a man with whom she could trust her heart. He’d show her by being that man to Aggie.
Aggie—her eyes were on him, smiling with full trust and pure love for him. His breath caught as Zeke said, “Luke?”
“Yes?”
“Do you take Aggie to be your wife?” The rest of the words blurred in his mind. Wife. One short little word made her his wife. It seemed too easy, and yet, what a terrible charge it was! Terrible—magnificent.
“Yes.”
“Aggie?”
Look at her—that face. How can I never have noticed how beautiful she is?
“Yes?”
“Do you take Luke to be your husband?”
“Yes. I most certainly do.”
She said yes—again! It wasn’t possible, was it? What did Uncle Zeke say this time? Why couldn’t he concentrate on the ceremony? He’d forget it all—he’d missed it all.
“…and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Luke’s mind jerked to present as Aggie’s eyes widened and she fidgeted. When had her bouquet disappeared? He could finally kiss her and her hands were reaching—for something. What was it?
Two bouquets appeared, shielding their faces from the crowd. His lips sought hers and after what had seemed an impossible wait, they refused to part. The kiss was much longer than he’d planned. He hadn’t wanted to make a scene, however behind the relative privacy of those bouquets, Luke couldn’t bring himself to let her go. But at last, he stepped back again—grinning.
“I’d like—” Uncle Zeke’s partially repressed chuckles interrupted his announcement, “to introduce Luke and Aggie Sullivan. Perhaps now they’d like a moment of privacy…”
“Hey,” Aggie quipped, laughing. “I waited a long time for my first kiss!”
Without a moment of hesitation, he wrapped arms around her waist and murmured, “Well, you won’t wait that long for the second.”
~*~*~*~
Lips on her forehead. Was it time to wake for school? Aggie opened her eyes and saw Luke smiling do
wn at her just seconds before he kissed her gently. She jerked, panicked, and then fully awake, remembered. She was his wife. “Hi.”
“We’re here.”
“Where? Oh, Colorado?” Her eyes glanced around the plane and saw people pulling their baggage from the overhead compartments. “How did I sleep through all that?”
“You were tired.”
It was cold, the wind whipping around them, fighting to break through their jackets, but they made it into the car, out of the city, and to their destination without a single mishap. The cabin was larger than she’d expected—almost a small house. A fire in the fireplace told her they had good hosts, and a hot meal told her that Luke had been thorough in their preparations.
“I didn’t see you call anyone.”
“I had a text ready to go. Just had to hit send when we turned off the highway.”
The impulse to kiss him was strong, but she resisted. Then, laughing, Aggie threw her arms around him, kissing him without a second thought. “I can do that now!”
“And you should. Often. Now get out of that coat so we can eat.”
After dinner, as she awaited her turn for the bathroom, Aggie flipped open her laptop and sent a quick message to her family.
Aggie says: We’re here. Just wanted you to know we’re here and we’re safe.
Tina says: We’re all in the living room and I’m reading this to them.
Aggie says: Thanks for everything.
Tina says: Your mom says to tell you to relax and have fun and stay off the phone and the computer.
Tina says: Your dad says to tell you to stay warm. I will not repeat the eye waggle he gave, but be sure, your mother has whacked him with the pillow.
Aggie says: I want to say I miss you, but I don’t yet. Tell the kids I
love them and that I know they’ll have a lot of fun the next two weeks.
Tina says: They all say they love you. I think Ian is very confused
without you.
Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) Page 33
