The Bride Wore Black
Page 7
“Hi,” Nathan said softly, a simple greeting for a moment that didn’t need any further explanation.
“Hi” she replied, still unable to look away from him. “So, we’re really doing this?”
“Of course not, not if it isn’t what you want. But it’s the grandest gesture I could come up with. If you don’t want to get married tonight, we won’t, and there won’t be any hard feelings. I’ll still love you and chase you and bother you, but we don’t have to do this. I just couldn’t think of any other way to make you understand how serious I am about wanting you to be my wife.”
Stacy finally looked away from him and saw the faces of the people who were dearest to her in the world, saw their joyful, grateful expressions at getting to share in this moment. She looked around the garden, seeing the fountain pond reflecting both the tiny white lights and the stars overhead.
“I want to marry you, Nathan. Right now.”
“Because if this isn’t the wedding of your dreams, we can—”
“It’s perfect,” she said, cutting him off before he could offer her another way. “It’s exactly the wedding I would have thrown for myself if I’d been the one to plan it, which is probably why I couldn’t slow down long enough to do it.”
He smiled at her, then nodded to the judge who opened his book and began the ceremony. Words swirled around them, words of loving devotion and promises of faithfulness. When it was time for their rings, Mandy jumped forward and placed Nathan’s ring in Stacy’s hand, grinning triumphantly at her boss. A cheer went up from the group when the judge pronounced them husband and wife and invited them to kiss.
At the moment their lips met, the entire property was plunged into darkness. There was a collective groan at the power failure until the electrician called out that he had nothing to do with it. Using his cell phone screen and the full moon for light, he made his way around to the side of the house and declared that all the breakers were on.
"Look!” one of the newer employees cried, pointing towards the house. Everyone turned to look back at the mansion whose black silhouette shone faintly against the moonlit charcoal sky. A light moved from room to room, hovering at what had to be several feet above the floor. The light traveled from one window to the next, pausing in each space as though looking out at the happy gathering below. Finally, the light moved away from the windows altogether for only a moment, then flew out of the chimney and illuminated the garden below. It hung over them like a glowing beacon for only a matter of seconds, then faded as it rose in the sky.
Excited mumbling and whispered questions worked their way through the small crowd of guests. In the near darkness Stacy saw Tori take Rod’s hand in fear, and smiled in spite of the circumstances when he put a protective arm around her shoulders.
Just as suddenly as the power had gone off, the strings of twinkling lights came back on over the patio.
“Was that… Agnes?” Stacy asked softly, a reverent tone in her voice as she hoped for the ghost to move on. Nathan pulled her close and nuzzled her ear, then spoke softly.
“I can’t speak to everything that’s gone on here, but I paid a guy to do that bit just to mess with Tori!” he laughed. Stacy stepped back and looked at him in shock, but then couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Also by Ally Gray
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