by Beth K. Vogt
“Have to thank Johanna for getting things started there. Without her mad online shopping skills, I might be wearing sweatpants and a volleyball T-shirt.”
“That was my fear.” Johanna stepped back, tilting her head to assess Payton’s hairstyle. “And that was a joke.”
“I’ve got no time and even less desire to argue with you today, Jo.” She leaned forward and tossed a wink at her reflection. “I do believe I look pretty good today—so far. Thank you for doing my hair and makeup.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Do you think Zach needs to get into his bedroom for anything? I feel bad for kicking him out and turning it into a bride’s room.” Payton opened her makeup bag, handing it to Johanna.
“You let him use it earlier to get dressed.” Johanna came alongside her and double-checked her own hair, pinning a loose tendril into place. “It’s your turn now—and our turn for a little privacy.”
“Another Thatcher sister getting married in an unconventional way.” Jillian finished putting on her second boot, zipping it closed.
“Poor Dad. Do you think he minds not walking me down the aisle?” Payton refreshed the blush along her cheekbones.
“Like you said, there’s no aisle.” Johanna turned. “And we’re all walking out to the area together.”
“Besides, he still has one more chance to do the traditional walk down the aisle with you.”
“I may decide to keep my role as the single Thatcher sister for a while. Maybe permanently.” Johanna sat in a chair, one that Zach had crafted. “And before either of you say anything, no, I haven’t heard from Beckett. There’s no reason for me to have talked to him.”
Payton used the mirror to make eye contact with her sister. “I’m sorry, Jo.”
“Why are you sorry? I don’t want to hear from him.”
“You don’t miss him at all? You were together for eight years—”
“And those eight years are done. I don’t forgive something like that.” She grimaced. Shook her head. “Why are we talking about this today? It’s your wedding day.”
“I’m fine. I just need to put in my earrings.”
Johanna stood, hands on her hips. “Where’s your necklace? I’ll help you with it.”
“No necklace—I’m not wearing one.”
“Oh? I guess you wouldn’t see it since you’re wearing a coat anyway.”
“People aren’t going to see your dress, either. And I’ll take a couple of photos without my coat on after the ceremony.”
Jillian smoothed her ice-blue dress. “There’s no photographer.”
“The pastor’s wife is going to take some photos.”
Johanna almost dropped the statement necklace she was putting on. “You’re putting that kind of pressure on that poor woman?”
“There’s no pressure. She enjoys photography and I told her that I’ll be happy with whatever she gets.”
“Payton, you could end up without a single good photo of your wedding day! You should have bent the ‘just family’ rule and gotten a professional photographer—”
“Johanna, this is my wedding day. You are absolutely not allowed to boss me around today.” Payton’s smile was backed with a firm voice. “We’ll go back to normal interaction tomorrow. Deal?”
When Payton turned and held her hand out to Johanna, she hesitated and then smiled. “Deal.”
The two shook hands.
Jillian glanced back and forth between her sisters. “Maybe we should try that more often.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You and Payton came through a confrontation, an honest moment, and you both survived. Maybe we all just need to be honest with each other more often in the future.”
“Duly noted.” Payton nodded, applying another bit of lipstick.
“I do have a gift for you, Payton.” Johanna seemed to have difficulty making eye contact with her. “I mean, it’s not exactly a wedding gift. And you don’t have to accept it if you don’t want to . . .”
“A gift . . . What is it, Johanna?”
Johanna pulled a small digital recorder from her purse and handed it to her. “It’s this.”
Payton stood, her palm open, unsure what to do. “I don’t understand.”
“You said you wished you could have music for your ceremony. There’s a song on there . . . if you want to use it.”
Payton pushed the Play button, and all three waited for just a few seconds before the first notes on a piano began and filled the silence in the room. After a moment, she turned it off.
“Where did you get this?”
“It doesn’t matter. And I don’t mind if you don’t like it. If you don’t want to use it. I understand. It was just an idea . . .”
“I love it.” Payton pulled her hand back, preventing Johanna from taking the digital recorder from her. “The song is beautiful. Who did you get to do this?”
“No one. I mean . . . that’s me. I’m playing the piano.”
“You? But you don’t—”
“I used to play. A long time ago.” Johanna’s skin turned pink. “I’m a little rusty . . . well, a lot rusty. Like I said, you don’t have to use it.”
“Johanna.” Payton swept aside all of the excuses by stepping forward and daring to hug her sister, caught up in the fragrance of Coco perfume. “Thank you. This is such a wonderful gift. I only stopped listening because I want to hear the entire song for the first time during the ceremony—with Zach and everyone else.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Will you turn it on for me when we start?”
“Yes. Of course. I’ll tell the pastor.”
A swift rap on the door interrupted the moment.
“You ladies ready to take a walk?” Dad’s voice came through the door.
Jillian opened the door. “We’re ready.”
“Good. Your mother’s been standing here holding Payton’s bouquet for the past ten minutes. If you don’t hurry up, I may just ask the pastor to remarry us.”
When they exited the room, Zach stood outside, holding Payton’s winter-white coat.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Payton offered Zach a smile.
“You were worth waiting for.” Zach’s voice dropped low so that only she could hear him.
“I never really thought of myself as a lace kind of girl. . . .” Payton’s fingertips skimmed the delicate neckline of her knee-length gown.
“You look beautiful. I’m just sorry you have to wear a coat, but I can’t have you freezing before we say, ‘I do,’ can I?”
“No.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “We wouldn’t want that to happen.”
“All right, you two. No more dillydallying.” Her father’s words were laced with laughter.
“Yes, sir.”
Zach helped Payton into her coat, while Jillian and Johanna each slipped into coordinating pale-pink coats. All the women, including the two mothers, wore pink leather gloves. On the brief walk to Pepper’s bench, the men fell into one group and the women into another, as the pastor’s wife took photos.
“I have to admit, I wasn’t too sure about this at first.” Payton’s mom linked arms with Zach’s mother, coming alongside Payton.
“I am so glad to hear you say that.” Zach’s mom shivered, tucking her wool scarf more tightly around her neck. “I wasn’t either—and it is cold like we expected—but there’s something special about having the ceremony here. And the fresh snowfall is like its own kind of decoration, isn’t it?”
“I like it, too—it’s definitely a Colorado wedding.” Mom’s smile encompassed everyone in their group. “I can honestly say I’m glad you and Zach chose to do your wedding this way.”
“Zach and I are so thankful you’re here today—all of you. But especially you, Sharon, and Weston.” No one else knew the painful history, the years of separation, between Zach and his parents—and how it was just beginning to heal. “I’m looking forward to getting to know both of you more in the future
.”
“Maybe once classes are out, you and Zach can come to California for a visit.”
“Maybe we can.”
“The guys are all getting along.” Her mother pointed to the group of men, who were talking and laughing as if they were going to a casual get-together, not a wedding.
“They’re probably talking football.”
She and Zach would be balancing the expectations of two families now. But she wasn’t going to worry about that today.
Today was a celebration.
They had the unlikeliest of beginnings for a marriage . . . and all kinds of hopes to unpack for their future. The scent of her bouquet was lifted by a frosted winter breeze. White roses, pink ranunculus, and tulips. Was that the aroma of hope?
At Pepper’s bench, their pastor called the group to order.
“We’re informal here today—and a bit chilly. And we all know why we’re here, to witness Payton and Zach’s wedding.” He motioned to Pepper’s bench. “The parents are welcome to sit on the bench if they’d like to. Everyone else is welcome to come gather around it. Except for you, Payton and Zach. Will you two please come and stand here in front of me?”
Payton could only hope that a brief visit to Pepper’s bench earlier that day made it easier for her parents to be here now—to sit next to Zach’s mother and father. Whispers of “Huddle close” and soft laughter accompanied the few moments of people finding their places.
“The actual ceremony will be brief, but before we start, Payton’s sister Johanna contributed some music to begin the ceremony.”
At his announcement, murmurs of “What?” and “Johanna’s doing music?” were hushed as Johanna stepped forward, her gaze focused on Payton. “This is a gift for my sister . . . and Zach, too, of course.”
There was a pause . . . and then soft piano music floated into the air. The melody, faint as it was, seemed to slip into the clearing as if it belonged there. The unexpected interlude lasted two, maybe three minutes, lingering in the stillness, until Johanna stepped back next to Jillian and the pastor spoke again.
“And now, Payton and Zach asked for a few moments to share something before they exchange their wedding vows.”
Payton handed her bouquet to Jillian, removed her gloves, and then unbelted her coat. “Will you hold this for me, Johanna?”
“You’re taking photos now?”
“No.”
Payton shivered as the wintry air touched her skin through the sheer lace of her long sleeves. Zach took her hand, offering her a smile before addressing their family.
“Thank you all for joining us today. We can’t imagine this day without everyone being here. We promise not to keep you outside in the cold for too long.”
When he squeezed Payton’s hand, she knew it was her turn to talk.
“Unfortunately, not everyone can be here—and I’m sorry Pepper isn’t with us. We all are. That’s why we wanted to have the ceremony here, at the bench Zach made to honor her memory. And there’s another way we wanted to honor Pepper . . .” Her voice faltered, and Zach stepped closer, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Pepper bought me a very special gift on our sixteenth birthday. A gift I’ve never worn because it came with a bit of a stipulation.”
Zach slipped the necklace from his coat pocket and into her hand, and she closed her fingers around the chain.
“Pepper bought this for me to wear when I knew Jesus like she did.” Payton held the delicate gold cross with diamonds up, letting it dangle from her fingers. “I can now say that I do know Jesus like my twin sister did. So, before Zach puts a wedding band on my finger, I’ve asked him to put this necklace on me.”
Payton returned the precious gift from her twin sister to Zach. As he stepped behind her, she closed her eyes . . . waited . . . and then the delicate chain came to rest against her skin, the small cross lying above her heart.
There was a moment, a fleeting moment of completion . . . something she’d been waiting for, longing for, since Pepper had died almost twelve years ago. The emptiness, the loss, was gone. Now, like no other moment, because of their common faith, Payton knew she’d see her twin sister again.
She kept her eyes closed. She didn’t want anyone else’s reaction to intrude upon this moment. This time was for her. Her and Pepper.
Payton’s fingertips brushed the chain. The cross. Stayed there.
She wasn’t wearing the necklace for Pepper.
But she would wear it, and when people asked, she would tell them about her faith and about her sister. How much she loved her . . . and missed her still.
“Can we get down to the business of marrying the two of you?” The pastor’s question, infused with laughter, disrupted the moment.
Payton pressed her fingertips against the cross. “Love you, Pepper.”
The whisper evaporated into the air.
Now she was ready to get married. She didn’t want to keep Zach waiting any longer.
“Absolutely!” Zach shouted his reply, turned her around, and kissed her.
The pastor chuckled. “I haven’t said you may kiss your bride yet.”
“I’m sorry.” Zach didn’t look apologetic at all. “I got carried away there for a moment.”
“Payton.” Johanna spoke in a loud whisper. “Take your coat or you’ll freeze before you make it through the vows.”
Laughter floated around them.
“Good advice, Johanna.”
Zach helped her into her coat again, making a grand display of belting it as the pastor tapped his watch. When he did pronounce them man and wife several moments later, Zach asked, “May I kiss her now?”
“Yes, Zach. You may now officially kiss your wife.”
Zach followed his “Amen!” by pulling her close and dipping her back over his arm with a flourish and a long, lingering, perfect kiss.
AFTER TAKING WEDDING PHOTOS and enjoying some simple appetizers at Zach’s cabin, it was almost time for all of us to pile into our cars and caravan to Breckenridge for dinner. A final chance to celebrate Payton and Zach before the newlyweds waved good-bye and headed . . . where, they refused to say. Come Monday, Zach would be back at work at 3:17 Cabinets and Payton would once again be a college student and a volleyball coach.
But first, I needed to execute Payton’s unexpected request. She was greeting Zach with a kiss as he and Geoff came in the cabin’s back door. What had those two guys been doing—and how had I not noticed their absence? I had no time to figure that out, since I needed to interrupt Mom and Johanna and convince my sister to go outside. In the dark. And the cold. Without telling her why.
Not that I knew the reason why, either.
I eased my way between Mom and my older sister. “Johanna, would you come here, please?”
Johanna stopped midsentence. “Now? Where are we going?”
“Just come with me, okay?”
I answered Mom’s raised eyebrows with a silent “Sorry.”
I retrieved our coats from the closet as Payton joined us at the front door. “Here. We’re going to need these, or so Payton says.”
“Why do we need our coats?” Johanna refused to take hers.
“Because we have to do something.” Payton grinned as Zach helped her into her coat.
“And we have to do whatever this ‘something’ is outside? Can’t we stay inside, where it’s warm?”
“Jo, just put your coat on.” I held her coat out to her. “Please.”
“Fine.” She slipped it on with exaggerated motions, yanking her leather gloves out of her pocket and putting those on, too.
“Stay warm.” Zach pulled the collar of Payton’s coat up around her neck, giving her another kiss.
“We will. We won’t be long.”
“Take all the time you need.”
My “What’s going on?” look tossed at Geoff was met with a blank stare . . . and then a grin.
No help from him.
“Wait.” Zach handed me a long-handled flashlight. “You’ll need this
.”
“Okay . . . thanks.”
Once we were ready, I waved to everyone in the room. “We’ll be right back.”
“Don’t be too long. Dinner reservations—”
“We know, Dad.” I opened the door and ushered my sisters ahead of me, ready to close the door on any other comments.
“Stay, Laz.” Payton stopped, but Zach grabbed hold of Laz’s collar, preventing his—their—dog from joining us. “Thank you.”
“See you soon, Wife.” He kissed her.
She returned the kiss. “I like the sound of that.”
Johanna shook her head and gave a soft snort. “You two are going to be disgusting, aren’t you?”
“It’s the privilege of all newlyweds.”
Once the door closed behind us, I slipped between Johanna and Payton, linking my arms with theirs. “Where to, Payton?”
“Pepper’s bench.” There was a smile in Payton’s voice.
“To Pepper’s bench it is, then.” Johanna stepped out into the darkness.
We walked without speaking to one another, the sky an indigo blanket over us, woven with silver stars. The flashlight Zach had handed me lit a small path ahead, just enough for us to take the needed next steps.
But as we got closer to the bench, the area surrounding it seemed to be glowing, awash in soft light.
My steps slowed, causing Johanna and Payton to slow down, too. “What is going on?”
Payton moved forward. “Let’s go see.”
Several portable lights were set up in a wide semicircle, revealing three rocking chairs arranged facing the bench.
“What is this, Payton?” Johanna’s question, spoken out loud, echoed the one in my head.
“These are your belated Christmas gifts from Zach . . . and mine, too. He said I could say these were from us, but truthfully, this was all his idea. He didn’t have a chance to give them to us back in December because . . . well, you know how things were just getting settled between us then. And he’d already made plans to visit his parents. So . . . Merry Christmas.”
“I can’t believe Zach would do something like this.” I didn’t seem to be able to step inside the ring of light.
