Page 116 of Daybreak

Garrett and Holly appeared in the doorway as the organist began playing the Wedding March. The congregation stood, watching father and daughter as they began walking down the aisle.

Holly’s floor-length dress with an overlay of lace and pearls had three-quarter sleeves, a sweetheart neckline with a flat unadorned bodice ending in a point just below the waist, and a full gathered skirt, and the auburn curls in her hair pillowed the sheer perfection of her veil.

The moment they walked into view, Jacob stifled a quick gasp.

Asher moved a step closer to his dad and whispered, “Are you okay?”

Jacob’s voice was shaky. “I was best man at Garrett and Helen’s wedding. Holly is wearing her mother’s wedding dress.”

Gunner hadn’t taken his eyes off of her since they appeared in the doorway, but when he heard what his father said, his view of her blurred. She’d told him once that when he hurt, she cried. Now he knew what she meant.

The room was silent—like the world was holding its breath. And then they were at the altar, and Pastor Reeding was asking.…

“Who gives this woman to this man?”

Garrett’s voice rang out—steady and true. “I do. I give my daughter to this good man.”

After that, everything faded but the sound of Holly’s voice pledging her vows and his own words echoing in his head. The feel of her hand in his as he slipped the wedding ring on her finger, and the steady grasp of her hand as she did the same for him.

Then hearing the words, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

“I thought you’d never get to this part,” Gunner said, unaware that he’d said it out loud until Holly laughed, and when she did, the congregation and the pastor laughed with her.

Gunner dipped his head just enough to reach the target, felt the soft yield of her lips against his mouth, and left them all in no doubt that Gunner Kingston had just kissed his bride.

Then they turned and walked down the aisle and across the hall to the dining room where the cake was to be cut, and mints and nuts in small cups were to be dispersed, and flowers frozen in ice floated in pink punch.

Everything became a whirlwind of laughter and joy.

When it was time to throw the bouquet, it fell into the hands of one of the new nurses working in their Urgent Care facility.

The party was still in full swing when they all realized Gunner and Holly were gone. It was getting late, and getting colder, and the smallest Kingstons had run out of patience.

The party was over for everyone but the bride and groom.

* * *

The thick adobe walls resisted the wind’s intent. The central heat kept the temperature steady, and the gas logs in their fireplace were an added feature to the ambiance of their first night as husband and wife.

Although they’d been in and out of the house and slept here countless times, he carried her across the threshold.

“My wife,” he said as he set her down.

Mischief was dancing in her eyes. “My husband. I thought we’d never get to this part.”

He grinned. “I didn’t know I’d said that out loud until it was too late. I also didn’t know that my dad was best man at your parents’ wedding.”

“I did, but I’ve seen pictures,” she said.

Gunner brushed a kiss across her lips. “He said you are wearing your mother’s wedding dress. Is this true?”

She nodded. “I didn’t want to say anything ahead of time, because I needed you to see me in it, not the ghost of my mother. I asked Dad if it would bother him, and of course he said it would be great, but at the church, when he first saw me in it, I saw his face. It was hard for him.” She laid her head against Gunner’s chest. “I was all shaky at the church, and he knew it. Then he told me to just look for your face, and after that, nothing else would matter. He was right. Will you help me take off the dress? I want to change and hang it up.”

“It would be my honor,” he said.

* * *

Hours later, the only lights on the hill above Crossroads came from the security lights on the property. There was a faint glow through the curtains coming from the interior.