Page 105 of Where the Roses Bloom
And when he saw the dress…
He looked at me for a minute, opened his mouth and closed it again. It fit like it was made for me, which felt right and wrong all at once. Silas reached up and rubbed his eyes, squeezing them shut for a second.
I held my breath. No one spoke.
Then he extended his arm.
“You ready?” he asked.
I wanted to ask for clarification, to figure out if he was really about to walk me down the aisle and give me away in his dead fiancée’s dress…but everything about this day had been strange.
So I just nodded. “More than ready.”
We all gathered around as the other Wardsfiled in—Whit to walk with Delilah, Beau with Jasmine. Delilah took Whit’s arm and smiled at him, and I didn’t miss the blush on his cheeks.
Such a flirt, but even he couldn’t help but be disarmed by Delilah Jessup. There was something soft between them when they thought no one was looking—a thread waiting for the right moment to pull tight.
Jasmine adjusted the delicate shawl over her shoulders and reached for her bouquet, then she and Beau stepped out ahead of me. I caught a glimpse of the crowd, of the look on Caleb’s face from where he held Anita Mae in his arms, sleeping.
And then…then it was my turn.
I looked over at Silas, who stood stoic, staring ahead.
“Thank you for giving me away,” I whispered.
He didn’t look at me, but he smiled. “It’s about time.”
I didn’t know if he was talking about me or the dress.
The backyard had been transformed—rows of mismatched chairs lined the grass, jars full of wildflowers dangling from the backs. A scattering of rose petals lined the aisle, though I had no idea where they’d gotten so many…or if this was just another one of the house’s tricks. The fiddle music got a little slower and sweeter as we walked out, Silas steady beside me.
I saw Rhett at the end of the aisle.
God, he looked good.
The way his shirt hugged his broad shoulders…the way his hands were clasped in front of him like he didn’t trust them not to shake. The way he was so big and tall…but always looked sogentle.
That crooked, devastating smile when he saw me.
I couldn’t breathe.
And the moment our eyes locked, the shimmer in the air thickened…like the magic wasbetween us, drawing us closer.
As we made our way to toward the arbor at the end of theaisle, I saw Holden tilt his head, peering at the space like he was trying to figure out what was wrong with the lighting. I watched his brow furrow, watched him nudge Whit—who seemed way too focused on Delilah to care about the magic hovering in the air.
June, meanwhile, didn’t seem even remotely surprised.
She stood beneath the arch of vines and twinkle lights, her vestments catching the light and turning it violet and dusk-blue. She looked like a saint, or a witch…or both. Her hands were folded in front of her, a small leather-bound Bible pressed to her chest.
I stepped closer to the altar, the shimmer intensifying, and Rhett reached out for me to take my hands in his as Silas stepped behind him. Our hands met—and the shimmer seemed to rise above us like stars, though I wasn’t sure if I was actually seeing it or if it was a trick of the light. A pulse of warmth surged up my arms, buzzing, and I knew Rhett felt it too when he squeezed my hands.
June raised her hands.
“Beloveds,” she said. “We are here to witness a covenant—not only between man and woman, but between the living and the dead.”
A few people huffed out surprised breaths; I wasn’t sure if the whole town had gotten the message that this was an exorcism and not just a party, but they’d decided to show up regardless—so they all got to be part of it.
“I’ve blessed a lot of weddings,” June said, smiling at the two of us. “In churches, in wedding venues, in courthouses…and even in a few bars. But I can’t say I’ve ever had the privilege of performing an exorcismat the same timeas a wedding.”
