Page 38 of Destiny Reclaimed
“It is.” She laughed along with her mother.
“Mary Lou, gotta go!” her dad yelled from the foot of the stairs.
Gwen’s heart fluttered with excitement. He was right. Her groom awaited.
Gwen slipped into her long, wool coat to protect her from the blustery cold wind. At least it wasn’t snowing. Though she’d need to be careful walking in spike heels on the thin layer of ice that formed during the night before.
Her dad offered an arm each to her and her mother, then he guided them out to the car. It was only a couple minute drive to the church, but on this particular day, the ride seemed to last an eternity.
The sedan Jack purchased the week prior, was parked at the curb. The ‘just married’ sign fastened to the trunk along with a string of cans made her smile.
Pastor Milbourn greeted her and her parents at the side door, holding it open against the wind for them. His white robe whipped around him.
“Good day,” Pastor said, cheerful as always.
The tall, slim man had been the minister at this church since before Gwen started going to Sunday School. He’d been as much a part of her life as most of her close friends.
She and her parents followed him to the small room tucked off to the side at the back of the church where mothers took their fussing children during the service if need be. From there, they could still hear the sermon and watch through the long, narrow viewing window, which today had the curtain pulled closed, so the groom couldn’t see the bride before the ceremony, she presumed.
Pastor Milbourn reminded them of the procedures they’d gone through the night before at the rehearsal. They certainly weren’t difficult on a normal day, but with wedding jitters, she seemed to be requiring a great deal of concentration to keep them straight.
The pastor reached toward her and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “It will be perfect. I’m going to see to your guests.” He winked, adding, “And your groom, then we’ll get started.”
Groom.She quivered.
Her dad paced the room while they waited. He was usually pretty even-keeled, a rock, but his constant marching and rubbing his hands together told a different story today, and it drove her nuts.
“Would you just calm down already, Walter,” her mom chided.
Her father’s blue-eyed gaze landed on his wife. “Sorry, but it’s not every day your only daughter gets married,” he snapped back.
Oh, oh, the man of few words was a bit edgy.
“I know,” Her mom replied as she placed her palm on his shoulder.
He responded with a light pat on her hand.
The door to the small, warm room popped open, and her Matron of Honor, Cindy, peeked in. “We’re ready.”
Gwen nodded as a nervous quiver sifted through her body. This was it. The moment she’d been waiting for. She sucked in a calming breath. Then followed her parents out of the room.
The usher seated her mother as she and her dad stepped into the doorway to the worship hall. Cindy stood in front of them, waiting for her cue.
Gwen fixed her gaze on Jack at the front of the church. The way he looked in his black suit was too sinful for a place of worship. All long and lean. Thick through the shoulders, thin at the waist. Her fingers itched to touch his smooth, clean-shaven face. It amazed her how soft his skin felt against her fingertips early in a day, and then how erotic that sexy stubble felt later in the evening and through the wee morning hours. Her cheeks heated as she recalled the sheer sensualism of the stubble as it scraped against other areas of her body.
Good heavens, these thoughts were not appropriate for church.
She locked her gaze onto those mesmerizing dark eyes of her groom’s. The intensity of his stare sent her heart ablaze, and her feet moving forward in beat with the wedding march.
When she and her dad reached the first step of the altar, he stilled and unhooked her arm from his. Lifting her veil upward and over, he placed the lace behind her head, then he leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek.
“I love you, honey.”
The sincerity in his gaze and tone brought tears to her eyes. Her father wasn’t an emotionally expressive man, so this was quite a feat for him.
She’d noticed the change in him when they received word her brother, Marvin, had been killed. Though she liked that he’d become more expressive, her heart ached as to the reason why. She supposed the loss of a son changes a person. Firsthand, she knew the loss of a brother sure did, but today was not the day to think about this. Today was supposed to be a happy one. Still, a bit of darkness shadowed over her. What was supposed to be one of the most celebrated days of her life and shared with family, was a bit empty with one brother in heaven and the other in hell—Vietnam.
Her dad cleared his throat, drawing her attention. “I love you, too, daddy.”
