Page 43 of The Baxters
“Can I just say…” Luke was sitting across from Kari. He reached over and took her hand. “I’m honored to be your brother, Kari. You deserve this today.”
Peace filled her heart the way it filled the air around them. Whatever reservations her family may have had about Tim Jacobs, they had faded. Maybe because they could see the certainty in Kari’s face.
On the way to the church, their dad told storiesabout when Kari was little. How when she was just eleven she had organized her siblings to throw their mother a surprise birthday party.
Everyone uttered a quiet laugh. “I remember like it was yesterday.” Kari smiled at Ashley and Erin and Brooke and Luke. “We wanted everything to be so perfect.”
Brooke leaned forward. “I was in charge of cooking. What was it? Chicken?”
“I think so.” Their dad chuckled. “Not that any of us ended up eating it.”
At the other end of the car, Erin smiled at Kari. “It all started with that cat clock you had us chip in on.”
“True.” Kari sat back and smoothed her hand over her wedding gown. She loved this, being surrounded by her family on her way to the wedding chapel. Telling stories about when they were little. “It was plastic orange and black and the tail moved with every second, if I remember.”
“That was it.” Their dad laughed a little harder. “It was hideous. But then Luke stepped on the tail.”
“He did everyone a favor.” Ashley giggled and she bounced Cole a bit. “We were busy hanging decorations in the front of the house and everyone was talking about the cat clock and how Mom would love it.”
“And then this loud crunching sound.” Erin leaned against Luke. “You thought you were in so much trouble.”
The driver was getting closer to the chapel. Karihoped he would take his time. This together moment was too precious to rush.
Luke patted Erin’s knee. “I think even back then I knew Mom would never hang that thing anywhere in the house.” He smiled at the youngest of his sisters. “But you were very nice about it, Erin. I remember you putting your hand on my shoulder and saying everything would be okay.”
“And now it is.” Their mom looked happy, like this time together was exactly what she needed, too. “Of course… it was all fine back then, too. The idea was what mattered.”
“The chicken caught fire while we were analyzing the broken cat.” Brooke shook her head. “I’ll never forget how much smoke filled the house.”
“Remember?” Kari leaned forward and looked at each of her siblings, one at a time. “The smoke alarm was going off just as Mom walked through the door.”
“Surprise!” All five of them said the word at the same time. Kari laughed hard at the memory. “The look on Mom’s face… I’ll never forget it.”
Before they could talk about how they had spent her birthday dinner that night at a restaurant, the limo pulled up in front of the chapel. The driver was out of the car in an instant, opening the door for them.
“Here we are.” Their dad looked at each of them. “I like this. Everyone laughing, remembering way back when.” He hesitated. “Let’s have more of this, okay?”
They all nodded and Kari felt a rush of emotion. Shewould miss this, being part of her family on an everyday basis. But as they exited the limo, Kari noticed how Luke and Ashley didn’t make eye contact, even as Ashley carried Cole out of the vehicle. She sighed. At least they’d been laughing for the last few minutes. That was a start. And good things tended to happen on a wedding day.
Kari needed to believe the best.
Her dad helped her out of the limo, and under the darkest clouds, again her sisters carried her train. Not until Kari and her family were through the back door of the chapel did the storm hit in earnest.
Lightning and thunder rocked the building at almost the same time, and Kari caught her breath. Her hands trembled at the fierceness of the wind outside. “Hopefully this is the last of it.”
Her mom came to her and touched her shoulder. “I’m sure it is. You still have half an hour before you walk down the aisle.”
Kari tried to imagine saying her vows over the deafening sound of this thunder. The idea was almost laughable.Please, Lord, make the storm pass. So that my wedding can go on without thunder interrupting us. Please.
And sure enough, over the next half hour the storm let up. By the time they lined up at the back of the church, a ray of sunshine was even piercing the stained-glass windows.
Kari’s friends Liza and Mandy were the first to walk down the aisle. They were girls Kari had known sincesixth grade. The year the Baxter family moved to Bloomington. Each of the friends gave Kari a hug and then headed toward the front of the church.
Erin was next to head down the aisle. Before she started off, she took hold of Kari’s shoulders and gazed all the way to her heart. “I’ve always looked up to you, Kari. Always wanted to be like you.” She blinked back tears. “This is the right thing today. It is.” She paused, like she was fighting to find her voice. “God brought you Tim. The two of you are going to be so happy.”
For all the times when Erin seemed too young to understand Kari or too distant for the two of them to be very close, this moment was all that mattered. Kari hugged her littlest sister. “Thank you, Erin. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
They shared another look, and then Erin made her way to the front of the church, her small bouquet of white roses in front of her.
