Chapter Thirteen #2
Hope bloomed in Madelaine’s heart. “It would be wonderful if you could write to him for me. I don’t know if he’ll remember us all, but he and my father were very close when they were younger.”
“Consider it done,” Evelyn confirmed. “I’ll write to him tonight. But first, we need to get you ready for the wedding.”
Madelaine sat back down on the chair, and Evelyn continued braiding her hair.
“I do believe that you will be good for him, you know?” she said after a moment of quiet contemplation.
“Luke needs help to step out of this dark place he’s in, so he can rekindle his faith and his love for God.
I am almost certain that you, Belle, and Simon will be the ones who bring him back. I just know it.”
Madelaine felt so much lighter, and for some reason she couldn’t explain, she began to look forward to today.
It was at that moment Belle and Simon came bouncing into the room. Both women greeted them with smiling faces.
“Maddie! Maddie! Look! We made you a wedding bucket!” Simon announced ever so proudly as he presented her with a pile of small branches and twigs.
Simon handed her the odd little pile, and it was then that Madelaine realized what he was talking about. The lush green pine twigs, including their little cones, and some softer branches bearing bright red winter berries had been tied together with a string, which had then been tied into a bow.
“Wedding bucket… Do you mean a wedding bouquet?” she enquired cautiously.
“That’s it!” Simon yelled and laughed at himself.
Madelaine was deeply moved, and she had to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye.
Shortly after Evelyn had finished her hair, she fiercely hugged Madelaine one more time. “Are you ready?” she asked.
“I am ready,” Madelaine confirmed, holding up her wedding bouquet.
Evelyn nodded, then left the room with Belle and Simon in tow.
Standing in her room alone, Madelaine suddenly felt nervous. She fought with every ounce of strength in her body not to break down at the last minute.
She couldn’t shake the uneasy feelings because she was not getting married in a church. Her mind was racing. Wasn’t this just another betrayal against God?
Was she betraying everything she believed in, just because it seemed easier in the moment? Did she even have a choice at this point? Belle and Simon were fully invested in her getting married today.
She inhaled a shaky breath and straightened her shoulders. She needed to do one more thing before she could get married. She needed to pray.
“Heavenly Father. I humbly come before You, asking for Your guidance and forgiveness on this important day. Help me find my inner strength to face the challenges that lie ahead. Please grant me the clarity to make the right decisions. And please, Lord, let your light illuminate Luke’s heart once more.
He needs You more than any of us. Amen.”
Picking up the bouquet Belle and Simon had so lovingly made for her once more, Madelaine finally felt good about her decision.
Swallowing hard, she stepped into the large living area. Everyone was there waiting for her.
Luke and the priest stood in front of the large picture window.
Warm sunlight filtered through it, brightening the room with a glowing light.
Caleb stood next to Luke, while Evelyn stood next to the priest, holding Belle on her arm.
Simon hovered next to her, half-hiding in the folds of her skirt as he eyed up the clergyman.
Father David Caroll wasn’t unfamiliar to them, since he’d baptized all three of them when they’d been babies, and they’d seen him regularly when the Peterson family had visited his church on Sundays.
Madelaine hadn’t attended a sermon since the deaths of her parents; therefore, neither had Simon and Belle.
She felt a little awkward about it, but Father David greeted her with a bright smile as soon as she walked in.
“Madelaine! It’s good to see you, child!” he exclaimed with a warm smile.
“Father David! I am so very happy to see you, too!” she replied honestly. Should she apologize to him for not attending church over these last few months? She nervously fiddled with her bouquet as she tried to come up with something witty to say in this nerve-wracking situation.
“Shall we begin?” Luke said, then, saving her from overthinking all of this. Madelaine exhaled a small breath as she stepped next to the priest, facing her soon-to-be husband.
Luke looked dapper in his well-fitting black suit and crisp white shirt. He’d even trimmed his beard a little shorter, and he’d also omitted his beloved Stetson and instead combed his curly brown hair back, revealing his handsome face.
She couldn’t really read his expression when he looked her up and down in turn, but she did see a glint in his hazel eyes, which made her stomach flutter. The corners of his mouth lifted into a small smile, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw how gorgeous he looked in that moment.
As the priest began with the ceremony, everything seemed to happen very fast. Before Madelaine could blink, Evelyn handed Luke a ring, then Caleb handed her one, too. As the priest spoke, leading up to the actual vows, he read one passage that Madelaine personally loved very much.
“Trust in the Lord with all your hearts and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to Him, and He will make your path straight.”
They exchanged the rings Caleb and Evelyn had loaned to them for today, and, looking up at Luke’s face, Madelaine saw that it had softened.
“You may kiss the bride,” the priest announced then, and Luke didn’t seem all that surprised—but Madelaine was. She swallowed hard when Luke stepped closer to her.
Suddenly, she was all too aware of his tall, strong body, the way he was dressed so impeccably, his thick brown curls neatly combed out of his handsome face. Time seemed to stand still.
He put his finger underneath her chin and lifted it ever so gently, and when he looked at her, she could see golden flecks in his intense hazel eyes.
Then he lowered his head, tilted it slightly, and softly pressed his lips against hers.
As she closed her eyes, she could feel his breath on her skin, and her whole body seemed to tingle.
She was engulfed by his masculine scent of leather and pine.
Combined with the sensation of his lips on hers, it was a heady mixture.
When Luke pulled back, she almost missed his closeness, which shocked her to her core. She had never felt anything like this. Madelaine couldn’t even describe what she was feeling.
And then she realized something else.
Luke was now officially her husband.