Chapter 23 Nora
NORA
Nora stood in the farmhouse kitchen on a bright January morning, letting her best friend fuss with her hair, and getting ready for a wedding that she still couldn’t believe was really happening.
So far, Leslie had brushed her hair, put in the pearl-encrusted comb, and then changed her mind and taken it out again nearly a dozen times.
Nora was wearing a simple white cotton dress with a pair of cowgirl boots, and she didn’t even have a mirror down here to see how her hair looked. But Nora wasn’t worried about it—she was honestly just enjoying the time with her friend.
She also knew River would find her beautiful no matter what, so it didn’t matter so much. And all the fussing was obviously bringing Leslie a lot of pleasure. It was her way of showing her love for her best friend, and for that Nora was grateful.
“Are you nervous?” Leslie asked, finally leaving the comb in place, and pulling back to gaze into Nora’s eyes, as if she were trying to find hidden secrets there.
But Nora had no secrets anymore. Everything was out in the open, and the world was surprisingly accepting of her marrying another one of the Young brothers today.
“No,” Nora told her with a smile. “I think you’re more nervous than I am. But really, it’s just going to be a very simple ceremony—no big deal.”
Leslie smiled and pulled Nora in for a quick hug.
“That’s probably a really good sign,” Leslie whispered in her ear before letting her go. “Ready to go get hitched?”
“Very ready,” Nora told her honestly.
They pulled on coats and headed down the path toward the old barn together. Nora hadn’t been allowed in there for days while River, the kids, and the rest of the family got it ready. She figured it would be swept out with some folding chairs and streamers.
But as they approached, she could hear music spilling out. It sounded like acoustic guitars, maybe a fiddle, and…
An oboe?
“Live music?” she asked Leslie.
“It sure is,” Leslie told her. “Couple of your friends decided you deserved better than a streaming playlist.”
“That’s so sweet,” Nora murmured.
And of course, she only knew one oboe player. It was a touching idea that Edward wasn’t just saying this was okay, he was actively participating.
As they entered the barn, she noticed the lights first. They were strung from the ceiling, hung from the doors, and lying in shimmering piles in every corner, making the whole barn look enchanted.
A few outdoor heaters had been set up at intervals, keeping the space nice and warm in spite of the winter weather.
Quilts were laid over hay bales for seating and she had to smile at how charming it looked—much nicer than the plastic folding chairs she was picturing.
And better yet, all their friends and family were there, smiling and chatting.
Edward was the first to notice her.
Instantly, the oboe melted from “Ave Maria” into “Canon in D” and the two guitarists followed.
Nora was amazed to see that one of them was Edward’s new girlfriend, Anita. She smiled at Nora, as if she knew how happy this day was for her.
Maybe she’ll be part of the family one day…
Then River stepped forward and Nora lost her train of thought.
She had told him she would be wearing a dress she already owned, and that he shouldn’t bother dressing up too much.
But the man was wearing a suit that fit perfectly over his wide shoulders, the trousers hugging his narrow hips, and the whole look making him seem like a groom in one of those wedding magazines she always pretended to ignore in the checkout line.
She felt herself blush all the way to her hairline, and hoped no one would notice.
But River’s dark eyes flashed with pleasure, and she knew she was busted.
“Come on,” Leslie whispered.
Nora moved to the end of the aisle with her friend. Leslie took Nora’s coat, and then headed over to her seat, sending Pixie out with her little basket of flower petals.
Pixie grinned at Nora and then skipped ahead, moving too quickly for the music, but winning smiles and chuckles of approval as she scattered the pretty pink petals generously down the aisle.
Pixie’s confidence had grown so much over the last few weeks. When the holiday break was done, she had started at the local elementary school in Trinity Falls. She made friends right away, and her happiness at having a crew at school seemed to spill over into every aspect of her life.
Nora followed her down the aisle, loving the proud way River gazed at Pixie, and the tinkle of the girl’s laughter when she reached him and he winked at her.
Nora was practically trembling by the time she reached River. The simplicity of the ceremony couldn’t hold back the tide of emotion she felt. Could it really only have been a few weeks ago that she was worried over just about everything in their lives?
Now it wasn’t just Pixie who was happier—John-John had started preschool over at the church, and when he wasn’t talking about preschool friends and activities, he was playing with the kittens.
The mother cat had returned just after Christmas, looking scrawny and with an injured leg that Nora and the local vet had been able to care for.
Now there were four people and six cats living on the farm.
Though River had warned the children that the mama cat was an outdoor animal, and might start bringing her babies back to the barn to sleep one day, that day hadn’t come yet.
So far, the cat family spent its days exploring the farm, and its nights in a furry pile in the blanket-filled crate the human members of the family didn’t bother to close anymore.
And better yet, in their talks with the vet, it came up that he could use a helping hand for a few hours each day.
With John-John in preschool, Nora was free to jump in.
And with no more condo fees to pay, she didn’t feel pressure to work more hours just yet.
In fact, Edward was moving back into the condo, and he planned to buy out her share as soon as he could.
River took her hands as she reached him, and she was already blinking back tears as he gazed down at her with so much love that she wasn’t sure her heart could hold it all.
Her eyes stayed on River as the pastor spoke the beautiful words of the ceremony, and it all passed in a haze.
But when it was time for the ring-bearer to appear, there was no John-John to be seen, just the sound of frantic whispering in the back of the barn.
River glanced down at Nora, and she shrugged.
“I guess you can come too,” John-John’s voice squeaked suddenly.
A wave of chuckles moved across the space as the sweet little boy scampered forward carrying the pillow with the two rings on top of it, as well as one small, black kitten with golden eyes, who looked around in an irritated way, as if John-John were disturbing his nap.
“I put it down next to me, Aunt Nora,” John-John whispered loudly. “And Zachary went to sleep on it.”
“He just wanted to be part of things,” River told him, crouching down. “Just like you and Pixie. Right, Zachary?”
Zachary blinked his yellow eyes at River and leapt off the pillow, stalking back down the aisle through the rose petals all by himself as the whole crowd looked on in amusement.
“Great job, John-John,” River told the boy, hugging him close for a moment before straightening up. “Thank you for being our ring-bearer.”
He’s so good at rolling with the punches. He’s the perfect man to be in their lives.
Soon, the rings were on their fingers and the pastor was telling River he could kiss the bride.
It seemed a little strange to kiss in front of everyone, but River didn’t seem to feel shy when he swept her up in his arms and spun her around.
Her hair formed a curtain that hid their sweet kiss from the world, and she felt so much happiness bubble up in her chest that it brought tears to her eyes.
When the ceremony was done, their friends and loved ones all approached.
She had expected Pixie and John-John to be clinging to her side among so many new faces, but they were too busy chasing each other around the barn, stopping here and there to admire the lights and accept congratulations from people they had never met.
This is exactly where we’re meant to be…
Edward and Anita approached, and the four of them embraced.
“Thank you so much for playing for us,” Nora told them. “It was beautiful.”
“It was my farewell concert,” Edward told her with a smile. “I’m quitting in your honor. From now on, I’m going to spend my free time focusing on the things I like best.”
The way he smiled down at Anita and the way she smiled back at him made Nora more certain than ever that there would be another Young family wedding before too long.
We both ended up where we were meant to be.
“I want to dance with you, Nora,” River whispered to her as the music began. “But there’s someone I owe a dance to first.”
Nora nodded and smiled, expecting him to approach his mother.
But it was Pixie who he jogged up to, bowing.
She smiled radiantly up at him and accepted his invitation to stand on his feet and be danced around the barn.
“May I have this dance?” John-John asked Nora, tugging on her dress.
When she turned to him, he bowed as dramatically as River, and Nora found herself smiling like Pixie had.
“Yes,” she told him. “I would be honored.”
Everyone burst into spontaneous applause as the four of them took over the dance floor.
A few minutes later, River’s mom appeared.
“Pardon me,” she said. “May I cut in?”
“Of course,” Nora told her, as John-John laughed and took Mrs. Young’s hands.
Across the barn, River’s dad was now dancing with Pixie, leaving River free to approach Nora.
“Hi,” he said, gazing down at her.
“Hi,” she replied, suddenly feeling breathless.
“May I have this dance?” he asked, bowing.
“Yes, please,” she told him.
She had no time to feel embarrassed by the onlookers. When he took her in his arms, the rest of the world just melted away. There was only River, his strong arms around her, and his dark eyes gazing into hers with so much love.
“Is this real?” she heard herself murmur.
“I can’t believe it either,” he admitted huskily. “But I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure I never take a moment of it for granted.”
“Even when it’s hard,” she said solemnly. “Even when it’s not going the way we planned.”
“Especially then,” he told her with a smile. “That’s how we’ll know it’s real.”
As he swept her across the barn, among the dancing figures of their friends and family, she knew he was right. It was all a gift, every unplanned, messy moment.
And she wouldn’t change a single thing.
***
Thanks for reading Soldier’s Christmas Hope!