Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“You look pretty,” Larissa said as she stood beside Summer, near the falls outside of town.
“Thank you. You’re very beautiful,” Summer said, looking with pride at the little girl who looked up at her, her hands in Summer’s, and their dresses, while not the same color or style, were similar colors. Dark blue with orange tones.
It seemed to fit the fall theme.
“I hear the music,” Summer said.
Just as she said that, Terry hurried back toward them.
“You girls are beautiful,” Terry said with a smile.
Then she looked at Summer. “Gilbert’s waiting.
Jones is standing beside him and hoping that you’ll hurry getting out there, because he’s scared to death Gilbert’s going to faint, and Jones is going to have to catch him so he doesn’t fall in the water. ”
“Boy. That would make for a memorable wedding,” Summer said, concerned.
“Don’t worry. I told Gilbert to breathe, to take deep breaths, hold them, and blow them out. I think he’ll be okay, it’s just that I’m actually worried about Jones now.”
Summer laughed.
“Are you ladies ready?” Amy said as she came up the path. They couldn’t see the guests that were there, not that there were many. Just Gilbert’s family and a few people from church.
Everyone was invited to the reception afterward, at the farm. They had picnic tables set up, and Marjorie, bless her heart, had big tubs of food ready to feed an army.
For her sake, Summer hoped people showed up.
Cricket and Bunny would be hitched to the wagon, and they would be giving rides.
She thought it would probably feel more like a carnival than a wedding reception, but she was okay with that.
She wanted people to be celebrating. This was a happy day for her.
“I think we are, aren’t we?” Summer looked down at Larissa, who nodded her head.
Lucas and Robert were standing beside their dad, Judd, and Jones.
Sunny and her string trio were providing the music, and it sounded like the song that they were supposed to walk out to.
“All right. Isadora is waiting to take pictures, because no one takes pictures like she does,” Amy said as she and Terry hurried back.
“Looks like it’s just you and me, kiddo,” Summer said, looking down at Larissa.
“Does this mean that you’re going to be my mom?
” Larissa asked, and Summer wondered if she’d been waiting to ask that question until things died down.
It seemed like it had been nonstop activity since Thanksgiving.
But they’d gotten their tree up, it had been beautiful, and it was possible that she and Gilbert had kissed beside it.
Although, they really had tried to be circumspect.
After all, both of them wanted to honor the Lord, and with the wedding so close, it was easier to wait.
“If you want me to be.” Summer took a breath, her heart swelling.
She loved this little girl so much, but she didn’t want her to forget her real mom.
Even though her mom had cheated on her dad and maybe wasn’t the upright character that her daughter had in her mind, she was still her mother, and she deserved love and respect.
“I love Mommy, but…she’s not here anymore. And I really want you to be my mom.”
“All right. How about we can both be your mom? You have your mommy that you had up until you were nine, and then you have me, and I’ll be your mom for the rest of your life.”
“Are you going to die too?” Larissa asked, and while Summer didn’t want to make everyone wait on her, and she didn’t want the musicians to have to play their piece twice, she felt like it was more important to spend time alleviating Larissa’s fears.
“Everyone dies. Everyone. You, me, everyone. But if we know Jesus, if we’ve accepted him as our Savior, then we’ll spend eternity in heaven.
Right now, your mommy is up in heaven waiting on you to get there.
She’s probably a little bit lonely without you, although I’m sure she wants you to live a good full life living for the Lord down here.
I wish I could tell you that I’m not going to die anytime soon, but the reality is, only God knows.
But if I do, you’ll know for sure that I’ll be standing right beside the gate, waiting for you to walk through.
And if I’m allowed, I’m going to peek down and watch your life, and see you live for the Lord while I’m waiting for you. Okay?”
“I think so.”
“And your mommy and I will be really good friends,” Summer said.
“Do you like her?” Larissa asked.
“I never met her, but I know that when I do, I will love her, because we both love you.”
Larissa smiled big, and her fears seemed to be gone.
Summer wasn’t so na?ve as to believe that they would never come back, but she did know that there were things that Larissa could know were true, and they would help her be able to grapple with the harder facts of life.
“Are you okay?” Summer asked, hearing the musicians start the song again. And seeing Amy leaning over, looking down the trail.
Summer waved, indicating that everything was okay, and then she looked down at Larissa.
“I’m fine. I’m happy.”
“All right. If you’re ready to walk down, it sounds like they’re ready for you. You have the rings?”
Larissa reached in the little pouch that she had on her wrist. “I have both of them.”
“Perfect. You go on, I’ll be right behind you. Don’t walk too fast. I don’t want to trip. I’m not used to wearing heels.”
They weren’t huge heels. They were square and serviceable, because she would be walking in the woods.
She wanted to wear something a little bit dressy.
But not so fancy that she looked completely out of place.
Still, the waterfall was the perfect backdrop, and she wanted to wear something that complemented it.
Of course, nothing was as important as the man who stood at the end of her walk, in front of the pastor, and right beside his sons. Who looked at her as she walked slowly around the bend. She moved toward his family and the man who loved her.
Leaves fell down around her as a gust of wind blew over, and she was thankful for the little jacket she wore with her dress, since there was a bit of a chill in the air.
Still, she couldn’t ask for a better day for early December, although it didn’t matter. She would have gotten married no matter what the weather and been thankful for it.
Gilbert couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her, and he looked at her with such love and devotion that it was all she could do to walk sedately and not run to him and put her arms around him.
To think that would be hers for the rest of her life, to hug him whenever she wanted to, to touch him as much as she cared to, and to get to hear everything he had to say, and to tell him her every thought, if she chose to.
To give her life to him, to serve him, and to do her best to make his life easier and happier and brighter. While he did the same for her.
Yeah, it would have been extremely difficult for anyone to wipe the smile off her face.