Epilogue
Riley couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day.
Laying her forehead against Colton’s jaw, she let him lead her on their first turn around the dance floor as Mr. and Mrs. Blankenship. Could a heart burst with too much happiness? If so, hers must be made of some tough stuff, because she’d never known such an overflowing of joy.
The past five months leading up to their May wedding on the estate grounds had been busy and full.
Full of life. Full of fun. Full of love and laughter and new hopes and dreams. Most of which had been launched the second Colton’s father pronounced them husband and wife, little more than an hour before.
And she couldn’t wait. Couldn’t wait to live in the new house they bought after selling her townhome in January and his house last month.
Much more modest than the estate, where she’d stayed during their engagement, but a bit more substantial than his previous home, complete with a gate.
The new neighborhood was in a good area, and the house much closer to other homes than the estate was to its neighbors.
But her new husband—Petersen’s Vice President of Security Operations—insisted on safety first when it came to being married to a Hudson, with little heirs and heiresses running around in the future.
Little heirs and heiresses she couldn’t wait to get started on.
After a gourmet dinner of prime rib, lobster, and all the side dishes a body could desire, they’d taken to the dance floor.
She gazed up at the man who owned her heart. “What a beautiful day.”
Leaning in, he kissed her, to the delight of their guests. “My gorgeous bride. That first wedding dress I saw you in was spectacular, but this …” He shook his head. “You take my breath away, Mrs. Blankenship.”
“Oh, how I love the way that sounds. I couldn’t wait to be Riley Christine Blankenship. Has a great ring to it, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely. But you still don’t regret not hyphenating your last name?”
“I don’t. I always knew when I found my soulmate and married him, I’d take his name. I’m still a Hudson. But I’ll forever be yours.”
He kissed her again as their chosen song ended, after which they cut their cake, then posed for some nighttime photos outside.
Upon returning to the tent, they were pulled into a line dance, and the party was on.
Best Man Paul handed Colton a black Stetson while Fran plopped a white cowboy hat on Riley’s head, matching the sage green hats of her bridal party.
The next jaunty country tune kicked in, and Colton grabbed her in the classic hold for the two-step. Passing another couple as they meandered around the floor, she couldn’t help but join in their laughter. It was good to see Shane happy, back to his healthy physique … and with a great girl.
After exchanging a barrage of emails for a couple of weeks, Barbara had visited him at the prison. That visit led to two others. It wasn’t until Riley witnessed their embrace the morning Shane walked out the prison gate that she understood a romance was brewing.
And had been going strong ever since. A romance she couldn’t help but be behind one hundred percent.
The Mulaneys had held a press conference following Shane’s release in January, not only issuing their regret for the time he’d spent behind bars but thanking him for blessing the life of their daughter in the weeks before she was taken.
The judge, his wife, older daughter, and her husband were there somewhere, enjoying the evening with their old friends.
How like the Lord to restore what once was broken. In so many ways.
Riley grinned as they passed John and Avery, the newly engaged couple ignoring the two-step and instead swaying in a tight embrace.
Their wedding was slated to take place in six months.
A year to the day they met, the day Warren Everett first appeared in Riley’s life.
Another picture of God taking something ugly and redeeming it for something beautiful.
All of the evil wrought by Warren’s hand had caught up to him.
Not only had they proved beyond a doubt he killed Cait, but he would also pay for the assault of his girlfriend and the shooting of Terence Drummond.
Unfortunately, the authorities were unable to ascertain whether he’d had a hand in his mother’s death, but it was enough that Jacob Warren Everett would never experience a day of freedom again.
Not unless he came to the Lord and received it on the other side of this life.
After a couple of hours of dancing and celebrating, she once again found herself in her husband’s arms, swaying to a ballad in the middle of the floor, surrounded by the people they loved most in the world.
Colton swept the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “As amazing as this has been, I’m ready to ditch this place. You with me?”
Her skin tingled along the track of his fingers. “You know I am. Ready for anything. As long as I have my tactical gear by my side.”
“And you, my lovely wife, will always be the one I’d give my life for.”