by Linda Ellen
Gene reached out and ruffled Jeff’s unruly light-brown hair. “Thanks Bro. Lead him here, will ya?”
“Sure thing!” the boy returned as he took off like a shot. All of the men laughed.
“I wish I still had that much energy,” John chuckled.
“I don’t think I ever did have that much energy!” Gene grunted, his nervousness having abated at the hands of his family’s familiar teasing and antics. He turned toward the mirror and inspected Steve’s perfect job of knotting his tie. With a smile, he murmured, “Thanks, Bro. I might just hire you as my personal valet.”
That remark earned a snigger from Steve as he backed up and perched on the corner of the pastor’s desk. “I’m afraid, dear brother, even on a first sergeant’s pay you couldn’t afford me.”
Gene stuck his chin out and adjusted the fit of his shirt collar. “You might have a point there. Come see me once I make General.” Steve just shook his head with a goofy grin.
Minutes later, the door opened again and Gareth, the third of the triplets, sauntered in.
“Hey Gare. Thanks for coming,” Gene gave his brother a quick manly hug.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Gary responded with a grin that was just as handsome as both of his brothers’.
“Good to see you, Gare,” Steve greeted with a firm handshake, and then inclined his head toward Gene. “Our boy, here, has been fighting a case of the jitters, so maybe you can help keep him calm,” he goaded with twinkling sky-blue eyes. Two matching pairs gazed back at him and he moved to grasp a shoulder of each of his brothers. The triplets were together again in the same room. It felt right like nothing else could, and that still-new feeling of completeness once again wrapped itself around his heart and warmed him from the inside out.
Gene perused his watch again. “Hey, it’s almost time. And um, there’s been a change, Gare. You’ll be escorting Julie down the aisle, instead of Laura,” he informed his affable brother.
Tradition dictated that the groom’s best friend or closest brother be best man. However, seeing that Gene had lost his best friend at Pearl and loved all of his brothers equally, he’d opted to draw straws to pick which he would ask to be at his side and the straw fell to Steve. Viv had wanted to keep the wedding small, with just three attendants, so Mary June was her maid of honor, along with Gene’s sisters as bridesmaids and his brothers to stand with them. Unfortunately, Jack had broken his leg and Gene’s shy sister, Laura, had decided she couldn’t bear to stand up in front of everyone.
In answer to Gary’s questioning brow, Gene pointed over to the corner where his brother was sitting with his heavily casted leg propped on a chair with a folded cloth under it.
Gary whistled softly as he stepped toward him. “Whew, man, what’d you do?”
Jack chuckled and shook his head ruefully. “Something dumb. I climbed up a tree to cut off an old dead limb my wife was afraid would fall on her clothesline, but I lost my grip and then my balance. I was grabbin’ at every branch I could reach, each one breakin’ off, till I finally fell out and hit the ground. What’s worse—I clobbered the clothesline anyway! It probably looked just like a scene from a Buster Keaton movie,” he added with a snort, “only lemme tell ya, it ain’t funny in real life. I screamed like a little girl.”
The men all laughed together in male camaraderie.
“Tell me about it. I once broke my leg, and just as bad and nearly in the same way. And I agree, it wasn’t funny, and it wasn’t any picnic,” Gary responded sympathetically.
Then he turned to Gene and answered his question. “I’m fine with escorting Julie, Bro. I just hope I don’t stand out, though, since I’m not in a uniform,” he added with a grimace, glancing down and gesturing at his immaculate suit as if it were rags.
Steve’s brow furrowed for a moment as he detected a hint of self-recrimination behind his brother’s words. Then Gary looked up and grinned at Gene and the moment was broken. Steve brushed the thought away; certain he must have imagined it, since Gary was the most accomplished, and most affluent of the three. Surely there was nothing he would have to be self-conscious about.
Gene turned toward his dad as the older man held Gene’s dress uniform jacket open to help him slip into it. “You and Julie will go first down the aisle, and Steve and Mary June will be right behind you guys.”
Gary inclined his head in acquiescence. “Sounds like a plan.”
John rubbed his hands together, satisfied that all the details had been worked out. “Okay, fellas, let’s get these silly things on,” he said as he picked up one of the boutonnieres his wife had left on the table and began trying to pin it to the lapel of his son’s uniform. The brothers followed suit with their own.
Then, the door opened and Vivian’s father, George Powell stuck his head in. His eyes ran over his future son-in-law and he smiled in approval. “You look very distinguished in your dress greens, son. I’m going to be proud to call you my son-in-law.”
“Thank you, sir,” Gene responded with a sincere smile, the man’s words touching him.
Gene’s father motioned the father of the bride on in and handed him a matching lapel flower, and the men stood around conversing for a few minutes.
John then stole a glimpse at his watch and began, “Well, it’s getting about that ti—” only to be interrupted again by his hurricane of a son bursting in the door. John scowled at him.
“Son, this is becoming a habit.”
“Sorry Dad! Mom said to tell you they’re ready to start!”
Gene swallowed reactively, as both Steve and Gary laughed and clapped him on the back.
With a snicker, Steve leaned over and intoned in a loud whisper, “If you wanna make a break for it, Geno, it’s now or never.”
Gene sent him a mock growl. “Just shut up and tell me you’ve got the ring.”
Steve patted his pocket with a smile. “Don’t worry about a thing. You just say the words and we’ll keep you headed in the right direction.”
Another round of laughter accompanied the groom as they exited the small room at the back of the sanctuary and he began to make his way up front to the altar of the church. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw his brothers making a basket with their arms and transporting Jack to his seat where his concerned wife awaited.
“And what happened then?” Julie Banks, Gene’s twenty-year-old sister gasped as she and Mary June worked on making sure Vivian’s veil and train were straight as they waited in the foyer of the church. Although the veil cascaded down Viv’s back, it was only pinned at her hair with pearl combs and not over her face, a compromise that pleased both mother and daughter.
Viv’s mother had been fussing with it all morning, pulling and tugging on the elegant creation she had lovingly sewn—until Gene’s mom had finally taken pity on Viv and asked her youngest, Jeff, to escort both herself and Mrs. Powell to their seats as well as tell the men to start the proceedings.
At Julie’s question, Mary June met eyes with Viv and then turned back to grin at the younger woman. Here we go again, she mused as she began for the umpteenth time to tell the epic story of her wild night with Gene’s dashing identical brother. She had told Viv all of the particulars the next day after she had arrived quite late to work—for which she had gotten a severe tongue lashing from their boss, Mr. Gates.
Viv had shared with her that she and Gene had been worried out of their minds when they hadn’t shown up at the farm. After an hour had gone by, they had gotten back in the car and retraced the route to where Steve had changed the tire, but had no clue where to look afterwards. There were so many little side roads from which to choose—but Gene couldn’t figure out why Steve would have turned down any of those anyway. Viv had related that they had finally decided that there must have been a good reason Steve had changed his mind about continuing on, as Gene had felt negative emotions rolling off his sibling during their exchange at the flat tire location.
In turn, Mary June had apologized for the worry t
hey had caused everyone, and explained what happened. Then she had shared with her best friend every—well, nearly every—kiss and caress. With anyone else, however, which included her parents, she had divulged only vague details—much like she would do now.
“I changed out of my wet blouse—while he kept his back turned—we found things to eat and managed to get together a nice meal…later we played a game of checkers…and we talked for hours until we fell asleep.”
Julie’s eyes were as round as quarters. “Weren’t you frightened? All alone like that—all night—with a man you barely knew?”
Mary June thought about that for a moment, and then shook her head. “No. He wasn’t a stranger—he’s a hero, and rightly so. He remained a perfect gentleman the entire evening and night. As well as the next morning, after the ‘Gestapo’ burst in on us and scared the bejeebies out of me.”
Viv chuckled softly and said to her prospective sister-in-law, “Those two MP’s radioed back to base and let Gene know what had happened, so he called the guard shack at the entrance and told the sentry—who was a man both of us knew, we had each danced with him at the USO. Anyway, Gene told him he was expecting visitors, but not who. Minutes later, up drives Steve and Mary June, and Private Ackerman thought it was Gene pulling a Houdini magic trick.”
The girls fell into stitches together, while Laura, the quiet older sister, stood at the closed doors to the sanctuary, waiting to tell the wedding party when to start down. She turned her head with a gentle smile and watched the girls with a wistful expression.
“What did your parents say about you being out all night?” Julie continued, fascinated with Mary June’s adventure in the woods.
“They were worried and fit to be tied, but Steve smoothed everything over. He’s got a way about him. He can be a downright stinker, but when he decides to be sweet…” Mary June answered, a dreamy look in her eyes as she pictured the man she loved—of which all of the girls took notice. “He told me he loves me…and I said the same. It took being stranded together to make us both realize…”
Viv and Julie exchanged glances and grins, and the younger girl leaned toward the bride and pseudo-whispered, “She’s carrying the torch, big time.”
The lovely bride in white leaned back with an equally loud whisper, “Yep. Khaki wacky. No doubt about it.”
Mary June snapped out of her daydream and blushed. “Oh you guys.”
Then, she met each girl’s eyes and allowed her lips to curl into a rapt smile. “You’re right, all of you, and I’ll be the first to admit it. I fell head-over-heels sappy over that corporal…once he finally let me see underneath that veneer of juvenile joking and teasing he wears like a mask. Underneath… he’s a solid GI Joe, along with Sir Galahad and Romeo, and even a dash of Rhett Butler, all rolled into one—he just doesn’t want anyone to know it.”
“Do you think he’ll ask you to marry him?” Laura ventured softly, and Mary June thought, a trifle sadly. She wondered if the girl believed she would never find a man and get married.
Silently sending up a quick prayer for God to send the right man Laura’s way, and another that her own Prince Charming would bite the bullet and take the plunge, she answered truthfully, “I don’t know…but I hope so.”
Viv’s eyes shone with happiness—for herself and for her best friend.
“He will. Give him time. And, if he’s anything like his brother, he’ll do it up right.”
The best friends clasped hands and fought back tears as the sisters looked on; it was a moment that none of them would ever forget.
Just then, the swinging doors opened and Mr. Powell and Mr. Banks came into the foyer, followed by Gary and Steve. The latter two were snickering together as if they’d shared some private joke, but they both allowed their gazes to float down over the three girls in their lovely dresses. Viv’s especially, however, Steve merely gave her a dutiful once over and a mumbled but sincere, “You look beautiful, Viv. My brother’s a lucky guy.” But, then he turned his eyes to Mary June and there they stayed, with a silly grin plastered to his face for good measure.
John Banks shook George’s hand and shared a smile, uttering, “From now on, we’re family.”
“That we are,” the other man agreed.
John then gave a quick kiss to Julie’s cheek and a fond caress to Laura’s, and slipped through the door to make his way up the aisle and take his place beside his wife. He patted her hand and gave her a reassuring smile that everything was fine.
Laura peeked through the swinging doors, murmuring, “Gene’s at the front with the preacher. I think they’re ready.” George took his place beside his daughter, as Gary and Steve stood ready to perform their duties. The corporal and the businessman had hardly taken their eyes off the ladies they would be escorting.
Mary June watched as her best friend sent a misty smile up at her dad and he gazed down at her in pure fatherly love. It took her breath away, and for a moment, she pictured her own father preparing to escort her down the aisle to her intended. Her eyes moved of their own volition to meet Steve’s, and he gave her a wink. She blushed, wondering if he’d read her mind.
Then Laura opened one door and they could all hear the organ music.
Gary stepped toward Julie and extended his arm in a perfect gentlemanly fashion. “Shall we get this show on the road?” he asked her quietly. Her cheeks pinkened and she inclined her head in acquiescence as she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and they set off together.
When they were halfway down the aisle, Steve and Mary June began their walk, and she gripped his arm tightly, striving to match Gary and Julie’s pace. Steve leaned just a bit and whispered, “Relax.”
“I’m trying,” she whispered back, meeting his eyes for a quick second. That was enough, and she did relax and finish the walk. What was it about those eyes of his that with one look could settle her nerves or set her on fire, whichever he was intending at that moment?
Steve parted from her at the altar with a jaunty wink that made her almost blush.
Then the wedding march began and all eyes turned toward the door to watch the beautiful bride in a long flowing white satin dress, her honey-blonde hair covered by a sheer veil, walk down the aisle to her blue-eyed sergeant.
For a moment, Mary June glanced across the altar at the triplets, each watching the bride’s procession. They were so very much alike, but now Mary June could easily see the differences between them, notwithstanding the variation in what they were wearing or the slight bit of difference in the cut of their hair or style of their sideburns. Secretly, she thought Steve the most handsome of the three. But then, I may be a bit prejudiced. He turned his head and caught her perusing him and she felt her face flame once again.
Then Vivian’s dad was handing her off to Gene and the wedding began.
All the way through the very traditional proceedings of Scripture reading, lighting candles, and a song being sung by the pastor’s daughter, Mary June couldn’t seem to concentrate, and almost missed taking Viv’s flowers from her at the appointed cue. Time after time, her gaze strayed to Steve standing stalwart at Gene’s side, and each time his eyes met hers as if he physically felt the touch of her stare. His intent look contained so much heat and hunger, she wondered if others were noticing the looks they were exchanging—she surely hoped not!
When Pastor Bob got to the part in the ceremony where he had Gene repeating his vows, the air around Mary June seemed almost shrouded in mist. Her imagination was working overtime, as she could picture Steve in Gene’s place and she in Viv’s, vowing in a strong voice that he would love, honor, and cherish her, and keep himself only unto her as long as they both shall live.
In those moments, there was nothing Mary June wanted more in the world than for Steve to pledge himself to her in that way. She was almost overcome with longing and her eyes filled as she struggled to contain her emotions. Wanting to avoid making a spectacle in front of the wedding guests, she tried to get her mind off Steve and on
to the ceremony itself. That was no help, however, because just looking at Viv’s radiant countenance, and knowing how happy her best friend was to be marrying her loving sergeant, only added to Mary June’s urge to melt into tears. Oh, what is it about weddings that make me cry??
In desperation, Mary June looked over at Steve once again, and found he was watching her instead of the couple being joined in matrimony. He gave her a tiny nod, and she figured he could probably see that she was letting her emotions get the better of her and, like the hero he was, wanted to help. Just the strength of his gaze enabled her to pull herself together. It was almost as if he was gripping her hand and lending her his strength!
The connection that had developed between them amazed her more each time something like this happened. She drew in a large, steadying breath and managed to send him a return nod.
And then, before she realized it, the pastor was pronouncing Gene and Viv husband and wife, Gene was kissing Viv, and the church erupted in applause.
Everything sped back up to normal, and as she moved to the center and took Steve’s arm to walk down the aisle, the blaze in his eyes set a fire under the kettle of Mary June’s already overheated emotions and she felt anticipation crackle in the very air.
It was as if something significant was about to happen…
CHAPTER 19
The wedding guests had moved downstairs to the basement of the church and were milling about, waiting for the festivities to begin, while upstairs snapshots were being taken using a Brownie camera belonging to the father of the bride.
More than once, Steve had to practically shake his head to get his mind back into the proceedings. All he really wanted to do, however, was stand near Mary June, lean close, and breathe in that heavenly perfume she always wore. Heck with that, what I really wanna do is grab her up, go find a deserted room, and exchange a few passionate hi-de-ho’s.