Just Three Dates
Page 28
“I can’t do it, Mark. I’ll spend the next fifty years biting my tongue. You know I’m no good at that.”
She looked to the organist and nodded. Music began to fill the space, a refrain picked up mid-song and Karen began to sing the lyrics, doing her best to match Whitney Houston’s angelic voice but missing the mark by at least a mile.
As she sang that she would always love him, a WOOP went up from the wedding party—Vicky, of course. “It’s about time,” she shouted, causing several in the audience to laugh.
Mark looked toward Vicky, who gave him a thumbs up. Then to his mother, who simply nodded her head and smiled.
Then, his eyes met Karen’s, staring so deep into her she felt they had reached her soul. There was questioning there, but she could no more contain her feelings than could a chalice contain water after it was already full. She began to both cry and laugh as the realization began to dawn in his eyes. He knew she was telling the truth. And that truth was setting him free.
His eyes became glossy with tears, he swallowed hard, and he then he grabbed her face and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply.
The audience clapped and cheered, some laughed, and one person—she wasn’t sure who—shouted out, “You’re supposed to finish the ceremony before you kiss her.”
Mark released her then, and Vicky reached into her bouquet and pulled out tissues, which she handed to them both, grinning from ear to ear before scurrying back to her spot.
Mark looked to the priest then, who took it as permission to continue with the vows.
When Mark said, “I will,” Karen could wait no longer. She threw her arms around his neck as she began to cry. “I love you, Mark Stuart, and I will always love you. Forever. I will love you no matter what happens, no matter what you do, no matter what you say.”
Cheers rang through the church and people stood to applaud.
There were tears in Mark’s eyes as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. “You called our marriage one of convenience,” he whispered, “and I thought you were doing me a favor by marrying me. You told me romance blinds people and causes them to do foolish things.”
“This is a marriage of convenience, Mark. I find it remarkably convenient that I’m marrying the man I love.”
Other books by David Burnett
Click on the title for more information about a book.
Between Heaven and Hell
As Heaven divides and hell arises, two young angels must choose sides in the brewing war over the creation of humanity.
Those Children Are Ours
Jennie Bateman screamed at her daughters, cursed her husband and walked away. How can a mother abandon her children?
Once and Future Wife
When Jennie Bateman tosses her medication, the demons of her bipolar disorder, the same ones that shattered her marriage two decades earlier, return with a vengeance, conspiring to prevent her from securing the love and happiness that finally seem to be within her grasp.
To Fall in Love Again
Class warfare may be less violent than it was in the past, but when Drew invites Amy to the St Cecelia Ball, battle lines are drawn. Family, friends, co-workers all weigh in on their relationship and choose sides.
The Handfasting
Steven is not Katie’s only suitor. Bill has long planned to wed her, and when she and Steven fall in love, he finally decides to stake his claim. His courtship turns violent and Katie must decide what kind of life she wants for herself.
The Reunion
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could crawl through a worm hole and find ourselves in high school, again?” Michael asks. He doesn’t men it literally, but when he begins to enjoy the same activities he did when he was young, his life begins to change.
About the Author
We recently moved to our new home near Charleston, South Carolina. Four of my books are set in Charleston, and I’ve always enjoyed the Carolina beaches. I now have the opportunity to walk on the beach almost every day and to photography the ocean, the sea birds, and the marshes that I love.
I love photography, and I have photographed subjects as varied as prehistoric ruins on the islands of Scotland, star trails, sea gulls, and a Native American powwow. My wife and I have traveled widely in the United States and the United Kingdom. During trips to Scotland, we visited Crathes Castle, the ancestral home of the Burnett family near Aberdeen, and Kismul Castle on Barra, the home of my McNeil ancestors.
I went to school for much longer than I want to admit, and I have degrees in psychology and education. In an “earlier life” I was director of research for our state’s education department.
sola Deo gloria