“To Charlie and Trina,” the crowd repeated.
She walked over to us, and Charlie rose and put his arms around her. They stood there together for a moment, him talking quietly while she nodded, no doubt giving her some brotherly encouragement. He had been worried about her since she disappeared after Willa’s funeral, and although she seemed to have her head on her shoulders a bit more as the years passed, he still wanted to protect her.
I loved that about him.
“Trina,” she said as she shifted to stand before me, adjusting the top of her dress. “You’ve been the best… I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Wrapping my arms around her neck, I held on tight. “Thanks for sharing life with me. I couldn’t enjoy it more if I had a million dollars and a rope of diamonds.”
“You’re quoting Anne of Green Gables to me?”
“I’ve heard it enough,” I stated with a laugh as she took a step back. Smiling, she handed me the roll of paper, and I glanced down at it and started unrolling. Once I had about two feet open, I glanced up at her and shook my head.
“What?” she asked, looking rather sly. “It worked.”
Staring back at the paper, I couldn’t help but laugh. In the center, written in large red letters, was one simple word: RELAX.
“I guess that means it’s my turn,” Charlie’s friend Eli stated, assuming the microphone as best man. Camdyn and I halted our conversation to look in his direction just in time for both our expressions to change: mine to one of surprise, and hers to what appeared to be dread.
“Actually, if I could just take a minute,” Camdyn’s date Jamie interrupted, removing the microphone from Eli’s hand. “Hey. Hello. Beautiful wedding. Beautiful.” His words were noticeably slurred and he seemed rather unsteady, as though he were visibly drunk.
“We only gave out one glass of champagne for toasting,” I whispered.
“What? He’s not supposed to drink with his medication.”
“Did someone tell him?”
“I need to say a few words about that lady,” Jamie rattled on, pointing in our general direction, his finger roaming about like he couldn’t focus it in one spot. “She’s fan-tastic. Perfect even. Mag-nifi…” Pausing, he began fumbling in his pocket. “…cent. She deserves true love. Love. Yes, she does.”
“My life is over,” Camdyn mumbled.
With one deft move, he jerked a black ring box out of his pocket and flicked it open with one finger, comically like something on a slapstick movie. The desire to laugh rose within me, but I didn’t dare with Camdyn standing so close.
“Camdyn, you are really hot. Really hot. And you just… You get me. You under-stand me.”
Apparently having had enough, Camdyn rushed in his direction, nearly tumbling over the edge of the table in the process. As she began removing the microphone from his hand and handing it back to Eli, her words could be clearly heard throughout the room.
“Okay, Jamie, let’s get you some fresh air. Obviously, you’re confused. Would you just be quiet? I’m trying to help you preserve your dignity. For goodness sake, put that ring back in your pocket.”
“Man, I really should have put that thing in the vows about watching Camdyn,” Charlie said beside me as he pulled me against him. “It’s definitely going to take the two of us.”
“It might take a village,” I corrected, smiling up at my husband. “But we’ll start with two and take it from there.”
“You’re really good for her, you know that?” Leaning down, he gave me a quick kiss.
“And good for you, too. That’s what Willa told me that Christmas Eve.”
“Really? She told me the same thing the night we did the drop and dash.” He offered a charming smile as he nodded and looked up. “Thanks, Grandma. You were right, just like always.”
“And when did you start thinking I was good for you?” I asked, feeling completely at home in his arms.
“When I opened your gift that Christmas. It felt like I had just unwrapped the future.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to Mike for answering my random, odd questions. To Reinah, for helping me name characters with her active imagination. To Truett, for giving me a glimpse of what it might have been like to have a brother. To my family and friends who are my first line of defense and help to make the stories better. I’m grateful for each of you.
Special thanks to Erica, my cover photographer, and to Brittany, for agreeing to portray Trina. You both made my job easy.
When I started daydreaming about Camdyn Taylor, I never would have imagined all the stories I’d get to tell through her family. All thanks goes to God, because He created these terrific characters and plopped them into my mind, fully formed. They have become like family to me, so coming back to them felt like coming home.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christina Coryell is the Amazon bestselling author of The Camdyn Series and the Girls of Wonder Lane series. She holds degrees in English and History from Drury University and resides in southwest Missouri with her husband and two children. She does most of her writing in unorthodox places and with lots of noise in the background.
She knows what it means to have kindred spirit friends—her best friend on the first day of kindergarten was her best friend on the last day of high school.
She loves to hear from her readers and welcomes interaction on Facebook, Twitter, and by email. Find all the links or sign up for newsletter updates at her website, www.christinacoryell.com.
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Other Books by Christina Coryell
The Camdyn Series:
Volume 1, A Reason to Run
Volume 2, A Reason to Be Alone
Volume 3, A Reason to Forget
Volume 4, For No Reason
Girls of Wonder Lane
Volume 1, Simply Mad
Volume 2, Crowned
Unwrapped (The Camdyn Series Book 5) Page 9