by Terri Reid
Sean looked up from the dust on the cement floor and saw her. Once again wiping the green ooze from the blade of her broadsword. But, she wasn’t a girl any longer. She was a woman. A tall, strikingly beautiful woman.
“You,” he stuttered.
“Aye, and here you are trying to fight off a Heldeofol with naught but a stick again,” she said, shaking her head. “Did you learn nothing from your last experience?”
“Aren’t you a hallucination?” he asked.
She smiled brightly at him. “Aye, Sean the Brave, I’m only a dream.”
And then she disappeared.
Chapter Forty-nine
“Sean, what are you doing here?” Mary screamed and pulled her robe tighter when he walked into her house on Saturday morning.
“What the hell kind of greeting is that for your dear brother?” Sean asked.
“It’s the greeting of a frantic bride on her wedding day,” his mother said, hurrying across the room and planting a kiss on her son’s cheek. “I was like a banshee. My father nearly threw me out of the house.”
“Margaret,” Rosie called from upstairs. “Do you know where the hairspray is? I can’t seem to get Clarissa’s curls to stay in place.”
“I’ll be up in a trice,” she called.
She turned to her son and smiled. “I’ll see you at the church,” she said with a little warning in her voice. “And make sure those brothers of yours behave. No practical jokes on a wedding day.”
Mary clutched her stomach. “I hadn’t even thought of that,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m going to survive this.”
He walked over and kissed her. “You are a beautiful bride, even in your robe,” he said. “You’re going to knock his socks off. Bradley’s a lucky guy. So, where do you want me to put the tuxes?”
“All of the men are at Bradley’s house,” she said. “Would you mind driving over there?”
“Is there food over there?” he asked.
“Ian’s there,” Mary replied drily.
Sean laughed. “Well, then, I’m sure there’s food. By the way, did Ian’s fiancée make it in?”
Mary nodded. “She’s staying at the hotel,” she said. “She’s lovely, Sean. I met her last night.”
“While I was driving through the streets of Chicago, picking out the perfect powder blue tuxes with pink ruffled shirts, you were partying it up here in Freeport?” he complained.
“Well, actually, it was a quiet dinner here,” Mary said. “We were all pretty exhausted after the case we’d been working on. Speaking of cases, how is the one you’ve been working on?”
“Solved, but it was one of the weirdest cases I’ve ever worked on in my life,” he said. “When you and Bradley get back from your fancy honeymoon, I’ll tell you all about it. Just one little bit of advice.”
“Sure, what?” she asked.
“Stay out of the woods in Ireland,” he said.
“But, we’re going to Scotland,” she said.
“Yeah, well just in case, stay out of those woods too,” he replied.
She laughed and hugged him. “Will you do me a favor and make sure my groom and the rest of his motley crew make it to the church on time?” she asked.
He snapped a quick salute. “I’ll do my best,” he said.
“I love you, Sean,” she said.
“Love you too, brat,” he replied.
Chapter Fifty
Mary sat in the large anteroom down the hall from the chapel. The room was furnished for a waiting bride: a large marble vanity with a gilded mirror, a soft-tufted ivory velvet stool and plenty of other chairs upholstered in ivory and gold brocade for bridesmaids and visitors. The thick ivory carpeting complemented the gold and ivory striped wallpaper. It was a room designed to reflect elegance, but also to inspire serenity.
For now, the room was empty except for the bride and her mother. Margaret stood behind Mary at the vanity, putting the final touches on her hair, a ritual as ancient as the wedding ceremony itself. Glancing into the mirror at her mother, she watched her wipe a tear from her eyes and felt her own eyes water in response.
“Are you happy for me, Ma?” she asked, pulling a tissue from the container on the vanity counter.
Margaret helped herself to a tissue too and wiped her eyes and nose before replying. “Well, of course I am,” she said. “Bradley’s a good man and he loves you more than life itself, as he’s proven many times. You’re going to be so happy. And you’ve already got a beautiful daughter who loves you. I couldn’t be any happier for you.”
Mary wiped away another tear. “Then why are we crying?” she asked.
Responding with a watery laugh, Margaret used the tissue yet again. “You’re my little girl,” she said. “And you’re getting married. You’re moving from your Da’s and my care to the care of your husband.”
“And, yes, I know that you’ve been more than able to take care of yourself for many years,” Margaret inserted as she saw Mary about to interrupt. “But even though you were independent and capable, you were still our little Mary-Mary. And now you will be a wife and a mother. It’s a step that cannot be reversed and it will change your life.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Mary asked. “Do you think it’s a bad thing?”
“Oh, no, darling,” her mother said. “These are selfish tears I’m crying. Tears of a mother so proud of her child, yet wishing, somehow, she could turn back the years. Wishing that the time had been longer and she had treasured it more.”
“I love you, Ma,” Mary said.
Margaret wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed her head. “And I love you, Mary,” she whispered through her tears. “And now, I’m going to let your Da have a few moments with you while I go fix my face.”
Mary pulled another tissue from the holder and blotted around her eyes while she watched her mother hurry from the room. No sooner had the door closed than it opened again. Her father, a bear of a man, walked in, dwarfing all of the furniture in the room. His tuxedo fit him perfectly, but his tie was slightly askew. She stood and walked over to him, and, with the kind of affection and love that is only shared between a daughter and her father, gently adjusted the tie and kissed his cheek.
“You’re looking mighty dapper, Da,” she teased.
“I feel like a penguin in this getup,” he confessed gruffly. “And can you believe it, Mary-Mary, Sean had the gall to make me wear pink.”
He opened his suit coat and Mary saw the light salmon-colored vest and the grey, black and salmon colored striped tie that matched it. “He remembered I wanted to use the color salmon,” she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes again.
“No, darling, this is pink,” her father corrected. “Salmon is a fish that you put on a bagel with cream cheese.”
She kissed her father’s cheek again. “And only manly men can get away with wearing pink,” she said. “And it’s only for a few hours.”
“Oh, well, if it will make you happy,” he grumbled. “I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Da,” she said.
He placed his big, burly hands on her shoulders and just looked at her for a moment. His little Mary-Mary. Gone were the pig-tails, the scraped knees and the toothless grin. His little girl had somehow grown up and turned into this stunning woman. He started to speak, but his voice caught in his throat and he looked away for a moment to gain his composure.
Finally, he turned back, nearly undone by the glistening tears in her eyes. “Are you happy, darling?” he asked.
She nodded, too overcome to speak.
He let go of one shoulder, reached in his pocket for an oversized handkerchief and stepped closer to blot the tears from her face. “I remember doing this when you were just a wee lass,” he said. “You never wanted your brothers to see you cry, so you found a hiding spot.”
She nodded. “In your workroom,” she whispered.
“I thought the little people had snuck in,” he teased gently. “And what did I find? A wee fairy princess in
the corner, with a runny nose and a broken heart.”
She took the handkerchief from him and blotted her own eyes. “They wouldn’t let me play with them,” she said, with the same fierce determination she had shown when she was six.
“And we showed them, didn’t we?” he asked, a gentle smile forming on his lips.
“Yes, we did,” she chuckled, remembering all of the times her father took the time to teach her how to play baseball and basketball or work with her on target practice, so she could keep up with her siblings. “You were always my hero, Da.”
Nodding, he put the tip of his finger on her nose and took a deep shuddering breath. “And now it’s time for me to step aside and give way for your new hero,” he said. “I like your Bradley. He’s a good man and he has eyes for no one but you.”
She blotted her eyes again. “You can both be my heroes,” she said.
He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “Well, then, I don’t mind sharing that spot with him,” he agreed. “And even though I’m giving you away today, I want you to know, if ever you need your Da I’m only a phone call away.”
Standing on tiptoes, she kissed him back. “I’ll never forget that, Da,” she said. “One of the reasons I love him is because he reminds me of you.”
“Well, then, are you ready to walk down the aisle?” he asked.
She took a deep breath and nodded. “Could you give me just another minute, Da?” she asked.
He kissed her forehead. “You take all the time you need. You’re the star of the show. I’ll be waiting in the hallway for you.”
After he closed the door behind him, Mary walked across the room and stood in front of the full-length mirror. She was a bride. She almost couldn’t believe the day was here; it was like she was dreaming and any moment she’d wake up and find herself back in her bed. She took a deep breath.
“You could still run away with me,” Mike said softly, appearing behind her. “The angel and the princess. We could have our own cable reality show.”
Her nerves calmed as she laughed. “Or, as the rest of the world would see it, the crazy lady who talks to herself,” she replied. “I don’t think we could sell it to any channel.”
“You look like a princess, Mary O’Reilly,” he said. “And Bradley is a lucky man.”
“Thank you, Mike,” she replied, “for everything. You’ve been the best friend I’ve ever had.”
“And yet, you didn’t ask me to be your maid-of-honor,” he quipped.
She turned away from the mirror and smiled at him. “I’m sorry, but you just didn’t have the legs for the dress.”
“I love you, kid,” he said. “And I want you to know that I’ve established some new rules, now that you’re getting married.”
“And they are?” she asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach.
“Bathroom and bedroom are now off limits,” he said with a grin. “I thought I ought to give you a little more privacy.”
She smiled. “Thank you, Mike.”
“Hey, no problem,” he said, leaning forward and placing a kiss on her cheek. “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
He stepped back and faded away. Mary blotted her eyes once again and took one more look at herself in the mirror before she left to join her father in the hallway.
Chapter Fifty-one
Bradley stood at the front of the church, his heart in his throat as he waited for the wedding to begin. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a black vest and a black tie with a thin stripe of salmon. Ian stood next to him, glancing around the chapel. “Gillian hasn’t arrived yet,” he whispered.
“Are you worried?” Bradley asked, praying that Ian wouldn’t desert him to go and search for his fiancée.
“No,” Ian said, shaking his head. “She’ll be here.”
Mike appeared next to them. “Well, I checked on Mary,” he said casually. “Her dad’s driving her home. She changed her mind.”
The blood drained from Bradley’s face and he turned desperate eyes on Mike. “What?” he exclaimed.
“Oh, dude, sorry,” Mike said quickly. “Bad joke. Really bad joke. She’s as nervous as you are and looks like a dream.”
Bradley inhaled a deep breath. “Mike, if you weren’t already dead…”
Mike nodded. “Yeah, I’m sorry,” he said. “I figured since this was, you know, your second wedding, you wouldn’t be nervous.”
“He wasn’t marrying Mary that time,” Ian said.
Taking another deep breath, Bradley nodded, “Whole different experience,” he acknowledged, and then he noticed that Mike was wearing a tuxedo that matched Ian’s. “What’s with the getup?”
Mike grinned. “Well, I know the only reason you didn’t ask me to be your best man was because, well, I’m dead,” he explained. “So, I decided I would be your best ghost or best angel, whichever you prefer. Figured you could use the extra help up here.”
Smiling back at him, Bradley nodded. “Thank you,” he said. “I certainly could.”
The processional music began to play and the knot in Bradley’s stomach tightened. Ian leaned over and patted him on the shoulder. “Sealbh math dhuit,” he said.
“What?” Bradley whispered anxiously.
“Good luck,” Ian replied with a quick grin.
Bradley looked at the open double door and took another deep breath. He was sure this was worse than facing a firing squad. Suddenly Clarissa and Maggie came around the corner and stood in the doorway. In matching salmon satin and tulle tea-length dresses, they looked like princesses.
“Now there’s a sight,” Ian said.
“Adorable,” Mike added. “They couldn’t be cuter.”
The girls looked up the aisle to Bradley and waved, and then they both blew him kisses. “I lied,” Mike added. “That was cuter.”
Bradley blew a kiss back to the little girls and they both giggled.
They turned to each other, nodded and then started forward up the aisle, sprinkling salmon-colored rose petals on the white runner. When they reached the front of the church, they both ran over to Bradley and gave him a hug. Then they gave Ian a hug too. Both of them turned to Mike, undecided on how to proceed. “You both owe me a hug later,” he said with a smile.
Giggling, they tossed the remaining flower petals at Bradley and Ian and hurried to their seats.
Sean stepped forward, took Linda Sterling’s arm and led her slowly up the aisle. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with the same light salmon vest as his father was wearing and Linda was in a seafoam green tea-length chiffon dress. Art was next down the aisle with Ashley Deutsch on his arm and Tom was the final groomsman with Katie Brennan as his partner. Finally, Rosie stopped in the doorway, a wide smile on her face, and stepped forward, resplendent in the same color seafoam green as the other women, but she was dressed in a silk suit.
When Rosie made it to the front of the church, she turned and winked at Bradley before taking her place to the left of the altar.
The first chords of the Wedding March echoed in the chapel and Bradley’s eyes were glued to the doorway. She moved from the hallway and stood in the doorway. His heart stopped for a moment as he beheld his beautiful bride. She was simply perfect: from her veiled head to the hem of her dress. It was like she had stepped from the pages of a fairy tale and he really did get to be Prince Charming. Eager to be with her, he started to move forward and only stopped when Ian placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.
“Easy boy,” Ian whispered. “She’ll be coming to you, just bide your time a while.”
Bradley stepped back, his eyes never leaving Mary’s face, and watched her slowly walk up the aisle toward him.
“Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?” the minister asked, and Bradley realized, with a start, that her dad was standing next her.
The smile on her father’s face told him that he’d noticed eagerness and, with a nod in Bradley’s direction, Timothy replied, “Her mother and I do,” lifting his daughter’s veil and
placing a kiss on her cheek. “I love you, Mary-Mary.”
“I love you too, Da,” she replied.
He stepped back, replaced the veil and moved to his seat next to his already weeping wife. Mary turned and stepped next to Bradley. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “You are perfect,” he whispered.
She smiled up at him. “I feel perfect,” she whispered back.
Ian started to turn and saw Gillian sneak in the back of the chapel and slip into a pew. He caught her eye and winked at her before he turned around to face the altar.
Chapter Fifty-two
The minister stepped forward. “I welcome all who have come to witness the marriage of Mary and Bradley,” he said. “And although this is a sacred event, it is also a joyful event that is to be shared with friends and family.”
“These two young people have chosen the holy institution of matrimony to pledge their love and their devotion to each other,” he continued. “I know that God is pleased with their decision and I would not be surprised if there were holy angels witnessing this marriage with us today.”
Mary and Bradley glanced over at Mike who winked and nodded. “Yes, that’s me,” he said.
“And now, Mary and Bradley have decided to write their own vows,” the minister said. “Mary, you may go first.”
Mary gazed into Bradley’s eyes, took a deep breath and began. “I, Mary Margaret O’Reilly, take you, Bradley William Alden, to be my husband. I vow before God, angels and all who are present here today to love you with all my heart. I pledge my faithfulness to you. I promise to respect you, to work with you and to grow with you. And I vow to continue to love you beyond this life and into the eternities.”
It took a moment for Bradley to be able to speak. He cleared his throat and exhaled slowly and finally began. “I, Bradley William Alden, take you, Mary Margaret O’Reilly, to be my wife. I vow before God, angels and all who are present here today to love you with all my heart. I pledge my faithfulness to you. I promise to respect you, to work with you and to grow with you. And I vow to continue to love you beyond this life and into the eternities.”