Cory felt herself enveloped in arms clad in denim, pressed against a shirt smelling faintly of straw and that indefinable scent of outside. She hugged him tightly back, tears pricking the backs of her eyes.
“I’m so thankful,” he said gruffly, pulling away to give her a quick kiss on her cheek. “God our Father is good,” he said with a smile.
“Yes, He is,” Cory said able to agree wholeheartedly with him on that.
“And now you want to go.” Jake gave her another quick hug and then sat back. “Sure you don’t want me to walk you to the door?”
Cory laughed as she slung her purse over her shoulder. “No. I’ll be okay.” She flashed him another quick grin, ran a hand over her hair and stepped out of the truck. She closed the door and waved at Jake, who merely waved back. He was going to wait until she was in the door, she realized.
And in that moment, she felt the security of family. Someone watching over her, concerned for her just because she was his sister.
She blew Jake a kiss and then with a grin she was unable to suppress, strode up the sidewalk to Matthew’s office.
Another wave at the door and she was inside.
As the door fell slowly shut behind her, she felt an attack of nerves. Matthew was probably in the office.
Maybe. What if he was gone?
Other dreams had been snatched away from her at the last minute. Much of her life had been spent dealing with disappointment of one kind or another.
But she had just seen the brothers she never thought she would. Just before she left Matthew had told her he loved her.
Please, Lord, I’ve been through enough in my life, she prayed. Let me cling to the promise that Matthew gave me. Help me to trust that he loves me. Help me to trust him.
She drew in a deep breath, sent up one more quick prayer and stepped through the doors into the main area of the office.
The secretary looked up at her, then smiled. “Matthew is in his office,” she said. “Shall I tell him you’re here?”
“No, that’s okay,” Cory said running a nervous hand over her hair. “I’ll just go in.”
She took another deep breath, walked resolutely over to his door and slowly opened it.
Matthew was standing with his back to the room, staring out the window of his office. He hadn’t heard the door open. Cory stepped quietly inside, closing the door behind her, content for now just to watch him.
He reached up and plowed his fingers through his hair, rearranging the neat waves. Then he sighed. He wasn’t wearing his suit jacket, and wrinkles crisscrossed his shirt. He didn’t look like the put-together young lawyer he usually did.
Then she saw it. On the desk was a picture of her at her prom. She and Deirdre were standing together, laughing at the camera.
But even more touching was what was in front of the picture. A small velvet box.
Because of what Matthew had asked her mother, she was pretty sure she knew what was in it.
Cory felt a rush of love for him, felt her heart begin to quicken in anticipation.
Then, as if he sensed her presence, he turned around. He looked bemused, then puzzled.
“Cory?” he asked, frowning. Then, recognition dawned and he was across the room in a couple of steps, hauling her against him.
“Oh, Cory. I missed you, I missed you.”
And as she clung to him, returning his embrace, all her niggling doubts and worries melted away.
“I missed you, too,” she said, her voice muffled against his shirt.
He drew back just enough to kiss her soundly, to frame her face with his hands as his eyes traveled over her every feature.
“You’re back already,” he said, wonderment tingeing his voice.
“I couldn’t stay any longer,” she confessed. Then, just because she could, she reached up, messed his hair and then rearranged it. “I love you,” she said simply.
Matthew sighed and gently drew her close again, his face buried in her hair. “That sounds so good to me.”
“I love you,” she repeated.
He drew back again, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I can. I made Jake drive faster than he wanted so that I could get here in four hours, instead of five.”
“And why did you want to do that?” he asked, a teasing note in his voice.
“So that you could propose to me?” she said, confidence giving her a boldness she didn’t think she possessed.
“You guessed.”
“No. My mother told me you asked her. And I saw the jeweler’s box on your desk.”
Matthew twisted around, glancing over his shoulder. “Oh. That box.” He released her and picked it up. He carefully opened it and took the ring out, making a pretense of looking at it carefully.
“Did you know that marriage is the only adventure available to all men?” he said with a slow grin.
Cory looked at the ring, then back at him. She couldn’t think of anything to say.
“So, Cory Luciuk. Will you marry me?”
To her surprise and slight chagrin she felt tears pool in her eyes. She blinked, then blinked again, but she couldn’t stop their gentle coursing down her cheek.
“Yes, I will,” she said softly, as Matthew slipped the ring on her finger.
Matthew held her close. Kissed her once more. “I feel I should tell you…I’m still working on Zeke’s will.”
Cory laid her finger on his mouth. “I told you I didn’t want anything from Zeke.” She traced the line of his mouth, felt the faint rasp of stubble on his cheek. “My mother doesn’t either. Let that woman have it.” Cory leaned back in his arms, clasping her hands behind his neck. “I have everything I want. Right now. Right here.”
And as they embraced once more, she sent up a prayer of thanks that not all the prayers in her life had been answered.
Epilogue
“Hold still, Cory,” Kelsey admonished. She fluffed out the back of Cory’s wedding dress, adjusted the train and then stepped back. “There. Now it’s perfect.”
“It was fine before,” Cory muttered, pressing her hand against her stomach. As if that would ease the butterflies in it.
“I can’t believe how nice you clean up,” Kelsey said, walking around, adjusting here, tugging there. “Such a gorgeous dress.”
The silk shimmered under the bright light of the church foyer. The narrow band of beading decorating the off-the-shoulder band was echoed at the Elizabethan style waist and along the bottom of the dress.
“Are we ready?” Simon asked, fidgeting on one side of his sister. Cory gave him a quick, sidelong glance, hardly daring to move lest Kelsey start fussing again. He looked tamed down in his suit, his hair smoothed down. Jake stood on her right, staring straight ahead, his expression solemn. Cory felt a burst of pride at her handsome brothers, so thankful that they could be the ones to bring her down the aisle.
“I think we’re ready,” Kelsey said. She gave her own rust-coloured dress a quick once-over, adjusted Jake’s daughter Taryn’s headpiece and handed Chris the pillow with the rings on it.
“Looking good everyone,” she said, giving Cory’s brothers an appreciative look.
She tweaked one of the lilies in Cory’s bouquet, gave her a quick kiss for luck and then turned to signal the organist.
The organ struck up the wedding march and with one last giggling glance over her shoulder, Taryn stepped out into the aisle, the flowers woven through her head bobbing with every step she took. She clung to Chris’s hand with a death grip, but Chris didn’t seem to mind.
Kelsey gave her friend one more grin then stepped out herself.
Cory took a slow, deep breath, glancing first to her right, then to her left.
Jake smiled a brotherly smile, Simon winked at her.
“Shall we go?” Jake asked, holding out his arm.
“I’m ready,” Cory said. She tucked her right arm through his, transferred her bouquet to that hand and then, with a cheeky grin at Simon slipp
ed her arm through his as well.
“Do you think we’ll all fit in the aisle?” Simon whispered, rearranging her veil so that it lay gossamer fine over her shoulders.
“Can we do this?” Jake said sternly, ever the older brother.
Simon winked at Cory once again and as quickly, rearranged his features into a solemn expression.
Cory suppressed a giggle and on Jake’s count, they began the long, slow journey.
Lightbulbs flashed, faces smiled back, she heard faint expressions of appreciation as they made their way down the aisle, the joyful strains of the organ filling the church.
Then, past the craning necks, just beyond the crowd of people, she saw Matthew. He stood in the front of the church, his hands clasped in front of him in typical nervous groom fashion.
His hair had been tamed but still curled at the ends. His dark suit set off his startling white shirt, which in turn set off the bright green of his eyes.
Their eyes met and for a moment Cory almost had to laugh at the irony of the whole situation.
As she walked down the aisle, flanked by her brothers Cory realized that at one time in her life she had actively prayed for these same men to come swooping into her life to rescue her from the man they were now walking toward. The man she was about to pledge her life, her loyalty and love.
Again she sent up a prayer of thanks that God worked His own way in her life.
They made it to the front, Kelsey smiling, Taryn still giggling.
As the minister asked who gave this woman, Jake and Simon glanced at Joyce who slowly stood up.
“We all do,” Jake said firmly.
Then with a gentle kiss from each of her brothers she was handed over to Matthew.
Imperceptibly he shook his head in wonder, his expression enthralled.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, as he took her arm.
The ceremony went by as if in a dream. All Cory could remember was the reassuring pressure of Matthew’s cool hands, his gentle smile and the sincerity in his voice as, before God and His people, he pledged his love and loyalty to Cory Luciuk.
The minister pronounced the blessing, introduced them as husband and wife. Before them Cory saw the smiling faces of her brothers and their wives. Her mother was crying, as was Matthew’s, but Cory knew they were tears of happiness. Clifton smiled at both of them, as if in benediction.
Then, with a burst of triumphant music from the organ ringing in their ears and the blessing of beaming faces surrounding them, Cory and Matthew strode down the aisle.
Mr. and Mrs. McKnight.
More hugs and more felicitations as fellow church members and friends gathered to congratulate them.
Cory felt as if her face was going to crack from smiling so much, but she couldn’t stop. Through all the noise and congratulations, she was constantly aware of Matthew at her side. Whenever he had a chance, he would give her a quick, one-armed hug, pulling her close to him.
To Cory’s surprise even Deirdre had shown up, looking satisfied with her cousin and her old friend.
At last the lineup was done.
“I need a group picture at the front of the church,” the photographer called out. “Just the family for now please.”
Cory and Matthew walked back to the front of the church, and stood where the photographer directed them.
“Okay, other family members.”
They were immediately surrounded. Clifton and Nancy on one side, Joyce on the other. Jake, Miriam, Taryn. Simon and Caitlin filled in the gaps.
As they jostled each other, following the photographer’s directions, Matthew gave Cory another hug. “I didn’t know I was getting such a rowdy family,” he said, grinning down into her smiling face.
From the security of her husband’s arms, Cory looked around.
“We’re a family,” she breathed in wonder, as she carefully blinked back a sudden rush of tears. Jake caught her eye, smiling back at her. She turned to Simon who had a self-satisfied grin plastered on his face. He gave her a quick thumbs-up.
Joyce beamed back at her daughter.
Lastly Cory looked back at her beloved husband who had a part in bringing them all together.
“We’re a family at last,” she said, her voice filled with wonder.
Matthew dropped a light kiss on her forehead. “And God willing, we’re going to make our own family,” he said, adjusting her veil.
She gazed at him, with all the love in her heart shining in her eyes.
“Okay, family, smile at the camera,” ordered the photographer.
And the family did.
Dear Reader,
This is the last book in the STEALING HOME series, and I wrote it with mixed feelings. I could finally bring this family together, but by doing that, it meant saying goodbye to the characters. I know they are only characters, but for the past year and a half they were a part of my life. I know there are families out there who hurt and hunger, and I pray for them that through God, they might find peace and each other. I also pray for those who do not have the support of family. May you, too, trust that God can be mother and father, sister and brother to you.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-2223-6
A FAMILY AT LAST
Copyright © 2000 by Carolyne Aarsen
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 300 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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* Stealing Home
A Family At Last Page 20