With a sigh, I started the ignition and backed out of the driveway, careful not to hit the mailbox on the way. I drove all the way to the Murphy’s citrus grove, listening to the radio and glancing out the window at the rolling hills and drooping branches over the canopied streets. My heart started pounding as I passed the orange fields and followed the dirt road leading up to the guest house. I was nervous about seeing him again and could feel my palms getting sweaty with a delicate flutter in my chest. Branches overhead cast shadows along the road when I came to the rural farmhouse. The paint was weathered, but it still had the rustic charm that I remembered. There was only a dirt road that lead all the way back, connecting it to the main house after passing acres and acres of land.
The drive hadn’t been as daunting as I thought it would be, but I still felt my body tingling from adrenaline. Letting out a tired sigh, I reached over to collect the laundered clothes and pulled them into my lap before letting myself outside. I was met by the smell of satsuma blossoms and the hum of an electric motor pumping water through the irrigation system. I took a calming breath as I shut the door behind me and started down the sidewalk towards the door. Each step seemed to stretch out for eternity, until I found myself standing at his doorstep. Carefully, I knocked on the wooden surface and rang the bell. A moment later, the door creaked open, but it was the girl who answered. “Hello?”
My stomach dropped at the sight of her; this was not a scenario I’d prepared for. “H-hi, is Caleb home?” I stuttered.
“No, I’m sorry, he’s still at work,” she responded with a smile. “I can let him know that you stopped by.”
I smiled thinly, reaching out to offer her the clothes that I was holding. “Oh, no, I just wanted to return these. He loaned me some clothes a while back and … anyways, they’re clean and I thought he might want them back.”
“Oh, thank you,” she responded while taking them from me curiously. All at once, her eyes flew open and she looked up at me in surprise at the memory of seeing me there. “Oh, you’re that girl! I didn’t even recognize you,” Christine chuckled warmly. “You look so much better! I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
My cheeks grew hot as I blushed at her compliment and tucked a piece of hair behind one ear. Christine was kind and sweet, nothing at all like me and my fiery temperament. She was like him. Caleb had found someone warm and soft who could make him happy; in a different way perhaps, but I could sense it. My heart broke a little deeper as the reality of that sank in, but I was happy he was with someone who would appreciate him for the beautiful man he was. I wanted that for him. “Thanks, it was kind of a rough patch. I’m grateful Caleb was there to help me through it.”
“He’s really good at that,” she agreed. “I’m sorry, would you like to come inside? I could get you some tea or lemonade?”
“No, that’s okay. I need to head back and deal with some stuff at the house.”
The girl chuckled. “Okay, well it was nice to meet you officially. I’m Christine, by the way,” she told me while offering her hand. “And you are?”
“Wynn,” I stated simply, accepting her handshake with a smile.
The minute I said my name the recognition was evident on her face. She’d clearly heard of me before. Her smile faded slightly and she gulped, pulling back from the exchange. “Wynn,” she repeated slowly, glancing down at the clothes I had handed her. “I’ll let him know that you stopped by. Thanks for this.”
My brow line puckered slightly at her response, but I nodded while turning on my heel and glancing back at her across my shoulder. “It was nice to meet you, Christine.”
HJ
Iglanced down the aisle to where Charlene was standing in her wedding dress and smiled. The ink of her sleeve tattoo was bright and visible against the fabric of her gown as she walked slowly down the aisle, holding the most beautiful bouquet of white roses I had ever seen. Her blonde hair was curled into loose waves around the nape of her neck with a crown of flowers placed upon her head. The scene felt wrong somehow; everything was hazy and robotic like it had been rehearsed. It was an out of body experience; I was watching it happen but at the same time feeling remarkably detached.
As she came closer down the center aisle, a string quartet started to play and music came floating through the air. Everyone turned to see the beautiful girl with a smile on her face about to marry the man of her dreams.
Lacey was there beside me, watching her come down the rows of guests with happy tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. Charley and Ryan were so in love it was almost painful for me to watch. It was all so perfect, I couldn’t imagine anything more wonderful in the whole world, but it didn’t seem real.
Caleb stood across from us with the other groomsmen, wearing a black suit and tie. I couldn’t even look at him without my palms getting sweaty and my heart beating like a freight train. I hated it, feeling the shame of hopeless desire and self-conscious fear that everyone knew. My cheeks turned red and I chose not to think about it, staring out across the rows of guests.
The bride stepped over flower petals that had been strewn across the grass, each step bringing her closer. She was halfway down the aisle when the sky above us shuddered, growing dark with a crack of lightning. Shadows swept through the orange grove as clouds rolled in across the horizon and the roar of thunder started rumbling to announce the coming storm. The music stopped as everyone cast their eyes towards the sky and started murmuring in their seats. “What’s going on?” Lacey asked me quietly.
“I don’t know.”
Demonic voices could be heard whispering in the distance and Charley barely had time to cast a panicked look towards her almost-husband before the ground began to rumble. The guests screamed, climbing from their seats and rushing towards the house. A moment later, the rumbling grew stronger and split the earth like an earthquake to form a giant chasm between us. “Charley!”
No, this can’t be happening!
All the good of that beautiful moment was lost in a heartbeat. I stumbled and glanced up to see Ryan reaching out to her in horror as a giant arm rose up from the regions below. The enormous beast clawed at the ground until it found her and grabbed Charley by the waist, pulling her back towards the infernal depths from which it came. She screamed in terror, dropping her flowers on the grass, and struggled to break free, but no amount of strength could release her from its iron grip.
“Not so fast,” a raspy voice echoed from the darkness. Lightning cracked through the darkened skyline and a hush fell across the crowd of onlookers. “You thought you had escaped my power,” the demon shouted. “But no one, no one gets a happy ending once they’ve passed through the Gates of Hell, especially not a demon. Especially, not you.”
“Charley, I’m coming!” Ryan screamed.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she pounded against the tough, leathery flesh and looked up at him standing beneath the canopy. “Ryan!”
All he could do was watch as the creature holding her dug his claws in and dragged her screaming back down into the depths of hell.
I woke up from the nightmare gasping with a sheen of sweat across my forehead as I sat up on the mattress.
It took a moment for my pulse to slow and for me to realize Charlene and Ryan were not getting married until this afternoon and there was no reason for alarm, there were no demons coming for her. Still, I had this feeling in my gut that something awful was going to happen – it always did.
After a moment of confusion, I breathed out a sigh of relief and threw my legs over the side of the bed. I hadn’t been sleeping well, the nightmares were becoming more frequent, more real, and made the promise of a good night’s sleep a distant memory. With a tired yawn, I brushed the hair out of my face and glanced down at the clock to check the time. It was almost six and the morning rays of sun were already streaming through my window, so I turned off the alarm and threw back the rest of the covers. My body was sore from tossing and turning on the mattress and my hair hung down in ma
tted red curls from the base of my ponytail. Charley had planned a full morning of pampering with her bridesmaids, complete with hair and nail appointments, so I promised to meet them at the wedding venue so we could travel there together.
Dad and Nate wouldn’t be arriving until right before the ceremony, but Caleb and the other groomsmen would be setting up beforehand at the same time we were. My stomach was full of butterflies at the thought of seeing him again, the feelings were still too raw.
The Murphy’s citrus grove was a perfect location for the ceremony. The house itself was practically a plantation in itself, with true Southern elegance that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world. With her meticulous planning over the last few months, everything should go smoothly.
I moved around the bedroom quietly, reaching down to pet Cleo behind the ears as I picked my brush of the nightstand. The dress Charlene approved of hung on the back of my bedroom door with a pair of boots on the floor beside it. I’d have to tuck the wooden stake inside my purse and bring it with me, rather than leave it unattended. There was nothing that could convince me otherwise.
Cleo’s head turned back and forth as she watched me pace about the room, brushing out my hair, pulling on sweatpants and a t-shirt, and gathering a bag of makeup. She helpfully sat on the dress I laid out, refusing to budge till I pulled it out from under her, grabbing my purse and shoes as well. I tiptoed down the hall to avoid waking the boys, and set a pot of coffee to brew. Yawning, I stretched as I retrieved a mug, and rested it and my head on the counter as I waited for the coffee to finish—it was going to be a long day.
Part of me still couldn’t believe that Ryan was getting married. Ryan. My Ryan, whom I’d known since we were seven, who watched cartoons with me, ate his boogers, and went camping in his family’s orchard. Now here he was, grown up—relatively—and ready to start a new life and adventure of his own. It just didn’t seem real to me.
The memory was short-lived when I heard the pot stop percolating and I fixed myself a cup. I quickly downed it as a liquid breakfast while I gathered my things to head over to the Murphy’s. With my dress and purse in one arm, I scrawled a note reminding the boys where I was going and that I’d see them at the reception. Outside, I piled everything into the car and started driving to the wedding venue. Even in the early morning, I breathed a sigh of satisfaction and contentment: it was a perfect day for the ceremony—the sun was rising beautifully over the rolling hills of Alabama, and as the sun rose, brilliant hues of pink and orange tinted the tranquil scene and turned them all to gold on the rural horizon. Soon there were no other cars on the road, not this far out into the country, and this early. It made for a scenic route out of the city to where all the citrus groves were planted.
Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up on the lawn in front of the Murphy’s big house and estate, parking next to the other cars there, which belonged to other members the wedding party. I could see everything was already beautifully decorated for the big day: the porch overflowing with flowers, and white swashes of fabric swept down across the handrail. There was also a large sign displayed by the stairs leading up reading “Murphy and Maxwell Wedding” in formal yet legible script. My eyes grew wide as I stepped out on the grass and looked over it all, taking in the full effect of the scene Charlene and Ryan had created.
I slowly walked up the steps into the family house and met some of the family in the kitchen. I’d spent so much time here growing up, it was like a second home to me. “Wynn! So glad to see you,” Mrs. Murphy greeted me with a hug. “The bride’s expecting you upstairs, why don’t you go on up and let her know you’re here.”
“Thank you. Is Lacey here, or are we still waiting for her to arrive?”
“I think she’s up there with her,” the woman told me. “Please excuse me, I’ve got to show the men where to set up the tent in the back.”
I chuckled. “Alright, I’ll check back with you in a few. Let me know if you need anything.”
She smiled, giving a wave as she walked out to the porch to get the attention of one of the workers. With my dress and shoes in hand, I turned back towards the stairs and started to be on bridesmaid duty. At the end of the second-floor hallway was the master suite and I could hear Charlene and Lacey talking on the other side when I knocked on the wooden door.
“Who is it?”
I laughed, dropping my hand and said, “Oh, come on, you invited me!”
There was some rustling with the door knob and Lacey opened it, standing there dressed in her pajamas. “Wynn’s here! Now we can finally get this party started.”
Charlene was sitting on the bed, wearing a silk robe and nibbling on some kind of danish pastry. She smiled when I came inside and gestured to one of the open seats at the vanity. Her dress was hanging on the closet door behind them and Lacey had a duffle bag sitting in the corner. The whole space had been transformed into bridal headquarters.
“Whoa. Sorry, I missed the slumber party,” I teased them with a smile. “You’ll have to invite me next time, maybe I’ll bring some popcorn.”
Lacey rolled her eyes at me as I shut the door behind us and put my bag down on the floor. I got the feeling I was walking into a page right out of Southern Living. Elyse would have been proud.
Charlene had finally finished off her danish and clapped her hands together happily, “We’ve got a lot to do today,” she told us. “The appointment for our nails is in an hour and then we have to get our hair done. With the commute back to the city, I figure we should leave in about fifteen minutes and pick up some coffee on the way.”
Lacey nodded. “I’ve never had my nails done before, that’ll be fun!”
“It is,” Charlene agreed. “I invited Ryan’s mom to come along with us, I hope that’s okay. She doesn’t have any daughters of her own to do that with and I didn’t want her feeling left out.”
“Of course! The more the merrier.”
Charlene smiled. “Thanks. That makes everything else go much more smoothly.”
“Girl, it’s your wedding day! Do what you got to do.”
We laughed about that for a minute while the two of them finished eating and Charlene changed into day clothes that were more acceptable. Over the frilly tank top she was wearing, was a white sash that said, “The Bride”. It was silly and a little clichéd to wear around town, but that was the point.
Once she and Lacey were ready, the three of us went downstairs to go find Mrs. Murphy. Ryan was in the kitchen getting himself some breakfast, so I stopped them in the hallway and shooed him from the premises. “Ryan, hon. I need you to get out of the kitchen for a bit. Out! You’re not allowed to see the bride before the ceremony.”
He rolled his eyes and grabbed a muffin off the counter and brought it with him to speak with her around the doorframe. “Charley? You back there?”
“Yeah, babe. We’re looking for your mom so we can head out to the appointment.”
“Okay, she’s in the yard. I’ll get her for you.”
“Thanks!”
As he turned to leave, Ryan called back over his shoulder. “I love you!”
“I love you, too,” she responded with a smile.
Even though he couldn’t see it, she was beaming from around the corner. Her aura glistened with purple radiance and I smiled. A few minutes later, his mom came in from outside and grabbed her purse off the counter. “Alright, girls! Are you ready?”
We laughed and followed her out to the car that was parked on the side of the house. On the way there we saw Caleb pulling up in his truck and I subtly maneuvered so the others were positioned between me and him. Lacey waved as he climbed out of the driver seat, but he just smiled and walked around to unload the fold out chairs and decorations piled high in the bed of his truck. The groomsmen were all coming over to help with the set up too, arranging the chairs out on the lawn and hanging garden lanterns from the tree branches overhead.
I jumped into the backseat of their family’s SUV with Charlene and Lacey fol
lowing right behind me. On the drive into town I made Charley recount the entire story of Ryan’s proposal. She was adorably awkward about it and we all listened in rapt attention until pulling up outside the beauty salon. We spent the next few hours undergoing the most excruciating beauty practices I had ever witnessed. I glanced down at my hand when they were finished with my manicure and thought to myself, Huh, that doesn’t look nice. Weird.
I barely had time for the effect to sink in before we were whisked away to the next leg of our journey. Mrs. Murphy clearly adored her future daughter-in-law and was having the time of her life being part of this adventure.
When we made it to the hair appointment, Charlene was positively beaming. What struck me most was how calm everyone seemed, especially the bride. Everything about her was totally at ease, and that brought a wonderful sense of light and joy to everyone else involved. She looked absolutely beautiful as they curled her hair into loose waves and added a wreath of flowers. The delicate white flowers settled on her forehead like a crown and she looked like a fairy princess.
Lacey and I finished up our appointments before hers and continued chatting while we waited. At one point, Mrs. Murphy had to step outside to take a call dealing with a catering mishap, but everything else was going smoothly.
I’d never considered myself a girly-girl, but spending time with them the past few weeks had been exactly what I needed to get my mind off Caleb. Him, and the looming threat of Aidan’s army that was growing ever closer. He’d been silent for too long, it wasn’t like him. That’s probably why I hadn’t been able to sleep and felt uneasy, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I sighed as Charlene led our party back towards the car and pushed the thought of danger to the back of my mind.
When we returned to the house, chairs had been set up on the lawn with an aisle in between. Yellow roses were tied in bunches along the path, and a rustic wooden archway had been constructed at the front of it. Lacey smiled, “Oh, Charley! It’s beautiful.”
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