“Amen.”
Rachel was left wiping away the tears and hoping she wouldn’t totally dissolve all of her make-up. Her hand felt empty and cold when the prayer broke up, and Caleb had to go with the others to the church. Yes, they would be together again, face-to-face in less than ten minutes, but now, her heart wanted to be with him so badly, she wasn’t sure she could make it that long.
Back in the bride’s room, everyone was wiping away tears and sniffing.
Sage grinned through hers as she did one more once over of Rachel. “Okay, now dry those tears.” She could have stood to take her own advice. “We’re going to wait until they are in the church, and…”
“Rachel?” Dani said at the doorway.
“Yeah?” Rachel tried to call back, but the tears wouldn’t let her voice say them very loudly.
“It’s time.”
Since they were in the back, the three men simply followed Pastor Steve to the front. No use for formality at this point. Caleb counted heads in the church. Only the most important were present. The pastor and his family. The Lawrences. Luke, Sage and their kids. His parents and Sara’s family. And then off to the far side, he caught sight of Ms. P, and he smiled at her. Presumably they hadn’t sent her an invitation, she just knew and showed up. In fact, her timid smile said as much. He smiled back so she would know she was more than welcome.
At the front of the aisle he took up his place by the pastor who smiled at him and nodded. In fact, everywhere he looked, there were smiles and even a few tears. He took a long breath and let it out slowly. This was it. The paradigm shift to end all paradigm shifts. Closing his eyes, he felt what it was to have her hand in his once again, around that door, and he breathed his own prayer for her and for himself. “God, You’ve gotten us this far, help us to go the distance.”
With Sage holding her bouquet, Rachel walked up the ramp to her mother who stood in a navy and silver dress at the back of the church waiting for her. Eric clicked pictures before skirting around and up the steps. At the top of the ramp, they stopped, and Sage handed her the flowers before giving her a hug.
“Love you,” Sage whispered.
Rachel nodded as she watched Jaycee inside start down the aisle. Coming around the back, Jane appeared at the door to help as Sage stepped away as well. Only a moment stood between her and her future now, and she couldn’t believe how fast it all seemed to have happened. Looking at her mother who glowed with happiness, Rachel smiled back. So many trials, so much heartache, so many moments that she thought she wouldn’t live through, and now here they were. Mother and daughter for one last heartbeat together.
“You look beautiful,” her mother whispered with tears shimmering on her lashes. “Absolutely beautiful.” Reaching over from her walker, she patted Rachel’s hand. “Are you ready?”
There was no hesitation at all. She nodded, and a rush of gratefulness for all her mother had done to get her here washed over her.
Her mother tipped her head and smiled mischievously. “Well, we’d better go then. He’s waiting.”
Rachel picked up the side of her gown and stepped forward, walking with her mother to the center aisle. Behind her Jane closed the ramp doors, and in front of her Eric snapped a picture.
“Here we go,” her mother said, and with that, Rachel’s gaze swept down the path that would take her right to Caleb standing at the end of that aisle. Their gazes locked and his took in all of her in as if he couldn’t believe this moment either. He shook his head as his face slid into disbelief and awe.
Yes, she walked next to her mother, but her eyes were only on him. No worries. Nothing holding her back from giving her all to him. This was as right as anything that had ever happened in her life, and every piece of her spirit cherished the steps she took until they her stopped right in front of him.
His smile held wonder and amazement, hers hope and love.
“Beloved,” the pastor said, “we are gathered tonight in the sight of God to witness the joining of these two lives, Caleb and Rachel. Matrimony is a sacred bond, a holy covenant that should never be entered into lightly. So first I ask, who gives this woman to be married to this man?”
“I do,” her mother said, lifting her chin and having with no qualms at all to her voice.
Rachel turned and hugged her before stepping back so Caleb could hug her as well.
However, instead of letting him go, her mother held on when he started backward. “Be good to her,” she said, leveling her steely gaze at him.
He nodded. “Always.”
With that, her mother took Rachel’s hand and put it into his. It was the same hand she’d held at the door, the same one that had held her on the nights when she cried because she could no longer hold her past on her own, the same one that now offered her a future with him so she would never again be alone again. Confidently though skirting disbelief, she took his hand, and tears slipped up into her eyes as she looked at him. He smiled and then grinned, just before tears of happiness slid into his own eyes.
“You ready?” he asked, and she nodded.
Taking the hand she had given him, he looped it under his arm and together they stepped forward, flanked by Derek and Jaycee on his side and Sage and Luke on hers.
The two steps taken, Rachel gathered her breath and willed her dancing spirit to settle down.
“And now we will hear a short reading,” the pastor said.
Chairs appeared for the couple and though they sat, they never let go of each other’s hand. In no time the readings were finished and the pastor took to the podium. He looked at the two of them, shook his head, and took a breath.
“I’m going to try to get through this,” he said, “but I’m not promising anything.” He backed up, sniffed once, composed himself, and stepped forward. “Tonight we come here to celebrate with Caleb and Rachel. We gather to celebrate their lives and their love, their journey to get here to this new beginning. Tonight we also celebrate the beginning of a New Year, and in many ways that is very fitting.”
He paused, seeming to shift gears. “Marriage as defined by today’s world has become something of a destination, a goal if you will. In fact, if you watch social media, you’ll see people who post pictures of themselves in romantic locales, sipping drinks or kissing their spouse, and they use the hashtag, relationshipgoals. Relationship ‘goals’ as if experiencing a certain type of moment or a special moment together is somehow indicative that you’ve ‘made it’ in a marriage or a relationship. But tonight, I want to challenge the two of you to think of this night not as a goal, or a destination, or an ending if you will, but instead as a new beginning, a launching point, the first step on a brand new journey that will take you places you never knew you could go. Places God is calling you to go as a couple—to bring good into this world together, stronger together than you were apart.
“For that’s what marriage is, a journey together. Marriage is both a mystery and a miracle. A mystery because none of us really understands how or why a certain man falls in love with a certain woman, and why she returns that love. That is a mystery to us. A miracle because the root word of miracle is ‘acle’ or from God or of God, and ‘mir’ is the act of seeing. So a miracle, is something that allows us to see God in our world.
“That’s the primary reason I believe that a marriage is more than just the vows you will say to each other up here tonight. It is more than the culmination of the two of you being in a relationship together. In fact, this night is about something bigger than the two of you. It’s about a miracle God is working in our world through the two of you, and what that miracle means for all of us.
“Of course that’s not what the movies and books tell us. They say the whole goal of a relationship is to make it here to say your vows, and what happens after that, well, that’s not nearly so important or interesting. But tonight I want to challenge the two of you to make this a real beginning of something truly amazing. That from here forward, until death do you part, you both live your marri
age as a miracle of God so that together you become a light unto the world, bringing the light of your love into the very real darkness that is our world. See the joining of your souls as an honor, a privilege, and a responsibility to bring His light into the world.
“If that sounds daunting, you’re right. It absolutely is. That’s why I said marriage is not to be entered into lightly. Make no mistake, this is a big deal. Because tonight you don’t just have a mustard seed of faith, you are daring to plant it! You are putting it in the ground, watering it, nurturing it, and believing that God will make it grow. But even that is not an easy process. The seed in the darkness of the earth must break out of its shell, push roots down, and reach up through the darkness in order to break out and find the light, so that it can grow and become what God meant for it to be.
“That is the faith you are showing us tonight. That is the faith you have shown me… ever since I’ve gotten to know the two of you.” He’d done so well, Rachel had thought he would not get choked up again. She was wrong. Gripping the sides of the podium, the pastor stepped back once again and shook his head. He closed his eyes and swallowed. Then he opened his eyes and looked right at the two of them. “I would be lying if I said I have not been touched and changed by watching the two of you. I know just getting to this moment has taken more courage and love than most of us will never be challenged to have or give.
“Caleb, we’ve talked many times about going to God and asking Him for the wisdom and love to know how to be the man this family needs. Keep doing that because He will be right there with you every step of the way.”
In her hand, Caleb’s tightened as he nodded at the pastor. When she glanced at him, Rachel knew he was having as much trouble as the pastor was.
“And Rachel.” The pastor stopped, choking up again as she looked up at him and smiled, thinking he was being kind in including her in his comments. “Your graciousness and your courage is just off-the-charts amazing. You have given everything time and again for your family and for all of us. You have given selflessly, above and beyond what most of us will ever be asked to give. I want you to know, here and now, publicly how very grateful we all are to you for the life you’ve led and for the lessons about faith, courage and love that you’ve taught us all.” His gaze swept the crowd. “I know I will never forget them, for you have truly inspired me.”
Sniffing twice, he breathed that down before smiling. “And now, if I could have the two of you come forward…”
He stepped away from the podium and back over to the center. Caleb helped her up, and the chairs vanished courtesy of Derek and Luke. A moment and they stood before the pastor, only seconds from joining their lives together.
The pastor looked at Caleb, and strangely, not a modicum of doubt lingered anywhere in him. He stood, chin up, ready to take on this challenge though he had no idea where it would lead. What he knew was that God did know, and he fully trusted the Alpha and Omega of their love.
“Caleb and Rachel, have you come here freely to join your lives in Holy Matrimony?”
When Caleb’s eyes brushed hers, his heart flipped. “We have.”
“Then please join your right hands and repeat after me.”
Rachel handed off her flowers, and love radiated from her when she turned back to him.
“I, Caleb,” the pastor prompted, “take you, Rachel, to be my lawfully wedded wife…”
The words were the easiest Caleb had ever said in his life as he looked into her beautiful, serene eyes. “I, Caleb, take you, Rachel to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish from this day forward all the days of my life.”
He grinned at her, and she grinned back as she squeezed his hands. A breath and she was saying the words back to him. However, although they had been easy for him to say, deep in him, he knew the profound courage and belief in him it took for her to make those vows, and as he watched her say the words, he prayed once again that God would help him be the man who lived up to that trust and courage.
“I, Rachel, take you, Caleb to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish from this day forward all the days of my life.”
The pastor paused one second. “May we have the rings, please?”
Derek produced one on one side, and Sage from the other. The pastor blessed the rings and gave Rachel Caleb’s.
Every time she looked at him, his heart nearly somersaulted out of his chest. “Caleb,” she said, her voice clear and strong. She slipped the ring on his finger and then pulled her gaze back up to his. “Take and wear my ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness. In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
With his on, he willed himself not to fumble her ring because his fingers were no longer taking messages from his short circuiting brain. Caleb took her ring and a long, slow breath. He knew this was important to get right, so he took another breath to gather his wits before he looked at her. “Rachel, take and wear my ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness. In the Name of the Father…” He let out a breath as overwhelming emotions tumbled over him, taking his words with them. “… and the Son,” he said, doggedly determined to get through this without breaking down completely. “… and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
He wasn’t at all sure the amen was supposed to be there, but he said it anyway. Relief poured over him. He’d made it through it. Only then did he truly see what the pastor had said. This wasn’t the end at all. No, now the real journey had just begun. His smile meshed with hers as joy danced between them.
“Friends and family,” the pastor said, his voice overflowing with happiness, “it is my honor and my privilege to introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Caleb James.”
Applause broke out around them as the flash of the camera went off like a strobe light.
“Caleb,” the pastor said with a grin, “you may kiss your bride.”
Gazing at her, Caleb suddenly wasn’t at all sure just how one was supposed to do this so he let his heart do it for him. His hands came up and cupped her beautiful, trusting face. “I love you.”
She smiled at him and nodded. “Love you too.”
A heartbeat and his lips touched hers, a question, a request. In the next, he dragged her into his arms, twisting her sideways and tipping her so when he stopped, if he didn’t stay standing, they would both have been in the floor. She never so much as faltered or tried to catch herself. Instead, she simply held onto him and returned the kiss that would begin their lives together.
The applause and catcalls were the only things that brought Caleb back to reality, and he took two more kisses before righting them both. Once back on solid ground, he kissed her once more because he never wanted to stop. When he finally backed up, she slipped under his arm for a hug he would never forget. The two were now one. She was his wife. From here until eternity she was Rachel James. He loved that name almost as much as he loved her.
Wave after wave of happiness engulfed him as he basked in the hug, wishing it could last forever. His gaze slipped out to their friends and family and landed on Rhett and Natalie. The leap of his heart nearly burst it into pieces. Letting her go for only a moment, he sat on his heels and held his arms out for them. In the bench, Jane led them to the aisle and let them both go. Rhett went right to Caleb who swept the child up into his arms. Natalie toddled her way to Rachel. In only a moment, their little family was complete. It was the moment he had lived his whole life to get to, a moment he would never forget.
For he of all people knew, a moment like this only happened once in a lifetime, and he would spent the rest of his life being grateful for the abundant blessing of having lived it.
Did you love
“A Moment Like This”?
Consider leaving a review!
A Sneak Peek at the Finale of The Grace Series…
R
aising Attabury
Chapter 1
As the new little family turned from the front of the church and headed to the back, Caleb holding Rhett, Rachel holding Natalie rather than her bouquet, Eric Richardson snapped pictures as if his existence depended on it. The joy on those face, the love, the peace. One part of him wanted to capture it all on film, another deeper part ached to affirm that that kind of love was still possible in the world.
And then they passed him, and he was snapping pictures of the others—Derek and Jaycee, recent newlyweds themselves, also still so in love. They were followed by Luke and Sage who held not only her small bouquet but Rachel’s larger one as well. Sage’s face radiated with the same love and joy Rachel’s had. Snap, snap went the camera, and Eric didn’t even bother to look down to check the photos he was getting. He didn’t have time or he would miss each piece of new evidence coming past him. Each pointed to an existence he had begun to believe was nothing more than a trick of hormones or a myth at best.
Yet here it was on full display for all the world, or at least, him to see.
As the families made their way out the back double doors, he quickly went to the side, around the back, and out the doors. On the top step, he started taking pictures again. He should have gotten a bigger memory card. This one was going to be full in no time. Maybe his wife Dani wouldn’t mind going to get another though he wasn’t sure one could be found in tiny Ridgemount, North Carolina. The fact that he’d somehow lost Dani in the past few minutes didn’t even register as he worked to capture the hugs and happiness of the wedding party and the bride and groom in the lobby.
It was okay. He didn’t need to worry. Dani was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
Watching the wedding’s end had swept Dani Richardson’s heart away with it. Caleb and Rachel were so obviously in love, and their friends and family could not have been more supportive. She shook her head as they all headed out to greet the newlyweds. Eric had gone too, leaving her and her daughter, Jaden, in the church. The church, still all dressed up for Christmas though it was now New Year’s made her heart slip and slide through memories long since forgotten of Christmases past when her family came here to visit her grandmother.
A Moment Like This: A Contemporary Christian Romance Prequel Novella (The Grace Series Book 4) Page 19