Morgan covered her mouth to keep from giggling, but not everyone was able to suppress their humor and a wave of laughter sounded.
Soon all three Butterflies were at the altar next to Lou, who looked a little nervous. A group of little girls dressed as elves made their way down the aisles, stopping along the way to hand out candy canes to guests. A pretty little dark-haired elf, spotted Greyson, waved, then came over and gave him a candy cane.
“Hey Brynne,” Greyson whispered.
Rather than answer, the little elf smiled, waved, then took off to hand out more candy canes. Morgan wasn’t quite sure what she thought of the way her son’s pink cheeks were glowing, but she had to admit that Brynne was adorable. When all the elves were at the front near the altar, they sat down with their legs crossed and the music changed again to cue the bride.
As several seconds passed and there was still no Rosie, Lou’s nervousness grew, as did that of the guests.
Come on, Rosie, Morgan silently urged. Don’t let Lou down.
Just as Morgan was deciding that maybe someone needed to go look for the bride, six toy soldiers stepped up and blew trumpets.
“All may rise,” one announced in a stern voice after the fanfare.
Everyone stood and turned toward where the soldiers stood at attention. The sound of bells could be heard from outside the tree perimeter. Faintly at first, but the sound gradually grew louder and louder.
“On Dasher. On Dancer. On Comet and Cupid,” a very jolly Santa called. “Donner and Blitzen,” he said as he drove the reindeer-led sleigh up toward the aisle.
Greyson’s eyes were huge as the sleigh came to a stop. “Look, Mommy. There’s Ralphie and our other reindeer Santa borrowed for Rosie’s wedding!”
“And Rosie,” Morgan added. “She didn’t run away, after all. And look how beautiful she is.”
Two of the toy soldiers went to the sleigh, lifted Rosie out, and spread out her glistening train. Morgan glanced toward the altar, then smiled at Lou’s awed expression.
“She looks like a magic snow queen from a movie or something,” Greyson whispered. “Do you think we can ride in Santa’s sleigh and say hi to Ralphie?”
“Maybe after the wedding,” she whispered back. “Shhh, watch Rosie.”
Because as Rosie took a step toward the altar, toy soldiers on both sides of the aisle opened the lids to the giant presents, releasing what looked like hundreds of white and silver butterflies.
Lots of ooohs and aaahs sounded.
“Wow,” Greyson and Morgan said at the same time.
As they weren’t real, Morgan wasn’t sure what caused them to rise from the box and flutter around, but watching Rosie walk down the aisle amidst the dancing butterflies, with the sun reflecting off the snow, giving the world a diamond shimmer, was absolutely breathtaking.
As Rosie passed where she was sitting, Morgan caught sight of Andrew sitting on the opposite side of the aisle. She’d looked for him earlier and not seen him, so he must have slipped in just prior to the ceremony starting. He apparently noticed her at the same time as their gazes met and held.
He didn’t smile, just stared back at her, his hazel eyes filled with emotions she couldn’t quite understand.
Oh Andrew, she thought. She’d not seen him since prior to the fire. Seeing him living and uninjured had her wanting to leap across the aisle, wrap her arms around him, and to hold on tight for however long he’d let her. Had he missed her as much as she’d missed him?
“I see Andrew,” Greyson said.
“Shhh.” Morgan returned her gaze to the wedding. Rosie reached the altar, and the guests were asked to sit down.
It was so hard to keep her gaze from shifting back to Andrew as Rosie and Lou exchanged the vows they’d written for each other. Their words caused a few shed tears and some laughter, too, when Lou promised to spoil her rotten and Rosie said, “But of course.”
“By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife,” Pastor Smith said, then smiling at the crowd added, “I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Lou Hudson.”
Hand in hand, Lou and Rosie walked back down the aisle, all smiles as the soldiers assisted them back up into Santa’s sleigh and tossed a furry white blanket over them to snuggle underneath.
Next the Butterflies came back down the aisle, all smiles—no doubt because Rosie had finally said I do.
“If everyone will make your way over to the main barn, the bride and groom have lunch available for you while they have their wedding photos made,” Pastor Smith told them. “It’s buffet style, so help yourselves. There’s plenty.”
Rather than walk, Mr. Harvey pulled up with his wagon that had been decorated to look like a sleigh. Fuzzy white blankets covered hay bales. Three soldiers pushed three sturdy presents of varied sizes over to the end of the wagon to make a tiered staircase and stood beside each one to assist each person up them.
