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In all the excitement, he had forgotten about the small box.
The white organza skirt made a swishing sound as Glory paced back and forth across the thick plush carpet. French-manicured fingers smoothed imaginary wrinkles on the imported lace bodice of her wedding gown. She stopped for the tenth time in front of the mirror and fiddled with the already perfectly-placed jeweled comb in her platinum hair.
She was as nervous as a—she paused for a moment and let out a small nervous laugh—she was as nervous as a stripper in church.
Glory hadn’t danced in years and the banquet hall, which was currently filled with mobsters and bikers, was certainly no house of worship, but she figured the sentiment could still be applied. The small bit of self-deprecating humor made Glory feel better.
For a moment.
Then the sense of loss washed over her again like a rising tide.
Because on a day like this, a girl wants her mom.
Even if that girl had a posse of— got your back —thick and thin and do anything in the world for you—besties.
On her wedding day, a bride just needs her mother.
And even though Jules had given Glory an unlimited budget, and her girls had spent months and months trying to make this day perfect for her, Glory’s parents being there on her wedding day was the one thing that no one could give her.
Glory and Hal’s upbringing had been…she searched for the word and settled on…unconventional.As the offspring of an entertainment mogul and an international fashion model, their early childhood years had been marked by a lifestyle of privilege and indulgence. Unfortunately, the tides gradually turned and by the time Glory and Hal were in early adolescence, the Thomas Empire had begun to crumble.
What followed was a series of desperate attempts by their father to regain what he had lost, and eventually those attempts led to the death of both parents. Their untimely passing forced Glory and Hal to make desperate life choices that would have far reaching consequences and forever alter their destinies.
But despite all the struggles and sorrow, Glory was surprised to find herself full of want and nostalgia for days gone by. She would have given anything in this moment to have her parents by her side.
When she heard the knock at the door, Glory wiped the tears from her eyes and straightened her spine. Thank goodness for Dolly’s motherly instincts and wonderfully tactful ways. After helping Glory into her dress, she had taken a long-measured look, given her a hard hug then made the excuse to go check on things, thus giving Glory a much-needed moment to herself.
Now Dolly had come back to escort her to the lavish hall where her brother was waiting to walk her down the aisle.
And Glorywasready.
She really and truly was.
She couldn’t wait to marry Jules, and she was so excited to start the celebration. She just wished that long ago, when she and her brother had been forced to settle her parents’ estate, she had thought to tuck one small thing away so that she could have a piece of them with her today.
RAP! RAP! RAP!
Glory jumped asthe door practically rocked off its hinges.
She threw a startled look across the room because that was not the knock of a patient woman.
“Glory?” A deep rasp sounded out. “Open up.”
Hal.
Glory hurried across the room and pulled open the door to find her brother standing in the hallway. Out of habit she gave him a quick head to toe sweep, and as always, was momentarily taken back at how fierce he had become. After a bomb blast in Kandahar had left Hal badly scarred, broken, and near death, her brother had reclaimed his physical strength with a vengeance. Hal continued to train daily and ferociously. His body was strong and solid and enormous. By any measure, Hal’s physical rehabilitation would have been considered a complete success.
Through no wish of his own, the rest of him looked better too.
Due to the considerable extent of his injuries, a thick, heavy layer of facial scar tissue had begun to cause Hal’s eyelid to droop significantly. And with her brother’s strong and obsessive need for constant vigilance, limited vision was not only an inconvenience, it was a deal breaker.
So, even though Hal had vehemently and loudly voiced his opposition to any kind of cosmetic surgery that would“pretty boy himself up,”in the endpracticality won out. Hal had reluctantly allowed the procedure. That, it turned out, had been a very smart decision. Upon closer examination, the doctors found that a good deal of the shrapnel that riddled the left side of Hal’s face had become seriously inflamed and dangerously infected.
In order to avoid further burgeoning health complications, the metal bits in his face had to be removed. So, in one fell swoop, not only had Hal’s eyelid had been perfectly repaired, but the itchy, black bumps that ran across his face like a parade of ugly insects had been smoothed out. The end result was two-fold. Hal’s physical appearance improved dramatically, but more importantly, the surgery allowed for a good deal of his pain to ease.
But Glory couldn’t help but wonder what lie beneath? What torments lurked in the deepest shadows of her brother’s soul? Glory had not one doubt in her mind that the healing there had barely begun.
If it had begun at all.
