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“I cannot wait to hear this story,” Martha said as her laughter petered off.
“And I can’t wait to tell you everything. But first. Get us the hell out of here! Can we go?”
Martha nodded. “Yeah. Sylvie’s fiancé, Tom, called in a bunch of favors to expedite the process, and they agreed to sign you all over to my custody. I hopped on a redeye last night, flew to El Paso, and here I am to bust you out.”
Alice and Doris whooped with excitement, folding together into a tight hug. Doris’s happy sobs echoed through the cell.
“That’s my girl.” Marge grinned proudly. “I knew you’d fix this.”
“You know I’ll always have your back, Mom.”
Marge’s smile brightened.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I said, rushing to the bars to hug her. When I couldn’t reach, I just hugged the air. “It’s so nice to meet you, and I wish it were under better circumstances.”
“You must be Sylvie?”
I nodded.
“Your fiancé loves you very much. He was ready to tear this place down to get you out.”
My heart warmed knowing that Tom would have done anything to bring me home. It only reaffirmed how much Ididwant to marry him, and to hell with whatever it was that had been keeping me from racing down that aisle to the happily ever after awaiting me in his arms.
“And now I’m told we have a wedding to get to?” Martha looked at me.
“Can we still make it?” My heart rattled against my ribcage. “Is there time?”
“We have twelve hours to get you to the vineyard. Tom booked the flights, I’ll get you to the airport, and as long as there are no delays, you should be there with an hour or two to spare.”
“Oh, my Lord!” Doris made the sign of the cross. “Thank you, Lord! We’re going home, and we’re gonna make it to the wedding!”
“Don’t jinx us,” Alice said “We still have to fly. With our luck, we’ll get shot out of the sky, crash in the ocean and end up marooned on a desert island for eternity.”
“Nah.” Martha smiled. “We’d find you.”
Marge reached out and squeezed her hand. “I know you would, sweetheart.”
They shared a moment, then Martha blew out a breath and took a big step back, pulling out her phone. “Now, before we go, I promised Tom I’d send him a picture, so get together and smile for the cameras, ladies!”
I started to laugh, then slung my arm around Doris, who chuckled and tossed her arm around Marge.
Alice shook her disheveled head wildly. “No. Hell no. I’m not getting my picture taken in here looking like God knows what. I haven’t seen a mirror in forty-eight hours.”
“No picture, no release.” Martha smiled.
Alice narrowed her eyes. “You are your mother’s daughter, aren’t you?”
A smile that looked as sinister as Marge’s often did split her face. “Hell yeah, I am. Now say cheese, ladies!”
We all smiled while Alice frowned, and Martha laughed after she took the shot. “Okay, guard. You can let them out now.”
When the lock clicked and the door swung open, we all took turns giving her a hug. Marge held her the longest, then let her go and said, “Okay. No time for sappy shit right now. We’ve got a wedding to get to!”
A wedding.Mywedding. And it was happening in less than twelve hours.
