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Everyone was chattering and pinning curls into place and tucking flyaway ribbons back where they belonged, while Amalie stood before the full-length mirror in silence, staring at the woman looking back at her—pretending it was the mother she had never known, present with her on this day.
Wolf and Shirley had taken her dress shopping. He wanted to fly her to New York to pick something out from a couturier. She had opted for bridal shops in Frankfort and hugged his neck for the offer. Now here she was, wearing the dress. Not hiding the scars. With pearls at her throat and diamonds in her ears. She had moved her engagement ring to her right hand for the ceremony and was waiting for everything to begin.
Beautiful.
She blinked.You’re here, she thought.
My beautiful baby…I have always been here.
Amalie’s eyes widened.Mother?
Forever.
And then all of a sudden, she was watching the puzzle falling into place. So many souls. So many lives. Connected forever through eternity.
There was a knock at the door.
“They’re ready,” someone said.
The bridesmaids gathered at the door clutching their bouquets.
Amalie turned around to look for Ella, caught her watching, and smiled.
Ella winked, blew her a kiss, and then took her bouquet from the florist and got in line.
Amalie sighed. Life was good.
The music sounded, and they began walking out the door.
Sean was standing at the altar with Aaron, waiting for sight of Amalie. But when Ella appeared in the doorway on her own, with that braided crown of snow-white hair, owning the elegance of her years, one could have been forgiven for thinking an angel had entered here.
The congregation hushed as music led her down the aisle, and when she took her place at the altar, she winked at Sean.
In that moment, Sean realized the depth of the honor Amalie had given Ella. She was elated to be there.
B.J. and Shirley came next, and took their places.
Wiley and Dani followed, moving at a sedate and proper pace.
Then a ripple of voices and some whispers of delight rolled across guests when Lili Glass appeared in a miniature gown of pink chiffon, with ruffles beneath her chin and ruffles around the hem. She took hold of her basket and started down the aisle, sprinkling multicolored rose petals on the old pinewood floor before taking her place beside the women.
The pianist was still plunking at the same sonorous sedate pace when the ring bearer, Mikey Pope, appeared, wearing a little blue suit with a bow tie already cockeyed beneath his chin, his eyes dancing with delight at being the focus of their attention, clutching the ring pillow like a handbag.
His mother, Rusty, saw the look on his face and held her breath as Cameron and Ghost appeared beside him.
A single gasp rolled through the congregation as the big white dog slipped up beside his little boy and nosed his elbow.
Cameron leaned down and whispered in Mikey’s ear.
“Taking Ghostie for a walk now.”
Mikey grabbed onto Ghost’s hair with one hand, still holding onto the pillow with the other, and down the aisle they went.
Somewhere in the congregation, they heard a clear quiet voice.
“Whatever you do, don’t anybody laugh.”
They knew it was Rusty, and she knew her son. One laugh, and he would turn into the class clown. When the trio made it to the altar without disaster, Cameron turned the ring over to Aaron and took the ring bearer to sit in his mama’s lap for the rest of the service, then sat down beside them with Ghost between his knees.
