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Sophie held her mother’s hand and walked to the back of the sanctuary, where her father awaited her. He was dressed in an immaculate tuxedo and looked incredibly regal, his salt-and-pepper hair sticking up due to the frantic spring winds. His eyes shimmered with tears.
“Soph,” he said, shaking his head. “You look stunning.”
“This old thing?” Sophie joked, her smile enormous.
Behind her father in the sanctuary, the last of her wedding guests took their seats. She could see Grandma Agatha and hernew beau, Mel, seated in the third row, holding hands. Grandma Agatha wore an outrageous hat with a feather out to the side, while Mel wore the same suit as last night. He fidgeted but smiled, pleased to be by Agatha’s side. Sophie’s heart swelled.
The soloist was finished, stepping lightly from the stage to grab a seat toward the back of the sanctuary. The organist held the current chord for what felt like ages, keeping the audience rapt. Then, all at once, her fingers shifted, and she began “Canon in D” by Pachelbel, Sophie and Katrina’s selection. Ida set her jaw and nodded at Sophie, then laced her arm through Derek, who led her down the aisle in time to the music. As they walked, Patrick reached the center of the far end of the aisle, his eyes shining with expectation. He hadn’t shown Sophie his tuxedo yet—calling it “bad luck.” The one he’d selected was classic. It made him look like Fred Astaire.
After Ida and Derek reached the end of the aisle, Katrina squeezed Sophie’s hand a final time and whispered, “See you on the other side.” She then accepted Brent’s arm and allowed him to guide her down the aisle.
Sophie and Grant stood at the edge of the aisle, their toes hovering over it as though they were about to jump into a great abyss. The music continued, the most soulful and invigorating sound Sophie had ever heard.
“Are you ready, honey?” Grant asked quietly.
Sophie turned to look her father in the eye. “I’m ready.”
She seemed to remember him asking her that twenty-two years ago, too. But she couldn’t remember her response. It had probably been a lie.
Sophie and Grant stepped out together, headed for Patrick. Like magic, everyone in the sanctuary stood and turned to watch her come forward as though she were royalty. Sophie met their gazes head-on, smiling at Grandpa Chuck, Oriana, Meghan, Uncle Roland, and Hilary. Their faces echoed their pride.
Before Sophie knew it, she’d reached the end of the line. Her hands were in Patrick’s hands. Her eyes were caught in Patrick’s gaze. The pastor they’d met through Narcotics Anonymous, who’d been instrumental in repairing their relationship with the Lord, stepped forward and raised his hands in prayer. And Patrick and Sophie closed their eyes beneath his benediction. They were becoming one.
With Sophie’s eyes closed and the pastor’s kind voice echoing scripture, she couldn’t help but imagine the future—the hospital room where they would welcome their baby, the first songs they would sing, the sleepless, love-filled nights they would share. She imagined the love she and Patrick currently felt for one another, doubled or tripled, echoing out into the baby they’d made.
When the pastor’s prayer was complete, Sophie and Patrick opened their eyes and found one another again. Sophie's smile burst as her heart skipped a beat. She marveled that love could make you feel this way and eliminate the darkness in your heart. Sophie tucked her hands deeper into Patrick’s mighty ones, grateful for the strength they’d shown one another, for the hardships they’d already carried. With this partner by her side, she was no longer afraid. And that was the grandest blessing of all.
