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“The president and Shannon, and probably the pope, might argue that, at this point, the coverage might be even worse at a later date.”

“I’m afraid they’re right. We’re destined for a media fest whenever and wherever we hold the wedding.”

“Ugh. When has it ever been simple for us?”

“Never. Not even once.” He reached over and brushed a strand of hair from my cheek. “But the fact that you never give up makes me love you more.”

I linked my fingers with his, noticing they were bruised and scraped up. “Likewise. Still, I think any other person would have been long scared away from me and my little black cloud by now.”

“I’m not any other person and you may not be the only one with a black cloud.”

That gave me pause, so I turned my head to look at him. “You think this attack was aimed at you? Or, by extension, me?”

“I don’t know what to think. I don’t have enough information to postulate a theory yet. But it’s a possibility.”

I tugged on his hand until he lay on his back next to me. We relaxed there still holding hands and staring up at the gauzy white cover of the four-poster bed.

“So, what did the pope say in the message you read?” I asked.

“He quoted scripture.Deuteronomy. It’s a verse that urges us to be strong and courageous and not to live in fear because God is with us and will not forsake us.”

“Not very subtle. I presume that means he wants us to go forward with the wedding.”

“That’s exactly what it means. He’s going to marry us in the church one way or the other. There’s no stopping him.”

“I guess I’m not surprised. What are your thoughts on going forward with the wedding as planed?”

“I have mixed feelings. You?”

“Same. Like we told Jack and Shannon, this isn’t a decision we can make on our own.”

He squeezed my hand. “I completely agree. We need to consult with our families before any decision is made. Politics takes a second seat here. Would you be comfortable getting married with just the two of us, Father Armando, and the pope, if it came to that?”

I laughed and it surprised Slash. “Why are you laughing?”

“It’s just, I never wanted a big wedding, and certainly never a high-profile one. If you asked me this question a few months ago, I would have shouted ‘yes’ from the rooftop.” I paused, collecting my thoughts. “But now that everyone is here—or coming—my parents, brothers, grandparents, as well your parents and family, and our close friends, I can’t imagine getting married without them. I’ve done a complete one-eighty in my thinking on this. Honestly, it’s a bit shocking. Still, the bottom line is I’m not willing to risk their lives, or anyone else’s, for the sake of a ceremony.”

“Again, we are in complete agreement.”

“So, we wait until tomorrow and talk it out?”

“We wait until tomorrow to talk it out.”

We fell silent, and I presumed Slash was thinking things through, just like I was. I finally broke the silence. “I wonder how long it will take the police to sort through our things from Bluff House?”

“We might not have anything to get back.”

“True. Every suitcase, every garment bag…anything that could be lifted easily was piled upon that makeshift barrier we made upstairs. A lot of it got shot up. To make matters worse, Hands ripped a piece of my wedding dress to use as a gauze for Agent Glass’s wound. I don’t think he knew what it was, and I think it was already ruined anyway. I’m not sorry about that part. While I liked that dress, I like Agent Glass a lot more.”

“Agreed.”

“However, it does mean that if we were to go through with the wedding, I’m now minus a wedding dress. I have no idea how your tuxedo fared.”

“I don’t care all that much. We’ll improvise. We’re good at that.”

“We are. But my mom will be disappointed about the dress.”

“Strangely—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—I disagree. I think she’s so grateful you’re alive and unharmed that the wedding dress won’t matter as much as it once did. Besides, finding a new dress in three days will be a challenge she’ll relish. One thing I’ve learned about the Carmichael women is that they never back down from a challenge.”