Page 169 of Head Room

Mom finished helping fasten my dress.Good thing we’d had practice.

She stepped back.

“Elizabeth Margaret Danniher.”

She said no more, but she did give me a look —the look— as she left the anteroom to start her trip down the aisle.I’d hear about this later.As I said, a lot of that going around.

Diana and Tamantha took their places to precede me.

Dad tucked my hand in his arm.“Ready to do this again, Maggie Liz?”

“Again and always with Tom.”

As we started down this aisle, I saw Jennifer in a pew with her parents.They must have saved her a seat.She winked.

Diana and Mike stood at the front looking completely unruffled.But I took satisfaction in noticing she was breathing more heavily than normal.

I shouldn’t be the only one.

Then I looked at Tom, and there was nothing normal about my breathing.

He wore the black suit jacket, now over a black vest and open-collar white shirt.He’d swapped out the suit’s slacks for crisp, dark jeans and cowboy boots that had never seen a day’s work.

I suspected his cowboy hat was near at hand.

He looked wonderful.

If I weren’t wearing this dress, I might steal Tamantha’s idea and cartwheel down the aisle to him.

****

At the end,the pastor looked out to the pews.

“Tom and Elizabeth have chosen each of you to be here today and they’re so happy to share this moment with the ones who are closest to them, those who completely share their joy.”

We turned to the gathering.

And there they were, all the faces smiling back at us.

My parents, my siblings and their families, at the front, with Tom’s parents and sister Jean-Marie and her husband on the other side.Then a kaleidoscope.Jennifer, her uncle, who was Tom’s childhood friend.Bonnie and Matt Lester.Mrs.P and Aunt Gee.My aunt and cousins, Jack Delahunt, who’d been a mentor to Tom, Wardell Yardley with Clara Atwood, a contingent from the station, Connie, Tom’s neighbors and his freshman year college roommate, Iris and Zeb Undlin, Needham and Thelma Bender, my mother’s cousin’s daughter, Peg, and her husband, Mel Welch, my sort-of agent and dear friend.

At the back, as late arrivals, Sheriff Russ Conrad, who was Diana’s plus one, with Shelton and Richard Alvaro.

The threads of our individual lives, gathered here together.

I felt my smile stretch until it hurt my cheeks.It felt great.

EPILOGUE

As we droveto the reception, Tom said, “What you might not know yet is James got Frank Jardos released.He messaged me before the ceremony started.”

During my final, warp-speed preparations.

“That’s good news.”

“It is, though he’ll have other charges to deal with for not reporting Nance’s body and the fire.You going to call the colonel?”

“Now?”