Page 51 of Her Last Secret
The wedding was small and intimate, just the way she and Jack had wanted. There was a certain rebellion in the simplicity, a conscious choice to strip away the pomp and ceremony that neither she nor Jack had any desire for. She stood with Paige at the top of the porch steps, feeling the gentle breeze toy with the loose strands of her hair. No father would give her away; no line of bridesmaids would precede her. This path she'd walk alone—well, almost alone. Paige was there, her youthful innocence a stark contrast to the complexities that Rachel had faced. And Jack only had a single best man, his best friend and roommate from Quantico, back during his academy days.
The opening chords of Rachel’s chosen song, a melody more haunting than celebratory, wove through the air, carrying with it a sense of gravity that seemed to still the very world around them. With a reassuring glance, Rachel signaled Paige to begin her solitary walk down the makeshift aisle between the chairs.
Paige stepped forward, her little dress swaying. After a few paces, the young girl turned her head ever so slightly, a silent cue for Rachel to follow.
Rachel took a deep breath, her hand instinctively tracing the bandage on her arm, hidden beneath the lace and silk. Then, with a final nod to Paige, she began her descent. Each step was measured and careful. Every step carried an immense weight, leading her into a new future.
With each footfall, her heart seemed to beat louder, reverberating against the quiet murmurs of nature around her. The ominous undercurrents that had long colored her life felt distant now, though she knew they could never be entirely banished. But today was not for dwelling on shadows. Today, she walked toward light, toward love, toward Jack.
As she reached the aisle at the back of the rows of chairs, her gaze fell upon the canvas print propped up on an easel, a candid shot of her and Jack captured by none other than Grandma Tate about five or six months ago—smiling without the weight of recent trials shadowing their features. The photograph had been chosen with care, a symbol of enduring love amid chaos and another way for Grandma Tate to be part of the ceremony.
Yet it was not the image itself that drew Rachel's focus, but rather the single black and white photo that was clipped to its frame. It was held there with a simple binder clip, taken from her office.
The photo was a scanned copy of her latest test results, taken just three days before the wedding. It was a copy of the scan, looking almost like a child's macabre collage against the backdrop of the picture of her and Jack.
She stopped for a heartbeat, allowing her eyes to trace the contours of the scan—the areas once clouded by the presence of the tumor, now clear. The treatments in Seattle had worked in tandem with the ones in Switzerland. And when she’d gone in and had X-rays for surgery on her arm, Jack had requested the CT for her tumor as well.
And it was gone.
Turning back toward the aisle, Rachel felt the lingering chill of the past dissipate, warmth blooming within her chest as her eyes found Jack. He stood at the altar, his formality undone by the unchecked emotions playing across his face. When their eyes met, she saw the walls he'd built to protect himself crumble, and the few tears that escaped him spoke volumes of the vulnerability and love he held for her.
The few friends they’d invited—mostly other FBI agents, including Director Anderson—watched her come down the aisle but she was barely aware of them. Her eyes were locked on Jack as Paige made her way up, standing opposite him, just behind the spot Rachel would soon occupy.
As she took her place opposite Jack, the world held its breath. Here, at this small altar, the echoes of their past blended with the promise of the future. Rachel allowed herself to drink in the sight of him, the man who had become her anchor.
The man who would, in about ten minutes, be her husband.
In his eyes—clear, steady, and shining just for her—she glimpsed a horizon free of storms, a landscape ripe with possibilities. She had loved before and it had brought her many happy years. It had brought her Paige. So to think what a future with this man might also bring was dizzying to consider.
An entirely new future awaited. And as the pastor asked them to join together at the altar in front of the small group of attendees, Rachel and Jack clasped hands and it all began.