Page 358 of Under Her Skin

The reporter looks mad as a wet hen as she spins around. I hear a small voice come from the hallway, “What’s happening?” It sounds like littleMeagan.

“This is none of our concern,” I hear her fathersay.

The reporter hurries out of the room, asking, “Are you one of the curedchildren?”

I hear her father say, “We’re not doing anyinterviews.”

“I just want to ask you about Blaine Vanderbilt. He’s been accused of being a Satan worshiper,” the reportersays.

“Satan?” Meagan asks, and I become furious as I come out of theroom.

“Stop!” I shout. “Leave her alone. Leave that family alone! If you had a heart, you’d leave us allalone!”

Meagan’s father is holding his tiny daughter in his arms as his wife stands next to him. She looks at the reporter. “Blaine Vanderbilt is not a bad man in any way. He has a host of people who will attest to the good in him. I, for one, don’t believe a bad word anyone says about theman.”

“Nor will I,” Meagan’s fathersays.

I smile as Meagan lifts her head off her father’s shoulder and looks past the group of people and directly at me. “That man behind you is almost an angel. If you decide to report anything bad about him, I feel sorry for you. Then you will be the one doing a bad thing and that’s never anygood.”

I watch the reporter lower her head. “Damn,” she says under her breath. “Let’s go.” She turns to look at me, then gives me a weak smile. “Seems you have quite the fan club. You’re willing to fight for them, and in my book, that makes you something other than evil. Sorry. I am not a reporter that reports lies. Sorry about this. It’s just business. I was sent to get thisinterview.”

“‘It’s just business’ is something I used to say all of the time. That’s the only evil I did, and I admit it was evil, and I will never live my life in that frame of mind again. You can report that if you’d like. But I’d really like it if you let this all go away. I’m trying to build a family with a very special woman, and I’d like a bit of privacy to dothat.”

With a nod, she and her crew leave us standing in the hallway that’s grown a bit congested with onlookers. Meagan gives me a smile. “We came to see you getmarried.”

“Well, let’s get to that, shall we?” I say as we head to thechapel.

Her mother looks at me with a smile. “Meagan has something she wanted to tellyou.”

“You do?” I ask her as I run my hand over herhead.

“I get to go home after your wedding,” she says, filling me with completejoy.

The preacher looks happy, too, as he welcomes us into the chapel. “That’s some great news,” he tellsMeagan.

Looking back, I find Delaney’s father. “You should go get her now. I think it’s time to get this show on theroad.”

With a nod, he’s off to bring me my bride, and I go to wait for her. Then I recall the phone call I missed and look to find my sister was the one who called. I call her back and find her sounding like she’s near tears. “Blaine, I’ve ruined yourwedding.”

“Do not tell me that, Kate. What’s happenednow?”

“She’s out cold. The drink I gave her was too much for her to take. We can’t get her to wake up and eat the crackers Tiffany got for her. You’ll just have to wait for her to wake up. I’m so sorry,” shewails.

“Damn it!” I whisper. “We’ll wait then. And you are really in trouble, littlesister!”

Making my way to the preacher, I can see he looks a little worried himself. “Are we having problems,Blaine?”

“We are,” I say as I run my hand over my face. “My sister brought Delaney some kind of alcohol. Delaney hasn’t eaten a thing since lunch yesterday and very little this entire week with her schedule and all the preparations. She’s been exhausted every single night. I’m afraid she’s passed out, and we’ll just have to wait for her to wake up before we can dothis.”

“Oh my goodness. At least I have nothing else scheduled for today. We canwait.”

I go to explain what’s happened to the Sanders family when a bunch of people file into the little chapel. A woman is crying inconsolably. Two young men are holding her up and taking her to see thepreacher.

A little girl translates for the Spanish-speaking family. “Help our mother, please, sir. We’re here because my baby sister, who’s just six months old, was hurt in a car wreck she and my mother were in. Mama is so upset with herself that we don’t know what to do for her. Please helpher.”

So many people come into the chapel, filling the seats up. My party moves to the back row, then when I find more of the woman’s family members standing, I gesture for my party to follow me and take our group to thecafeteria.

“What a tragedy,” Mrs. Sanders says as we make our way out of theroom.