Chapter 9

Jarrod fetched a scotch before he answered the question his mother had put to him, but he was just stretching out the suspense. When he turned, he was smiling.

"We had a lovely lunch together," he announced. "We talked about the way things have been – and how I would like them to change. She graciously accepted my apology for my horrible behavior in the past, and then we talked about Nick behind his back."

"Oh, Jarrod," Audra chastised him.

Jarrod smiled and shrugged. "I couldn't resist."

"You really are all right with Nick and Amanda, aren't you?" Victoria asked.

Jarrod nodded, sobering somewhat. "I am. I think Nick was right about something."

"Circle that day on the calendar," Heath said. "What was he right about?"

Jarrod said, "That it would help me heal if I could accept her. She is the sister of the man who murdered Beth. A couple months ago I couldn't have even said that out loud. Now, listen to me."

"Beth would be pleased," Victoria said.

Jarrod chased away his tears, but he couldn't get the frog out of his throat. "She would be, I think."

"Do you think Nick's gonna ask her to marry him tonight?" Heath wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Jarrod said, "but if it's not tonight, it'll be soon. At least it better be. He shouldn't let this one get away."

Victoria laughed. "Oh, I don't think he will. He seems different with her than he's been with others."

"That's because she loves him, too," Jarrod said. "It makes all the difference in the world when you love each other as much as they do."

Jarrod had been standing, looking into his glass of scotch, seeing back over the past year. Everyone knew it.

Victoria got up and touched his arm. He smiled at her and then gave her a kiss on the forehead. Then he raised his glass. "To Nick and Amanda. Whenever he asks her, here's hoping she says yes."

"She said yes."

They looked up and saw Nick at the door. He'd snuck in without them hearing him. He wore a big smile.

Four Months Later

"Will you just hold still for a minute while I fix your tie?" Jarrod said to his brother who was far more comfortable in range garb than in the monkey suit he was currently wearing.

"I can hear that pianist playing," Nick said. "I can hear all the people down there. How can I hold still? I'm nervous."

"Nothing to be nervous about," Jarrod said. "Getting married is – " He hesitated. He was remembering. He tried to focus on the good memories. "Getting married is one of the happiest things you'll ever do."

Nick smiled at his older brother. "I am one lucky man, aren't I?"

"You are indeed," Jarrod said and finished fixing Nick's tie. "Just be careful you don't faint when you see your bride."

"That pretty, huh?"

"Breathtaking, Nick. She's breathtaking."

Nick shivered at the thought.

Jarrod took it as a chance to get one last little dig in. "Now, Nick, is there anything I need to tell you about the wedding night? Any advice you need? Any instructions you need?"

Nick swatted his brother, making Jarrod laugh.

Then the music changed. "Ah, that's our cue," Jarrod said. "Are you ready?"

Nick heaved a sigh and said, "I'm gonna be a married man in a few minutes, aren't I?"

Jarrod nodded. "You are."

"I'm ready," Nick said.

"Let's go," Jarrod said.

They left Nick's room and headed down the staircase to the living room, where a room full of guests waited. Nick had wanted to be married in front of the fireplace. The priest was already there waiting.

Jarrod practically had to keep Nick from running to the spot, so he kept a hand on his brother's elbow and slowed him down. Nick grinned like the lovesick fool he was as he looked down at his mother and his brother seated in the front row. Jarrod gave them a wink.

And the music changed again. Audra, Amanda's maid of honor, came up the aisle, beaming as if this were her own wedding, and then the music changed one more time.

Harry and Amanda came from the library and through the foyer. Then Nick saw her, and Jarrod was right. His breath promptly left him.

She wore a satin gown and a veil that allowed him to see her smile. She carried yellow roses, and she had eyes only for Nick.

Nick had eyes only for her, except that he saw Harry's face was wet with tears. Nick gave him a wink, and Harry turned red.

Then Amanda was beside the man who would be her new husband, and the priest began to speak. Harry gave the bride to her groom, and the priest went on. Soon he asked if anyone objected to the union, and Jarrod smiled a bit more, pleased that he could so happily keep his mouth shut.

And before Nick could even think again, he was lifting her veil and kissing his wife.

His wife.

"I love you, Mrs. Barkley," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you, too, Mr. Barkley," Amanda whispered.

Jarrod heard them. He remembered his own whispers to his own wife, not even a year ago, and he was amazed that he could smile to hear them now from his brother and his brother's wife. Because that's who she was now, now and forever – not Cass Hyatt's sister, but Nick Barkley's wife.

Jarrod exchanged looks with his mother as Nick and Amanda went up the aisle together. Seeing the tears in her eyes, he gave her another wink. Victoria beamed.

Jarrod offered his arm to his sister as they started up the aisle together. "Let the celebration begin," he said to her.

Audra laughed. "I'm glad you're ready for it."

"I am," he said. "I truly am."

The End