Chapter 17

My Treasure

--Epilogue--

"Riley! Dad! Let's go!" Ben shouted up the stairs as he paced the front hall of his father's house. He was dressed in his fine tuxedo and a thick white rosebud with baby's breath graced his lapel. He adjusted his tie and checked his submariner watch for approximately the 36th time that day as the rumble on the stairs brought his attention to Patrick and Riley making their way down, dressed in similar tuxedoes.

"Hey, Ben, you finally get to wear that monkey suit to an event you were actually invited to!" Riley teased as Ben brushed his best friend's shoulders and straightened his tie, much as he would to a younger brother. He finished by giving Riley a playful cuff across the head before turning to his father.

"The church isn't going anywhere, son," Patrick chuckled.

"Yeah, maybe, but may I remind you that the girls *are* waiting for us there by now and we all know that none of them likes to be kept waiting," Ben said as they walked to his car.

"That's for sure!" Riley chuckled as he ducked into the car.

***

"Where are they?" Emily demanded, focusing on coaxing a stray curl back into place. She convinced the wayward strands to stay long enough for Abigail to pin them for her and add hairspray to make sure it stayed there.

"I'm sure they're on their way by now," Abigail said soothingly. "Or they better be…" she muttered under her breath as she moved to another mirror to touch up her makeup.

Jacqui paced the floor with her cell phone in her hands, a vision in her pastel green dress. The trailing edge swept the floor as she walked, and the fabric rustled with the motion.

Abigail caught sight of her in the mirror and grinned. Her own gown was blue and a similar spring-season shade to Jacqui's green and gave the impression that her eyes were a much different shade of blue. She stood, smoothed her gown and then told Jacqui she was going to wear a hole in the floor. Before she could respond, her phone bleeped an alert message, a text from Riley, telling them that they had arrived. Emily stood, turned to the two younger women, took a deep breath and smiled.

"How do I look?" she asked. Abigail swallowed tears and crossed the room to hug her and seconds later, Jacqui did the same.

"You're beautiful, Dr….Um…Emily," she stammered. Emily laughed, kissing her cheek before looking one more time in the mirror. She stood out dramatically from the girls today in her ivory colored gown. It was simple and had clean, long lines; a silky crepe gown with a matching jacket that if she wanted to, she could take off at the dinner and dance reception that night.

"I've done this before, why should I be so nervous now?" Emily muttered.

"Well, it's been over thirty years since the last one so feasibly you're a little nerve-wracked," said a voice. "But this time, you have a son to give you away."

"Ben…" Emily chuckled, briefly kissing him before he offered her his right arm and Abigail and Jacqui followed them to the back of the church. Emily looked down the aisle that lay before her and trembled just a little. After all, today she was the bride. Riley appeared, quietly spiriting Jacqui and Abigail around to the other side to make their way to the alter where Patrick waited, beaming with pride.

When the music changed, the small congregation of their friends and families stood and turned to watch as Ben led his lovely mother down the aisle and kissed her cheek before taking his place with Riley, Jacqui and Abigail off to one side as the ceremony began.

"I, Patrick Henry Gates, take you, Emily, to be my friend, my lover, my treasure, and my wife. I will be yours, in times of sickness and of health, in times of joy and of sorrow, in times of failure and of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care for and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, forever," Patrick recited, holding Emily's hands tightly in his own. He fought happy tears as he watched Emily's eyes well up while he spoke and then her voice trembled as she recited the vows herself.

"I, Emily Jane Appleton, take you, Patrick, to be my friend, my lover, my treasure, and my husband. I will be yours, in times of sickness and of health, in times of joy and of sorrow, in times of failure and of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care for and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, forever," Emily didn't bother brushing away the tear that rolled down her cheek as they closed their vows in unison:

"Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you, for where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me again."

The congregation applauded as Emily and Patrick sealed these vows with rings and a warm kiss before they made their way outside to meet them as they came down the few steps in front of the church. When they made it through the storm of birdseed, they came to the sidewalk only to see a bright, shiny, cherry-red Ferrari sitting before them. Riley patted Patrick on the back and dangled the keys from his fingers with a grin on his face. Patrick and Emily looked at him in speechless shock.

"Riley, we couldn't possibly…"

"That would be crazy!"

"Come on!" Riley teased. "You hunt treasure! You beat up bad guys! You got married again! This Ferrari's got *nothing* on the two of you. Go on, take her for a spin." Patrick and Emily laughed and spontaneously both reached for the keys. They looked at one another and then as Jacqui, Ben and Abigail approached, the debate was on!

"What do you think you're doing?" Emily chided him.

"I'm driving," Patrick said.

"No you're not! You can't drive manual transmission to save your life!" she insisted.

"Watch me!" Patrick said playfully, taking a step toward the car. Emily followed him, still insisting that he would ruin Riley's beautiful car if he tried to drive it without knowing how.

"What makes you think that I didn't learn to drive a stick shift in the last 32 years?" he said, turning to her.

"You haven't learned to fold your own laundry let alone learn to drive a manual," Emily retorted. Ben shook his head as he listened to them and then whistled shrilly to get their attention. He went to them, resting a hand on each one's shoulder.

"Dad…your pride isn't that sacred, is it? Is it?" Ben asked, pausing while his father muttered something unintelligible but nonetheless conceding. He then turned to his mother and continued. "And mom…" Emily looked at Ben as he lowered his sunglasses and got just a little closer to her eye level before he said, "Get in the goddamn car." Emily closed her mouth, her lips drawing into a smile that said everything and then nodded, patting Ben's cheek as she took a step forward and then turned back to him.

"Very good, Benjamin," she said. "Very good."

When both were seated and seatbelts were fastened, Emily leisurely tossed her small bouquet to Abigail.

"I don't think there's any great mystery—the two of you are next," she said with a grand smile. The youngsters laughed as Patrick turned the key and both laughed nervously at the powerful sound of the engine. As they drove out of sight, Jacqui wrapped her arms around Riley's right arm and playfully leaned against him.

"I want to be just like them someday," she said with a grin.

"In what way?" Ben asked, his left arm draped leisurely around Abigail's waist. Riley smiled and turned his head to meet hers, his other hand stuffed in his pocket and reveling in Jacqui's scent—the perfume he'd given her.

"Stubborn, independent, and head-over-heels in love," she said. The four of them turned and began walking toward the limousine that waited to carry them to the reception.

"So," Abigail said spontaneously, "do you suppose the world is ready for another Gates?" All motion stopped and Ben, Riley and Jacqui looked at her, wide eyed and smiling. Ben was still shaking his head for the shock she had just given him.

"A baby…" he said softly. Abigail bit her bottom lip playfully and lifted the hand that Ben wasn't currently holding—wiggling two fingers before his eyes. Ben's eyes grew wider in wonder, only to be brought back to reality as Riley clapped him on the back and Jacqui threw her arms around Abigail.

Abigail looked at Ben, plainly still as shocked as he was right now. Ben's anxiety seemed to melt from his expression to be replaced by sheer joy as he picked Abigail up and swung her around in a circle. Apparently, the next chapter of this family's tale was right around the corner.

THE END!