Authors: Muriel Jensen
Always Florence (21 page)
EPILOGUE
D
YLAN
STOOD
VERY
still, even though his nose itched. Hunter, standing beside him, was quiet and serious, and even Sheamus stood like a soldier and didn’t move a muscle. Dylan didn’t want to be the one to mess up.
“May we have the rings, please?”
Hunter gave Uncle Nate a small ring trimmed in diamonds. Uncle Nate put it on Bobbie’s finger and repeated a lot of promises the priest told him to say.
Bobbie looked wonderful. She wore a white dress with a poufy skirt, and a veil with sparkly stuff that Sandy had pulled back out of her face when they got to the altar. Dennis had walked her up the aisle and Dylan saw a tear on his cheek.
Uncle Nate looked pretty great, too, as Sandy gave Bobbie a ring that she put on his finger, then repeated a lot of words after the priest. His uncle wore a dark suit with a funny striped tie and a collar that was weird, but looked kind of nice. Which was a good thing because Dylan was wearing the same clothes himself.
He felt very strange. It was Christmas Eve and he wasn’t even thinking about the toys under the tree, and all the great food in the refrigerator. He was thinking that somehow, life had gotten...nice. Happy again.
Stella wore a pretty green dress like Sandy’s, and her hair was piled up with flowers in it. She was beautiful.
Sandy and Hunter didn’t talk to each other very much, but they were polite. Uncle Nate said he thought they were going to get together; it was just going to take time. Pride was in the way. Dylan wasn’t sure what that meant, but he wasn’t going to worry about it, because his own life was really cool.
Bobbie had moved everything to their house this morning and he was going to be part of a whole family again. Stella and Dennis would stay with them while Uncle Nate and Bobbie went to British Columbia on their honeymoon, but not till the day after tomorrow.
Dylan thought about his mom and dad and how much fun they always had at weddings and parties. His dad loved Uncle Nate a lot, and he’d be happy that Uncle Nate was so happy.
Dylan could think about them now without crying. Bobbie told him that he was lucky to have so many people in his life who loved him. He’d had his parents, and now he had Uncle Nate and her. And Stella and Dennis. And Hunter. And—he guessed—Sheamus. He glanced down at his brother, who looked up at him, his expression a little panicky because they’d been standing a long time and he probably had to go to the bathroom.
For a while there, Dylan had lost his ability to be a big brother. He’d been mean instead. But now he knew where he stood again—in the same house, with different parents, but the same little brother. And things were going to be okay.
He winked at Sheamus and stood a little straighter so that Sheamus would get the idea to hang in there.
He did, and smiled back at him.
Then the ceremony was over, there was loud, cheerful organ music and Uncle Nate and Bobbie walked up the aisle with him and Sheamus between them.
The big double doors at the back opened and a friend of Bobbie’s from her art classes stood there with Arnold on a leash. He had a big green bow on his collar and was very excited to see them.
The lady lost her grip and Arnold shot into the church. He leaped at them, and because their arms were all looped together they went down in a big pile.
Dylan thought he’d remember their laughter as long as he lived.
* * * * *
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ISBN: 9781460317457
Copyright © 2013 by Muriel Jensen
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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