On the Rocks (A Turtle Island Novel) (29 page)

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PILOGUE

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lmost five months later, after Julie had delivered a healthy baby girl, and Roni had delivered a bouncing baby boy, Ginger stood at the end of the short aisle, her arm hooked through Clint’s, and couldn’t take her eyes off her tuxedoed fiancé standing under the arch of live oaks.

Roni’s stepdaughter, Gracie, stepped to the side after dropping rose petals along the path and beamed a proud smile back at Ginger, and Clint asked, “You ready for this?”

Ginger took in the small assembled crowd and the ocean beyond. The morning was still gray, but that would soon change. “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”

She saw Kayla nod discreetly—Mrs. Rylander, who stood at her side, nodded, as well—and then the wedding march began to play. Roni and Andie waited for her at the end of the aisle, with Carter and Julie on the other side. Ginger and Carter hadn’t wanted a large ceremony; there had been only one requirement. It would take place at sunrise.

Ginger started moving, all eyes on her, and she felt her dad’s whisper touch her cheeks. She stopped walking, tears suddenly spilling over her lashes, and she shook her head at Carter’s panicked expression. She touched her father’s wedding ring, which she wore on her right thumb as her “something old,” and Carter nodded in understanding. She’d wanted to marry here on the senior-center patio, where she’d last felt her dad’s presence, in hopes that he would be there with her today.

Before she could start moving again, Kayla appeared, a handkerchief in hand, and blotted at Ginger’s cheeks. Andie and Roni smiled from the front, and baby Teddy gurgled from his grandmother’s lap.

As Kayla cleaned her up, Ginger caught her mother’s eye. Pride shone bright.

Ginger blew her mom a kiss, nodded at Clint, then made her way to her future husband.

After the vows were spoken, and as the preacher pronounced them husband and wife, the sun slid into the bright morning sky, bringing with it a bounty of color. As Ginger looked at Carter, she’d never seen more love shining her way. She’d just married the man of her dreams.

And she was his dream, as well.

“I love you,” he said. He kissed her then, and as he pulled away, all three babies in attendance began to cry. Carter chuckled under his breath. “I vote we add to that sound as soon as possible. They’re going to need friends to play with.”

“A baby?” They’d talked about having kids, but hadn’t decided on when.

“If we’re having four, we’d better get started.”

Her mouth curved with a huge smile, and she nodded her agreement. That was the dream, after all. Big house, four kids . . . amazing husband. Little had she known, the life she’d always wanted had been the life she’d soon find.

A
BOUT THE
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UTHOR

Photo © 2012 Amelia Moore

As a child, award-winning author Kim Law cultivated a love for chocolate, anything purple, and creative writing. She penned her debut work, “The Gigantic Talking Raisin,” in the sixth grade and got hooked on the delights of creating stories. Before settling into the writing life, however, she earned a college degree in mathematics and worked for years as a computer programmer. Now she’s living out her lifelong dream of writing romance novels. She’s won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award, been a finalist for the prestigious RWA RITA Award, and served in varied positions for her local RWA chapter. A native of Kentucky, Kim lives with her husband and an assortment of animals in Middle Tennessee.