High-Stakes Holiday Reunion
Author
Christy Barritt
Reads
16.5K
Chapters
1
Epilogue
Ashley straightened the white slacks and snow-white sweater she wore. It wasn’t exactly a wedding dress, but there would be time for a big wedding later—if that’s what she and Christopher decided on. Really, the wedding was so unimportant to her. It was the marriage that mattered.
Instead of planning and waiting for a future date, she and Christopher had decided to get married in a small ceremony at the Eyes’ headquarters. They’d had eight long years of being apart. Neither wanted to waste any more time.
In five minutes, it would be the New Year and they would officially become husband and wife. Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Jordan. It had a nice ring to it. It always had.
She stood before a chaplain with a small audience gathered around her in the massive lobby area at Eyes. David was at her side, holding their rings, and looking handsome in some khakis, an olive-green sweater and a Navy ball cap that Christopher had given him. The boy hadn’t wanted to take it off.
The two of them bonded quickly, and David already looked up at Christopher with a glimmer of admiration in his eyes. Christopher had told his son stories—happy, adventurous ones—about being a SEAL, about training, about toughening up. David held on to each word and asked questions. They’d talked about fishing and hiking and playing football.
Josh, in the meantime, had been sent into hiding for a while, at least until some of this storm passed. He knew too much, had seen too much. He’d asked Ashley and Christopher if they’d watch out for David. He’d told them he’d had moments of clarity while in captivity, and that’s why he’d told David that Ashley was really his mom. David had taken it all in stride, something that Ashley was immensely thankful for.
They hadn’t yet told him that Christopher was his real daddy, but they would with time. When the right moment came, they’d know it. They didn’t want to give the boy too much to handle at once.
Christopher stood in front of her, wearing jeans and a Kelly-green sweater that made his eyes pop. A fire blazed in the background. The Christmas tree stood in the corner still, and some of Christopher’s friends—and the very people who’d kept them both alive during this whole ordeal—sat around them.
Ashley hardly saw anyone except for Christopher and David. Her soon-to-be husband squeezed her hands, never taking his eyes off her since the start of the ceremony. She was so glad that their paths had led them back to each other. She praised God for truly working all things together for their good.
“Ashley, do you take this man, Christopher Jordan, to be your lawfully wedded husband?” the chaplain asked. “To have and to hold from this day forward.”
Ashley’s heart glowed with warmth as she looked up at Christopher. This was the moment she’d been dreaming about for so long. It almost seemed surreal, as if she’d wake up and he’d be gone. He squeezed her hands again, as if reading her thoughts, and reminding her that this was no dream.
She smiled. “I do.”
“Christopher, do you take this woman, Ashley Wilson, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“You better believe it.” The look in his eyes was pure affection, unmasked and unbridled and out there for everyone to see.
“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may—” the chaplain glanced at his watch and paused for a second before looking up with a grin “—kiss the bride.”
Just as Christopher’s lips came down on hers, balloons and confetti rained down on them from above.
“Happy New Year!” everyone around them yelled.
Laughing, they stepped back. Ashley put her arm around David’s shoulders and pulled him into a group hug with Christopher as everyone cheered.
Her family. Together at last.
It truly was going to be a happy new year.
A happy lifetime for that matter, as long as Christopher and David were by her side.
* * * * *
