Chapter 29. Wedding Bells

WHITNEY

With Joanna's murder solved and the townhouse remodel moving smoothly along, Collin and I could enjoy our wedding day without distractions. The fire station might have once sounded one, two, three, or even four alarms, but today it would sound wedding bells—proverbial speaking.

Collin and Ren dressed in one of the smaller bedrooms, while my mother, Colette, and I got ready for the ceremony in the master, as Sawdust napped atop a chair. Colette looked positively radiant in her sky blue satin matron-of-honor dress, the Queen Anne neckline flattering the fuller figure she currently sported thanks to her pregnancy. A tailor had added stretchy spandex panels to the sides of the dress to accommodate her ever-expanding baby bump. My mother had chosen a scoop-neck tea-length chiffon dress in a beautiful teal color, the style perfect for her frame.

I sat at one of the tables while my stylist worked on me. She coiffed my hair into a pile of curls atop my head, leaving a twirly tendril hanging on each side to frame my cheeks. Once she'd wrangled my hair out of the way and applied hairspray to hold it all in place, she applied copious amounts of makeup to my face, finishing with a loose powder and setting spray. Grinning proudly, she held up a hand mirror so I could take a look at her handiwork.

Whoa. Is that even me in the reflection?I looked feminine and glamorous, a far cry from my usual look, which involved little to no makeup and my hair swept up into an easy ponytail to keep it out of the way while I worked with my tools.

I stood to give her a hug. "You're not a beautician. You're a magician."

Once my stylist had gone, it was time to get me into my dress. My mother and Colette held out my gown and I carefully slipped into it. Mom zipped up the back for me. I slid my feet into the heels and put on the aquamarine earrings that my mother and grandmother had worn at their weddings, the jewelry singlehandedly constituting something old, borrowed, and blue.

I turned to look at myself in the full-length mirror. I cleaned up well.

My mother stepped up beside me, tears welling up in her eyes. "You look absolutely beautiful, Whitney!"

Colette whipped a tissue from the box on the table and handed it to my mother, who dabbed at her eyes. "Collin is a lucky guy." One hand on her rounded belly, Colette emitted a choking sound and grabbed a second tissue, holding it to her face to stifle her sob. "It's happening, Whitney! All of our dreams are coming true."

I couldn't help but get misty at her words. Back in college, we'd daydream over coffee or margaritas, imagining our futures, what careers we'd pursue, what type of house we'd live in, what kind of men we'd marry, whether we'd have children and how many. Those dreams were now unfolding, our questions being answered in wonderful ways we could have never imagined. Marrying a homicide detective in a fire station I'd remodeled myself? I would have never come up with such an outlandish idea. Life had certainly proven to be an adventure.

A chime on my mother's phone told her and Colette that it was time to assemble for the procession. My mother gave me a final hug and a kiss on the cheek, taking care not to muss my hair or makeup. "See you downstairs in a bit. I'll send your father in."

"Don't forget Sawdust." He looked up at me as I slid a blue bowtie over his head, dressing him for the occasion. I ruffled his ears. "You're such a handsome boy." I picked him up and handed him over to my mother.

Colette reached out and gave my hand a squeeze before following my mother out the door. It had just closed behind them when it opened again and my father stepped in, dressed in his best gray suit and a tie that matched the blue sash on my dress.

"Who are you?" he exclaimed. "And what have you done with my little girl?"

"I know, right?" I turned to take another look in the mirror. I'd never felt so beautiful. Or so excited. The butterflies in my belly were all aflutter.

Dad gave me a kiss on the cheek. We stepped over to the door, which he opened just a crack so we'd know when it was our turn to head down the spiral staircase. I peeked through to watch.

The soft piano music that had been coming from downstairs changed, louder now, and the murmur of voices ceased as the guests realized the ceremony was starting. First, Buck escorted my mother, who cradled Sawdust in her arms, down the stairs. Collin, who had his back to the door Dad and I were peeking through, went next. Fortunately, by the time the staircase circled around, he'd descended far enough down that he wouldn't catch a glimpse of me. There'd been enough bad luck recently. No sense tempting fate by having him see his bride in her wedding dress before we met under the floral arch downstairs.

As Collin's best man, Ren went down next, his muscles filling out the sleeves of his tux. Ren was followed by Colette, who held onto her bouquet of hydrangeas with one hand and the railing with the other, her grip tight, as if her life—and that of the baby in her belly—depended on it. Clearly, she'd be a protective mother. Next down the stairs were Collin's eight-year-old nephew and six-year-old niece, our ring bearer and flower girl. Both had freckled faces and gap-toothed smiles. Cute kids.

The music changed once again, and the first few notes of the traditional wedding march wafted up the staircase.

My dad slid me a smile. "It's hard to give away my little girl, but at least I'll be handing her over to a man who comes as close to deserving her as any ever could."

My mouth curved up in a smile. "I got a good one, didn't I?"

Dad crooked his elbow and I took hold of his arm. He led me to the top of the staircase. There was a scraping of chairs and rustling as the guests stood. I took a big breath and down we went, around and around and around the spiral staircase, circling the fireman's pole, until our feet finally landed on the freshly painted concrete of the fire station's garage. Not as spectacular an entrance as sliding down the pole in my wedding gown would have been, but much more refined.

My father proceeded to escort me down the aisle. I passed the smiling faces of friends and family, happy they could share in our special day. Wanda and Marv Hartley. Emmalee. Buck. Owen, his wife, and their three little girls. Aunt Nancy and Uncle Roger. Collin's extended family, several of his running buddies, coworkers of various ranks from the Metro Police Department.

As we passed the front row, Sawdust looked up from where he lay on my mother's lap, his tail softly swishing in excitement. Galileo and Copernicus were also in attendance, lounging on the laps of Collin's two aunts in the front row. Dad led me over to where Collin waited under the colorful floral arch, and released my arm.

Collin's face lit up when our eyes met. He looked me up and down, and mouthed the word Wow! He looked great himself, the black tuxedo a nice complement to his dark hair and green eyes. For someone whose job often took him to seedy places, he had no problem pulling off a look of refinement and elegance.

A fresh smile claimed my lips as he took my arm and we turned to face the officiate, a local criminal court judge before whom Collin had testified in several cases throughout his law enforcement career. The woman wore her black judicial robe and a pleasant demeanor as she gave us a smile and addressed our guests. "Welcome, everyone. I was so pleased when Detective Flynn asked if I would be willing to officiate his wedding ceremony. Usually, when I'm giving someone a life sentence, I'm sending them off to jail. It warms my heart that the life sentence I'll bestow upon Collin and Whitney today will instead be a willing and happy destiny."

Chuckles came from the crowd.

The judge spent a moment or two pattering on about marriage and love, and recited a poem Collin and I had chosen that we thought best reflected our feelings about marriage, "The Art of Marriage" by Wilferd Arlan Peterson. Then, she asked us to recite our vows.

As was tradition, Collin went first, his confident "I do" paired with a gentle squeeze of my hands, a warm smile, and a direct look into my eyes that said he had no reservations about the commitment he was making to me today.

I'd been doubtful about many things in my life, most recently whether it had been a mistake to buy the townhouse around the corner from where we now stood. Thank goodness the purchase ended up having nothing to do with Joanna Hartzell's death. But one thing I had never doubted was my love for Collin. He was an intelligent and handsome man, with a strong moral code and work ethic. He worked hard every day to make the world a safer place, to fight for justice. I respected him as much as I loved him, and I knew he felt the same way about me. We didn't always see eye to eye—what couple did?—but we always managed to disagree civilly and to reach mutually agreeable solutions to any issues that arose. Whatever came our way, I had no doubt we could face it together.

When it came time for me to say "I do," my voice didn't waver, as loud and strong as his had been. As if he, too, had been asked to make a commitment today, Sawdust stood up on my mother's lap and issued a loud meow, much to the amusement of our guests. Collin and I exchanged rings, sliding them onto each other's fingers to seal our solemn vows.

When the ceremony concluded, the judge introduced us for the first time as husband and wife. "Mr. and Mrs. Flynn, folks!" After collecting Sawdust from my mother, I headed back up the spiral staircase to raucous applause, this time on my husband's arm rather than my father's. Below us, the judge invited everyone up to the rooftop for pre-dinner cocktails.

The reception was both a blast and a blur, seeming to be over nearly as soon as it started. We had cocktails and a fabulous dinner prepared by Colette's staff. We danced, bringing the cats onto the dance floor with us as we performed the "Cha-Cha Slide." We drank champagne. We enjoyed wedding cake baked by Emmalee with a custom-made topper Colette had fashioned out of fondant icing—a couple resembling Collin and me, as well as three cats at our feet that looked exactly like Sawdust, Copernicus, and Galileo. So that's why Colette had asked to see photos of Collin's cats when we'd all gone to dinner.

We departed the fire station at the end of the night in the back of a clean and detailed police cruiser driven by Officer Hogarty, who was both a wedding guest and Collin's former field training officer. Our chauffer switched on the flashing lights and siren to announce our departure, and off we went to enjoy our honeymoon.

North Carolina was the perfect place to enjoy our first days as husband and wife. While we left Galileo and Copernicus at home with a pet sitter, Sawdust was well-behaved enough to come along with us. There were seemingly endless sites to see, but we enjoyed them at a pleasant, leisurely pace. We visited a dozen cascades in the area known as the Land of Waterfalls in the southwestern part of the state. Whitewater Falls, the tallest waterfall east of the Rockies, was nothing short of spectacular. We hiked in the mountains, including a trail to the top of Mount Mitchell which, at over 6,600 feet, was the highest point east of the Mississippi River. We especially enjoyed the Balsam Nature Trail, with its fragrant fir trees. We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at the overlooks to enjoy the gorgeous scenery. Sawdust enjoyed it all from the safety of the specially designed cat backpack I'd bought for him, complete with see-through mesh window panels.

Once the sun went down each evening, we'd find a dark spot and observe the stars and planets though Collin's telescope. Black Balsam Knob provided an excellent, unobstructed view of the night sky. We also attended a viewing at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, a former NASA operations site that now offered programs for the public, one of only two Dark Sky Parks in the state.

After several fun-filled days in the mountains, we traveled farther east, and enjoyed some time in the Outer Banks. We toured the site of the Wright Brothers' first flight in Kitty Hawk, climbed the tall sand dunes at Jockey's Ridge, saw wild horses on the beach in Corolla, and visited the iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, known for its bright red base. We stayed at a lovely inn on the beach, and fell asleep to the shush of the ocean.

On our last morning, we stood at the waterline, watching the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. The horizon was the perfect metaphor for marriage. We had no idea what might lay beyond it, but whatever came our way, we'd go through it together.

When we returned home from our honeymoon, Buck and Owen helped us move Emmalee's things to her new place, and Collin's furniture and belongings into the cottage we'd now share as husband and wife. Sawdust would miss spending time with Cleo, though Emmalee promised to bring the lively kitty over for playdates as often as she could. We'd expected the transition might take some time, but Copernicus and Galileo settled quickly into their new home, the three cats becoming fast friends. Sawdust was more than happy to share his house, his bed, and his cat trees, though he became a little jealous when he'd discover one of the other cats in my lap, which he considered his sacred space.

Collin rolled out of bed one morning, hiked a thumb at the stack of his clothing that had been draped over a chair for the past month, and put his hands on his hips. "When am I getting that closet you promised me?"

"Nag, nag, nag," I teased, pulling the sheet up to cover my head.

"What if I bring you coffee in bed?"

I flung the sheet back. "I'll have it built by the end of the day."