Chapter 10

ten

ANDREW

Halfway through the wedding ceremony, I knew the photos would be some of the best I’d ever taken. Adjusting the camera settings, I took another photo of Jonathon and Shane as they exchanged their wedding vows. Then another, as Shane wiped a tear off his groom’s face.

Jonathon lifted his face to Shane’s. The light coming through the windows blurred everything except the deep and adoring love on his face.

I sighed as the light changed again, creating a photo that would be just as special in thirty years’ time.

For now and forever, until death us do part.

Over the last few years, I’d done everything I could to avoid any romantic relationships. Keeping myself out of the spotlight had cost me more than I thought it would. And right now, I’d give anything to have a man look at me the way Shane was looking at Jonathon.

Their love was sweet and pure and, not for the first time, I wondered if I’d made the right decision to stay in Sunrise Bay. Finding that kind of love didn’t happen every day, especially when the town’s total population could almost fit onto a postage stamp.

Pastor Adam held his hand above Jonathon and Shane’s. He blessed their union, wished them a future filled with love, and pronounced them husband and husband.

As the audience burst into applause, I turned and snapped random images of the wedding guests. When the lens of my camera found Jacob, I paused. Unlike the people around him, he seemed sad. Was he thinking the same thing as me? Or was there more to his life than what I knew?

I pressed the shutter and moved to Jenny. There was no mistaking her smile for anything other than happiness.

I turned back to the newlyweds, capturing their first steps as they walked down the aisle.

With smiles on their faces, the wedding guests quickly left the barn, heading toward the tables laden with food and drink.

I sighed. I had a long list of photos to take, and a mother-of-the-groom who was heading in the wrong direction. Grabbing my camera bag, I rushed toward the doors at the side of the barn, hoping to catch Jonathon’s mom before she went too much farther.

I loved photographing weddings. But making sure no family members went missing sometimes felt like a losing battle. Especially when everyone was pitching in to create the perfect day.