She could hardly breathe, hardly wait to kiss him and know for now and ever more that she was Brandon Paul’s wife.
“All right, then.” In a voice full of rich enthusiasm, Pastor Mark looked from Bailey to Brandon and back again. “By the power vested in me by the State of Indiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He smiled. “Brandon, you may kiss your bride.”
In a slow-motion moment Bailey would feel in her heart as long as she lived, Brandon took her face gently in his hands and kissed her — kissed her in a way that told everyone in the church and God Almighty that he would never let her go. Not as long as they lived. The kiss must’ve lasted a few seconds longer than usual, because the next thing Bailey heard was a wave of soft laughter from their guests.
They drew back and then hugged once more before turning to their friends and family, who were on their feet clapping and cheering and wiping away tears. Bailey and Brandon were married and ready for a lifetime together. And so they celebrated out loud because in that moment every single person in the church understood what Brandon and Bailey already knew, what Connor had sung about and Pastor Mark had talked about.
This was what love looked like.
Thirty-One
IN THE LIMO ON THE WAY TO THE RECEPTION, WHEN THEY WERE finally alone, Bailey leaned on her husband and tried to believe this wasn’t a dream. “That was beautiful.” She smiled at him. “Beyond what I imagined.”
“It was perfect.” Miraculously, they’d kept the paparazzi from crashing their wedding, thanks to Brandon’s careful planning. Now he took her in his arms. “But not as perfect as you.” He kissed her, tenderly and deeply without holding back. They were both breathless as he moved his lips lightly onto her cheekbone and whispered, “Have I mentioned,” his lips found hers once more, “I can’t wait for the honeymoon?”
The anticipation made her head spin and her body anxious for the time later that night when they could be together. Fully and completely together. “I can’t wait. In fact,” she returned his kiss, working her fingers along the side of his face and into his dark hair, “I have a feeling about tonight.”
“Mmm, you do?” Brandon kissed her neck and then searched her eyes. “Tell me.”
She could feel the passion in her eyes and she was grateful for the privacy glass that separated them from the driver. “I have a feeling it’ll be worth the wait.”
Brandon’s expression told her he couldn’t agree more. He sat back in his seat and closed his eyes for a few seconds. “Okay. Think about the reception. That’s what I’m telling myself.”
They fell onto each other laughing, and they were still lost in their own world when they arrived on the campus of Indiana University and headed into the Grand Ballroom. They saw Bailey’s mom first, just inside the double doors. “The ceremony was so wonderful.” She hugged Bailey and then Brandon. “Congratulations.”
Bailey hugged her mom. “Thank you for this. It’s a fairytale.”
“It’s what you deserve.” She hesitated for a moment, their eyes holding. “Okay, so I’ll let the emcee know you’re here. Wait till he announces you before you come in.” Her face looked like Christmas morning. “This is going to be amazing. I’ll see you inside.”
Brandon slipped his arm around Bailey’s waist and whispered to her, “We have to be serious now.”
“Hmm.” She gave him a flirty grin and brushed her face against his. “Not too serious.”
As the emcee announced them to their guests, Brandon and Bailey held hands and walked inside. The bridal party had already been announced and they were seated at the head table. Bailey felt like she was walking onto a breathtaking movie set, because every detail of the ballroom looked beyond magical. Twinkling lights covered every post and railing, and the ceiling was draped with billowy white batiste cloth, underneath which additional rows of lights created a starry night sky effect.
Bailey made a point to savor the moments: the prayer by her dad before the meal and the music and conversation and laughter that played in the background while they ate with their guests. As dinner wound down, Andi and Dayne took turns toasting them. Andi went first. She faced the guests and for a long while she looked at Bailey.
“I’ve known Bailey since our days at Indiana University.” That’s as far as she got before her voice broke. For a moment she hung her head and put her hand to her mouth. She struggled for a few seconds and Bailey fought the urge to go to her, hug her, and assure her that it was okay to feel, okay to cry. But before she could act on her thought, Andi looked up again and smiled through her tears. “Sorry.” She paused. “No one has been a better friend to me than Bailey Flanigan. She’s always been there for me,” once more she turned to Bailey, “even when the situation was hard.”
Bailey felt tears in her own eyes, and beside her Brandon slipped his arm around her shoulders. They all knew the hard times Andi was referring to, and how God had led them past that situation.
Andi turned to the front of the room again. “I’ve prayed for her and she’s prayed for me more times than I can count. I can remember praying that God would bring her the perfect guy, the one He had created just for her.” She gave a quick smile to Bailey and Brandon. “After watching the way Brandon loved her — right from the beginning — I was convinced he was that guy. And now, Bailey and Brandon … I wish you God’s greatest blessings as you begin your life together.”
Dayne’s words for Brandon were shorter and with the depth and humor that marked their relationship. “Brandon, you are a changed man since you met Bailey. God used her to bring you closer to Him, and now God will use you to lead her and love her.” He grinned at them. “I’m just glad you found her a real ring. That seaweed one wouldn’t have lasted.”
Everyone laughed and toasted sparkling cider — the way Bailey and Brandon had requested.
Their first dance was next, and Brandon carefully led her onto the floor as their song began to play. The song was Steven Curtis Chapman’s “I Will Be Here,” and it defined the promise and commitment that marked this day.
In Brandon’s arms Bailey felt safe and sure, and once more her awareness of the people around them faded and there was only her and Brandon. Always her and Brandon. He was a good dancer, something she had learned the first time on the rooftop of the Keller’s apartment building. Now, every step of their first dance as husband and wife felt etched on her heart, where it would stay as long as she lived. The moment was that beautiful.
The rest of the wedding party joined them on the floor, and for the next half hour the dancing changed from sentimental to celebration. The break that followed gave them time to cut the cake while their family and friends gathered around. Brandon had threatened to make the moment messy, but in the end they both took the gentle approach and shared a kiss afterward that led the ballroom to erupt in a round of whistles and applause.
After everyone ate dessert, Bailey joined the single girls on the dance floor and threw her bouquet, which was caught by Maddie — Brooke’s daughter. As she left the dance floor Bailey walked alongside Andi. “It should’ve been you.”
“Aww, thanks.” Andi gave her a side hug.
And then — for the first time that day — it occurred to Bailey that Cody Coleman was here.
That somewhere in the room and, for that matter, somewhere back at the church, the guy she had cared for so deeply for so many years was actually here as Andi’s date. The realization was both telling and freeing. Because if she’d thought about Cody before this moment she might’ve wondered at herself. Whether she had really moved on from the memory of him.
But the truth was she’d moved on a long time ago. She looked around the room and spotted him, making his way to the dance floor where Brandon was about to toss the garter to the sea of single guys. He looked older, more filled out, more confident. He wasn’t watching her, didn’t seem to notice her in that moment any more than she had noticed him the whole day to this point.
Andi was still beside her. “He wants t
o catch it,” she laughed. Then she gave Bailey a more serious look. “Thanks for letting him come.” She glanced from the head table back to Bailey. “Do you mind if I sit with him and my parents now?”
“Not at all.” Joy filled her at the thought of Andi with Cody, how right it was and how happy they were. “We’re finished at the head table anyway.”
They watched as Brandon flung the garter and Connor snagged it before Cody or anyone else could. He held it up like a trophy and then smiled for the photographer while the other guys patted his back and teased him about being next.
The emcee announced that the next dance would be for the bride and her father. Bailey immediately looked across the room at her dad. Like he promised, he had stayed close by. Several times she had met his eyes from her place at the head table and always she was glad that this part of her special day wasn’t like her favorite movie. She didn’t want her dad to miss a thing.
Like every other detail, Bailey had this part of her wedding planned long ago. The father-daughter dance was to Bob Carlisle’s “Butterfly Kisses” and tears gathered in Bailey’s eyes even before she and her dad met on the dance floor. He took her in his arms and for a long time, as the music spoke of a daddy’s love for his daughter, he could only look at her, his own eyes full of unshed tears. The music told what felt like the story of her life with her father. The bedtime prayers and pony rides and funny moments. But always her hug every morning, and butterfly kisses at night.
Partway through the song, he seemed to compose himself. “I’m proud of you, Bailey.”
The little girl she would in some ways always be could hardly believe this moment was here. “You’ve been the best daddy ever.”
“I tried.” He hugged her, the dance still playing out. As he drew back he smiled at her. “This part of the song … it always makes me cry.”
“Me too.”
The song talked about this being the day she would change her name, the day he would give her away, the feeling that as the wedding approached he was losing his little girl. And just like that their moment was over. Brandon and his mother joined them for the next song. With all the key events of the reception behind them, the band launched into a playlist of fast and slow songs that kept the party going. Brandon found her after his dance with his mother and he whispered close to her. “We need to go around and thank everyone for coming.”
They had planned for this, and going from one table to another went smoothly and easily, faster than the old-fashioned receiving lines for sure. Not until they reached the Ellisons’ table did Bailey remember once more that Cody was there. She and Brandon approached their table, hand in hand, and thanked everyone for coming. Some of the guests had stood and hugged them, while others had shook their hands or simply smiled and nodded in their direction.
Bailey held her breath waiting to see how this would go, and she was glad when Keith and Lisa Ellison took the lead, smiling and congratulating Brandon and Bailey from their seats. Bailey didn’t look in Cody’s direction until she had to, until the exchange with the Ellisons was clearly over. At that exact moment, one of the other bridesmaids called Andi over to another table, which left Cody by himself. Brandon looked his way first. “Hey, man, glad you could come.” He held out his hand and Cody stood and shook it.
“Congratulations.” Cody’s smile was sincere. “Thanks for having me.”
Bailey felt a sudden and deep sorrow, a sadness she couldn’t put into words. Not because she still loved Cody or because she wished he were the one standing beside her. But because the moment felt distant. Different. But then Cody looked at her — and in the time it took for her heart to beat, the distance was gone. They couldn’t have held that look for more than a couple seconds, but it was long enough for her to know how deeply Cody cared, how his love for her — though different now — would always remain.
“Congratulations, Bailey.” He didn’t look away, but his tone was proof of his absolute sincerity. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks.” Bailey’s eyes were dry, her heart at peace with this new place they’d found. “You and Andi … we’re happy for you too.”
He smiled, and there was no question about his feelings for Andi Ellison. The look in his eyes at the thought of her was different than any look he’d ever had for Bailey. Further proof that these were the plans God had for each of them. Separate plans.
Brandon gave her hand a slight squeeze. “Hey, well, thanks again. We’re going to say hi to a few other folks.”
“Yes,” Bailey was easily pulled from the moment. “Thanks.” And like that they moved on to the next table.
Through the rest of the night, Bailey only thought about Cody when he was on the dance floor with Andi, and then only to smile at the way they looked together. Like God was up to something wonderful with the two of them. The last hour of the party slipped away and their friends and family gathered around to see them off. Bailey and Brandon said goodbye to his parents and they found a quick moment with her parents, to thank them for the wedding.
“Your love is our example,” Brandon told Bailey’s dad. They shared hugs and then hurried out the door down a pathway through the guests, all of whom held lit sparklers. Tin cans and washable car paint decorated their getaway limo, and as Bailey and Brandon stepped inside and shut the door they both looked at each other.
“We’re married.” Brandon looked completely captivated, mesmerized by her. “You’re my wife, Bailey.”
“You’re my husband.”
“And we’re headed to Fiji!”
They came together in a kiss that promised much about the coming days. “It’s a dream, Brandon.” She searched his eyes, knowing his heart and soul like they were her own. “All of it’s a dream.”
Before another moment went by Brandon prayed for them, thanking God for letting him film Unlocked and for giving them a friendship first and for the salvation that would guarantee them an eternity together. And finally he thanked God for the one thing they had waited a lifetime for.
Their very own happy ending.
READER LETTER
Dear Friends,
As a novelist, the Bailey Flanigan Series has taken me on the craziest journey of all. From the beginning, the character of Bailey Flanigan was inspired by my own daughter, Kelsey. Not so much her actual life, but her kind heart for others and her genuine love for God, her desire to remain pure and her belief that the Lord had great plans for her life. Also, Bailey shared Kelsey’s determination to wait for a godly man before she truly fell in love. The man God had set apart for her.
Of course, for many of you, this resemblance between the fictional Bailey and the real-life Kelsey comes as no surprise. Because the entire Flanigan family was inspired by the real life that happens between our four walls every day. Nothing in all my life has ever or will ever compare with the sweet joy of writing about these fictional people and injecting real-life personalities, stories, and details along the way. From the beginning I could see those similarities and how they would play out in this series.
But I never could’ve seen the way real life would mirror the story lines in each book. As I wrote Leaving, the first book in the Bailey Flanigan Series, Kelsey was headed off to California for college. Something she hadn’t planned to do. And here, as I finished writing Loving, we are planning Kelsey’s wedding to Kyle, the young man we’ve been praying for since Kelsey was born. A year ago the two of them had only just met, and even as we shot the cover of this book, a wedding was the furthest thing from our minds. I love how God surprises us that way, and I can only say it made the emotional writing of this book very, very close to home.
Anyway, thanks for joining me on the journey of Bailey Flanigan … and yes, the journey of one more ride with the Baxter Family. As always, I look forward to your feedback. Take a minute and find me on Facebook! I’m there at least once a day — hanging out with you in my virtual living room, praying for you, and answering as many questions as possible. On Facebook, I have Latte Ti
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Also visit my website at www.KarenKingsbury.com. There you can find my contact information and my guestbook. Remember, if you post something on my Facebook or my website, it may help another reader, so thanks for stopping by. In addition, I love to hear how God is using these books in your life. He puts a story on my heart, but He has your heart in mind.
Only He could do that.
Also on Facebook or my website, you can check out my upcoming events and find out about movies being made about my books. Post prayer requests on my website or read those already posted and pray for those in need. If you’d like, you may send in a photo of your loved one serving our country, or let us know about a fallen soldier we can honor on our Fallen Heroes page.
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There are links on my website that will help you with matters that are important to you — faith and family, adoption and redemption. Of course, on my site you can also find out a little more about me, my faith and family, the writing process, and the wonderful world of Life-Changing Fiction™.
Also follow me on Twitter, where I have an ongoing “Tweet a KK Quote” contest. You tweet a quote from one of my books and include my Twitter name — @KarenKingsbury — and the book title. I retweet many of these throughout the week, and will give away a signed book to a winner every Monday.