Absolution(148)

After spending so long worrying about this, she had the overwhelming sensation that this was exactly where she was meant to be.





EPILOGUE




“An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break.”

- Ancient Chinese Proverb



One Year Later



Ally woke up slowly, teasing reality, dipping her toes in before she decided if it was really for her. A few moments passed before the realisation hit her.

I’m getting married today.

She had personally helped to organise a thousand things for the wedding this afternoon – flowers, seating arrangements, the church, the cake, the champagne – yet they weren’t the first things that came to mind.

What if I can’t do it?

She wanted to walk up the aisle so badly, she had spent the past several months learning how. Of course, Jack knew nothing of this. It was going to be a surprise. But would the real surprise be falling flat on her face in front of her friends and family?

Callum’s voice rang in her ears.

“You won’t fall – you can’t, it’s a physical impossibility. I’ll be on one side of you, Maggie on the other, remember? You’ll have both our arms to lean on, and we’ll be holding you so tight we might actually cut off the circulation to your hands. Personally, I’d be more worried about that if I were you.”

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

Physical impossibility.

Yeah, well, so was what she was planning to do this afternoon. Months of practicing with a sheet tied around her waist so she couldn’t see her legs. Trusting her body was doing what she was telling it to do, without actually being able to see it respond. She was probably crazy for even thinking this would work, but she couldn’t back down now. She wanted to see Jack’s face as she walked up the aisle to be with him – no crutches, no wheelchair. Just this one time, she wanted to do things the same way everyone else did. If it never happened again, she was fine with that. But it had to happen today.

She pushed herself upright, throwing the covers back and transferring into her wheelchair. The butterflies in her stomach increased as she laid eyes on her wedding dress, hanging silently on the wardrobe door. She wheeled over to it slowly, reaching up to touch the soft white silk folds that fell from the waistline. When she wore it, she felt like a princess.

She was getting light-headed thinking about it. The plans – both public, that Jack knew about, and private, that he didn’t – were set in stone. It would be fine. It had to be. It was their wedding day.

She used the bathroom, then headed for the kitchen, eager for coffee. Maggie would be here soon, and the chaos would really begin. Before that though, she needed some quiet time.

Rounding the kitchen doorway, she stopped dead.

Jack stood leaning against the kitchen counter, arms folded across his chest, smiling at her.

She stared at him, wide-eyed. “What are you doing here?”

“And a good morning to you too, fiancée. I thought I’d come by and make your last ‘first cup of coffee of the day’ as a single woman,” his smile faded and he scratched his chin. “Did I get that right? That sounded better in my head.”

“You can’t be here, Jack – its bad luck!” she sputtered, glancing around as if someone might see him and throw him out.

“Yeah, well, that’s where my lack of superstition comes in handy. Don’t really care, y’see – I had to see you.” He shrugged, the smile back. “I didn’t like sleeping without you next to me last night. The day started all wrong, so I thought I’d come over and re-start it, if you know what I mean.”

“But… my dress is in the bedroom, you can’t see my dress!”

He glanced down the hall. “Don’t panic, I don’t plan on going anywhere near the bedroom. I just wanted to see you, that’s why I waited in here. Knew you’d come in for your coffee eventually.”

He walked over to her, bending down to scoop her out of her wheelchair and into his arms. The butterflies in her stomach took flight as she draped her arms around his neck, slightly breathless suddenly.

“What has gotten into you today?” she murmured, anger and fear dissipating as he pulled her closer.

His smile faded and the green of his eyes seemed to deepen. “I missed you. And I wanted to make sure you were okay – that you hadn’t changed your mind or anything.”