Kiss the Bride (14 page)

His sincerity brought tears to her eyes. “Ash . . .”

He held her hand. “You want someone to believe in you and trust you. I've failed you twice when it counted most. Pride blinded me to the truth. But that doesn't change the love I feel for you. It's far from perfect, like me, but if you'll give me another chance, I'm committed to you and a future together. What we have is special. I won't let my pride or my father or anything else get in the way. I will stand by you, no matter what. You're the woman I want next to me at the altar because I can't imagine life without you in it.”

Jenna wanted to believe. She forced herself to breathe.

He continued, “Whether you forgive me or not, keep this frame to remind you that love is the most important thing. I realize that, thanks to you. Real love, mind you, not the glossy wedding-day love. You deserve unconditional love. An everlasting love, not one that just looks good in a frame.”

Her trembling hand clutched the charm against her heart. “Thank you for the present and your words. You made mistakes, but so did I. Seems like both our hearts needed to refocus. I may have forgiven you, but it wasn't sincere. I hadn't forgotten what happened. I kept dwelling on what
could go wrong. But I'm letting all that go. God has humbled me with your gift. I forgive you. I hope you forgive me.”

“Always.” Ash's gaze locked on hers. “I love you, Jenna. Truly love you. That much I have learned from all of this.”

Joy overflowed from her heart. “I love you.”

He lowered his mouth to hers. She gave in to the kiss, feeling as if she'd come home. The gentle kiss spoke of possibilities and the future.

Their future.

She backed away. “We have to go slow. Do it right.”

“I agree. We have the rest of our lives to be together. Let's build a solid foundation that will last for the next fifty or sixty years.”

Jenna sighed. “I like the sound of that.”

“Me too. And I know what should come first.” He pulled out his cell phone and held it out in front of them. “Smile.”

“A selfie?”

“You'll see.” The phone clicked, capturing the photo. He typed on his screen.

She peered over his shoulder, but he wouldn't let her see. “What are you doing?”

“Just a minute.” He showed her his phone. “What do you think?”

He'd uploaded the selfie to a social media account with the following caption:
Back together again. This time for good.

Love swelled inside Jenna. Her patience to see what God had planned had paid off. She brushed her lips across Ash's. “That's about as perfect as it gets.”

THE END

Thanks to my editor, Becky Monds, as well as Becky
Philpott, Karli Jackson, and the rest of the team at HarperCollins Christian. I so appreciate this opportunity! I'm thrilled to be a part of the Year of Weddings series!

A special thanks to my line editor, Jamie Chavez, for the time you spent on this project and all the back-and-forth emails.

A shout-out to my agents Christina Hogrebe and Annelise Robey at Jane Rotrosen Agency for thinking of me when they heard about this project and making it happen. I cannot thank you enough for all that you do and have done for me over the years!

Thank you to my dear friend Terri Reed for your support, friendship, and prayers as we've traveled the road from unpublished to published authors and beyond. I hope you know what a blessing you are in my life.

Thanks to my sweet friend Kimberly Field for reading
this manuscript, offering encouragement and help when I needed it most. You're another one of my blessings, and I pray we can meet in person someday.

A high five to my Panera Write-In Group —Amy, Delle, Marilyn, Melania, and Peggy. Next to attending church on Sunday, meeting with you is the other thing I look forward to each week. Thanks for getting together so we can socialize and get words written too!

A big hug to my oldest daughter for helping me brainstorm my hero's first name by telling me the names of the guys in your favorite band.

And finally, lots of love to my readers. You're the best! I pray that God blesses each one of you the way you have blessed me.

1. When unexpected events happen, like Jenna's cancelled wedding, people say that God has a plan, but Jenna didn't believe her friends. What would you have thought if you were in Jenna's situation? How accepting are you if God's plan differs from the path you're taking? Do you question God's plan?

2. Jenna admits to hitting rock bottom and turning away from God after Ash breaks up with her and leaves her facing a mountain of wedding debt. How has your faith been tested? Did you find yourself turning away from God? If so, how did you find your way back to your faith?

3. Ash didn't believe Jenna when she had nothing to do with posting his photo on Facebook. He publicly called her a liar. Do you think there was any more Jenna could have done to convince Ash she was telling the truth? Can you share a time when you have been falsely accused of something? How did it make you feel?

4. Jenna eventually came to see the break-up with Ash as a blessing that made her stronger as a person and in her faith. Share an experience that was perceived at first to be a bad thing, but later turned out to be a blessing. How did you realize what happened was a blessing?

5. Jenna thought she'd forgiven Ash and moved on with her life, but seeing him again made her question if she had put the past behind her. As Christians, we're told to forgive. Can you share a time you had trouble forgiving someone? If so, do you know what was holding you back from forgiving them? How did you resolve the issue?

6. Ash believed his family instead of trusting his fiancée. Why do you think it was so hard for him to accept Jenna was telling the truth without proof? Based on the evidence Ash had, would you have believed Jenna was guilty? Why or why not?

7. Jenna was able to do the trust exercise with the people she didn't trust by putting her faith in God and letting go. Have you ever done a trust exercise like that? How does it make you feel when you give over all your trust to God?

8. After Jenna has forgiven Ash, their relationship is again tested when he doesn't believe she's telling the truth until he has proof. If you were Jenna, how would you feel? Do you think you could forgive someone a second time for falsely accusing you? Even if they apologize again when the truth comes out, would you give them a third chance? Why or why not?

Melissa McClone has always been a
fan of fairy tales and "happily ever afters.” She holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University but eventually decided to follow her dream and write full-time. She lives in Washington with her real-life hero husband, two daughters, indoor cats, and a forty-eight-pound Norwegian Elkhound who thinks she's a lap dog. She also loves to ski, rock climb, and read.

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I Hope You Dance

R
OBIN
L
EE
H
ATCHER

To the One who causes His children to take up their tambourines and go forth to the dances of the merrymakers.

—J
EREMIAH
31:4

Summers were made for weddings. Skye Foster had believed
that for the past twenty years—ever since she was six and a guest at a distant cousin's wedding. This July she would have a small part to play in the wedding of Charity Anderson and Buck Malone. A wedding Skye knew would be the most beautiful and romantic ever held in Kings Meadow.

When she closed her eyes, she could imagine it perfectly. The couple, standing in the gazebo with pastor, bridesmaids, and groomsmen, repeating their vows in the golden glow of an Idaho summer morning. The bride in white satin and lace, and the groom in a coat and tails. White folding chairs set up in the park, filled with friends and family. Women dabbing their eyes with tissues. The cutting of the many-layered cake. The music. The dancing.

Ah, yes
. As far as she was concerned, no wedding was complete without dancing.

She imagined the band playing a romantic country waltz. She imagined herself stepping into the arms of a tall, lanky cowboy, feeling the warmth of his hand as it closed around hers. She imagined moving around the dance floor, the fluttering of her heart in time with their steps.

It was all so romantic.

Taking a deep breath, she tilted her head back and mentally tried to see the face of the cowboy who turned her around the floor with such expertise. But here, at last, her imagination failed her. In her daydream, there was nothing but shadows beneath the brim of his Stetson.

She released a sigh and opened her eyes again. It was hard to envision a romance when she didn't even have a boyfriend. At the rate she was going, she would never get to plan a wedding of her own. But that didn't stop her from wishing for it. Only now was not the time.