Tess Gerritsen - Keeper of the Bride

Outside, the street was ablaze with the flashing lights of emergency vehicles: squad cars, ambulances, fire trucks. Sam carried her safely past the yellow police tape and set her down on her feet.

Instantly they were surrounded by a mob of officials, Chief Coopersmith and Liddell among them, all clamoring to know the bomb’s status. Sam ignored them all. He just stood there with his arms around Nina, shielding her from the chaos.

“Everyone back!” shouted Gillis, waving the crowd away. “Give ’em some breathing space!” He turned to Sam. “What about the device?”

“It’s disarmed,” said Sam. “But be careful. Spectre may have left us one last surprise.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Gillis started toward the warehouse, then turned back. “Hey, Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d say you just earned your retirement.” Gillis grinned. And then he walked away.

Nina looked up at Sam. Though the danger was over, she could still feel his heart pounding, could feel her own heart beating just as wildly.

“You didn’t leave me,” she whispered, new tears sliding down her face. “You could have—”

“No, I couldn’t.”

“I told you to go! I wanted you to go.”

“And I wanted to stay.” He took her face in his hands. Firmly, insistently. “There was no other place I’d be but right there beside you, Nina. There’s no other place I ever want to be.”

She knew a dozen pairs of eyes were watching them. Already the news media had arrived with their camera flashbulbs and their shouted questions. The night was alive with voices and multicolored lights. But at that moment, as he held her, as they kissed, there was no one else but Sam.

When dawn broke, he would still be holding her.

The wedding was on. No doubt about it.

Accompanied by a lilting Irish melody played by flute and harp, Nina and her father walked arm in arm into the forest glade. There, beneath the fiery brilliance of autumn foliage, stood Sam. Just as she knew he would be.

He was grinning, as nervous as a rookie cop on his first beat. Beside him stood his best man, Gillis, and Reverend Sullivan, both wearing smiles. A small circle of friends and family stood gathered under the trees: Wendy and her husband. Chief Coopersmith. Nina’s colleagues from the hospital. Also among the guests was Lydia, looking quietly resigned to the fact her daughter was marrying a mere cop.

Some things in life, thought Nina, cannot be changed. She had accepted that. Perhaps Lydia, some day, would learn to be as accepting.

The music faded, and the leaves of autumn drifted down in a soft rain of red and orange. Sam reached out to her. His smile told her all she needed to know. This was right; this was meant to be.

She took his hand.