All of Me Read online

  ***

  Tess listened to the quiet music playing over the sound system in the chapel. She’d been rushing around Bozeman for the last few hours, getting all of the last minute wedding things sorted.

  Annie was sitting beside her and smiled when Dave arrived with his groomsmen. “He looks nervous.”

  Tess couldn’t blame him. Getting married was a big deal, bigger than anything she’d ever done.

  Molly walked down the aisle and stood beside her. “Do you mind if I sit in the aisle seat? I can’t get good photos otherwise.”

  “No problem.” Tess nudged Annie and they shuffled along the row of wooden seats.

  Molly sat down and took some photos of Dave. “Connie’s nervous, but I got some fine shots of everyone.”

  Annie leaned forward. “Have you seen Sally?” she whispered.

  “She texted me five minutes ago,” Molly said. “She isn’t far away.”

  Everyone sat back in their seats and listened to the music.

  “Where’s Logan?” Tess hadn’t seen him since he’d dropped the bouquets off at the hospital.

  “He’ll be here soon,” Molly whispered. She lifted her camera and took a few shots of the beautiful stained glass windows.

  There were no images of saints or crosses on the windows anywhere. What replaced the traditional stained glass was incredible. From rivers and trees, to mountains and waterfalls, the stained glass told a story about Bozeman and the beauty that surrounded them. Tess could only imagine how many people had found comfort and peace as they’d sat in the chapel and admired the windows.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Sally sidestepped past Molly and Tess. Annie moved down a seat and Sally sat beside her. “We had a last minute emergency at the school.”

  “What happened?” Annie asked.

  “One of the students fell off the roof of the administration building. The paramedic thinks he’s broken his leg and shoulder.”

  “What was he doing on the roof?” Tess asked.

  “Getting a football down. He could have killed himself.” Sally opened her bag and took out her camera. “I saw Connie and her sisters in the foyer. They look beautiful.”

  “We finished Connie’s dress an hour ago. The last minute rush was worth it.” Tess was really proud of what they’d done today. Without everyone’s help, they wouldn’t have been able to get everything ready in time for the wedding.

  She glanced at the front of the room and smiled at the groom-to-be. Dave still looked nervous and she wondered if he’d be able to make it through the ceremony. It didn’t look as though he could figure out what to do with his hands. One minute they were in his pockets and the next minute they were fiddling with his jacket.

  “Do you mind if I sit with you?”

  Tess and Molly looked up at Dylan. He’d changed into a dark charcoal suit and white shirt. Tess thought a suit would have taken some of the dangerous edge off him, but it made it worse. All he needed was a pair of dark sunglasses and he could have passed for an FBI agent.

  Molly leaned forward and whispered to Annie, “Move down another seat.”

  They all shuffled along. The bridal march started playing on the sound system and everyone stood up. Molly quickly changed seats with Dylan so she could take more photos.

  Tess smiled as Molly snapped a picture of Dylan before turning toward the back of the chapel. She took photos of the bridesmaids and stood in the aisle as Connie walked toward her.

  With the number of photos Molly was taking, Connie and Dave would have a lifetime’s worth of memories. Knowing how good her photos were, each of them would be treasured.

  Tess sighed when Connie walked past their seats. She looked like Cinderella in the beautiful tulle and satin dress they’d worked on all afternoon. The sweetheart neckline and beaded skirt shimmered as she walked down the aisle. The veil she’d chosen fell softly around her shoulders, ending in a delicate swirl below her waist.

  Connie’s mom was beside her, being pushed down the aisle in a wheelchair. Tess hadn’t been able to hide all of the shadows under Mrs. Thompson’s eyes with makeup, but she still looked radiant and so proud of her daughters.

  But it wasn’t Connie or her mom that made Tess’ eyes widen. Logan was standing behind Connie’s mom, pushing her wheelchair down the aisle. He’d changed into a dark navy suit. He looked so handsome that Tess was sure everyone could hear her heart pounding.

  Molly sighed. “Don’t you love a man wearing a suit,” she said.

  Dylan cleared his throat and straightened the edge of his jacket.

  Molly grinned at him. “You’re a fine man to be standing beside. Would you happen to know how to cook?”

  “I could make tacos by the time I was seven years old, ma’am.” Dylan’s voice was a slow seductive purr.

  Tess laughed at the half in love expression on Molly’s face. “You’d be safer taking photos,” Tess whispered in Molly’s ear. “Dylan’s too tall, dark and dangerous.”

  “I can be anything you want me to be,” Dylan purred back with a gleam in his eyes.

  It was Tess’ turn to smile. She looked at the front of the chapel and watched Logan step away from Connie and her mom.

  “Dave and Connie look so happy together,” Sally whispered.

  Tess nodded and followed Logan with her eyes. He wheeled Mrs. Thompson to a space in the front row and sat beside her.

  None of this would have happened if he hadn’t written the newspaper article about Connie and Dave’s burglary. It wasn’t an award winning story and it definitely wouldn’t change the world. But his kindness had changed Connie and Dave’s life. It had given Mrs. Thompson something to look forward to and a memory they would all hold in their hearts.

  Molly knelt down and hunted inside her camera bag.

  “What are you looking for?” Tess asked.

  “My light meter. I don’t think there’s enough light to get the shots I need from back here. I’m going to have to get closer.”

  “You can’t walk down the aisle.” Sally glanced at the front of the chapel. “They’ll be saying their wedding vows soon.”

  Dylan tapped Molly on the shoulder. “Go that way.” He pointed to the side of the chapel. “There’s a clear path to the front.”

  “Thanks.” She picked up her camera and wiggled past Tess, Sally, and Annie. She stopped when she got beside Annie and patted her pockets.

  “What’s wrong?” Annie whispered.

  Molly tried to look as inconspicuous as a five-foot-eight woman dressed completely in black could. “I left my wide angle lens under the seat.”

  Annie whispered something in Sally’s ear. Sally said something in Tess’ ear. Dylan looked altogether too intrigued to do anything but wait for his ear whispering turn.

  “Don’t get your hopes up, Romeo,” Tess said with a smile. “Molly left her spare camera lens under the seat.”

  Dylan looked down beside him and grinned. “It would be my pleasure to deliver it.”

  Tess looked at the people around them. Dylan would block their view, annoy them more than they already were with all of the whispering going on. Before Tess could stop him, he’d walked past her and was heading toward Molly.

  She didn’t know how it happened. Either Annie didn’t see Dylan tip-toeing toward her, or she realized too late what was going to happen. She moved her legs and Dylan tripped over her feet. He lost his balance, landing on the ground with a heavy thud.

  Tess could have sworn the ground shook. If the look on Dylan’s face was anything to go by, he’d felt the same sharp jolt. Annie was trying to help him, but he didn’t want anything to do with the hands trying to get him off the floor.

  Tess bit her lip, Sally started giggling and Annie looked confused.

  Molly reached for the lens and walked quickly to the front of the chapel. She was probably too embarrassed to be seen interacting with the riffraff in the third to last pew.

  Dylan managed to sit in a seat before Annie grabbed him aga
in.

  “I’m really sorry,” Annie said. “I didn’t mean to trip you.”

  Dylan took a deep breath. “It’s no problem.” He stared straight ahead, watching the wedding in front of them.

  Dave slid Connie’s wedding ring on her finger. Laughter filled the chapel when he kissed her on the lips. And then it was Connie’s turn. Even from the back of the chapel, Tess could hear the emotion in Connie’s voice as she repeated her wedding vows.

  Tess wondered what it felt like to know you’d met the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. To know that whatever happened, he’d be beside you, encouraging you and helping you.

  She’d always thought that kind of love belonged in fairy tales, but looking at Connie and Dave, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

  Sally pulled a tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose. “Even though I can’t see much of the wedding it sounds romantic.”

  Tess grinned at her friend. “Molly’s taking lots of photos so you won’t miss out.” She glanced down the row of seats. Annie kept looking at Dylan and he kept ignoring her.

  She looked at Connie and Dave and smiled. They were happy and in love. Their bridesmaids looked amazing and Mrs. Thompson was here to watch her daughter marry the man of her dreams.

  It was a good day. The best day Tess had shared with her friends in a long time.