Page 141 of My Vows Are Sealed

Brendan

Cry

DECEMBER 2001

Aknock sounded on my office door, and Alex got up to answer it. He, Ethan, and I were hanging out in Peter’s old office, which was nowmyoffice, killing time until the wedding ceremony started.

Nathan walked in wearing the tuxedo that Peter and Marie had bought for him because my parents refused to pay a cent for anything having to do with what they called “this farce of a wedding.” Well, that was what my mom called it. My dad just made incoherent grunting and grumbling sounds when I said anything about it.

“Hey, bud,” I said with a smile as he walked around my desk to hug me. “You’re not wearing your tie.”

“Dad wouldn’t help me with it,” he mumbled, holding the royal blue tie out to me.

I honestly didn’t even understand why my parents were still married. My mom was still completely brainwashed and under Abraham’s thumb, and she’d even made trips to the Edgefield Federal Correctional Institution to visit him a couple of times. And my dad…well, he was only slightly more responsive than a ventriloquist’s dummy. Without the ventriloquist attached. My mom had broken his trust and completely humiliated him in front of the entire church congregation, but he claimed he was following the Lord’s path and didn’t believe in divorce. Personally, I thought the more likely scenario was that he just wanted to keep punishing my mom for the rest of her life. But at this point, it was more of a financial arrangement than an actual marriage.

I didn’t pay much attention to them, though, and the only attention they paid to me was when we were discussing Nathan’s schedule. I forced myself to be civil to them for his sake, because neither Darla nor I could stand to lose the relationship we had with our brother, and we definitely wanted to make sure that he was in our daughter’s life when she was born (yes, weknewthat we were having a daughter now – we’d found out last month). And, frankly, they were just glad for the free child care because they knew we’d never say no to spending time with him.

“I’ve got you covered,” I told Nathan, taking the tie from him and flipping the collar of his shirt up so I could wrap it around his neck.

“Look at you. You’re a youth pastor for all of three months, and suddenly you’re a pro at tying ties,” Ethan chuckled.

It surprised even me how close Alex and I had gotten with Ethan since everything went down with Abraham. But after he’d reported his abuse to the police with the sole goal of helping Darla’s case, not realizing that the statute of limitations hadn’t expired and he had a chance of getting justice for himself too, I couldn’t deny that he’d turned over a new leaf. The troubled boy with the chip on his shoulder had grown into one of the most honest, hard-working, and loyal men I knew.

“I have to dress for the job,” I reminded him. “I’m just glad they decided to make it official and help me get my degree, because I’ve found my calling. I love working with these kids.”

“How’s getting your degree going to work with the school year halfway over already?” Alex asked.

“I’ve started applying to seminaries around the area, and they agreed to let me start college in the fall,” I explained. “Then I can help more with the baby for the first few months.”

“It’s so weird that you’re gonna be a dad in three months,” Nathan said, flashing a big, goofy grin.

“Yeah, it is,” I agreed. “But exciting too. You’re still going to help me paint the nursery walls when Darla and I get back from our honeymoon, right?”

“Yep!” he exclaimed. “Did she pick out colors yet?”

“She did. Light purple and beige.”

There was a rap on the door, and Ethan cracked it open so Peter could walk in.

“It’s about that time, gentlemen,” he announced with a smile. “You ready? Nate, look at you in that suit and tie!”

Nathan grinned. “Brendan helped with my tie ‘cause my dad wouldn’t.”

“That’s what big brothers are for,” Peter chuckled. “Everyone else ready?”

“Yep,” Alex said, coming and clapping me on the shoulder. “Come on, man. Let’s go get you married.”

“About damn time,” Ethan chortled. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Peter led us out of my office and sent Alex, Ethan, and Nathan to meet with the bridal party in the lobby while leading me into the sanctuary through the door in the back of the office alcove so I wouldn’t get a glimpse of Darla before the ceremony. Yeah, I’d woken up next to her this morning, but she still refused to let me see her in her wedding dress before she walked down the aisle. She said we’d done everything else about this wedding non-traditionally, so she just wanted to keeponewedding tradition intact.

“You ready for this?” Peter asked as we walked up to the altar.

I smiled. “It feels like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this day. So, yeah, I’m ready.”

“Do you know how much you remind me of myself at your age?” he chuckled.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

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