Page 52 of Gage

The woman behind the counter smiled warmly and stepped around to take my arm. “Follow me, dear. We just got two new wedding dresses in. One of them—if I were ever to get married again—I would wear. It’s absolutely beautiful. Just wait until you see it.”

I watched as she pulled out an elegant wedding box, its vintage design making it look like it hadn’t been touched in a hundred years. My heart raced. Before she even opened the lid, I knew this was the one.

The moment she lifted the dress and held it in front of me, a single tear slipped down my cheek.

I turned to Matthew, my voice full of certainty. “This is it. This is the one. And I think it’s my size, too.”

Matthew smiled. “It’s beautiful. You’re right—this is the one.Do you want to try it on?”

I shook my head. “I don’t even need to. I can tell just by looking at it that it’s perfect.” I turned to the woman, beaming. “Thank you so much. There was a reason I walked past this thrift store today. This dress was meant for me. I’ll take it.”

“Wait! The original shoes and gloves came with it,” she said excitedly. “Let me grab them.”

When she returned, I nearly cried out loud.The shoes and gloves were in pristine condition, almost brand new. They had been so well cared for.

“These are perfect. Thank you so much.” I turned to Matthew. “Let’s pay for this and go home.”

I sighed with relief, happiness radiating through me. I had found—my dress. And it was beautiful. I knew it would fit me perfectly, but I wasn’t going to try it on until the morning.

The entire drive home, I couldn’t stop smiling.

Matthew glanced over at me, grinning. “Are you ever going to stop smiling?”

“Nope.” I laughed. “Three days ago, I thought I was going to die.Now, I have the dress of my dreams, and I’m getting married tomorrow.I’ll probably be smiling for the rest of the day.”

We both burst into laughter.

Gage was sitting out on the deck when we arrived. I rushed the dress into a spare room where he wouldn’t see it and sighed in exhaustion. I was completely worn out. I needed just a minute to rest.

I sank onto the bed, closed my eyes… and didn’t wake up until six in the morning.

I bolted out of bed, panic surging through me. Where’s Gage?

I ran to our room—empty.

I searched the house—nothing.

Finally, I rushed outside and spotted him swimming in the ocean. My racing heart slowed, and I let out a breath.

Smiling to myself, I made a cup of coffee and sat on the deck, watching him swim further out. This was his routine. He had told me before that he swam every morning.

Maybe I’d start joining him.

As he swam back toward shore, I walked down to the water’s edge to meet him. My heart soared watching him—this strong, beautiful man was mine. He loved me, and I loved him.

Who would have thought that when I met him in Afghanistan eight years ago, we’d end up here—about to get married?

If we’d been together back then, I never would have gone on that trip. I never would have discovered the serial killers. They would still be out there killing women.

Maybe everything had happened exactly the way it was meant to.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Gage called as he waded toward me. “Do you wanna shower with me?”

Before I could answer, he pulled me close, shaking his wet hair all over me. I squealed as the cold water soaked through my clothes.

I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Yes, I want to shower with you—especially since I fell asleep on you last night. I’m sorry about that. I guess I was really tired.”

Gage pressed a kiss to my lips. “Sweetheart, you just got out of the hospital yesterday and then went dress shopping. Of course, you were tired. Besides,we have the rest of our lives to be together.”

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