Page 33 of Destiny Reclaimed
A hint of disappointment laced her mother’s gaze, and she leaned forward. “No big wedding? Are you sure?”
“Yeah. We’re sure. Jack’s side of the family is so small anyhow, and most of our side, the ones we’re close with, live here anyhow. I think we can pull something nice together in a few weeks, don’t you?”
“But the dress, the hall, invitations?”
“It will be March. As for the hall, there isn’t much for weddings in March.” She looked at her father whose nose was still concealed by the paper. “Maybe Dad can get the VFW hall and one of their regular bands.”
He set the paper down. “Huh?”
Gwen repeated herself, and he nodded. “I’ll call Harold today. See what I can do?”
Her father didn’t seem to mind the rush wedding, but her mother’s disappointed expression let her know she did.
“The dress?”
Being of average size, she hoped she could pluck a dress off the rack, but she’d have to make time to run to a larger neighboring community on her next day off as her hometown didn’t have a wedding shop.
“Maybe you and I can run to the bridal shops in Green Bay this weekend. And, once Dad knows if we can get the VFW hall, we can quickly send out invitations. We can get blank ones and fill them out ourselves since we won’t need that many.”
Her mother’s smile let her know she’d warmed up to the idea.
Gwen rose from the chair. “I need to get to work. Then, Jack and I are going out tonight.”
Her parents nodded, and out the door, she went. The anticipation sifting through her veins caused her steps to be lighter as if she walked on air.
All she had to do was get through her eight-hour shift, and she’d be with Jack.
––––––––
Jack sat at the kitchentable perusing the paper as his parents bantered about the weather. Before he’d left for war, he’d never imagined how much he’d miss the trivial things such as this. What his parents had, lifelong love and commitment, was exactly what he wanted for him and Gwennie. After all these years, the two still stared adoringly at each other.
His chest tightened as he studied the wrinkles around his mom’s eyes. Her once long, flaming red hair was now gray and rolled up in a bun fastened to the back of her head. She’d aged in the couple of years he’d been gone. His father, too. But, they were knocking on the door of seventy. They’d had him later in life. His mother once told him they’d given up all hope of having a family, then he came along. Admittedly, she doted on him, or so his dad had said on numerous occasions. He wondered how long he’d have them in his life yet. If they’d ever meet their grandchildren—grandson. The son he knew he’d have one day because of his time travel.
Time travel.
His heart panged. He was about to enter into a marriage with a secret he knew he needed to keep. Hiding something from the person with whom he would share his life gnawed at him. A spouse was the very person one should be able to share everything with, yet, from what his father had told him, secrecy was code among Preservers and Protectors, and sharing that bit of information with Gwennie was forbidden. How would anyone know if he revealed this information to her? What was the risk?
Jack refocused on his mom. Did she know his dad’s secret? Did she know he’d time-traveled to preserve history? He shifted his gaze to his father; he’d ask him the first chance he got. Just to make sure of the boundaries.
The warmth of his mother’s hand to his forearm drew his attention.
“Are you all right, honey?”
She leaned closer, studying him with a loving gaze. It was the same gaze he remembered as a child. The kind that dries tears when you scrape a knee. How did moms always know something was wrong, either physically or mentally?
She lifted her hand and placed it tenderly to his cheek. “What is it?”
“Gwennie and I talked last night. We’d like to get married as soon as possible.”
“That’s great, right?” she questioned.
His dad set the newspaper down and leaned in to join the conversation with the same questioning expression.
“It is great. I love her. But, there’s the little issue of a job and a place for us to live.”
His mother’s gaze darted around the room. “You can live here, of course. This house is way bigger than we need. Plus, someday...”
Her words trailed off. She didn’t need to finish them anyhow as he knew where she was headed. Jack ran his gaze over the kitchen, then he mentally viewed the entire large, beautiful home. It was one of the biggest homes in their small town and on a primo spot overlooking the bay. He loved this house. Yet, it seemed weird that as a newlywed he—they—would live with his parents.
