The Doctor's Redemption (Shadow Creek, Montana) Read online

  He kissed her, welcoming the place she was taking him to, welcoming his redemption.

  Epilogue

  “Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight and helping us celebrate our wedding day. I want to thank all of you who are here, and those who are watching us from above.”

  Luke swallowed past the lump of emotion in his throat as he took his bride’s hand and paused. Gwen was smiling at him, joy palpating from her body as she stood beside him at the podium. They were standing in his in-law’s garden, in a gazebo that had been erected for their wedding day. Tents had been set up and twinkling lights lit them and the summer sky. Massive bouquets of roses and hydrangeas were in the center of the round tables.

  His gaze went from Gwen’s beautiful face to the crowd again, landing on that table in the front that was filled with people he was grateful and proud and humbled to call family. The Baileys all sat there, some of them laughing, some crying, and some drinking. But all of them, had his back. He winked at his sister who sat amongst them all, as though she’d known them a lifetime, as though she was family. Maybe that was what was so amazing about them, they had given him and his sister family, when they were both adults, when they thought they were past the age of needing family.

  They accepted him, they forgave him, and they freed him.

  But it was the woman holding his hand who had given him back his faith.

  He looked back down at her, knowing none of this was an accident. He knew he was meant to love Gwen. Her brown eyes sparkled and she nudged her chin in the direction of his speech, a subtle reminder that he hadn’t finished. But he wasn’t feeling hurried tonight, so he leaned down and gave her a long kiss, smiling against her mouth as the crowd cheered. When he finally pulled his mouth from hers, he kissed her on the forehead and looked back out at the people who filled the tent, not needing to look at the words, already knowing them.

  “I want to thank my sister, Hayley, for being the best little sister a guy could ever ask for. You never lost your faith in me, and I owe you one,” he said, giving her a wink and raising his glass. “I’ve got your back, forever.” His sister ruined the moment by blowing her nose loudly as Maggie patted her back.

  “To my new in-laws, and family. Thank you for taking me in, for making me one of your own. But most of all, thank you for giving me this incredible woman. I will spend the rest of my life loving her and honoring her.”

  With the cheers and all the glasses of champagne raised, Gwen grabbed his hand and they flew onto the dance floor. He hated dancing. He always had. But tonight wasn’t about any of that. It was about Gwen. He drew her into his arms, feeling the weight that had been crushing him for almost six years, completely lifted.

  “Wait till you see the cake,” she whispered, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she stared up at him.

  He smiled, having learned not to underestimate her. “I’m not really caring about the cake. Right now, I’m kind of wondering when we get to leave.”

  “Oh, trust me, you’ll want the cake,” she said.

  His fingers grazed the fabric-covered buttons on the back of her silk gown, and he tried not to get carried away imagining what it was going to be like later, plucking them open one by one. Gwen was so beautiful tonight. She’d wanted the traditional wedding and he wasn’t going to ruin her dream. It suited her perfectly. As the song ended, the Baileys crashed the dance floor and surrounded them.

  Maggie barrelled into them and he picked her up, his bond with the little girl always surprising him. “The cake is coming,” she whispered loudly.

  He turned and he spotted two servers wheeling something out. Gasps and whispers from the guests made him curious now. He started laughing as he spotted the giant cake in the shape of a muffin. It was decorated with flowers and scrolly things and looked elegant, but it had the unmistakable likeness of a muffin.

  “So Gwen finally married her Muffin Man,” Jack said, slapping him on the shoulder.

  He laughed at his brother-in-law. Chase came to stand on the other side of him. He felt completely at ease with both, often joining them when they met at The Roadhouse. The only person missing from this crowd was Hayley. He frowned, as he noticed she was standing next to a large, tough-looking guy at the bar.

  “Who’s that?” he asked aloud.

  Jack glanced in the direction he pointed. “Oh, that’s, uh, a good friend of mine from my oil-rigging days.”

  He stifled his hesitation. Last thing his sister needed was some other thug in her life. Before he could dwell on that, Gwen’s parents came up to him and embraced him. He hugged them back, that feeling of peace coursing through him.

  “Okay, so me and TMM need to go cut the cake,” Gwen said, barrelling through the circle. “And I think poor Lily deserves the first piece,” she said.

  They all turned to Lily who kinda looked like she was ready to explode with those twins. “I’m fine, I’m fine, but I totally appreciate the sentiment,” she said with a laugh.

  As they all walked toward the cake, he pulled Gwen toward the gazebo. He held her hand as she lifted one part of her dress off the grass. “I wanted to tell you one more thing,” he said, pulling her close.

  She shook her head, looking up at him with an adoration that was mutual. “You’ve said more and given me more than I ever dreamed,” she whispered.

  He cleared his throat and looked down at her. “I forgot to tell you about something else you were right about. Love at first sight. What I felt for you was love at first sight.”

  She inhaled sharply and clutched the front of his jacket. “Don’t lie.”

  He grinned. “No lie. It just took me a while to figure it out.”

  She leaned into him and he kissed her for what had to be the twentieth time that day, but he never grew tired of it, of her. He could never get enough of Gwen. She was the woman he was meant to start over with, to live the life he wanted with. Gwen made him into the man he was supposed to be. The one his mother knew existed all those years ago.

  He wrapped his arms around her, holding on tight, to life, to her love.

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  About the Author

  Victoria James is a romance writer living near Toronto. She is a mother to two young children, one very disorderly feline, and wife to her very own hero.

  Victoria attended Queen’s University and graduated with a degree in English Literature. She then earned a degree in Interior Design. After the birth of her first child she began pursuing her life-long passion of writing.

  Her dream of being a published romance author was realized by Entangled in 2012. Victoria is living her dream—staying home with her children and conjuring up happy endings for her characters.

  Victoria would love to hear from her readers! You can visit her at www.victoriajames.ca or Twitter @vicjames101 or send her an email at [email protected].

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