Chapter Thirty Six and Epilogue

"Hold still!" Audra, who had traveled to Stockton with her husband, stood in one of the small classrooms the church held doing her best to help Mary get ready for the wedding. The young girl was to be the flower girl. Only her niece was beginning to try the patience Audra had developed over time.

Mary did her best to stop fidgeting as she looked at the biblical pictures that hung on the gray walls of the classroom. "I'm trying to be still, but my feet have a mind of their own!"

Audra, who was now standing behind the child working on her hair, shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You do not need to raise your voice, young lady." Audra scolded her, "I'm not deaf." The past few days she'd been back in Stockton, and the time she'd spent with her niece, made Audra wonder how on earth her parents had kept their hearing. With that thought, she couldn't help but chuckle. How could she not when Nick now had a female version of himself to raise? Both Mary and Audra turned their heads when they heard the door open. It was Heath; he was going to be Nick's best man.

"Why don't you look lovely," Heath said as a lop sided grin appeared on his face and he handed the flowers Mary was to carry down the aisle to the child.

"Is momma and papa ready?" Mary had started calling Nick 'papa' after being told the truth. Elizabeth would have preferred to hear Mary say 'Father' or 'Dad' only Nick had said it didn't matter to him, just so long as Mary used a respectful tone when she used the term.

"They will be." Heath answered and then looked at Audra, "I need to get back to Nick; I just had to give Mary the flowers."

"Fine, we'll be there in a few minutes." Audra smiled as Heath left the room and she turned her attention back to Mary.

~oOo~

Elizabeth gazed in front of the full length mirror that stood in the corner of the room. Victoria was behind her buttoning up her dress. It was all Elizabeth could do to keep her hands from shaking; she was that nervous. She'd never dreamt this day would come the night Nick was forced into the stable by the rain. She couldn't help but wonder… if she had known, what she would have done about it?

"It helps to breath." Victoria smiled as she stepped out from behind Elizabeth, concerned when she saw tears in the young woman's eyes. Was she having second thoughts? "What is it?" Victoria asked, the concern that maybe, just maybe, Elizabeth didn't want to go through with the wedding showing in her eyes.

"I can't believe this day is here. For such a long time I felt so weighed down. Now, with Agatha out of the picture and Nick and I getting married," Elizabeth lifted her hands to her mouth and closed her eyes, trying to control the range of emotions running through her. "I feel as if I've been unchained." When she opened her eyes back up, a few tears succeeded in rolling down her face. "And Nick…he's turned into such a good man."

Victoria smile returned twice as wide as it had been as she thought on how much Nick. He had been mature enough before Elizabeth came back into his life, but he had grown even more in his maturity level since their paths had crossed once more. And, right or wrong, she couldn't help but chuckle as the words 'unchained' and 'marriage' weren't exactly ones that most people would put in the same sentence. "And he's getting a good woman for a wife." Victoria patted Elizabeth's shoulder just as Jarrod opened the door and stepped inside; he was giving the bride away. "They're ready for us." Victoria excused herself and went to sit down.

"Ready?" Jarrod asked as he held out his arm.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and nodded while she took a hold of her his arm. "As ready as I've ever going to be."

Soon, Elizabeth was walking along side Jarrod. They stopped at the archway to the aisle and waited for young Mary, and their friend's daughter, to step in front of them; their petals ready. Once the music started and the children moved, Jarrod smiled before facing the front and walking Elizabeth down the aisle slowly to the rhythm of the music.

The moment the music started Nick, who had been talking to Heath, turned his attention to the back of the church, as did everyone else (that included George). It was all Nick could do to keep himself from telling the piano player to play the wedding march faster. As it was, he kept his eyes on Elizabeth, mesmerized by sight of his daughter and Elizabeth both walking up the aisle. He just knew he'd be forever grateful Elizabeth had agreed to be his wife.

~oOo~

Music rang through the church yard, as Nick and Elizabeth stood under a tall oak tree visiting with their guests, grateful that the gossipers had chosen to keep their talk down to a dull roar for the moment. However, when they heard people clapping and yelling encouraging words to Mary, they turned their heads. They couldn't help but start beaming even more as they saw Mary near the band dancing. The child looked as happy as she could be.

"Would it upset you if I danced with someone else right now?" Nick smiled at Mary while talking to Elizabeth.

Those who were standing under the oak tree with Nick and Elizabeth roared with laughter when Elizabeth, teasingly, shook her finger at her new husband and said, "Not married an hour and already dissatisfied." She then joined in the laughter and told him to go ahead. After all, Mary wasn't too thrilled she was going to have to stay with Jarrod and Rebecca while Nick and Elizabeth went on their honeymoon.

Nick gave Elizabeth a quick kiss and a whispered promise, one that made her blush, before making his way to Mary. Afterwards, Nick and Elizabeth danced more than one dance before it was time to clean up and get on their way.

EPILOGUE

The stars shone down upon the Barkley family lodge and slid through window of the bedroom Nick and Elizabeth were using. The moment its rays slid through the curtains and lit up Elizabeth's face, she rolled over and buried her head underneath Nick's chin. The movement woke him up and, once he realized what was going on, he chuckled as he turned on his side and pulled his wife as close to him as he could get her which, at the moment, would never be close enough. "Maybe the sun just wants us to get up and play with it."

"I don't care what it wants." Elizabeth, who still remembered how Nick had made her feel the night before, kissed his neck and ran her right hand down his bare side as she answered seductively, "I don't want it as my playmate."

Nick let out a loud groan and pulled the covers up and over him and his wife. The sun, and anything else outside, would just have to find someone else to pester. He was going to do all he could to make sure neither he or Elizabeth had any reason to forget their honeymoon.