I half whispered.
“Hey.”
“Annie…”
Something in her voice made me sit up.
Then my phone rang.
“What happened?”
“You won’t believe what Amelia just did. You need to get here.”
I glanced toward the kids.
“Why?”
“Because Amelia just stopped their family ceremony in front of everyone.”
I stood.
“What do you mean stopped it?”
“You won’t believe what Amelia just did. You need to get here.”
“I mean everyone is standing around staring at her, Ryan looks like somebody slapped him, and your mother doesn’t know what to say.”
That scared me almost more than anything else.
My mother always knew what to say.
“What did Amelia do?”
That scared me almost more than anything else.
Nora lowered her voice.
“Annie, get over here. You need to see this yourself.”
“Nora, what happened?”
Her voice dropped. “Amelia needs you.”
That was enough.
I called the neighbor across the street, a woman my kids had known since they were babies.
“Annie, get over here. You need to see this yourself.”
Ten minutes later, I arrived at the venue expecting to find Amelia in tears.
Instead, half the family stood whispering near the ballroom doors.
Nora reached me first.
“Where is she?” I panted.
“Outside.”
I started toward the garden corridor.
Then Nora grabbed my arm.
Half the family stood whispering near the ballroom doors.
“Annie, you need to know what happened before you see her.”
I turned.
Nora glanced toward the ballroom.
“They had this little family ceremony after the vows.”
“What family ceremony?”
“A unity candle.”
I already hated the sound of that.
“Annie, you need to know what happened before you see her.”
Nora continued.
“Ryan and Lina had one candle. Amelia had another. She was supposed to light hers from theirs.”
“Why?”
Nora gave me a tired look.
“Apparently it was supposed to symbolize their new family.”
