Chapter 40: 18

Darrell walked into the Dazzling Desserts. He had just finished up a job and was heading over to the hardware store to pick up some supplies so he could build an arbour for the wedding. First, he thought he would check in with his bride-to-be and see how her day had been going. He rang the bell on the counter, and Aster poked her head out with a smile. “You have amazing timing. We are just putting the finishing touches on your cake. Come into the back and tell us what you think,” she invited him into the back. The wedding was in a few days, and they were just finishing up all the little odds and ends.

He followed Aster into the kitchen and over to the stainless steel table Katelyn was working at. She looked like a beautiful mess. Her dark hair pulled up in a sloppy ponytail, and there were traces of different coloured icings on her cheek, hands, and apron. “Darrell,” Katelyn said excitedly. “What do you think?”

Darrell looked over the four-tear cake she and Aster had baked. It was covered in fondant that had been airbrushed to look like birch wood. Around the base of each tear was a thick purple fondant ribbon. Spilling from the top tear down to the bottom, a trail of yellow sunflowers. On the top was what looked like a handcrafted wreath of wooden twigs with small flowers and two light purple love birds.

“Do you like it?” Katelyn asked, biting her bottom lip awaiting his critique.

“It is perfect. You two did an excellent job.”

“Thank you; I like it,” Katelyn grinned.

“Why don’t you clean up, and we go for lunch.”

“I have too much to do. How about I bring home dinner. Chinese good with you?”

“Sure,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’ll see you tonight, Babe,” he said, heading to the door. “Later, Aster.”

***

Katelyn had worked late helping Aster finish up another wedding cake and deliver it to the venue. Once she was done, she swung by the local Chinese restaurant and ordered take-out. She then drove home.

Katelyn parked next to Darrell’s truck. Grabbing the food from the passenger seat, she went inside.

She called out for Darrell, but she didn’t see him. Placing the large brown paper bag on the table, she tossed her keys on the table and went out the kitchen door into the open backyard.

Her jaw dropped as she stepped down off the wraparound porch. Darrell had been working all day on the wooden arbour they would say their vows at. He was putting a final coat of stain on it, and Katelyn was breathless. It was so beautiful. What this man could do with a little wood and a nail was remarkable.

Katelyn walked over to Darrell as she took a closer look. “You did all this in one day?”

“God created the world in six days. Why shouldn’t I be able to build an armour in a day.”

“Seven.”

“What?”

“God created the world in seven days.”

“No, God created the world in six days. He rested on the seventh.”

“Still, it is breathtakingly beautiful.”

He put down the stain and wiped his hands on the dirty shop rag he had stuffed in his back pocket. “It just needs a few more little touches. I was thinking of some white silk, some flowers, maybe some fabric butterflies. What do you think?”

“I think for a man, you have an extraordinary eye for beauty.”

“I’m marrying you, aren’t I?” She blushed, and he chuckled.

“Come on; dinner is getting cold.”

They went inside and dished out the wonderful food she had brought home. They sat down at the table and talked about the excitement coming in the next few days. Katelyn could not believe that in just two days, she was going to be a wife.

Sure some might think she was rushing into things with Darrell, but she knew Darrell better in the few weeks they had been together than she had known Nigel in their entire four-year relationship.

They were in the middle of dinner when the doorbell rang. Darrell looked at Katelyn questioningly. “Are you expecting someone?” He asked.

“No,” they knew it could not be anyone from the pack. They would have just knocked and walked in.

Katelyn and Darrell rose from the table and went to answer the door. There was some man in a grey suit at their door. In his hands, a black leather briefcase. “Hello?” Katelyn greeted him.

“Katelyn Ashwood?”

“Yes.”

The man took a business card from his briefcase and offered it to her. Katelyn looked down at the card and handed it to Darrell, who did the same. “You are a lawyer?” Darrell asked, confused.

“Yes. Might I come in? I have business with Miss. Ashwood,” they both nodded and let the man in. they took a seat in the living room, and the man opened his case and handed Katelyn a thick document. “I’m Leo Carpenter. I was Nigel Airhart’s attorney.”

“Attorney? For what?”

“His will.”

“Nigel had a will?”

“Yes. He actually updated it not long ago. Since his unfortunate accident, It has fallen to me to make sure his final wishes were addressed, and his estate passes to his beneficiary.”

“Estate? You mean his house?”

“Among other things. He had two life insurance policies. A large saving. His car, and yes, his house.”

“I don’t see what any of this has to do with me,” Katelyn said.

“You are the beneficiary.”

Katelyn was speechless. “Excuse me?”

“You are Mr. Nigel Airhart’s beneficiary.”

“To what?”

“Everything. He left you everything.”

Katelyn could not find the words. “Everything?” She breathed.

“His house valued at half a million. His car worth approximately twenty-five thousand. His savings, which at this time has a balance of fifty thousand. Both of his insurance policies, which combined, come out to five hundred thousand. I just need your signature on a few documents, and I can have the money wired to your account and have the deed transferred into your name.”

Katelyn was stunned. She could not even form a single syllable. “As you can see, my fiancé is a bit surprised. Why don’t you leave the paperwork, and she will get them back to you ASAP,” Darrell said, showing Leo out. Once they were alone, Darrell rejoined Katelyn on the couch. He rubbed her back, trying to help her wrap her mind around what had just happened. “Are you alright?”

“How can I be alright with this?” She said, looking into his eyes. “I killed a man, and I just inherited everything he owned. It was enough that I had to end his life, but how can I ever be alright with what I did if I got rich doing it? I don’t want any of this, Darrell. What do I do with it?”

“You could give it away to charities. Put the money to good use. Give to those less fortunate,” he suggested.

“I need time to think,” she said, standing up. Katelyn made her way up to bed. Darrell did not follow her.

She needed time alone with her thoughts.

***

The following morning Katelyn stood over Nigel’s freshly filled-in grave. She had not gone to the funeral. Why would she? They had been long over, and everyone knew it. Besides, since she killed him, it would have been in bad taste. She had driven herself to the graveyard. She felt the need to be here. As she stood over Nigel’s grave, Katelyn felt a whirlwind of emotions, the most predominant one, anger. “God damn it, you son-of-a-bitch, why did you have to go and leave me everything?” She did not want it. She hated him for making this harder on her.

Unable to fight with a dead man Katelyn wiped away her tears of frustration and turned to walk back to her car in the small lot at the bottom of the hill. She could not help but notice that Darrell was parked beside her. He was lounging casually against the hood of her car. She had no idea how long he had been there.

Katelyn made her way to the vehicles and looked Darrell in the eyes. “Did you follow me?”

“No. When I woke up, and you were gone, I figured you had come here.”

“How could you know I would be here?” Darrell tapped the side of his head, reminding Katelyn of when they imprinted. That was right. She supposed he now knew her as he knew himself. “Are you upset that I came here?”

“No. I know you have got a lot to work through,” Darrell reached out and took Katelyn by the hand, pulling her forward into his arms. “I have had to kill someone five-time. It never gets easy. It messes me up every time. I can’t. I can’t sleep. I can’t think of anything but what I did. After a while, I remind myself why I did it. I remind myself what I was protecting. Eventually, you go on with life. You never really get over it, though. Killing someone to protect those you love is not wrong. What would be wrong is if it didn’t destroy you. You are a good person Katelyn and all this,” he paused, gesturing wide to the graveyard, “changes nothing.”

Kately curled into his embrace, burying her face in his chest to cry. He held her until she ran out of tears, and then they went home, where he spent all day showing her how much he still wanted her.

With the wedding, tomorrow Katelyn and Darrell agreed not to spend the night together. Stanton and the other guys had invited Darrell to Stanton’s place for a bachelor party, where they intended to get drunk and celebrate the end of Darrell’s bachelorhood. While the guys partied the night away at Stanton’s, the ladies had gathered at their house with Katelyn living it up and sending her off to married life with a bang.

***

Katelyn stood in the loft while Aster and Charlotte helped Katelyn finish getting ready. She had chosen to leave her hair down, so Aster had curled it for her and then Charlotte placed the vail she had made for the wedding. It was a long sheer off-white vail that was attached to a crown of daisies and baby’s breath. It was a lovely final touch to her outfit. Katelyn looked at herself in the full-length mirror she had brought over from her parents’ place.

She had never felt more beautiful than she did at that moment. Aurora came up the stairs in her purple bridesmaid’s dress. Charlotte and Aster were also standing up with her. They all wore the same shade of purple but wore different styles. “The guys have just arrived,” Aurora announced. “We are ready to start when you are.”

“I’ll be right down,” Katelyn said, and the ladies went down to join the rest of the guests in the yard.

Katelyn nervously ran both her hands over her belly, which at the moment was fluttering with a million butterflies. Even though today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Katelyn still felt sad. It was her wedding day, and her parents were not among the guests. It was a shame that they were so against Darrell. She loved her parents, but she was not going to give up Darrell.

She heard footsteps on the stairs as someone came up behind her. “I said I would be right down,” she said, turning. Katelyn was speechless when she saw her mother and father. They were both dressed for the wedding — her father in his Sunday suit and her mother in a conservative pink dress with jacket.

Her mother was almost in tears. “Mom?”

“You look so beautiful,” her mother said, dabbing at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, trying not to ruin her makeup.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s not every day our daughter gets married,” her father said. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world?”

Katelyn fanned her face with both her hands trying to will herself not to cry. She did not have time to fix her makeup. “Oh, don’t cry, Baby,” her mother said, walking over and offering Katelyn her handkerchief.

“You will ruin your make-up,” Katelyn hugged her mother and then she kissed her cheek. We will talk later. For now, your groom is waiting.

Her father offered his arm. “Let me walk you down the aisle.”

Katelyn took his arm, and they went downstairs. Her mother went out to sit with the other guests.

Katelyn could not wait to see Darrell. She knew that her parents being her today was his doing. She did not know what he had said to them that got them here today, but she would be forever grateful to that wonderful man of hers. He really went all out to make today perfect for her.

When she heard the wedding march began, Katelyn took her father's arm and exited the house. They had rented some white folding chairs, which they had lined up in the backyard. Between the chairs, they left a short aisle that ended at the front where Darrell stood with the paster waiting for her. The arbour they stood under was decorated just as Darrell suggested with flowers, silk, and butterflies. It was a theme they carried over to the chairs with each row of chairs decorated with white silk bows, two sunflowers each and a fabric butterfly.

At the end of the aisle, Darrell was dressed in a tailored tuck with a purple vest and tie. He had left his hat in the house, and he had fixed his hair and even shaved. The man sure did clean up nice. When Darrell saw her in her dress for the first time, he looked as though he might cry himself. He smiled even had to wipe away a tear of joy. It was exactly the reaction she had been hoping for.

Katelyn took Darrell’s hand, and they faced the minister. They listened to the older man speak about love and commitment. When it came time for their vows, they turned to one another, and Darrell spoke first. Reciting vows, he wrote himself.

“I promise to be your lover, companion, and best friend. I will be your partner in life, your ally in conflict, your greatest fan, and your toughest adversary. Most importantly, I promise no man will ever love you more than I do.”

Katelyn tried not to cry. It was her turn. “I love you not only for what you are but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself but for what you are making of me.

And even though I am unsure of so much in this life, I am certain that I will love you forever.”

They exchanged rings, and the minister announced them, Husband and Wife. Darrell kissed his bride, and then everyone started to throw birdseed. The reception immediately followed the ceremony. The party went on well into the night. Katelyn had to admit even though there were human guests among them. The pack had been very welcoming. With the exception of a fight between Gordon and Melissa, the party went off without any trouble. Today was perfect. Today was the start of a new and wonderful life.