Requiem (35 page)

“
She'll go,” Jared said,
letting a small smile pass over his lips.

The nurse knocked on the window, gesturing
to the gurney she was wheeling down the hall. It was Ryan. She
whispered into his ear, and he lifted his hand, giving us the
thumbs-up.

Claire stood to follow, pausing at the door
way. “We'll all go.”

“
Looks like we'll be
waiting until Ryan is better before we're going on our trip,” Jared
said, pulling my hand to his lips. “We could tend to a few things
while he heals.”

“
What's that?” I asked,
feeling a bit overwhelmed.

“
There's a pretty little
chapel on an island I'd like to take you to.”

I couldn't help but smile. “I guess we'd
better.”

“
What are you doing
Saturday?” he asked.

“
Homework,” I said flatly.
“Mountains of homework.”

Jared frowned. “Sunday?”

I mirrored his expression. “I guess you're
busy tonight?”

Jared's brows shot up. “You want to go
tonight?”

I nodded.

He shook his head enthusiastically. “We can
go tonight if you want. We can go now.”

“
I'm ready,” I
said.

Jared grabbed each side of my face, pressing
his warm, wonderful lips to mine. “How is is possible that I just
went from almost losing everything I've ever loved, to getting
everything I've ever wanted...all in the same night?”

“
Do you believe in guardian
angels?” I asked, kissing him again.

Epilogue

“
One bathing suit, one
white dress, and a few undergarments. That's what I've packed for
my wedding getaway,” I said, watching as Jared effortlessly clicked
closed the buckle of my seat belt.

“
That's all you need,
Sweetheart,” he smiled, checking the buckle one last
time.

The stewardess went through her routine, and
then the pilot came over the speaker, informing us of our place in
line for takeoff and the current weather in Nicaragua.

“
Should be a pleasant
flight, Mr. and the soon-to-be Mrs. Ryel,” the pilot
said.

Jared's grin stretched the width of his
face. “I might have paid him extra to say that.”

“
I figured as much,” I
teased. I looked out the window to the dreary Providence weather.
In just a few hours, I would be lying on my favorite Caribbean
beach with my husband. It didn't seem real.

The chartered jet taxied out to the runway,
and within moments gained momentum, shuttering until the wheels
left the ground. The lights of Providence became smaller, until
they were just a cluster, separated from other cities by the dark
countryside.

I relaxed against Jared, my eyes heavy.

Jared kissed my hair. “Do you think you'll
have good dreams?”

“
Yes,” I said without
pause. “Maybe I'll dream about our baby. Maybe I'll see what she'll
look like.”

“
She?”

“
Yes, it's a girl,” I
assured him.

“
And what if it's a boy?”
Jared asked, playfully nudging me.

“
It's not. It's a
girl.”

“
Blonde, of course,” Jared
said.

“
With blue-grey eyes,” I
sighed.

“
No. She'll have your
eyes,” Jared insisted.

Before long, I dozed off, sleeping deeper
than I had in months. I didn't dream of our baby, or of Jack or
Gabe, or anything at all. I closed my eyes and was lost in a
peaceful darkness until Jared kissed me awake when we were about to
land.

The pilot made his announcements on the
intercom, and Jared checked my seat belt one last time.

“
It's fastened,” I said,
smiling.

“
I just want to make
sure....” he said, laughing once to himself.

We landed without event, and once we set
foot on the pavement, I grinned. “It hasn't changed a bit, except
for the number of people waiting on us this time.”

“
We only have two
suitcases, and no tech cargo. It's been an easier trip for me this
go-round.”

“
I'd say so,” I
laughed.

Jared carried our suitcases to an old,
rusted pick up truck, after a short drive, our island chauffeur
slowed to a stop beside the pier. As we boarded the small boat
Jared had secured for us, it occurred to me how unlikely it would
have been for anyone else to have made arrangements at such late
notice, and so early in the morning. Jared, however, had enough
connections to do whatever he set his mind to.

“
It's awfully dark to be
wandering around in the ocean, isn't it?” I said, unsure as the
boat captain steered in the general direction of the island. The
boat was quickly swallowed by the night, and the cool air off the
water won over the thin fabric of my jacket.

“
Cold?” Jared said,
wrapping his arms around me.

“
Not now,” I
smiled.

“
He's made this trip enough
times, I'm sure he could do it blind-folded.”

“
When it's this dark, he
pretty much is,” I said, a bit anxious.

A half-hour later, the boat docked at the
small pier of Little Corn, and I sighed with relief. The waves had
just begun to rock the boat a little more than I was comfortable
with, and lightening had begun to spark across the horizon.

We met another small truck with our luggage,
and a small, sleepy man by the name of Jose drove us to the same
Casita we'd stayed in during our previous trip.

Speaking above the distant thunder, Jared
spoke kindly to Jose in Spanish, and then pulled our suitcases from
the back of the truck, opening the door for me.

It had just begun to rain when he set our
suitcases on the floor beside the bed, and the smell of the rain
combined with the sound of raindrops tapping on the roof and
bouncing off the palm fronds took me back to a not-so-distant past
when everything seemed innocent and exciting.

Inside was the same simple accommodations,
with only two differences: every surface was adorned with glowing
candles, and a tall fan stood at the end of the bed. It stood
stationary, ready to serve it's purpose while I slept next to
Jared's feverish body in the Caribbean heat and humidity.

I covered my mouth with my hand as I yawned.
My long, undisturbed nap on the plane left me feeling groggy. “It's
beautiful! Better than I remember,” I said, trying to muster the
appropriate excitement in my tone. Speaking through a yawn dampened
that prospect, but thankfully Jared could feel what I couldn't
adequately express.

He lifted me off my feet, and carried me to
the bed, his body outlining mine. It felt as if we'd never
left.

“
You should rest, Miss
Grey. We have work to do.”

“
Work?” I asked, sleepy.
“What kind of work?”

“
We're changing your name
tomorrow,” he whispered in my ear.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my sister, best
friend, cheerleader and number one fan, Beth. You know exactly what
to say at the best possible moment, and your encouragements always
seem to turn into reality. Without you there would be no
Providence;

To my daughters for understanding they are
more important than Mommy’s work, but sometimes creativity keeps
strange hours;

To Brenda for her time, and being excited
for every unit sold,

and to Mandy Morris for being a Super Fan!
You are always willing and eager to fly the flag and share the
story;

I would also like to thank Dr. Ross
Vanhooser for his unending generosity and faith

Thank you to Ben Scroggs for his
selflessness, flawless work, and patience;

To Trisha Johnson of Shutter Full of Dreams
photography for her generosity and talent;

To Justin McClure of justinmcclure.tv for
his time, absolute professionalism, and remarkable consideration
and aptitude for excellence; and to

Bobbi Washburn for her generosity.

Saving the best for last, I would like to
thank all PROVIDENCE fans! The positivity you bring to my daily
life is invaluable to me. Your unwavering passion for Nina’s story
drives the completion of every chapter. You are the reason Requiem
came to be, and you are the reason the PROVIDENCE series will
continue with a third book! Thank You All!

Thank you for being a part of the Providence
series! The third and final installment of Nina’s journey is
currently in the works. You can find updates on The Providence
Series and other works by author Jamie McGuire at
www.jamiemcguire.com, and on Facebook by searching ‘Author Jamie
McGuire’.