|
When your epilogue showcases a character that's essentially been deleted, you have to change it. That's what happened to GOOD GIRLS DON'T. Wanda was, for the most part, deleted from the book, so she couldn't very well tie everything together in the end. But in the original ending, I provided a bit of happiness in Wild Wanda's life. Hey, she may not have had the best motherly instincts, but she was still Lettie and Amy's mama, so I wanted her happy...
Epilogue
Two Years Later
The bride wore cream. True, she loved white, but it didn't exactly suit her, and she'd have felt odd wearing the color, all things considered. Besides, tonight, for her honeymoon night, she'd wear white satin, due to her Lettie Campbell original gown.
She could hardly wait. But she would. Goodness, she'd waited a lifetime, and been through a lifetime of heartache, to finally achieve this perfect day.
However, she had achieved it. She'd found "the one," and everyone she cared about would watch her dream come true in the midst of a botanical paradise in downtown Atlanta. Her husband-to-be had selected the locale, and she'd fallen in love with the white lights dangling in the trees, the tall, elegant statues strategically placed along the garden's perimeter, and the wooden white chairs, draped with white satin bows for their guests.
Another tear pushed forward and she flicked it away. No way would she have her makeup run on her wedding day.
Lettie started down the aisle. One step, pause, smile. Another step, pause, smile. She continued her steady gait, clasping the single Calla lily in her palm and fighting the urge to cry. She wouldn't cry today. Not today. Everything was too perfect for today to be filled with tears.
She looked toward the front of the church, where her husband waited at his place as groomsman. If anyone had told her they'd be participating in this wedding two years ago, she'd have declared them insane.
But here they were. Her belly swollen with her first child and Bill looking at her as though she were the only woman in the world. Life couldn't get any better.
Amy waited until Lettie reached the front pew then began her walk on cue. She'd left her hair down, since that's the way Landon liked it, and she could hardly wait to see his reaction.
She walked in perfect time to the beat, easy to do, given her affinity for dancing. Particularly dancing with Landon Brooks. Even if they didn't hit the bars that often anymore, they still did their share of dancing in their bedroom. Usually while naked.
She smiled, remembering last night's dance and the lovemaking it'd led to. Then again this morning. And once more this afternoon.
She suspected the honeymoon would never end, and that was fine. He'd been her husband for over a year now, but they were still newlyweds, with Landon still providing sporadic surprises for his wife.
Newlyweds. Such an exciting word, and it'd apply to another lucky woman tonight. Amy couldn't be more pleased.
She reached the front of the church then smiled at her sister and brother-in-law.
"This is it," she whispered, taking Lettie's hand for a moment before moving to stand behind her sister.
Erika waved at Amy from her perch on the second row. Then, when the first beat of the wedding march sounded, she and Michael turned to watch the bride, escorted down the aisle by her son-in-law.
Amy beamed at her husband, wearing his black tuxedo, complete with tails, Ropers and a black Stetson. Evidently, her mother had always dreamed of a cowboy giving her away.
Wanda Campbell smiled at the crowd, friends of her husband-to-be, Larry Wilder, and friends of her beautiful daughters, Lettie and Amy. For years she'd dreamed of this moment, the day she'd finally meet the man whom she adored...and who adored her in return.
Larry did.
They'd met in New York City, where she'd taken a job singing in a restaurant on Broadway and he, the handsome restaurant owner, had been captivated by the southern twang of her voice and by the honesty in the story she told.
Wanda had never lied about her past, and she hadn't started with Larry. But unlike the other men who'd shared a brief span of her life, he'd been truthful with her from the start. Had "fallen under her spell" as he put it.
They'd returned to Georgia, where he'd opened a restaurant in Atlanta and the two of them had become reacquainted with the daughters she adored. The girls who, in spite of Wanda's unsettled past, had both turned out beautifully.
Thank goodness.
Lettie and Amy were both happily married, to men who worshipped them the way Wanda had always dreamed a man could, and who, with Larry, she'd learned some men do.
Her eyes filled and her chin trembled as Landon walked her the last few steps to her waiting husband.
"Are you okay?" he asked, before handing her to the man she loved.
"I've never been more okay in my life," she whispered.
Landon grinned at her, then he placed her hand in Larry's and moved to stand by his smiling wife.
Emotion swirled in Wanda's stomach. Her girls, the two who she'd taken right along with her through the muck and grime of Sheldon, Georgia, had amazingly turned out fine. More than fine, she realized, as they each glanced at their husbands then turned their attention to her. Wanda Campbell. On her wedding day.
"I love you girls," she whispered.
"We love you," they answered together.
She'd apologized to them repeatedly since she'd returned back home, but she felt another apology was in order. "I'm-"
"Happy," Lettie completed. "Isn't that right, Mama?"
"Yes."
"And I'm glad to hear it," Larry answered, winking at her as she turned to face him. "You're beautiful, Wanda."
She blushed. The gown she'd selected wasn't nearly as revealing as most of her wardrobe, with a modest neckline and a simple satin sheath. But it was exquisite, and it made her feel like a princess, or a queen. "You don't look so bad yourself," she finally responded, a little louder than she intended, which made the entire first three rows laugh.
Taking a deep breath, she faced the preacher and did her part, answering when prompted, gazing at the man she loved every chance she got. Then, finally, the ceremony was finished, and, for the first time in her life, Wanda was a Mrs.
Her throat closed in as the preacher asked them to turn and face the crowd.
"I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Wilder," he said.
Wanda fought the impulse to giggle. Wouldn't the folks back in Sheldon get a kick out of this? After all these years, now she was legally Wilder.
And, judging by the admiration on her daughters' faces, they couldn't be more pleased.
|
