Raif turned to watch his family as they took their seats in the marquee on the lawn at The Masters, his infant son, dressed in a baby tuxedo, cradled in his arms. In the background, the vineyard stretched out over the hillside, and farther in the distance, the dark silhouette of the old family mansion stood sentinel on top of the hill. The setting had a permanence and sense of history that he’d always enjoyed. It was good to know that some things never changed. But as he looked around at everyone gathered here at the family home to celebrate the birth of his and Shanal’s first child, and their wedding, it was also good to see the future shaping and changing with each new member of the family.
“Here, you better give me that baby,” his mother said, bustling over to his side. “You’re spoiling him rotten, you know. He needs his grandmother’s firm hand.”
Raif relinquished his son with a laugh. “Mum, you know you’re the family softie. Besides, haven’t you always said you can never spoil a baby?”
“Very true. But I have a feeling your hands are going to be all too full very shortly. Don’t you have a wedding to enjoy?”
“I do,” he said with a wide smile. “And I’m looking forward to it.”
“Well, you’ve both waited long enough. It’s a shame Shanal’s dad didn’t live long enough to see her happily married.”
“Yeah, but at least he found peace before he went. He saw her happy, and that’s the main thing, right? And he knew we’d be naming our little guy Curtis, after him.”
Marianne Masters patted her eldest son lovingly on one cheek. “You’re a good man, Raif Masters. I’m so proud of you.”
“I love you, Mum.”
Ethan arrived beside him, dressed in a dinner suit and with a boutonniere affixed to his lapel. He raised the one he held in his hand. “Your turn,” he said, pinning the flower to his cousin’s suit jacket. “And we need to go line up. Apparently, your bride is ready.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Raif asked.
Together they walked toward the temporary altar that had been set up beneath the decorated marquee on the grounds. The June weather had been kind so far and the predicted rain had held off.
“What’s the latest on Burton Rogers?” Ethan asked. “The case against him still hasn’t gone to court yet, has it?”
“I’m told his lawyers are dragging it out—fighting to have him declared mentally unfit to stand trial. Either way, he’ll be put away for a long time and he won’t be able to hurt the people I love ever again.”
“They should lock people like him up forever,” Ethan said emphatically.
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Raif and Ethan joined Raif’s brother, Cade, and the celebrant who stood waiting. Raif turned to face the aisle that Shanal would be coming down. As he listened for the music that would cue her arrival, he studied the faces before him. His parents sat in front, looking exceptionally proud and happy. Their trip to France had whetted their appetite for more travel and they had a trip to Tuscany planned for the European autumn. Whether his father succeeded in taking Marianne away from baby Curtis for more than a month would be the test, though, Raif thought.
His cousins Judd Wilson and Nicole Jackson were also there with their respective spouses, Anna and Nate. Anna bore a delicate bump, announcing her early pregnancy. Ethan’s sister, Tamsyn, sat a row back with her husband, Finn Gallagher, who was propping their sleeping five-month-old daughter on one shoulder. Beside Tamsyn was her half sister, Alexis, who together with her husband, Raoul, was busy reining in their twin boys. The toddlers were charming and delightful, but also well-skilled at keeping their parents on their toes. The boys’ half sister, Ruby, a month shy of her third birthday, was to be Shanal’s flower girl, and Raif had heard that she’d been delighted when she was shown the miniature sari she would wear today.
And then the sound of delicate notes wrought from violin strings dragged his attention back to the house, to where his bride now appeared on the back veranda, together with her mother and Ruby. She was a resplendent vision in red and gold, eschewing a white bridal gown for her mother’s traditions, and to Raif she’d never looked more beautiful. His eyes never left her as, with her mother by her side, she followed Ruby down the aisle. Shanal grinned at him in return. They turned together to face the celebrant, who smiled at them both, then began.
“We are gathered here today...”