Secrets & Scandals

12. A Wedding To Stop

Today was the big day, or so Devon and Joy were sure to think. In reality, they were in for a rude surprise.

Maddie and the Duncan brothers were at the church, waiting anxiously in a side room for the two to arrive.

"Just wait till I get my hands on that boy...," Cyril muttered, getting Maddie's attention.

She drew a deep breath and was about to speak, but Ambrose held up a hand to stop her. "Cyril, you will do no such thing. You will leave the boy to his mother and me."

"You trust her to discipline him?"

"I trust she will do what is right," he replied with a long, lingering look at her. His searching gaze made Maddie so self-conscious, she had to look away.

Finally, they heard footsteps outside, light and gentle. "It's Joy," Ambrose said as he peeked out the door, his voice relieved.

"Is she alright?" Cyril pressed him.

"She looks fine... happy, even. But I see no sign of Devon."

"Perhaps he's right behind her," Maddie suggested.

"She's sitting down. Let's wait till they're both here before we show ourselves."

And so, they did. Twelve o' clock came and went, the minutes ticking past, one after the other. Slowly, Joy's face went from being flushed with excitement and happiness to deathly pale, lip trembling as if she were barely holding back tears. Yet, through it all, she held her head high, occasionally stealing desperate glances at those big, red doors.

"It's one o' clock," Cyril told them. "I don't think he's coming."

"Oh, God, what if something happened to him?" Maddie was struck by a terrifying thought.

"Somehow, I don't think so," Ambrose said to her, an odd look in his eye.

Maddie glanced at the girl sitting alone out there, her internal world crumbling. Of course, Maddie was worried about her son... but for now, she supposed she could at least show her a little sympathy.

Maddie turned to look at Ambrose, and he nodded as if reading her mind. Slipping out of the room, Maddie walked up to Joy, whose brows jumped at the sight of her. "Maddie?"

Maddie said nothing, taking a seat beside Joy and putting an arm around her shoulders. Right away, Joy clung to her, melting into her arms and letting the tears come.

Meanwhile, Joy's brothers appeared behind Maddie, their faces grim. They waited patiently until she sat up and noticed them there. "Ambrose? Cyril?" She wiped off her cheeks hastily, bewildered. "H-how did you find me?"

"It was all Maddie's doing, really," Ambrose said simply.

Joy frowned, taking a moment to make sense of the situation. "You must be so angry with me."

"We just want to make sure you're alright."

"Well, I'm not. I'm supposed to be married today but..." She shook her head miserably. "I should have known."

"What do you mean?" Maddie probed.

"I had a feeling that Devon was having second thoughts. I just didn't want to believe it."

All of them were surprised at that, and more than a little relieved. It seemed like Devon had come to his senses after all, if a little late. "Where is he, Joy?"

"How should I know?"

"But didn't you come to Dyon together?"

"We did but then we agreed that we would, you know... live separately before the wedding so it would be more exciting that way, build up our anticipation before we took our vows."