Beautiful in the Lord's Eyes Read online

  (Hosea 2:19-20)

  Once they decided to get married, neither Troy nor Nicole wanted a long courtship. They wanted to get married as soon as they could plan a simple but touching ceremony. They decided to get married at the ranch in a ceremony that closely matched the one David had when he married Emily.

  That wedding had been extremely rushed, but didn’t look it. Emily’s father, Pete, who had cancer, had been very close to death. David and Emily both wanted him there, so they called on the members of both David’s and Emily’s churches to make it happen. The women from both churches made the food. They had dozens of casseroles and side dishes. The ladies cleaned the house until it was almost sterile enough for surgery. One of the church ladies was a baker and made a spectacular cake. The pastors of both churches shared officiating duties. Best of all, Emily’s father managed to walk her down the aisle before sitting in a wheelchair for the rest of the ceremony. He passed away within days, but he was there for his baby girl’s special day. Emily treasured that memory. She looked through the wedding album often and watched the video.

  Troy and Nicole drew on that experience for their wedding. They reversed the usual order of things and sent out invitations before the details were actually worked out. They put out notices through both churches, and David invited people from his and Nicole’s client lists. Since he specialized in entertainment law, focusing on models, most of his clients knew Nicole.

  Troy invited some old friends, his co-workers, and his parents. His mom and dad were surprised at the news, but they sounded delighted on the phone. Since they lived in Nashville, they would travel out a few days before the wedding and stay at the house that bordered on the ranch. Julia owned that house, although she kept threatening to put it on the market. She was a widow, with children who had grown and moved away. She simply did not need a large house and the five acres it sat on. David bought most of her land but Julia kept the house. She talked about selling it, but kept it without really knowing why. It was coming in useful for the wedding. Troy walked through it and had it professionally cleaned, and stocked the refrigerator. Then he made an offer on the house and bought it as a surprise for Nicole.

  They would use David’s large living room for the ceremony and have the wedding reception outdoors. Nicole had modeled hundreds of wedding dresses during her career so it was easy for her to find a dress that she loved. Since she knew most of the designers, it was also easy for her to get the dress tailored to fit her perfectly. She chose a dress that flowed out from her waist, the top had a sweetheart neckline under a lace top. The lace hid most of her scars at the neck, however her facial scars would show when she raised her veil. The scars ran mostly down one side of her face. She joked about getting a mask a la Phantom of the Opera, but in truth, they hardly bothered her. Troy would wear a dark suit that fit him perfectly and still managed to show off his athletic build.

  They hired the same baker who had done the cake for David and Emily’s wedding to make an elaborate cake covered in edible flowers and found a caterer to make the meal for the reception. They hired a pair of bartenders for a non-alcoholic bar, serving virgin cocktails, sodas, and soft drinks. One of them would specialize in milkshakes for the kids since so many of their friends had large families. They found a great DJ, one they both liked.

  The only part that bothered Nicole was hiring a photographer and videographer for the pictures, and the right people for her hair and make-up. It reminded her of her friends who had been murdered because they would’ve been the ones to do these things. Ivan would work his magic on her hair. Lacey would create a make-up style to highlight her cheeks and eyes and Hans would shoot a wedding album that captured every moment in stunning beauty. He would find a great videographer to memorialize the wedding. She would always miss them, but planning the wedding made her miss them even more.

  They wanted to have the wedding fairly soon because of her pregnancy. They wanted to be sure they were married well before the babies were born, and her doctor expected the twins to come early. So with the invitations already out, as soon as these arrangements were made they were ready for the big day.

  Troy’s parents arrived a few days before the wedding and stayed at the house Troy had just bought. They were an active, good looking couple, both in their late fifties. They got along great with Nicole’s family, even Mae. They fell instantly in love with Nicole and told Troy how lucky he was.

  Finally the wedding day arrived. It turned out to be a beautiful ceremony. Bonnie, Nicole’s mother, looked spectacular in her mother of the bride outfit, a sky blue A-line dress with a beaded bodice. Troy’s mother was chic in pale yellow silk. David gave the bride away with Emily acting as matron of honor, and Kate and Laura as attendants. Kate’s twin daughters acted as flower girls, as they had when Kate, a widow, married their new dad. As they had at that wedding, instead of strewing the flower petals on the ground, they threw them at the guests. While the guests were laughing at the girls, Kate’s son carried in the rings on a silk pillow.

  “We should go into wedding planning,” Laura whispered, waiting to walk down the aisle. “Your kids are getting so good at it, and by the time they’re too old you’ll probably have more, and of course, there’s always mine.”

  “And we’re so good at matchmaking, we’ll always have customers,” Laura agreed, laughing.

  The matron of honor and attendants began to walk down the aisle. They wore peach gowns, with halter tops and sequins. Emily’s gown, as matron of honor was just a shade darker. Their husbands acted as groomsmen. The stairs and great room were draped in flowers, and candles burned softly on the counters and hearth.

  The day was perfect and filled with love. There were a few refusals to the wedding invitations; most came from models who thought that Nicole was forgetting Lacey, Ivan, and Hans. However their families all attended, happy for Nicole, but still missing their own loved ones. During the ceremony, at Nicole’s suggestion, one of the pastors made a point of mentioning the three of them in a poignant tribute.

  Shelby covered the ceremony as a reporter but she was also there as a friend. She wanted to show that there could be happiness after a tragedy.

  Detective Reynolds was there holding hands with Dr. Sullivan and Detective Mollney was there with her husband, a dapper man of around sixty. Dr. Haskell was there also, with Tina on his arm.

  The policemen were there to guard against the elusive attacker. Several of them were there with dates they met through Kate and Laura.

  Nicole only laughed as she saw Kate and Laura talking to her mother.

  Soon her mother came over with a handsome, older gentleman on her arm.

  “Nicole, meet Sid,” she gushed. “He’s a friend of Kate’s husband.”

  “Welcome to the family, Sid.” Nicole smiled at the man.

  “Nicole! We just met!” her mother protested.

  Nicole took her mother aside. “You were introduced by Kate and Laura, they’re matchmakers with astonishing success. You’re doomed.”

  She noticed her mother looking at Sid with a calculating look in her eyes throughout the afternoon.

  After the ceremony, the wedding party moved outside. The weather was clear and sunny and the guests were enthusiastic. They had tables and chairs set up around the yard. There were four main tables filled with food. They had put vegetarian lasagna and salads on one side, and side dishes and baked chicken breasts on another. They also had a carving station for prime rib. The third table held an array of desserts, and the last held the wedding cake. Wedding guests lined up for food, split between the first two tables. Off to one side was the bar where everything was non-alcoholic. One server kept the blender busy making milkshakes for the numerous kids running around, and the other bartender worked on virgin cocktails. The service at all stations was fast and cheerful. Soon everyone was seated and eating.

  The DJ announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Troy Dixon!” as Nicole and Troy came outside to a scattering of cat calls
and applause.

  Troy and Nicole sat at the main table with her mother and his parents. Kate and Laura had a table nearby with their husbands and kids. Frank and Lanie were seated next to them with Cassie and Lanie’s sister, Tina, and her date, Dr. Haskell. The dogs were locked in the dog run, but they would get treats, like everyone present.

  Nicole whispered in Cassie’s ear and the girl ran off. She let the three horses out into the arena. The wedding guests could watch them run and play, but they were far enough away so the dust was no problem.

  As the food was consumed, the DJ started pumping up the music, going from slow and romantic to dance music. He did stop for a moment, for the first dance, “I Love You Just the Way You Are.” Nicole and Troy danced, floating on air and ignoring the other guests.

  Soon the cake was cut and Troy and Nicole fed each other a bite without smashing it into each other’s faces. The garter was thrown and the bridal bouquet was scrambled for by at least a dozen women. Troy and Nicole cut out of the reception and went over to Julia’s house. During the day, before the wedding, Troy’s parents had moved into Nicole’s old bedroom. Even though the house hadn’t cleared escrow, the newlyweds would move into their new house.

  The wedding night was a little strange. Due to Nicole’s high risk pregnancy there would be no lovemaking, but they cuddled, talked, and even without the lovemaking their love grew deeper. Troy told her he had bought the house thinking they would want their own place but to still be close to David, and the horses.

  “That’s the most perfect thing anyone’s ever done for me.” Nicole was sincerely moved and kissed her new husband. “I love you so much.”

  “Not as much as I love you.” He returned the kiss. “Not nearly as much.”

  Chapter Nine

  “And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.”

  (Luke 1:14)

  Despite the identification of Adam Hannan as the man who had attacked her and committed four murders, there was no immediate arrest. Her attacker had fled. There were leads and sightings of him in several places: Michigan, London, Turkey, Iraq, and even Mexico. Nicole felt the danger she was in as a constant presence surrounding her, but she pushed the presence of evil back with prayers. She recited “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil” as a mantra. Her terror grew along with the babies in her womb, and she kept pushing that terror back with faith.

  Her family and Troy were a real blessing for her. They surrounded her with comfort and love. She knew she was protected, but well, pregnancy hormones and the pain of the past few months kept sneaking in and trying to rob her of any peace or comfort.

  The police visited her often. One or the other of the two detectives, usually Detective Reynolds, would come out weekly and give her an update. She used his visits to find out how his burgeoning romance with Dr. Sullivan was progressing. Her gentle but probing questions were as subtle as a sledgehammer.

  Subtle questions like: “Have you and Doctor Sullivan set your wedding date yet?”

  Detective Reynolds would blush and stammer, but he welcomed the not so subtle questions and sly teasing because it was a relief for him to see Nicole relax just a bit.

  Finally, one day, both detectives came together and they were wearing big grins on their faces.

  “We’ve arrested him!” Detective Mollney said. “It’s over!”

  Nicole sank to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she prayed. “Thank you, Jesus.”

  She stood after the prayer and faced the detectives, hugging them she said, “Thank you, more than I can say.”

  “There could be a delay getting him back into the US, he was hiding in London,” Detective Mollney told her. “And you know he’ll fight extradition.”

  “That’s okay, I can be patient now that he’s in custody.” She hugged both detectives again.

  There was indeed a delay as Adam fought extradition. He knew he faced life in prison or even the death penalty if he was returned to the States. He still felt justified in raping a whore and believed he had done what was right by killing her companions. He still believed there were virgins waiting for him in paradise, but only if he died a martyr’s death. Lethal injection, however, scared him.

  Although legally it shouldn’t have influenced the courts, it helped move things along that Nicole was so well known in England.

  There was plenty to keep Nicole occupied while she waited for Adam’s extradition and for the trial to start. She and Troy set up a nursery in their new house. Troy did the physical work and she directed him over and over again. She was getting some payback for all those tough workouts by being a slave driver. Of course, he knew exactly what she was doing.

  Some of her friends gave her a baby shower filled with tacky games and beautiful presents. A couple of the models who had turned down her wedding invitation came to the baby shower.

  One explained, “We’re sorry, Nicole, it just seemed strange to us that you were getting married so soon after Hans, Lacey, Ivan and Melinda were murdered. Then we heard how you had them remembered at your wedding and we felt really bad that we had misjudged you.”

  “That’s no problem, I understand, you’re here now!” Nicole hugged them both, laughing. “Although I hope you brought really great baby gifts to make up for it!”

  “We did,” one of the girls said, “and even better, you get to watch us not eat the cake.”

  Nicole only laughed.

  It really did amuse Nicole to watch as the models were served large pieces of cake covered in frosting. They each ate a minuscule bite of the cake, about a tenth of a normal piece for most women, and drank water. One good thing, Nicole realized, she no longer had to diet so stringently. She would have to be careful not to balloon up to overweight, and she would work to lose the baby weight, but she no longer needed to be stick thin. What a relief! She thought.

  After the shower, she had everything she could possibly need for the twins, and more.

  Since the wedding, Nicole and Troy shared a bed but they had not made love yet. The advanced stage of her pregnancy, which was a high risk pregnancy due to the injuries she had sustained, and the emotional and physical stress of the attack still lingered with her so she and Troy cuddled up and slept together without consummating their marriage. Until her attacker was caught they were living at the ranch, but they were remodeling and redecorating the house Troy had bought. They decided to move into the other house once the danger was over.

  Nicole had passed 30 weeks in her pregnancy, and her doctor felt that she would deliver the twins early. Still, she was hoping the twins would wait a few more weeks to be born. She warned Nicole to call her if there was any chance she was in labor since she wanted to do a C-section. One night Nicole woke with a backache that was so severe she couldn’t get comfortable. As the night went on the pain seemed to get stronger and come in waves. Soon she couldn’t deny it, she was in labor at 34 weeks, and she hadn’t called the doctor.

  She woke Troy and called her doctor before waking up David and Emily. She already had her bag packed for the hospital, so she and Troy just went out to the car and started the drive to the hospital. Her pains were coming about every five minutes, and about halfway to the hospital her water broke. After that, her pains started coming about every three minutes and became more intense.

  As soon as she got to the emergency room entrance nurses came out with a wheelchair and wheeled her inside. Troy had already set up her admission by giving the insurance information in advance, but he still stopped at the admissions desk while they pulled up Nicole’s chart. Then he watched the nurses wheel Nicole into an exam room. Troy followed and joined her there and they waited for the doctor. Her doctor came quickly, examined her, and said she was 7 centimeters.

  “I wish I’d gone ahead and done a C-section, but you have progressed too far for that now, and I really think you can go ahead and deliver the twins vaginally,” the doctor said. “It should take a few hours
, but you’ll see your twins soon.”

  “I can’t wait to see them,” Nicole said between contractions. “It seems like it’s been a long time and I really want to hold them.”

  “I bet they’re going to be the most beautiful babies ever born!” said Troy. “How can they help it?”

  “I’ve got news for you, Troy, they’re always the most beautiful babies ever born.” Doctor Sullivan grinned. “But these should be stunning!”

  “I’ve got a call in for two pediatricians who specialize in neonatal care to come and take care of the babies as they come out,” the doctor told Nicole. “I’m sure they’ll be here in plenty of time.”

  It was weird how time seemed to fly by in an instant, yet still drag on for hours. In about two hours Nicole was fully dilated and ready to push. They moved her into a delivery room that already had two clear bassinets on wheels ready for the new babies. The pediatricians and delivery room nurses were standing by. Troy held Nicole’s hand and murmured encouraging words to her when the doctor told her to push.

  Soon the first baby came out, it was the little girl and she was small, only about three and a half pounds, but she was beautiful. It took a few moments before she started to cry. Once she did, she proved to have well-developed lungs. She was followed shortly by her brother, who weighed in at four pounds and instantly started to cry. Nicole was only given a moment to see both babies before they were taken away to neonatal intensive care. Both babies seemed to be healthy in spite of their small size which was a miracle considering all the stress and danger she went through with her pregnancy.

  They had already decided on names for the babies, Lacey Mae for the girl and Henry Ivan for the little boy. When Nicole was able to get up, a nurse wheeled her down the hall so that she could see the babies, and they were the most beautiful things she had ever seen. She sat there in the wheelchair with tears streaming down her cheeks. David, Emily and her mom came up behind her. They stood there for a long time, saying a prayer of thanksgiving.