CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Caitlin walked through a field of torches. It was night, and the field was ablaze, a thousand spots of light flickering in the wind, as she walked down a meandering path. She was wearing her long, white wedding gown, and beside her, holding her arm, was her father.

She looked over at him, and he was smiling back. They walked down an endlessly long wedding aisle—but in place of a crowd on either side of them were flaming torches. At the end of the aisle, Caitlin could see, in the far distance, stood Caleb, at the altar, waiting.

There were so many questions Caitlin wanted to ask her father, so many things she wanted to say to him. But she didn’t feel it was the right moment to speak, while he was walking her down. She could feel, though, how proud of her he was, and it made her feel good. She didn’t want him to hand her off to Caleb—she didn’t want him to ever leave—and she tried to slow their steps, to savor every moment.

Suddenly, she felt something, and looked back and saw that th