Winds of Heaven (39 page)

Liz smiled affectionately. “It got me, too.”

They both laughed for a moment until Casey said, “Our relationship started quickly. It was fast and furious with Julie. Never sitting still for too long, and that was fine with me. It was a time in my life where I was constantly on the move, as well. Between Chicago and LA, I tried to get the same flight she was piloting…” Her voice trailed off as she smiled.

“You had a good time with her,” Liz said. It was more of a statement than a question.

Casey nodded. “Yes, we did, Liz. We lived a very…” She stopped and laughed when she remembered the appropriate word. “A very Bohemian lifestyle. Never really settling down. So when she started the talk about having kids—”

“You panicked,” Liz said with a smirk.

“I’m not sure panicked is the right word, but I was floored. Children were the last thing on my mind, even though we discussed it. I knew she wasn’t thinking about the future. She wanted a playmate, I think. And I’m not oversimplifying. Julie loved the idea of having a child, but she was not responsible. Hell, I wasn’t, either. So it caused a huge rift between us.”

“And that’s what ended it.”

“Yes. She pushed it so much I was tired of arguing, tired of explaining and trying to understand this. It was about five years ago when she had a layover in Denver. I flew out there to meet her—”

Liz sat up fully now. “Denver?”

Casey raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Why?”

“When was this?”

“I said about five years ago, in the winter right before—”

“Valentine’s Day,” Liz finished for her.

Casey raised an eyebrow, then it dawned on her. “Don’t tell me.”

“Yes. I lived in Denver. I met Julie and we started dating a few days before Valentine’s Day five years ago.”

They both sat in silence for a moment. Casey’s mind was reeling, trying to remember that time—the last time she saw Julie. “We had a horrible argument. I was at my wit’s end with her. I went to Denver in hopes of us getting back. We calmed down and talked nearly all day and night before we both just realized it was over. We grew apart in the last year and the love just faded,” Casey said and sighed deeply. “She kissed me and said, ‘See ya, Case,’ and walked out of the hotel room. That was the last time I saw her.”

“I can’t believe it,” Liz said in amazement. “What are the odds of this?”

“I have no idea. I heard from her about a year later, she called out of the blue and told me about this woman she fell head over heels for.”

“Julie told me about you at one point. She went on and on, and I’ll be honest. I was tired of hearing Casey Bennett this, Casey Bennett that,” Liz said with a laugh. “When Julie’s lawyer mentioned your name, I wanted to reach across the desk and staple his tongue to his forehead.”

Casey raised her eyebrows in surprise. “That’s a tiny bit extreme, baby.”

Liz laughed out loud, then winced as she looked back at Tara’s crib. “I was pregnant and I believe I was craving ice cream at the time.”

Casey laughed and pulled Liz back down beside her. “As well I know.”

They lay once again in comfortable silence. “Liz?”

“Hmm?” Liz replied in a sleepy voice.

“Do you think Julie knew we would fall in love?”

Liz looked up into Casey’s eyes. “I don’t know. We’ll never know, Casey. But one thing is for certain.”

“What’s that?”

“I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. You make me feel well loved, Casey Bennett. You’re a good woman and a good friend.” She laid her head back on Casey’s breast.

“I feel the same way, Liz. And I love Skye and Tara, as well. We’re a family. For always.”

“Forever, always,” Liz whispered on the edge of sleep.

Casey clung to Liz, holding her in a tight embrace until both women at last drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Epilogue

Casey nervously stood by the fireplace in the log cabin as the fire warmed the cold February night. They had rearranged the living room to accommodate the few guests.

Niles reached over and straightened her collar. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.

Casey wore an ivory-colored silk blouse tucked into a pair of brown wool slacks accentuating her tall frame. One red rose stood alone on the lapel of her tweed blazer that hung open.

“Got the ring?” she asked quickly and Niles nodded patiently.

Then the old priest walked over and took his place.

“You look as nervous as a cat, Casey...” he said; Casey gave him a sick smile.

She saw her grandmother holding Tara, who thankfully was sleeping.

Meredith winked at Casey. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too, Gram.”

“Well, it’s not St. Patrick’s,” Meredith said. “But as I said all those years ago, you try keeping me away.”

Casey smiled and kissed her. “Thanks, Gram.”

Meredith sat in the front row of chairs. The guests may have been few, but they were Liz and Casey’s closest friends. Marge’s children were sitting patiently. Jeffrey gave her the thumbs-up as he sat next to his wife. Roger and Trish smiled happily; Roger gave Casey a look of pure admiration. All the people who meant the most to her and Liz were here.

Then Casey heard the bedroom door open; she grinned as she saw Skye walking out first. She wore a tweed jumper and blouse underneath because “I dress like
Cafey
,” she had told both of them. Liz was relieved. “At least she wants to wear something,” she had said.

With her blond curls pulled back, her blue eyes smiled and she waved to Casey as she slowly walked up to her. Casey gave her a short wave and a wink.

What Casey saw next transformed her, and her heart would never be the same. On Brian’s arm was the most beautiful woman Casey had ever seen.

Liz wore a tweed skirt and matching blazer, complementing her companion’s coloring with her thick auburn hair worn down and flowing. In her hands, she held a small bouquet of red roses.

As Brian led Liz to her life, Casey’s breath caught in her throat. Around Liz’s neck was the gold necklace with the dream catcher charm. Casey’s eyes filled with tears as Liz smiled and put a hand up to fondly caress the charm.

Brian and Niles stood as witnesses; Casey and Liz turned to the priest.

“Well, these are the marriages I find most appealing. This union between these two women is special. Special because we live in a very precarious world where unfortunately love is not measured by what is in one’s heart but by gender.

“Casey Bennett and Liz Kennedy have proven that love transcends gender. That love is quite simply… Love. Nothing more and nothing less. When two hearts find each other, nothing else really matters. It truly is what Christ preached: to love one another as he has loved each of us. This is why I applaud and rejoice in their union.

“In a world of racism, hatred, and the unwillingness to accept others as they are, these two women stand as an example of all that is good in this world. Of what we strive for and we hope someday will be. It is therefore my honor to join them in matrimony. Join hands…” he said and smiled.

Casey took Liz’s hand in her own and held on tight.

“Do you, Casey Eleanor Bennett, take Liz Kennedy? To love, honor, and cherish always? To forsake all others and know only this woman for the rest of your time on this earth?”

“I do,” Casey said in confident voice. Liz squeezed her hand tightly.

“And do you, Elizabeth Therese Kennedy, take Casey Bennett? To love, honor, and cherish always? To forsake all others and know only this woman for the rest of your time on this earth?”

Liz nodded, trying desperately not to cry. “I do,” Liz said finally as she fought back the tears. Casey rolled her eyes affectionately and held on tight.

“Rings?” he asked and Niles handed Casey the ring. “Place it on her finger, and tell this woman of your love and commitment.”

Casey slipped the ring on her finger and grinned happily. “All my life, I’ve been running, and all the time, I was running to you. Thank you, Liz Kennedy, for saving me…”

Liz blinked back the tears, then Brian handed her the wedding band.

“Place it on her finger, and tell this woman of your love and commitment.”

Liz held Casey’s warm hand and slipped the ring on her long, slender finger.
  

“I’ve found myself in you, Casey Bennett. You are my heart and deep in my soul. I thank God for your goodness and kindness. I’ll love you forever and always.”

Casey grinned and leaned in for the kiss. The priest coughed gently and Casey turned bright red.

“Impetuous…” Liz whispered out of the side of her mouth.

Casey playfully pinched her beloved as she held her arm.

“In the sight of God and these witnesses and friends, I now pronounce you partners in this life. To live and love in the eyes of God,” he said and grinned. “Now, Casey, you may kiss your bride…”

Casey grinned and pulled Liz into her arms. She looked down into those blue eyes and kissed her deeply. Liz returned her kiss, completely breathless as Casey let her go.

Skye pulled at Casey’s blazer. As always, she scooped her up and held her tight and gave her a big kiss. Meredith handed Tara to Liz. The baby woke and started crying as Liz held her close and rocked her.
 

“Tara
cryin
’ again…” Skye said sadly and Casey laughed.

“That’s because she’s just a baby, not a big girl like you,
Shortround
,” Casey said and tickled her stomach. The four of them held on to each other as the party started.

Through all the kissing and hugging, their eyes met in a loving gaze; both found heaven and happiness there. Casey winked and raised her wedding ring finger. Liz smiled and raised hers, as well. “Always...” they both said.
 

The winds of heaven brought them together. Casey and Liz would ride those winds however fair or stormy for the rest of their lives. They would grow old together, watch their daughters start families of their own, and spoil their grandchildren.

In the end, they would find comfort in each other’s arms, as they would sit in front of the fire in the log cabin they loved.

Even death would not separate them. The winds of heaven would gather them and they would mix forever with the sweet emotion—forever, for always.

About the author

Kate Sweeney was the 2007 recipient of the GCLS award for Debut Author for
She Waits
,
the first in the
Kate Ryan Mystery
series. The series also includes
A Nice Clean Murder,
The Trouble with Murder,
which won the 2009 GCLS award for Mystery,
 
and
Who’ll Be Dead for Christmas?

Other novels include
Away from the Dawn
,
Survive the Dawn
,
Residual Moon,
recipient of the 2009 GCLS award for Speculative Fiction,
and
The O’Malley Legacy
. She is also a contributing author for the anthology
Wild Nights: (Mostly) True Stories of Women Loving Women
, published by Bella Books.

Born in Chicago, Kate resides in Villa Park, Illinois, where she works as an office manager—no glamour here, folks; it pays the bills. Humor is deeply embedded in Kate’s DNA. She sincerely hopes you will see this when you read her novels, short stories, and other works by visiting her Web site at www.katesweeneyonline.com
.
E-mail Kate at [email protected].