Before Ashley realized it, the wedding day arrived. Joy, nerves, and expectation mixed together. She was excited and afraid at once. With her marriage, there was no way a reconciliation with her step-mother would be smoother. Ashley felt sad that her wedding might perhaps only widen the distance between her and Rowena.
Ashley woke before dawn, her heart already racing. Excitement and nerves tangled together, making sleep impossible. She lay still for a moment, listening to the quiet, trying to steady herself. Today will be joyful and uncomplicated, a beginning untouched by old tension or unresolved history—or that’s what she told herself.