“Rather than talk any further about them, let me instead ask that you all raise your glasses high in the air in their honor and then enjoy drinking this first toast to them.” With that, Linda raised her own glass high in the air and when she saw the others all do that, she exclaimed, “Hear, hear! To Missy, Mike, Tracy and John! May they continue to enrich our lives while living out their wonderful destinies!”
Everyone now cheered and then sipped some of their champagne. Linda then handed the microphone to Jesse and went over to take her seat.
Jesse then announced, “There will be lots more speeches and several more toasts but before that happens, please enjoy your food. Once the plates are being cleared away and your desserts are being served, my lovely wife will return to introduce those who wish to say a few words about these two wonderful couples.”
Missy watched as Jesse returned to his place and sat down next to Linda. They were sitting with Fred and Anya along with Gene and Amanda. She and Mike were sitting separately at the head table with Tracy and John. They were the only ones at this table and there were banners and balloons behind them.
Missy’s parents and granddad were at another table with Tracy’s parents and granddad. Heather, Donald, Wendy, Wanda, Patrick and Lila were all at a different table. Then there was the SOD Group table, with Brigadier General Chory, Dale Hewson, Lieutenant Colonel Schermerhorn, Lieutenant Colonel Lightfoot, plus Lisa and Marie.
At a larger table next to them were the SOD civilian pilots Wes Samuels and Chris O’Brian with their girlfriends Coop and Char who, like Missy and Tracy, had just graduated from West Point. Also at this table were active Army pilots WO1 Cliff Dembrowski and CW2 Scott Hancock with their wives Lily and Megan who were both staff sergeants. Sergeant Payton Rawlings was also at this table.
Robert Ulrey and his wife Connie were at a table with Drew Martinson, Ed Collingsworth, Les and Marsha Gooding, plus Scott Robinson and Sandy D’Amato. Scott’s sister Emily was at a different table with Donald Quigby. Oliver and Candace Bessom were at this table along with Millicent Pratt.
Candace’s uncle General Blake was at a table with both the current Defense Secretary, the former Defense Secretary, Charles Winword from the CIA, former Deputy Secretary of State Ted Hanson and Lee Cohen, one of the Under Secretaries of Defense.
There would be a lot more guests at the wedding, including witches from covens in Texas, New York and Massachusetts along with werewolves from Missy’s pack, but Tracy had wanted to limit the attendance at this rehearsal dinner banquet.
Missy had concurred with all of Tracy’s suggestions. None of her Team Twenty-Two members were there but she had just enjoyed a nice party with them on Monday.
The food being served was what each guest had selected ahead of time and had indicated on their RSVP reply to Heather who had then provided those to John and Tracy. The choices were beef, chicken, fish and lobster. Either clam chowder or French onion soup was served with a Ceasar salad to begin with. There were several choices for vegetables as well as either potatoes or rice. The onsite catering by the Thayer Hotel was exceptional and they had no problem agreeing to Missy’s request for her people to act as waiters and waitresses. It wasn’t long before everyone was saying how much they were enjoying their delicious meal.
Once it was obvious that most people had eaten their fill, Linda once again went up to the microphone. She then introduced guest after guest who each gave a speech, with most including a toast. There was plenty of red wine, white wine and champagne at every table so all these speeches and toasts were well received.
A dessert cart was brought around with several delicious items to choose from. Coffee was also served as well. Everyone there was very impressed with how excellent a banquet this had turned out being. Of course, knowing Missy and Tracy were responsible for the planning and the execution of that, nobody was at all surprised.
Finally, as promised, Missy and Mike got up and made the rounds, visiting at each table while Tracy and John did likewise, visiting them all separately. Heather did leave at one point to bring the twins up to her room where a babysitter waswaiting. She came back down right away, anxious to return to this happy occasion.
Yes, it was a wonderful celebration and when Missy and Tracy finally went up to their room that night, they were thrilled. They continued to talk about everyone who had been there while they got undressed and ready for bed.
“What did you think about Candy and Oliver getting assigned to the U.S. Embassy over in Turkey?” asked Tracy. “With you being in Turkey, you’ll get to see them now and again, right?”
“Absolutely! And, I was really glad to learn that,” said Missy. “Of course, they both have also been recruited by Charles Winword. He and Candy’s uncle have always been friends, so I’m not surprised.”
“The CIA? Wow! Really?” Tracy stopped and then began to laugh. “That’s perfect! I’m not really surprised either. Do we think the Fabulous Fates may be involved?”
“Of course they’re involved,” said Missy with a grin. “They’re involved in everything, especially when we witches are the ones being affected. Poor Oliver has been destined for this ever since you and I dragged him into that bar down in Cancun. Then we all went off to rescue Candy and the rest is history!”
Tracy giggled and said, “Lieutenant Colonel Schermerhorn talked about our Mexico adventure tonight. Back then, he was only a major. He says he’ll never forget how General Blake told his boss Colonel Armentrout how crazy it would be for the Cancun Cancan Girl in all those videos that went viral to be you. I think he said something like, ‘Unless you believe in supernatural soldiers, you’d have to agree it’s notpossible for someone who was carted off the battlefield with injuries like those to be dancing up there like that four weeks later.’”
“Yeah, General Blake told me about that himself. He got a big kick out of having a supernatural soldier and being able to talk about me that way.”
“Well, according to the lieutenant colonel, his boss told him later how he realized he’d been played by the general. They were watching our plane take off from Bogota after we had convinced Manuel Rodriguez he needed to surrender and return to the U.S. with us. At the time, they didn’t knowhowwe convinced him, of course.”
Missy giggled and said, “That was fun. I pretended to be a demon and threatened to turn Manuel into a frog so Carlos could eat him. He thought he’d just seen me turn Carlos into a mountain lion. Then you struck that tree outside making lightning strike not just twice butthreetimes. Yeah, we wereveryconvincing that night!”
“You know I’m really going to miss you after tomorrow. You’ll be returning to the Special Forces after your honeymoon and I’ll be down at Fort Rucker for the next year and a half. I’ll try to maybe get to one of your full moon celebrations since I know you try to get back here for those. According to the calendar I checked, there’s one in October on a weekend.”
“We each have our destinies to fulfill, Tracy. While we might not see one another very often, you’re my closest,bestestfriend, my sister witch, and after tomorrow, my sister-in-law. We have exchanged supernatural energy and I know we will always be bonded in the years ahead.”
After that, they each went to bed and tried to fall asleep.
Missy was sensing Mike was still awake and sent him a mental message to tell him, one more time, how much she loved him. When she sensed his response, filled with joy, happiness and love, she then relaxed. She was wearing one of Mike’s t-shirts and with his scent enveloping her, she drifted off into a deep sleep.
Mike meanwhile remained awake for quite a while after that. His mind was filled with all the memories he had about Missy. From the first time he’d noticed her working out in the gym, months before she had finally agreed he could buy her an ice cream, there just had never been anyone else for him.
Finding out that she was a Shifter? Someone with supernatural abilities? And then, later, learning she also was a witch? There were all the unbelievable things about Missy which he had accepted as true and real. Then, all of the ways she demonstrated her willingness to help others. Her family, her friends, her country, yes. But also total strangers if she sensed they needed her help and if she believed she could somehow do that. Help them, rescue them, heal them … whatever.
And then he dwelled on the bond which they had and the love for one another which they shared. He truly believed he was the luckiest man alive to have been gifted with Missy for his mate. Tomorrow they would finally be married. When he at last managed to fall asleep, it was with thoughts of Missy still flooding his mind and feelings of love for her completely filling his heart.
