Free A Very Merry Superhero Wedding (Adventures of Lewis and Clarke) by Kitty Bucholtz Page A

lit the Advent candles and read a passage about the birth of Jesus. The congregation sang “Angels We Have Heard on High,” and Owen gave a lovely sermon about holding the joy and peace of Christmas in your heart all year. The service ended with a rousing rendition of “Joy to the World.”
    Tori sighed happily. “I love Christmas.”
    She pulled Lexie along as she and Joe faced another wave of well-wishers. If she had to meet every single person who went to this church, so did Lexie. Both of them were too used to keeping to themselves. It would probably do them good to get a little more connected here.
    Even with all the chatting, they still had some time before they had to be at Mom and Dad’s for Sunday brunch, so Joe and Tori walked Lexie and Ben home. That is, the adults walked. Ben rode piggy-back, played horsey, and pretended to be an airplane all the way home.
    “Thank you for ruining him for me for the next month,” Lexie complained. “I don’t know why guys have all the strength and endurance when moms are the ones who really need it.”
    Joe chuckled as he swung Ben from his shoulders. “I love kids.” Then he bent down and whispered in the boy’s ear.
    Lexie shot Tori an expectant look. Tori grinned and shook her head, sticking out her tongue at her sister. It was far , fa r too soon to think about having kids. They needed time on their own first. Though it was nice to see that Joe would almost certainly make a great dad. One day.
    Tori gave her sister a hug, congratulated Ben on his snow angel, and waved goodbye. Lexie wanted to drive her own car to Mom and Dad’s today since Tori and Joe would be going to Owen and Hannah’s later. Back-to-back family get-togethers. She should probably get used to this.
    Tori took Joe’s hand as they walked back to the church. Joe had left his truck there this morning after he picked it up from the bar parking lot. As they walked back and then drove to her parents’ house, they discussed wedding details.
    Tuxedos — check.
    Bridal gown and dresses — check.
    Cake — Joe’s Aunt Trudy said “check.”
    Luncheon — Hannah said “check.”
    Rehearsal dinner — check.
    The church had a Christmas caroling event scheduled for 4:30 on Tuesday, and the bridal party had been invited to join them. The rehearsal dinner and rehearsal would follow. Tori was excited that so many family and friends had agreed to go caroling beforehand.
    “This is going to be so fun,” she gushed. “Much better than a June wedding. You can’t go Christmas caroling in June.”
    Joe gave her a questioning look, then made a turn toward Tori’s old neighborhood where her parents lived.
    She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “My mother once again pointed out the virtues of a summer wedding yesterday.”
    “Yeah, I’m still getting some of that from my side, too.” Joe reached over and took her hand.
    She squeezed it, and looked out at the neighborhood they were driving through. Her family had moved here when Mom was pregnant with Samantha. Dad had made partner at his law firm and they wanted to move to a better neighborhood. Tori had a vague recollection of their old neighborhood, and she’d thought it was nice, too. But Mom wanted to make Dad a proper lawyer’s wife, and this house was better for entertaining. How many times had Tori heard that over the years?
    She knew Mom and Dad loved each other, but sometimes she wondered if her mom was trying to prove something by being the perfect wife. And recently, Tori had been worried her mom thought Tor i wouldn’ t make the perfect wife, and that’s why she kept urging her to push back the date.
    “Do you think I’ll make a good wife?” she asked Joe now, still staring out the window at the big, beautiful houses in this well-to-do neighborhood. A neighborhood so unlike the one where she and Joe and Lexie lived.
    Joe pulled over and put the truck in park. Tori glanced over in surprise.
    “Neither one of us has any idea what