While the moms and everyone were getting dressed and picking out shoes, Amber led me towards the bathroom, where three dresses were reserved for my selection. “Mr. Waters has selected an ensemble for you to wear underneath your wedding dress. I’ll give you some privacy to change into that before we try on the dresses.”
She left the room and I quickly pulled open the box where a nice white lace, low back, La Perla bustier and white lace thong resided, along with some kind of odd jewelry I’d never seen before. I quickly changed and donned a robe before asking Amber to come back in.
“What are these things for?” I held up the strange jeweled items; each had a large band on one end and a tiny loop at the other, with a floral pattern jeweled design down the center.
She smiled. “Your actual wedding is to take place at sunset on the beach. Since you can’t wear heels into the sand, he’s asked that you wear these on your feet instead. They’re foot jewelry.”
“So I won’t have any shoes on at all tonight?” I questioned.
Amber pulled out a pair of Jimmy Choos and beautifully detailed silk thigh high stockings, which were decorated with lace wedding bells and a few rhinestones here and there. “Once the ceremony is done, you’ll come back inside and put on the rest of your undergarments, along with these shoes for dancing.”
Well, I guess that sort of made sense, but a sudden realization hit. He’d listened to what I was saying at his parent’s house a couple days ago, about having a ceremony right before the sun sets on the beach. He’d been fishing for information and making the plans all this time. Why that sneaky little…
I heard several zippers move all at once. Amber had pulled down the zippers on two of the wedding bags and was now opening the third. She pulled the dresses loose and let me look at each one of them. “Do any of the dresses stand out to you or would you like to try them all on?”
They were all marvelous in design and form. I’d been to a few weddings where the dresses were too puffy and overly decorated, or too simplistic and lacking any character whatsoever, but all of these were perfect, with just the right amount of everything. I really didn’t know which one to choose.
We started with the first one, which was a strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and a mermaid tapered fit, decorated with lace detailing and a few rhinestones here and there. It fit like a glove, and wasn’t tight enough to indicate there were buns in the oven. It was beautiful and I watched how the dress moved with me as I turned this way and that in the mirror.
“I think I want everyone’s opinion to help me decide,” I announced.
Amber went out and told them I needed help making my selection. I could hear the shrieks of excitement through the closed door. I walked out and had everyone become instantly silent as I turned around in a circle. I was thankful that the skirt didn’t have much of a train, just enough to drag the floor, but not enough to carry the beach away with it.
My mom instantly loved it, while everyone else said we should look at the other options. Fine with me. I was curious to see what else Garrett had chosen.
I was easily out of that dress and into dress number two. This one was very different, which I liked. It was a white, spaghetti-strapped sheath dress that hugged my curves and didn’t emphasize “things” too much. The neckline was sweetheart shaped with an overlying lace design in the form of cap sleeves with a nice cut out in the back to show a little skin. The back of the dress and lace formed a small flare of a train. The lace is what stood out in this dress; there was a cross between the white intricate flower detailing and matching silver lace flowers. It looked radiant with the jewelry Garrett had given me earlier. I decided to put the foot jewelry on to complete the look and see what everyone thought.
Grace was the first one to respond this time. “My God, that’s gorgeous on you!” Everyone seemed to share in her sentiments and when I showed her the foot jewelry, she just about had a fit. “That man thinks of everything. It is definitely a nice beach wedding dress. How do you feel, Laurel?”
I shrugged my shoulders, not really knowing what to say. I was still flabbergasted that today was my wedding day. I had to think for a moment and I glanced at myself in the three way mirror. “I think I like this one better than the first, but it doesn’t bowl me over.”
“Try on the last one,” Olivia suggested, and her daughters nodded their agreement. “Then we can make our honest comments about what looks best on you.”
“I agree with them,” my mom chimed in. “Let’s see the final one so we have the full idea of what we’re looking at. But, remember that today is your day, darling. You have to be the one that is happy with your decisions. I will admit you’re glowing in this one, though.”
So it was back to the dressing room to try on number three. The front of the dress didn’t float my boat as much as the others. It was a simple halter top design, with lace and rhinestone detailing throughout. The neckline dipped a little lower than the other dresses and just below that was the illusion of a thin, rhinestone-encrusted belt, wrapping halfway around before plunging down along the back of the dress. The halter top didn’t form at the back of the neck like I’d thought, instead it crisscrossed at my upper back and met at the lower portions of the opposite sides of my back, with a daring dip close to my backside.
I glanced in the mirror and was floored by the reflection staring back at me. I immediately shed a few tears. The other dresses made me look nice, but this one hid our little secrets beautifully and made me look sexy in the process. Is that really me in the mirror?
The dress reminded me a little of the hot red number I’d worn to the cancer benefit, the only exception being that the skirt didn’t have a slit up the thigh. It actually hung loose at my hips and descended back into a small train. I could definitely see this one being one of Garrett’s favorites. Actually, I had to ask. “Let me guess, this was his preferred choice?”
Amber remained silent, but the blush told me all I needed to know. I didn’t know how my mom or future mother-in-law would feel about the bit of cleavage and back being revealed, but it was a fabulous dress and made me look and feel sexy, despite being pregnant.
I walked out, anticipating the negative comments, but to my surprise, the room was entirely silent. I felt panicked, as if I’d dared a little too much, but then I watched closely as my mother, Aunt Lisa, and Olivia grabbed for some Kleenex and started wiping the tears away. My future sisters and friends were all having similar reactions.
I walked over to the three-way mirror to get a better look at myself. “Are you sure the front and back aren’t too low cut? Too provocative?”
Hannah was the first one to speak up. “Honey, you’re going make that man’s jaw drop when you come walking down the aisle. I’ve never seen you look so amazing. Heck, if I were a guy, I’d want to marry you, looking like you do.”
Leave it to Hannah to make everyone stop crying and break out into to rolling laughter.
“So this is it?” I asked through my tears.
“This is it!” my mother cried, and everyone joined in, passing around tissues and laughing.
Amber guided me over to hair and makeup so I could be touched up. Garrett had given them strict instructions to leave my hair down, so they put in a few more curls, dotted it with a few sparkling rhinestones, and gently slipped in a veil that dipped long in the back and short in the front with matching lace detailing around the edges.
“Did you come prepared with a veil for each dress or were you pretty certain this would be the dress I’d pick?” I couldn’t help asking.
“We had one for each,” Amber was quick to respond. “He’d hoped you would go with this one, but he was prepared for whatever your choice might be.”
She looked quickly at her watch. “Okay, ladies. We need all of you to complete your looks within the next ten minutes for pictures. I’ll go ahead and get the florist in here with the bouquets and corsages for everyone.”
I looked around. They all looked amazing and were
glowing with happiness for our special day.
My mom came over and gave me a gentle squeeze. “I don’t want to ruin your makeup or dress, sweetie,” she put one hand to the side of my face, “but know that you are the most precious daughter a mother could ask for. I’ve watched you live your dreams, suffer through tragedy, and come out on top. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I wasn’t there for you through everything, but I’m so happy to see that you’re a survivor!” Mom and I both had to grab Kleenex to try and hold back tears. “Your father and I don’t have much, but we are wealthy with the love of our family and having two precious kids that we are so proud of. We talked with Harris and Olivia; we’re going to make the leap and move down to Orlando so we can all be closer to one another.”
“Oh, Mom!” I quickly pulled her in for a bear hug. “You couldn’t have given me a better wedding present than to know we’ll all be in the same city soon.”
“Speaking of wedding presents and traditions,” Grace piped up, “don’t we need to do the whole something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue thing?”
Amber walked back in with a white garter with a light blue bow in the center and a heart hanging off of it with our names and today’s date engraved. “Here’s your something blue. The dress and ensemble underneath are new. Now we just need something old and borrowed.”
Olivia pulled out a lace handkerchief with the initials “MMA” embossed on the corner. “Garrett doesn’t know that we have this, but it was his mother’s. Her name was Melinda Michaels Andrews. We found it among Lydia’s belongings when we had to close up the house. I kept anything personal, thinking one day Garrett might decide to get married and may want something of sentimental value there.”
I tried pushing the hankie back into Olivia’s hands. “I couldn’t take that, it belongs to Garrett.”
“And you’re about to become Garrett’s wife.” She smiled. “We can say it’s your something old and something borrowed.”
I hugged her and whispered, “Thank you, Mom,” in her ear.
She pulled back a bit, tears in her eyes. “You’ve made me so happy today…” She couldn’t finish what she wanted to say, having to walk off before ruining her makeup.
The florist entered with a box full of flowers. They pinned corsages for all the moms plus Aunt Lisa, mainly ivory roses and touches of burgundy and gold flowers and accents throughout, so it matched everyone’s attire. For Sarah and Tiffany, they had wrist corsages, while Grace and Hannah held small bouquets of burgundy flowers mixed with bits of greenery and a touch of white and gold fabric leaves and accents, which looked amazing with their dresses. Grace had opted for a burgundy tea length spaghetti-strapped gown with a flowing skirt and lace wrap, while Hannah chose a golden number of similar design with a short-sleeved bolero.
I was beginning to wonder if the florist had forgotten my flowers, when she pulled out an arrangement that left me speechless. Instead of round bouquets, like my attendants, it was a sweeping bouquet of white calla lilies cascading around the outer rim of the arrangement, with a mix of white and deep, almost burgundy, roses drifting up the middle, with three white orchids tinted in the center to match the arrangement dripping down into some delicate green and white flowers. It wasn’t too big or fussy, but just perfect. It was my dream come true!
Amber looked down at her watch again and tsked. “Oh, dear. We’re going to have to skip pictures and just do them after the ceremony. We’re already running behind.”
Before I knew what was happening, everyone except for Grace and Hannah had left and my father was knocking at the door.
“It’s time, dear. Are you ready?” he asked through the door.
“Ready as I’m ever going to be, Dad.”
He walked in, took one look at me, and stopped. “This can’t be my little girl. You look so grown up.” He gave me a hug. “Are you sure you’re ready to do this?”
I nodded. “When you find your forever, there’s no reason to continue looking. Garrett is all I’ll ever want.”
I kept looking out over the water; the sun was beginning to set behind us. We need to get started soon. Did she chicken out? Did she decide to run again? Where is she? The words kept running through my head as I check my watch for the umpteenth time.
“Chill out a bit, brother.” Jonathan gave me a one-armed squeeze, trying to quell my nerves. “I’ve been told she looks fabulous and is just as anxious as you are.”
I moved my neck back and forth, trying to relieve some pressure. I was happy there was a light breeze coming off the ocean to cool me off, because my clothes and nerves were about to make me sweat. I wore a lightweight white oxford shirt with several buttons undone at the top and a black tuxedo, jacket open, the pants rolled up to avoid getting sand in them. My attendants were lucky. I had Jonathan and Donny in khakis with off white oxfords. They’d decided to roll up their sleeves and pants so I wouldn’t look so out of place. At least the sand between our toes was keeping us cool. November in Florida could be unpredictable, being either cool or warm. We were in luck that the high was in the low 80’s today, with very little humidity, but a suit was hot in Florida no matter what.
I took a deep breath in as I heard the music start to play. Grace and Hannah descended the staircase from my house and walked down the aisle we’d created on the beach. I’d had the florist create a nice arbor for us to stand under and gave her free rein to create it using some of Laurel’s favorite flowers and colors, along with tulle and greenery. She’d gone one further by digging small holes in the sand and filling them with bowls of water and floating candles and had torches tucked here and there to make a nice, wide aisle for everyone to walk down.
Our families stood, filling both sides of the aisle. A couple (non-media) photographers followed our every move, a videographer had equipment set up at various angles around the ceremony, and a DJ had his computer and speaker equipment set up to the side. It was exactly as I’d planned.
I had been wondering if we would be able to pull it off with all the press and paparazzi going on, but it seemed like everything was going great so far. Luckily, they had no clue about this house and the false identity it was purchased under. I was happy that my press crew would be the first to break the news of our nuptials.
Jonathan nudged me in the side as Grace arrived in front of us and the music switched.
I looked up to find Laurel positively glowing in the gown I’d hoped she would wear. I had no idea just how spectacular she would look in it. To say she was a vision of loveliness wouldn’t do her justice. She looked happy, excited, and deeply in love. I almost forgot how to breathe, because the sight before me, with her dress, hair, and veil blowing lightly in the wind, definitely took my breath away. Her father looked proud and was smiling ear to ear.
Our eyes met and we exchanged smiles, knowing that today was indeed our day and the start of our forever. I mouthed the words, “I love you,” and watched as she returned the same sentiments.
My brother leaned in, whispering, “You are one lucky bastard.”
I couldn’t argue that one. “Indeed I am, brother.”
Mr. Hart had walked his daughter up to where I stood and placed her hand in mine. He encircled our hands with his own. “I give you my only daughter to love and take care of, son,” he said, his voice hoarse.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. It felt good that he accepted me as part of the family.
“We are gathered here today to bear witness to the union of Garrett Andrews Waters and Laurel Alexandra Hart,” the minister began. “Should anyone know any just cause as to why these two should not be joined, please speak now or forever hold your peace.”
A moment of panic arose in me as I scanned the crowd and the perimeter of the house to ensure no Peterson, news media, or jealous ex was around. The moment passed without event and I finally felt able to breathe.
“Garrett has decided to present non-traditional vows,” the minister continued, looking toward me.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
I took hold of both of my love’s hands and looked her deep in the eyes. “The moment my eyes met yours, everything I thought I knew was blown away. I felt my heart was incapable of loving others. Every time I tried to open myself up to the idea of love, my world was ripped away, but you were different. You taught me to look past the walls that I’d surrounded my heart with and showed me how to love again. I saw a new world through your eyes and finally found a life worth living.”
I took a deep breath in and watched as a tear slowly rolled down her cheek. “To say that I love you doesn’t do the sentiment justice to the way I feel about you. You are my life, my soul, my very existence; you’re my everything. I promise to always be there for you as your friend, your husband, and the love of your existence.” I reached one hand out and touched her stomach lightly, hearing a small gasp fall over the crowd, knowing I’d have some explaining to do soon. “I promise to be a good father to our children and I will be there no matter what life brings us, whether it’s good or bad, in sickness and health, richer or poorer. I’ll be there for you no matter what. This is my vow to you, my love.”
Laurel was smiling bigger than I’ve ever seen before as she turned to the crowd, blushing a bit. “Wow! I don’t know how I can compete with vows like that, especially when I didn’t even know we were getting married today.”
Everyone laughed. Laurel, taking everything in stride…
She took in a deep breath and faced me, her eyes staring into the depths of my soul. “I guess I can only speak from my heart,” she said. “You came into my life when I’d lost all faith in humanity and men. You taught me how to trust again and showed me how to let go of my past so I could learn to love again.”
Her hands started shaking, but she brought her emotions under control and continued. “You helped me break down the walls surrounding my heart and showed me a love that I never knew existed. I might still get freaked out from time to time and I may need my space to think things through, but one thing I know for certain is that I can’t live without you! You are my life, my love, my whole existence. I promise to always be there for you as your friend, your wife, the love of your life,” she brought one of my hands to her stomach and laid hers atop of mine, “and a good mother to our children.” Whispers rang through the crowd again and realization sunk in that we were telling everyone our secret right now. “I will be there through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, with whatever life throws at us. I will be everything that you need me to be. This is my vow to you.”
Learning to Love Again Page 12
