by Rachel Burns
Chandler stepped forward and took hold of Cathy’s hand. “Cathy’s right. Simply relax and smile, Brianna. Everything will go as planned. Let’s go. Scott is getting nervous.” He led Cathy out of the door and around the corner.
They had to walk around the sanctuary to get to the door. Through the glass windows they could see everyone. Thankfully, no one could hear them.
“How are you, Cathy?” Chandler asked.
“Fine, thanks. And you?” Cathy hoped she sounded cordial.
“I’m worried about you,” Chandler confided in her.
“Shouldn’t you be worried about your girlfriend finding out what happened between us?”
“No, I explained that I have someone new when I broke up with her.”
“You broke up with her? Because of me? That wasn’t very clever of you.”
“Why not?”
“Because, after today, we are never going to see each other again.” Cathy beamed as they reached the sanctuary doors. Out of sight meant out of mind. If she never saw him again, she would never have to worry about being a notch on his headboard.
That wasn’t what Chandler wanted to hear. He wanted to give her a real chance. They could go out and see if they liked each other. Maybe they would end up in his bed and maybe they would end up in front of the altar. He didn’t want to give up without a fight. Cathy was different. That could only be good.
Scott saw Chandler’s face and worried. He wished the two of them would get along better. He feared he and Chandler would grow apart because they didn’t live in the same city. They both had demanding jobs. It would be hard to keep their friendship upright if they lived in the same city, but the two-hour drive back and forth would probably be their end. It was such a shame Chandler didn’t have anyone with whom he could settle down.
Then Scott saw something in white, slowly moving towards the door. It was Brianna. She was coming closer. Today was the day she would become his wife. She would sleep next to him every night and they would get to spend their days together too.
So many years of courtship were finally coming to an end. He was standing at the altar and Brianna was going to be his wife.
Brianna reached the door. Everyone stood up and admired her.
Charles took a deep breath. The big moment was here. He took a step forward, holding onto Brianna tightly. He told himself this wasn’t easy for any father. Still, he feared he was leading her to her death.
Brianna was glowing as she looked at Scott. He looked so good in his tuxedo. He looked so happy to see her too. Her life was perfect.
Scott’s jaw dropped when he saw Brianna. She looked perfect. It was hard to believe this beautiful creature was walking down the aisle to him. She wanted to be his wife. He felt so honored. She looked so happy.
Brianna’s eyes were fixed on Scott’s. She didn’t look around at her guests. He was the only thing that mattered to her at the moment.
Charles stood at the altar and exhaled frustrated.
“Who gives this woman in marriage?”
Brianna held her breath. She worried her father would want to make a joke again.
Charles cleared his throat. “Her mother and I do.” He lifted Brianna’s hand to his lips and kissed it before he placed it in Scott’s hand. He stepped back and sat down next to his wife.
Eva grabbed onto his hand and gave it a squeeze to reassure him.
Brianna stared into Scott’s eyes. She was worried she might cry. The Pastor was talking to them, but she couldn’t listen. The only thing that held her interest was Scott.
Scott was feeling the same way. He half listened to the pastor, so he knew when he had to say something, but he was so caught up looking at Brianna.
All to soon, he heard the pastor talking to him. “Will you, Scott Robert Greene have Brianna Elisabeth Banks to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort and keep her, and forsaking all others remain true to her, as long as you both shall live?”
Scott took a deep breath. He feared he might say the wrong words. “I, Scott Robert Greene, take thee, Brianna Elisabeth Banks, to be my wife, and before God and these witnesses I promise to be a faithful and true husband.”
The pastor smiled at him approvingly before he turned to Brianna. “Will you, Brianna Elisabeth Banks have Scott Robert Greene to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort and keep him, and forsaking all others remain true to him, as long as you both shall live?”
“Yes, I will.” Brianna closed her eyes. That wasn’t what she was supposed to say. She took a deep breath and tried again.
Scott grinned at her. He was so in love with her.
“I, Brianna Elisabeth Banks, take thee, Scott Robert Greene, to be my husband, and before God and these witnesses I promise to be a faithful and true wife.”
Scott nodded at her, reassuringly. He had never loved anyone as much as he loved her.
The pastor called for the rings.
Chandler stepped forward and gave the smaller one to Scott.
Cathy took Brianna’s flowers. She met Chandler’s eyes for a moment. He was acting so serious. It was clear marriage was something he took seriously. She looked away, so he wouldn’t read anything into her behavior.
Scott picked up the plain round golden ring and lifted Brianna’s left hand. He held the ring up, so she could see it. “With this ring I thee wed, and all my worldly goods I thee endow. In sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, ‘til death do us part.” He slipped the ring onto her finger. The corners of his mouth curled up. The ring was finally in place. She was his.
Brianna looked at her hand for a brief moment. Then she turned to Chandler and took the ring out of his hand.
Brianna copied Scott. She held the ring up as she spoke. “With this ring I thee wed, and all my worldly goods I thee endow. In sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, ‘til death do us part.” She slipped it onto his hand, and then they locked their fingers together. They would be facing life together now. They were one, joined in love, before God, their families, and their good friends.
Andrew, a professor at Brianna’s college as well as a good friend of hers, stood and went to the front. He picked up the microphone and looked at Scott and Brianna. He considered himself to be a good friend of Brianna’s. If Scott didn’t treat her right, Andrew would want to step in, gladly.
He sang of the beauty of marriage, of it being a gift, and of sharing the burden.
Jenny looked at Martin. He was like her foster father. Her parents had given up on her long ago, but the Dean of her old college never had. He stood beside her throughout all of her bad decisions and took personal pride in her accomplishments.
“He had a great voice, doesn’t he?” Jenny said to try to cover up the fact that her heart had just taken a huge leap.
“Yes, he is especially gifted.” Martin forced himself to hide his grin. Since he had gotten Jenny back from her x-boyfriend, she hadn’t so much as glanced at another man. He would see to it that the two of them were introduced. Jenny needed practice talking to proper young men. The fact that they were so far from home would mean any mistakes she made could easily be forgotten.
Jessica leaned into Richard’s arm. He had been holding her hand since the service started. She had filled Richard in on everything on the long car ride here. She was so glad to be here sitting next to him.
They had made love last night. He had been so pleased with her that she got another spanking. If she were good today, she would get another one when they got back home.
Richard leaned over and kissed the top of her head. It was clear his submissive would like to have a wedding. Perhaps in a couple of years, he mused. He was so taken with her. Their meeting had changed both of their lives for the better.
Chandler tried to catch Cathy’s eye. Cathy felt Chandler’s eyes on her, so she fixed her eyes on Andrew. After all, this was Brianna’s big day. It was Cathy’s job to make sure it went off without a hitch. Whatever drama Chandler had planned would be successfully avoid
ed.
Andrew congratulated the couple and sat back down.
The pastor stepped forward and had Brianna’s parents and Scott’s parents come forward. Each set of parents lit a candle. Then they lit a candle for Brianna and Scott with the fire of their own candles.
The pastor blessed Brianna and Scott and gave them the candle from their parents. He told them it was a sign that their parents would always be there for them, and that they would help them carry the burdens of their daily lives.
“Brianna and Scott have agreed to live together in Matrimony. They have promised their love for each other by these vows, the giving of these rings and the joining of their hands, I now declare you to be husband and wife. Scott, you may now kiss the bride.”
Brianna couldn’t believe it, but Scott winked at her before he leaned down to kiss her. She blushed a deep dark red.
The pastor stepped back and lifted his voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Scott Greene.”
Everyone stood up and clapped for the happy couple.
Charles saw that his daughter blushed at a simple kiss. What would happen when Scott wanted more this evening? He needed to have another talk with Scott.
Chapter 13 – Congratulations
Brianna held onto Scott’s hand. She didn’t want to let go of him now that he was finally hers. Unfortunately, that was something she had to do constantly. So many people wanted to hug her and shake Scott’s hand. Both of them couldn’t stop smiling.
Charles had a professional company plan the wedding. He didn’t want his daughter to have to worry about anything today. “My baby is married.” Charles held his arms open wide. If today was his baby’s last day, then it should be perfect.
Brianna hugged him tightly. “Thank you for behaving yourself today.”
“Were you really worried?” he asked surprised.
“Yes, Daddy. I honestly was.”
Charles smiled at her. She was a thing of beauty. He loved her with all of his heart. He was so glad he had been the kind of father who actually took time to be with his family. They were the most important things to him.
Charles had to move along the line. He shook Scott’s hand. “Take good care of her. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love her.”
“I will. You don’t have to worry.”
Charles forced himself to smile. “You can start calling me ‘dad’ any day now.”
Eva hugged her daughter tightly in her arms. “It was perfect.”
“No, it wasn’t. I goofed up on the words.” Brianna blushed as she thought about it.
“It was perfectly imperfect. Your mistake was adorable.”
Brianna saw Scott nodding out of the corner of her eye. Still, she wished she had done it correctly. She was embarrassed.
Karen hugged Brianna. “I thought it was nice too. Welcome to the family, Brianna. We are so glad to call you one of us.”
“Thank you, Karen.”
John, Scott’s father, gave Brianna a bear hug. “I don’t know how my boy did it, but he managed to get the prettiest, nicest and smartest girl in town to marry him. Welcome to the family.”
Their parents joined them in line greeting their guests and thanking them for coming to share their big day with them.
Chandler linked his arm through Cathy’s. They both stopped in front of Brianna and Scott. Cathy pulled her arm away. “I’m going to head over to your house and help out there. Take your time here. I have everything covered.”
“You forgot to say congratulations,” Chandler whispered into Cathy’s ear.
Cathy squinted her eyes at him for a split second. “Congratulations. You two are the perfect couple.”
Chandler hugged Brianna lightly, not wanting to overstep any boundaries with Scott. “I’m so happy for both of you. Cathy is right. You two were made for each other.” He boxed Scott in his arm and gave him a playful smile.
Cathy hugged Scott, and then she and Chandler took off.
When they were out of earshot, Cathy turned on Chandler. “That was it. We never have to talk to each other again. We’re over.”
“We don’t have to be over. What we had was a beginning.” Chandler wanted this to work out.
Cathy felt like sticking her fingers into her ears and screaming la la la to block him out. Instead, she stood up straightly. “I have a lot to do today. Please, don’t get in my way.”
“I know – you’re in a take-no-prisoners mode. I understand, and if you need my help, in any way, you can call on me. Believe it or not, they are my friends too. I want this to be a day they will never forget.”
Cathy shook her head. There was something so infuriating about him. “Just drive me to Brianna’s house.”
“Gladly, but first we have to finish our job here.”
“We are finished.” Cathy meant that in every way she could.
“No, darling, we aren’t. We still have to sign as witnesses for the marriage of our best friends.”
He was right. The pastor had warned them not to take off. Cathy could see the pastor still talking to several people in the sanctuary. That meant she had to stand next to Chandler for a while yet.
“I was thinking, maybe, we could go out together. Perhaps if we got to know each other on a different level, we could leave this childish bickering behind us.”
“You started it,” Cathy protested, sounding exactly the way she didn’t want to.
“Then I offer you my apologies. Guys always pick on the pretty girls.”
Cathy’s jaw dropped. She looked at him as if he had to be kidding. He made it sound like he had simply pulled her hair at the playground. What happened between them hadn’t been sweet and innocent. “There is no us, and there never will be.”
Chandler took a deep breath. “Why not?”
“Why would I want to be your girlfriend when we can’t even talk to each other normally?”
“We talked normally – afterwards. I told you everything about me.” Chandler was offended by her constant rejection. The more she pushed him away the closer he wanted to get to her.
“I don’t want to think about that night.” Cathy hurried off to the bathroom to hide from him.
“Uncle Martin, Jenny, thank you for coming.” Brianna hugged each of them.
“We wouldn’t have missed your wedding for the world.” Martin moved in front of Scott. “Thank you for not ruining the name of my school. I’m relieved this worked out so well.”
“I told you I loved her and I would do right by her.” Scott glanced at Brianna and Jenny. They were talking about Brianna’s dress. Brianna had such a good heart, no matter what the doctors said, she had seen the good in Jenny right away.
Jenny stepped down the line. She reached her hand out to Scott. “Congratulations. I’m happy for both of you.”
Scott shook her hand back. “I’m glad things are working out so well with you too.”
This was the first of many uncomfortable handshakes. He noticed several girls were here from their college back in Texas. They were Brianna’s friends. They all thought Brianna was going to suffer under his strict rule.
The truth was he hadn’t laid a hand on Brianna since the day he told her he loved her. He and Brianna had a very natural and relaxed way with each other.
Hannah hugged Brianna and congratulated her. She stood in front of Scott and motioned with her head in Brianna’s direction. “Your girlfriend from back home?”
“Yes, she just didn’t know it at the time.” Scott grinned from ear to ear.
“It was nice of you to try to spare my feelings. I wish you all the best.”
“Thank you. I wish you the best too.”
Hannah nodded and moved on.
Scott had to suffer through a herd of girls from his floor. The only one he had personally invited was Jessica, who was now hugging Brianna and telling her how happy she was. Scott noticed that Jessica had a date with her. Her date was congratulating Brianna. It was hard for Scott to tear his eyes away from Brian
na. He didn’t like that strangers were touching his wife.
“Thank you for inviting me Scott. I’m so glad you two found happiness together.” Jessica truly meant what she was saying. Now that she had Richard she didn’t need to pine after Scott any longer.
Her date was now standing beside her. He had his arm around her, letting Scott know they were very close. “Thank you. I see you’re doing well too.”
Jessica looked at Richard and smiled at him. “I have it good with my Richard. Oh, I forgot to introduce you. Scott this is Dr. Richard Jones, Richard this is Scott Greene, the groom.” She had filled in Richard about Scott.
“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for joining us today.”
“Thank you for the invitation. It’s a real pleasure meeting you. Jessica speaks so highly of you.”
Scott was surprised to hear that. He looked back at Jessica after Richard let go of his hand. “I’m glad to see you’ve made the best you could out of your life.”
“You were a big help along the way.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Scott gave her a brief smile and then turned to hug Sharon. “I cried the whole way through. You know what this means?”
“No. Tell me what it means.” Sharon had always been his sweetest sister. She was a good-hearted person.
“It means I’m next. I don’t even have a boyfriend.” She had a huge smile on her face, which told Scott that she wanted to have a wedding too.
“Don’t you dare pick the first best guy. He needs to be something very special to get my little sister.”
Richard had been eavesdropping. Scott was clearly the overprotective big brother type.
Richard didn’t need to be jealous. He had worried. That was new for him. Normally, he had his emotions in check. It was becoming very clear to him that he would never be able to give up his Jessica. She was a keeper. He would keep that information to himself until her training was completed.
Brad gave Brianna an awkward hug. He figured with time he would be more relaxed with Brianna, his new sister-in-law. “Welcome to the family.”
