Serendipitous

40.

Beth lovingly holds the lit tea candle in the palm of her hand, the glow of the golden light making her sapphire eyes twinkle. She peers up at me with a sugary expression. "This is going to be so beautiful. Just leave it to Maggie and I, we coordinated our cousin Eleanor's wedding two years ago." She heartens cheerfully.

"I have all the faith in both of you. If only we could make a run to find a wedding dress..." I pause glumly feeling a little bit sad that I won't be able to have a wedding dress to get married to Shane in. But I suppose now is not the time to be picky, even if my wedding day is coming up.

Maggie glances over in my direction before returning to her conversation with Andrea. "You're going to look beautiful." Beth assures gracefully, I smile at her.

"Thanks, Beth."

Her blue eyes dart to Daryl who places an unlit tea candle on the rigid rocky looking wedding arch that we are making due with. "My goodness, Daryl! Not there! Do you want Shane and Molly to have bad lighting on their faces during the ceremony?" She chides while hurriedly racing over to him. "Put them around the arch, not directly where they'll be standing in front of."

"Isn't that what I just did?" He asks with a hint of sarcasm. Beth darts for Mary Cathrine a girl around my age who volunteered to help, I watch as she tosses a green vine across the bumpy arch.

"Is everyone blind?" Beth reprimands making me shake my head and laugh while Mary Catherine rolls her jade eyes along with Daryl.

"She's like a bridezilla but a coordinator version." Daryl mumbles, Mary Catherine snorts while Beth shoots them daggers.

My legs carry me down the hallway, I need a break from watching my wedding look like Cupid had a meltdown of love. I am positive it is going to look beautiful, but I am concerned about my appearance on that day. I don't have any makeup, won't I need to at least look a little more... dazzled? My hair doesn't really phase me, I am sure I could find some kind of easy updo to do for it; fancy braids or  something.

"You look like you're in the deepest of thought." Shane's voice interrupts my trance. His body is pressed against the wall while he faces me, my eyes trace down his unbuttoned shirt, his toned body seems to glisten in the light now.

"I was just watching Beth...coordinate." I almost snicker thinking about her very specific orders.

"Apparently she's very domineering when it comes to planning out weddings." Shane smirks while shaking his head seeming to find it just as humorous as I do. But nevertheless I am so grateful Maggie and Beth both volunteered to be the head planners of the wedding. Shane takes me by surprise, his arms snake around my waist while one hand tilts my chin upward so we are looking at each other.
"Are you nervous?"

"About?" I ask playing dumbfounded, I know where he is going with this.

"I'm just making sure you still want to do this." He states, but his voice holds every ounce of confidence in the world.

"Of course I do." I smile up at him, he places a kiss on my forehead.

"Just making sure you aren't going to reenact the Runaway Bride." He teases.

"Oh, yeah. Absolutely what I had in mind." I reply sarcastically, we both share a brief laugh before I lean into his chest closing my eyes. He still has the same irresistible scent that he did when I met him, it puts me under a spell of relaxation and daze.

"What are you doing?" Beth squeaks with her hands on her hips, we both turn to look at her. "It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

"But, the wedding isn't until three days...?" Shane replies almost as if asking her a question, his arms never unwrapping me.