It's My Life • Shawn Hunter

156| The Wedding

Liam rolled her eyes. "Zoey..."

"And you are definitely not going to ruin the best day of my life." Zoey finished, giving her father a stern look.

"I think you need to leave, Liam." Lucy advised harshly.

"Sure." Liam responded, exasperating by lifting his arms in the air. "Have fun while you can, kid. Marriage doesn't last long."

"If you ever knew me, you would know that I'm marrying my best friend, who loves me." Zoey told him.

Liam sighed before he turned and walked out of the room.

Everyone in the room was silent.

"That was... something." Rachel admitted, hesitantly.

Lucy nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, it was. But what's a wedding without a little bit of drama?"

"Okay. Time for the dress!" Rachel announced, holding the dress in her hands that was covered by a cloth.

Zoey took a deep breath as nerves began to shiver through her body.

This was really happening.

••••

Zoey stood just inside the kitchen as she was in her off the shoulder long sleeve wedding dress, ready to walk down the aisle that was in front of her.

Everyone was already out and were talking to people outside. Zoey then started hyperventilating, just knowing that everyone is going to be watching her as she walked down the aisle.

"You ready?" Blake asked when he approached her side.

"Yeah." Zoey replied shakily as people stood up and turned to face her. She closed her eyes for a moment. "I can't do this."

"You can." Blake responded as he pulled Zoey's hand though his arm and then grasped it tightly.

One step at a time, Zoey told her herself as they began to descent to the slow tempo of the march. She didn't lift her eyes until her feet were safely on the flat ground, though she could hear the murmurs and rustling of the audiences as she came into view. Blood flooded her cheeks at the sound.

As soon as her feet were past the stairs, Zoey was looking for him. For a brief second, she was distracted by the profusion of white blossoms that hung in garlands from everything in the room that wasn't alive, dripping with long lines of white gossamer ribbons.

But Zoey tore her eyes from the bowery canopy and searched across the roes of satin-draped chairs- blushing more deeply as she took in the crowd of faces all focus on her- until she found him at last, standing before an arch overflowing with more flower, more gossamer.

All Zoey really saw was Shawn's face; it filled her vision and overwhelmed her mind. His perfect face was almost severe with the depth of his emotion. And then, as he met her awed gaze, he broke into a breath-taking smile of exultation.

Suddenly, it was only the pressure of Blake's hand on her that kept Zoey from sprinting headlong down the aisle. The march was too slow as she struggled to pace her steps to its rhythm.

Mercifully, the aisle was very short. And then, at last, Zoey was there. Shawn held out his hand. Blake took her hand and, in a symbol as old as the world, placed it in Shawn's.

Zoey was now home.

"You are breath-taking." Shawn murmured.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're gathered here on this glorious day to witness the union of Shawn Hunter and Zoey Francis." The priest announced as everyone took their seats. "Although I don't know them well, I know that this is a good match. How do I know that? Well because of you, because of all of you. Looking out at their friends and their family and seeing the joy on all your faces, seeing how happy you are for them, tells me everything I need to know. It tells me that these two people deserve to be together. They deserve to be happy and fulfilled. And they deserve a long life together. Please present your vows."