Hired for the Billionaire [✔️]

50 - The Red Wedding

Come on, Anna. It's okay. Just get pass this ceremony and then John won't be able to say anything anymore. He'll see that you actually love him because you won't leave or divorce William. You would never leave him, unless he wanted you to. Which, of course, will never happen because Will will never find out about the contract. Yep, that's what's going to happen. No fear.

The church doors opened and Charlotte and John stepped out into the aisle. After a few beats, the wedding party would slowly exit the doors until it came for Anna and Daniel to walk. The doors closed in front of her and Anna took a deep breath in. Daniel patted her hand and was about to say something when the red head suddenly spoke, exclaiming, "I want a small wedding."

The music was growing softer.

"What?"

She continued, "I want a small wedding. Outside. In a garden full of hydrangeas and orchids and baby's breath and roses and tulips. I want the color scheme to be lavender and light greens, I want not an inch of red in my sight. Why has everything been red this year? I want mason jars with little candles inside them and my venue to be outside where you can see the night sky and the wonderful flowers all around you and the fireflies. I want... I want..." Anna gasped as tears threatened to pour out of her eyes and wrenched her hand from Daniel's grip.

"I want...I just want...to go home right now. I don't want this giant elaborate wedding with hundreds of people I don't know staring at me. I don't want a seven teared cake and hundreds of presents filled with stuff we already have or with expensive items from India or China or Russia. I want small. Small...I want to know all the people at my wedding and be gifted things that came from the heart or even no presents at all. I want to dance with people who know and love me, not with people who barely know my name. I want...so much more than this, which is stupid because this wedding, right here and now, are the one's some little girls dream of having when they're older."

And softer still.

Daniel was shocked and took a second to compose himself before he cleared his throat. "Ah...well, this wedding is more for me than for you two, I suppose. I have potential business associates who would have been rather, uh, pissed off had I not invited them. They are the majority unfortunately, the others are family and family friends."

Anna tapped her fingers under her eyes to try and catch the tears they were slowly spilling over without ruining her makeup. Even though her makeup was waterproof, the bride-to-be wasn't taking any chances. 

"That doesn't make me feel better, Daniel."

The final crescendo until it was quiet.

He laughed and nodded, "I know, I'm sorry. How about this? Next year, or maybe in two, this very day, we'll get you the wedding you've always wanted; all the pretty flowers and fireflies and mason jars and candles. Everything. You just have to get through this wedding first. Deal?"

Anna sniffled and shyly smiled. "Deal. Now this contract I like."

An instrumental version of A Thousand Years by Christina Perri began to play. After a few seconds, the doors in front of her opened.

The butterflies in Anna's tummy fluttered around nervously.

 Daniel gripped her hand in his arm and they began to walk forward.

~