A Melwood Story

/chapter twenty-one/

A Melwood Story
Chapter 21

Melissa

Today is the day.

I tried to stay upstairs for a bit longer this morning in case I had some morning sickness. And I did.

I'm now sitting on the couch, trying not to throw up in-front of the kids, but if I escape to the bathroom, Chris is going to think something's up and I can't tell him until after the wedding.

"Are you okay, mommy?" Nya asks, looking up from her lego building.
I force a smile. "I'm okay, Ny."
She continues building her house without a follow up question.

We leave the house for the wedding venue at 11 a.m. The kids outfits, my dress and Chris' tuxedo in the trunk of the van.

We arrive at almost 12 p.m. My body has been fighting the urge to throw up for the past maybe two hours and it's exhausting. I feel like poop. Number one: keeping this secret from Chris and number two: the fact that I'm not letting myself throw up. The situation at hand isn't great.

As soon as the kids are out of the car, I go straight to the bathroom. It's not good. I hope that this will go away before people start arriving in three hours.

We've been here for about twenty minutes when Chris rests his arms around my waist. "Hey."
"Hi," I whisper back.
"Are you okay?" he asks.
I hesitate. "I'm great."
He turns me around to face him. "You just look pale, that's all."
I touch my face lightly. "Oh?"
He kisses me gently. "You look fine."

I need to stop making it so obvious that something is up. First Nya is asking, now Chris. Next person will be my mom or sister or someone else when they arrive later.

Three o'clock rolls around too fast and suddenly people are pulling up in their cars and this day starts feeling super real, for a moment I forget about the growing secret in my uterus.

"Melissa?" I hear a familiar voice ask.
"Kristina?" I say as I turn the corner to see my younger sister standing there.
She almost screams as she nearly knocks me over with a hug. "I've missed you so much."
"I missed you too," I say, hugging her back.

She pulls away, leaving her hands on my shoulders. "How are the kids?"
"Great. They're inside if you want to see them."
"I do," she says, smiles once more, then goes inside to see her niece and nephew.

My mom comes up next. "Melissa!"
"Hi, mom," I say, hugging her.
"How are you?" she asks.
"Good," I say. "How are you?"
"Excited to be here." She smiles big.

"Is that my Melissa Marie?" my dad asks, coming up from behind my mom.
"Hi, dad," I say with a smile. "How are you?"
"Happy to see you. How are you feeling on your big day?"
"Good. Great."

My mom walks inside, leaving my dad and me alone.
"He's the one," my dad whispers by my ear, then follows my mom inside.

He is. Chris is the one.

Chris

The ceremony starts at five p.m. and it's 4:40 p.m. right now.

I straighten my bow tie, take a sip of water, then I sit down to calm myself a little bit before I go out. I can't be shaking as I stand and wait for Melissa to walk down the aisle.

At 4:50 p.m. I stand and go out to wait.

Friends and family offer smiles as I walk down the aisle. I try my best to smile back, but my heart is fluttering in my chest. I'm still shaking a little bit.

At 4:59 p.m., the doors open and Melissa enters. Her and her dress are so absolutely stunning, that I can't take my eyes off until she's basically right in-front of me.

She smiles and nods towards me.
I nod back with a smile.

"If everyone could be seated, we'll start with the vows."

There's a few moments of silence before I take a deep breath and stare right into Melissa's eyes. "Melissa. From the second I saw you, I fell in love with everything about you. Your talent, your knowledge, your beauty, your kindness and much more, but we don't have forever. You're so special, Melissa, and I can't believe that out of all the men in the universe, you chose me to marry. I promise to you that I will always be your companion and friend, your partner in parenthood, your ally in conflict and your greatest fan. I love you."

A tear drops from her eye as she starts to speak. "Chris. I wasn't a very open person before I met you. You completely changed my view on life and for that I am forever grateful. I came to realize that you were a special kind of different that just waltzed into my life. Even when we barely knew each other and you stayed in the hospital for four nights with me after the twins were born. I promise to push you to be your best self and allow you to push me to do the same. To always want the best for you and our family and work to help you achieve your goals."

Now I'm the one in almost tears. I hear a couple other people sniff as well.

"Do you, Melissa Marie Benoist, take this man, Christopher Charles Wood, to be your husband to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"
"I do," Melissa says.

"Do you, Christopher Charles Wood, take this woman, Melissa Marie Benoist, to be your wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"
"I do," I say.

"Wonderful. I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

I smile as I pull Melissa in to kiss her. My wife.

People clap all around us. My heart continues to flutter wildly.

Suddenly, I feel Melissa's hand fly up to her stomach. I pull away from the kiss.
"Are you alright?" I ask.
She fakes a smile. "I'm great."
I raise my eyebrows slightly, then take her hand to walk down the steps.

Melissa

We're married. Now I can tell him about the baby. But I suspects he already thinks something is wrong. I pretty much gave it away in-front of everyone too, which is just great.