Rosalyn Osborne was a criminal, so they called her. Six years in prison changed her. No matter what others thought of her, she always knew her true self. She wasn't a criminal in her mind, but there was a public uproar when she was chosen for the Se...
I sigh and look in the mirror, smiling at my own happiness. My hair fell in loose curls around my shoulders, my makeup was perfect, and the dress that engulfed my body was my favorite of them all. I'd never felt so close to my mother before.
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"I can't believe you're getting married." Emily comes up behind me and looks at me through the mirror. She wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my shoulder.
"I know." I say, laughing slightly.
"I've been meaning to tell you something." She begins, pulling away from me and looking away. "Aaron asked me to move in with him. Permanently, I mean. I like him a lot, Rose, but I don't know what it means."
I was shocked at first, but I was prepared for something like this to happen. I look over at Aaron, who stands with a few of the groomsmen I only met yesterday.
"I think you should be happy, Emily. You deserve it after everything, so I think you should move in with him— if that's what you want." I shrug and hold onto both of her hands as I talk.
"What if he doesn't like me like that?" She asks softly. I'd never seen Emily like someone this way, it had always just seemed like a dream for her.
"He wouldn't ask you to move in with him if he didn't think of you like that. Either way, I'll figure something out for certain at the reception." I smile happily for both of us. I start to drag her away to make sure she was in her position.
"Don't make anything obvious, please." She hisses as we near him.
"I won't." I respond, standing her next to him. "They are about to start the procession, so be ready."
I look at all of my bridesmaids in beautiful rose colored dresses and smile. I had asked all of North's sisters to be one of my bridesmaids except for Ali, who was the flower girl. Emily and Baylee both accompanied the princesses as my bridesmaids. The only groomsmen I knew were Camden and Aaron, the other three were cousins of North.
I remember the days when my mother and I would talk about my wedding. We were daydreamers in that sort of way. When my father would work, we'd be left home alone to do anything we could imagine. The day she showed me her wedding dress, we started talking about my own wedding. I'd never thought I'd be here without her and my father.
"Are you ready?" James, Aaron's dad, comes up to me. North had talked me into letting him walk me down the aisle.
"Yeah." I blink a few times to make sure I didn't start to cry and turn to James.
"Are you alright?" He asks again, this time with concern.
"Yeah, it's just I wished my parents could've been here." I shrug.
"Of course you do. They might not actually be here, but you know they'd be proud of everything you've done, right?" James reminds me.
"Yeah, I know." I smile and sigh, releasing the tightness in my chest. "Are you sure you want to do this? I don't want you walking me down the aisle to make it not as special when it comes Baylee's turn."
"Don't worry about that, I promise." He laughs, looking at his daughter with an adoring look. "I'll need all the practice I can get."
"Thank you." I smile and look around at everything I'd been blessed with.
"Are you ready?" James asks me as the wedding planner starts to organize everybody in the proper order. I couldn't do anything but nod with a smile on my face.
Slowly, the wedding party enters the beautiful room, eventually leaving just me and James left to enter.
The doors were pulled open by guards and slowly I begin to walk down the aisle. I look up and see North standing there, his perfectly steamed black suit. I couldn't help but smile as soon as I saw him. He was already smiling.
When I finally make it to the end of the aisle, James hands me off to North. I could see the cameras around the room, but I didn't care because I'd never felt more love for a single person the way I did for North in this moment.
"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Lady Rosalyn Osborne and Prince North Bridget in matrimony commended to be honorable among all; and therefore is not to be entered into lightly but reverently, passionately, lovingly, and solemnly. Into this— these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together— let them speak now or forever hold their peace." The officiant begins. I hold North's hands tightly, smiling as he continues. I barely pay attention until North begins his vows.
"I remember seeing you for the first time when we were just kids and they'd put you in clothes meant for people older than you because kids that age shouldn't have been there. I remember knowing that I'd never forget that day, but not until just a few months ago did I realize that I'd remember that day because it was the day I first laid eyes on the love of my life. I love you and I want to be able to make you happy every single day." North finishes.
Now it was my turn. I'd spent countless hours trying to make my vows absolutely perfect.
"The definition of imperfect is faulty and incomplete. I was the definition of imperfect, without a whole heart and with more faults than anyone I'd ever met. I thought for years that I wouldn't be able to change that and you showed me that I didn't have to for people to love me." I sigh and smile. "Never before has someone accepted me and declared their love for me. I love you and today I get to show the world that."
The officiant hesitates a moment and then begins to recite the words he'd memorized.
"Do you, Prince North Bridget take Rosalyn Osborne to be your lawfully wedded 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?" The officiant looks toward North who smiles and says,
"I do."
"Do you, Rosalyn Osborne take Prince North Bridget to be your lawfully wedded 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." I smile. We exchange our rings, smiling happily.
"I now pronounce thee husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." The officiant says.
North wraps one arm around my waist and another sweeps my hair away from my face and kissing my softly. The crowd claps, leaving me grinning uncontrollably as we walk back down the aisle holding hands tightly.
"I love you so much." He whispers quietly, kissing my temple gently and smiling down on me.
"I love you too." I respond and hold his hand close to me.
"I hope maybe one day I can give you everything." North says softly.
