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Okay, I took FOREVER to update but I decided I'd take a break from writing and enjoy the holidays because, as most of you may know, they are extremely hectic. Also, I love this story to death and I don't want it to be over so I'm gonna try to take as much time writing it as I possibly can. I'm sorry if it takes an eternity. My goal is to be done by March. :)
Since I probably won't update before New Years, I hope you all have a lovely one! 2016 can rot in hell for all I care. Too many people have died this year...
Anyway, there are two chapters left after this. *starts crying uncontrollably*
I hope you enjoy this. I cried a little, just so you're warned! :D
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Chapter 30
It was finally here—my wedding day.
Months of preparation and countless nights of staying up past three led to this day. It's all I'd been looking forward to since the moment Andrew asked me.
My faithful bridesmaids had spent the entire morning double-checking the list I made weeks prior. Angie and Brittany did their best to keep me distracted. They even set up a projector in the church basement so all of my favorite movies could play in the background of the chaos. I was convinced all the distractions were to keep me from turning into Bridezilla.
Number one on my list was to avoid going crazy. Number two, of course, was making it down the aisle without any altercations.
The only part that sucked was being apart from Andrew. I was forced to say goodbye to him last night while I crashed at Angie's. He'd texted me since then, but it wasn't the same.
I was in the middle of nibbling on a bagel when Brittany waved the dress in my face. "Hey, Nat, it's time to put on the dress. You're walking down in about thirty minutes."
I could barely swallow the last part of the bagel. "I need to see Andrew. I haven't seen him for fifteen hours."
Angie laughed. "Natalie, you're going to see him in forty minutes. Remember?"
My voice sounded so foreign. I was on the verge of crumbling under the stress, but I was so close to the end. Two hours from now, I'd have a husband.
Brittany and Angie hid me in a small room. Angie carefully took my dress off the hanger, smoothing out its texture. I took a deep breath and gingerly slipped into it. Brittany zipped up the back and straightened my train.
I could barely see my own reflection through my thick tears. "Guys, help. I can't cry, I'm gonna ruin my makeup."
They both ran in front of me, each one holding my hand. "Hey, Natalie, it's okay," soothed Brittany, biting her lip.
Angie frantically looked for something to cheer me up. "Um...knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"To."
I wrinkled my eyebrows. "To...who?"
"To whom." She grinned. Brittany shook her head. "I thought you'd appreciate it since you were an English major and nit-picky about grammar—"
I wrapped my arms around her. "It's so stupid that it's absolutely amazing. Thanks." I hugged Brittany after her. Without them I'd be shaken out of my mind.
Haley came running into the room. "Natalie, Daddy says he needs to talk to you."
"Can it wait until after the ceremony, honey?" I turned to face her. "We're kinda not supposed to see each other."
She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think so. He said it's really important."
Angie flushed. "Nat, do you want me to see what it is?"
Andrew knew we agreed not to see each other before the ceremony just to keep the tradition. If he needed me, there was a prominent issue. "No, it's okay. I'll talk to him through the door."
Walking to the door gave me good practice for thirty minutes from now when I had to put aside my clumsiness and keep my balance. Hopefully Mark would be ready in case I fell. My heart beat incessantly as I opened the door a little.
His voice calmed me down, but only momentarily. "Nat, is that you?"
"Yeah, babe, it's me. What's wrong?"
He squeezed his hand through the sliver of the door. "Um...actually...something has happened. Can I talk to you...face to face?"
I looked down. "I have my dress on."
"I don't care. This is important, Nat. I have to talk to you."
"Okay," I said, looking behind me. "Maybe I can find something."
He poked his head halfway in and shouted, "Amber's here."
I immediately froze. The room got quiet, alerting the two of us that everyone had been listening. I shook my head, pushed away the voices that screamed it was bad luck and met him outside the door. "What?"
He slammed a hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't know she got an invitation—probably from my mother—and now she came here wanting to stop the whole thing. I'm so sorry, Nat. This isn't at all how I imagine this day going. I'm trying to get her to leave, but she won't—"
"Andrew, stop," I begged, my words getting caught in my throat. "It's okay. If I hadn't met her before and knew what kind of person she is, I'd be insanely worried, but...I know her and I know you and...no matter how hard she tries, she will never get moderately close to 'stealing' you from me." I stood in front of him and slowly brought his hand down. Finally, I was able to stare into the eyes I wanted to see for the rest of my life. "I love you, Andrew. Normally this would bother me, but I'm too excited to possibly let this bother me."
Julian came sprinting from the other room, bending down to catch his breath. "What the hell, man? You leave the room and come do the one thing they ask you not to do before a wedding?"
Andrew rolled his eyes. "Julian. I'm fine. Now, can you please give us some privacy?"
"Okay." He backed away. His sly smile, though, told us he was up to nothing good. "Okay, fine. But as your best man I am entitled to remove unwanted guests in any way possible and that's what I will do!"
"No, Julian—" began Andrew, but Julian had already ran the other way, probably brainstorming ways he could legally kick Amber out. He gulped hard when he could finally get a proper look at me. "God, Nat...you look beautiful."
I bit my bottom lip to keep it from quivering. I registered his wrinkle-free tuxedo and perfectly messy-yet-presentable hair. "And you...you look so handsome."
"I say screw bad luck. If the universe didn't want us to get married, it would have sent us a sign a long time ago," he said, pulling me to his chest. "All I know is I want to marry you and I don't give a damn if my crazy ex-wife protests. I love you."
My eyes closed, trapping the tears inside. A few managed to escape, but he wiped them away, vigilant enough to not mess up my makeup. "I love you, too. I wanted today to be perfect—"
"It will be perfect. It is perfect." His lips grazed mine. "As far as I'm concerned, if you get down the aisle without Amber creating a scene, it will be a success."
I laughed, tightening my grip around him. "I wish we could stay like this, but there has to be someone waiting for me at the end of the aisle or I will be disappointed."
He snuck in one last kiss before letting me pull away. I found the fact that it was our last kiss before officially becoming husband and wife was captivating.
"I'll see you in the chapel," he faintly said, letting go of my hand.
"I'll see you there."
I closed the door behind me and peeked at the clock. Ten minutes until I walked. My stomach wouldn't stop churning. I wanted to marry Andrew this second—not wait another forty minutes until it was valid.
My loyal group of bridesmaids formed a circle around me. "What's wrong?"
I held my hands up in defense. "Andrew's ex-wife is here, but it's no big deal. There's nothing that can ruin this day."
Brittany wrinkled her nose. "Amber, that bitch."
"It's alright. But I need to be waiting behind all of you in less than five minutes." I touched the back of my hair lightly. "I'm ready when you all are. Where's my bouquet?"
Haley bowed her head and walked toward me, the bouquet hiding her pretty face. "It's right here."
My heart had done many things that day, but seeing Haley in her dress and her hair pulled into a curled bun made it skip a beat. Even though she wasn't my blood child, I loved her like my own. Her and Andrew meant the world to me. I was lucky to call them family.
I bent down and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Haley."
"I love you, too, Natalie. You're going to be the best stepmom ever!" She gave me the bouquet. "I'll go stand in line with Justin."
The next three minutes passed by in a blur. I held on tightly to the bouquet as Angie and Brittany led me to the end of the line. Mark greeted me with a wide smile, handing me his arm. "Are you ready?"
I nodded and tried to swallow, but my throat tightened. It wasn't until now that I fully realized what was to come. The weight of the next five minutes finally took its toll. "A little nervous. Okay, a lot nervous. This is normal right?"
He touched my hand. "Of course. I'd be worried if you weren't nervous."
"When Grace walked down the aisle...what was going on through your head?" I asked, my left foot impatiently tapping.
As we inched toward the entrance, the organ echoed throughout the church. Angie and Julian stood in front of us. She momentarily looked back at us and winked. "Good luck, Nat!"
Julian shot me an identical expression. "Don't trip."
Angie elbowed him. "That's not funny, Julian!"
He only laughed.
Before I knew it, they slowly moved forward and disappeared down the violet carpet. I felt sick—I was dangerously close to throwing up the little breakfast I ate this morning.
"I thought she was absolutely stunning," Mark said next to me.
"What?" I whispered.
"To answer your question. Granted, there were a million things going on in my head when I saw Grace, but most of all I was grateful I had her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Next to you, of course." He winked, stiffening. "I can't say that's exactly what Andrew is thinking right now, but something along those lines."
I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. The music changed and the crowd stood up. This was the moment I would remember forever—all the eyes were on me. Mine, however, were on my amazing soon-to-be husband, who couldn't tear his away from mine.
We were walking slow, but each pair of eyes made me want to walk faster. Grace smiled at us from the second row; Haley beamed at me as she stood in front of Angie. There was a spot reserved for my mother, in my mind at least. I wanted her here, but I knew she was watching from above.
What ruined the moment was seeing Amber in the fifth row, hiding behind my cousins. I couldn't imagine how her appearance affected Andrew. Yes, I couldn't stand her, but she wasn't my ex. If Jack had somehow shown up today, my mind would have been buzzing uncontrollably.
I forced my eyes away from her and instead found solace in Andrew's. They always calmed me down.
Eventually, we stopped only a few feet from Andrew. Mark pulled my veil up and kissed my forehead. I squeezed his arm and whispered, "Thank you."
He found his seat while I stood by Andrew. "Hi," I said, smiling widely.
"Hi," he replied, grabbing my hand.
The preacher nodded his head at us and began the ceremony. My heart was going crazy. If it were going any faster I'd topple over and die right here. Andrew held onto my hands with all the strength he could muster.
I heard Angie deeply sigh when it came time for the vows. I didn't want to look back, but I thought I heard Brittany sniffling. That only made my tears fall heavier and faster.
He went first, promising everything the priest said. But he personalized the message, as well. "You're the love of my life, Natalie," he finished, inching closer. I just wanted to kiss him already. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." He grabbed the ring and slipped it on my finger, staring at me the entire time.
I gently wiped a tear from my eye. It could have messed up my makeup and I wouldn't have cared.
The preacher looked at me. I swallowed and began the list of vows I had written months ago. When the moment came, however, I didn't say most of it due to time purposes. This was the last duty before we were officially married—I didn't want to delay anything. So I summed up my main points, making sure to highlight my dedication to him and Haley. "I'm so in love with you, Andrew," I said, my voice shaking as I put on his ring. "Can you just be my husband already?"
Angie giggled, along with several people from the crowd. I didn't mean to say it out loud, but Andrew laughed, moving even closer.
Then came my favorite part.
"By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may—"
We both crashed into each other as fast as we could, earning an ear-splitting cheer from the audience. He pulled away slowly and muttered, "I love you."
"And I love you," I replied, kissing him again.
In that kiss, we promised we'd never lie and never take each other for granted. But most of all, we promised to always love each other through every lazy Saturday afternoon and second of boredom along the way. In that kiss, we made promises we didn't even know we'd make. It sealed our love for all eternity and gave me the right to call Andrew my husband.