"Such a shame none of your friends could be here," Harriet said.
"I honestly don't mind, Mom," Goldie answered. The truth was that she'd lost touch with most of her friends, even the ones from college. The babies and Jeff took up most of her time, and she was just fine with it.
Goldie was standing in front of her mother in a winter wedding dress, nothing too fancy, since no one would really see it, but Goldie thought it looked nice.
She'd approached Jeff the night before about how publicized their wedding would be, because there was no way she could avoid a confrontation with Griffen if he got wind of it.
"If you're saying you don't want my team to put out a press release, that's not a problem," Jeff assured her. "We can keep it completely off the grid. May I ask why, though? Do you not want anyone to know?"
Goldie thought fast and hard. "I don't know, I guess after what happened with Pippa, I'm just nervous about anyone knowing anything about us, you know? I mean, I know she wasn't targeted because she's Philippa Ormonde, Jeffrey Ormonde's daughter, but it still feels, I don't know, a little scary?"
Jeff put his arms around her and kissed her temple. "Of course, of course, no one need know at all."
"Thank you."
"Goldie?" Her mother's voice pulled her back to the present, and the wedding dress she was currently modeling for her. "Is that the one you want?"
Goldie nodded. "It's not too fancy, and not too expensive, either," she said.
"You know, your father and I wanted to talk to you about that," Harriet began. "I know Jeff said he was paying for everything, but we always planned to pay for a wedding for you if and when the time came. Should we push harder? Offer to pay for some?"
Goldie shook her head. "He means it, Mom."
"He does," Jeff echoed, entering the spacious, mirror covered fitting room. "No pushing on this, I'm paying for it all."
"Jeff! You're not supposed to see the bride in her dress before the day, it's bad luck!" Goldie gasped, looking for a place to hide.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" Jeff covered his eyes, but of course it was too late. "I guess you can't wear that dress, then."
"But it's perfect," Goldie objected. "It's not too showy, reasonably priced—"
"And totally boring," Jeff finished for her.
He turned to Harriet. "May I speak to my fiancée alone, please?"
Harriet nodded and stepped out to a hallway with chairs.
"Did you see the look on your mum's face?" Jeff asked, carefully taking Goldie in his arms. "The complete and utter lack of excitement? You're her only daughter, and hopefully this is your only wedding, right? Please, don't think about lack of showiness or cost. Think of her. Christ on a bike, think of me."
"You? You care about my wedding dress?" Goldie was surprised.
"Well, I like to think this will be my only wedding as well," Jeff responded, smiling, dimple popping. He brushed his curly hair off his forehead. "And, even though it was pulled together rather quickly, I want it done right, you know? I've just come from being fitted for a wedding tux with my dad, and it's not a tame little suit, I assure you. I'd love to see you in something resplendent, opulent, glorious, you know?"
Goldie stared at him, a small smile playing about her lips. "Really?"
"Yes. Just because it's not going to be a huge wedding, doesn't mean I don't want things done right. I'm already being spared the cost of splashing out on a huge do, so please, pick a nice, expensive dress." He looked down at the table, where a binder full of photographs of dresses sat.
"Like this, possibly." He pointed out a gorgeous dress, with long sleeves and matching cape.
He kissed Goldie. "Okay, got to go meet my dad, see how his fitting's going. So I can leave you to it? We understand each other?"
Goldie saluted him smartly, and he kissed her again before taking his leave, sending Harriet back in on his way out.
"A bit of a change of plans, mom," Goldie informed her. "Gladys?" she called to the assistant. "We need to see some different dresses, please."
Fifteen minutes later, Goldie turned once more to her mother. "What do you think?"
Harriet's glowing face told Goldie all she needed to know. "Darling, it's exquisite, but it's ten times the cost of the other, and that's not even taking into account the cape."
"It's what Jeff wants, too," Goldie assured her.
"Well, you look stunning," Harriet told her, tears in her eyes. "The most beautiful bride I've ever seen."
"I must say, I agree," Gladys put in, hands pressed together against her bosom as she looked at Goldie. "Absolutely magnificent."
"Okay, then, we'll take it," Goldie announced.
"It will need to be taken up, and let out in the bust, but that will be no problem," Gladys said, whipping out her tablet and measuring tape.
"The story of my life," Goldie sighed. "Short and boobalicious, that's me."
*************
The day of the wedding dawned cold and clear, just as they'd hoped. It was to be held outside, in the little grove of trees behind the Ormonde's cottage, and no one was attending except both sets of parents, Goldie's brother, and the girls, of course.
Pippa, Jemma and Genie looked absolutely adorable in matching pink coats and hats, and even the other adults had really pulled out all the stops in their finery.
"Wowza, Grant, I don't think I've ever seen you look so good," Goldie teased her brother. "You clean up nice."
"Your future husband paid for it," Grant told her. "It's from the same shop where he and his father got their suits." He put his arms around his sister's waist from behind and kissed her cheek as they admired themselves in the mirror.
"Basically, this is a photo op with vows and good food," Grant noted. "Which is fine with me. That's the way weddings should be, I think." He grinned. "And you look outstanding, sis," he told her, his voice soft. "I'm always proud to be your brother, but never more than today."
"Aww, Grant, don't make me cry, I'll ruin the makeup Mom put on me," Goldie complained. She was moved by his words, however, and didn't mind the little touch up she had to do with a tissue.
"You ready?"
Goldie nodded.
"Okay, see you out there." And Grant was gone, leaving Goldie in the downstairs lounge alone. Her parents, the girls and Jeff, along with his parents, were already outside.
She opened the door in a few minutes and signaled to Grant, who told the wedding officiant that Goldie was coming.
She began walking down the cleared path in her wedding dress, not even feeling the cold. To her surprise, there was a violinist, who began playing the most beautiful piece of music Goldie had ever heard. She couldn't place it, but it was lilting and lovely.
Then she saw Jeff, and how he was looking at her, and all other thoughts fled.
Oh wow, he mouthed. And she could tell he was getting tearful.
Harriet was holding Jemma, Pat carried Genie, and Grant had Pippa in his arms.
"Godie!" they called. And "Godie dress!" they announced to all and sundry. Everyone smiled.
Their vows were short and sweet.
"I, Jeffrey Thomas, take you, Goldie Irene, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward. I will look to no other for comfort or solace, but keep myself only unto you."
"I, Goldie Irene, take you, Jeffrey Thomas, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward. I will look to no other for comfort or solace, but keep myself only unto you."
Goldie and Jeff kissed, as the girls told everyone, "Godie Dada kiss!"
Then everyone was laughing and crying and clapping, and it was over.
"Where'd the violinist come from?" Goldie asked as she and Jeff posed for their first picture as husband and wife. Gordon was "a bit of an amateur photographer," as he put it, and insisted on taking all the photographs himself. "And what was he playing? It was beautiful."
"Actually, he was playing something I wrote," Jeff admitted, smiling as he squeezed her waist.
"Jeff, I didn't know you were writing again," Goldie said. "How marvelous!"
"Yeah, I think that one's going to be a whole song by the time I'm finished with it." He kissed Goldie's temple, and his father got a picture of the moment. "It's called 'Goldie's Theme.'"
Goldie locked eyes with him.
"It's your song, darling, I thought of you the whole time I wrote it."
Goldie leaned in to kiss him, but suddenly they were surrounded by the girls, who'd been squirming to be let down.
Jeff and Goldie picked them up, so Gordon could get a picture of the new family. Goldie put her cape on because now she did feel the cold, and Gordon had to get shots of her in it as well, so they were outside a good twenty minutes after the service, chatting and milling about.
Then it was time to head up to the house for lunch, which had been catered by a restaurant in London.
"You call this 'not splashing out'?" Goldie asked Jeff when she saw the spread.
He squeezed her hand. "My only wedding," he repeated, his voice serious. "Now go and take your bride photos, quickly, please, I'm starving."
Goldie went to the front room, where the light was perfect, and Gordon arranged her dress as she sat in the window seat before he took her picture.
"Ah, these are going to be absolutely lovely," Gordon assured her as he snapped away. "You're just pretty as a picture, you are."
Goldie smiled her thanks.
After he finished, they went to join the others, who had already filled their plates and were tucking in, as the saying went.
"You really don't mind not having a honeymoon?" Jeff asked.
Goldie shook her head. "I don't want to go anywhere without the girls, do you?"
Jeff also shook his head. He sat next to Goldie, or as close as he could, given her voluminous dress. He gestured out to where their mothers were feeding the girls, like puppies, just holding them in their laps and inserting the food off the end of a fork.
"You realize you're their mum, now?" Jeff murmured. "You didn't marry just me, you married all of us?
Goldie looked at him and nodded.
"The happiest day of my life," she told him. "I can't think of anything I could want beyond what I have right now."
"Me either," Jeff replied.
And they kissed, plates in their laps, while sitting on the hearth together.
And Gordon got a picture of that, too.