/Henry/
I tinkered with my cravat in an effort to perfect my appearance. I really wanted today to go off without a hitch because Samantha so well deserved a good one. She'd been there for me like a rock ever since everything went down, and she was so resilient and encouraging that it took my breath away.
I did a quick scan of the entire space with my eyes. People were dressed to the nines and smiled as they conversed with one another while seated on the benches. Both my family and Samantha's were seated on the wooden benches, waiting with bated breath for the performance.
I looked over to see Anika seated in the front and noticed that she had a tissue in her hand. She was wiping her eyes and had a small smile on her face. I managed to catch her attention, and she responded by grinning at me while sniffing and staring at me lovingly. She had always told Samantha and me that one day we would get married, and now here we are, so I guess she must have known that this day would eventually arrive.
The conclusion of this ceremony was something I couldn't wait to see. It's not that I wanted it to go away or anything like that, but I simply couldn't wait for her to return to her role as Mrs. Williams. When I found out that she wasn't technically my wife, it was a little soul-destroying, and I needed to get my ring back on her finger as quickly as possible. It's surprising how quickly you get used to everything, and when I found out that she wasn't technically my wife, it was a little soul-destroying.
Also, once the ceremony and the celebration that followed were over, I would have the opportunity to take my new bride to a posh small hotel room that I had reserved, complete with a large four-poster bed, and finally consummate our marriage in the appropriate manner. Then, once everything was through, we would have two weeks of blissful alone on a tropical beach. I couldn't contain my excitement about that.
I turned around when I heard something rustling from behind me, and as I did, I saw the Priest standing there with his book ready to go in his hand. He flashed me a quick smile, and my heart began to race; did his action indicate that she was currently present? I took a deep breath to calm myself down and glanced over at Jerry.
He gave me a grin and tapped me on the shoulder. It was only fitting that he would be my best man for the second time, as not only was he my best friend, but also tradition stated that he needed to hook up with the bridesmaid, and I was fairly certain that Susan would kick my ass if I chose someone else. Not only was he my best friend, but also tradition stated that he needed to hook up with the bridesmaid.
They had hooked up a lot before that, but Susan had informed Samantha that she decided to go for it after I had my accident. They had been dating for the past four months, and Susan had told Samantha that they had hooked up a lot before that. It appears that they were the precise words that she used when she said that she had come to the conclusion that life was too short to spend time worrying about getting wounded and that she wanted to take a chance before someone else snagged him.
The music started playing, which served as a clue that they had arrived. This waiting felt like it would never end; my palms were sweaty and my feet were dying to hurry to the front door so that I could see her as soon as possible. I let out a low laugh under my breath. I hadn't seen her since the night before since she was determined to uphold the custom and had driven me out of our apartment as a gesture of good fortune.
Instead, she invited the girls over to stay the night. However, I couldn't help but phone her the night before to make sure that she hadn't changed her mind about meeting up with me and wasn't going to cancel on us. The two of us had ended up chatting for more than an hour about unrelated topics until she dozed off while we were on the phone together; I could hear her heavy breathing through the receiver.
I became aware of Jerry's groaning next to me, and I quickly looked over to examine his face. He had turned around and was looking in the opposite direction with a passionate expression on his face and a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was eyeing the other direction.
I turned around to see what he was looking at, but when I did, I realized that he was staring at a who and not a what. Susan was wearing a "off white" dress with a yellow ribbon knotted around her waist as she walked down the aisle for the wedding. With a chic twist added to the back of her hair, she looked stunning, and I couldn't help but notice it. As she approached Jerry at the front of the line, she flashed him a kind grin and a faint blush.
When she reached the finish line, she turned around and stood on the opposite side of the aisle before turning back to wait hopefully at the door. Oh my God, we've reached the end!
My chest tightened up and my breath got caught in my throat when I saw her step around the corner. I had no doubt that she would look stunning, as I had always known she would, but I never could have guessed that she would look so absolutely breathtaking. The ivory silk off-the-shoulder dress clung to the upper half of her body before spilling out at her hips.
The dress had layers upon layers of silk that fell to the floor and trailed after her for a little distance. It shaped itself to her in all of the appropriate places, highlighting everything she had to offer while, at the same time, hiding everything so that only I could see what was hidden underneath.
She appeared to have been plucked right out of the pages of one of the bridal magazines that the woman had been pouring over obsessively for the past two months. Although the veil covered her face, it was still transparent enough for me to glimpse her beautiful features through it. Her hair had been pushed back at the crown of her head, leaving loose curls free to fall across the front of her head. She was seen walking about with a bunch of yellow tulips, which were her favorite flowers.
I felt like the happiest guy in the world when I saw how beautiful she looked, and she made me feel even luckier.
James gave her a warm, congratulatory smile as they made their way toward me with his arm slung over her shoulder and looped through his own. My palms were sweating even more than they already were, my mouth was dry, and I could hardly stop myself from walking down the aisle and meeting her halfway just so I could be closer to her. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her, and I couldn't stop my mouth from drying out.
James smiled broadly at me as he glanced up at me, and I couldn't help but give him the same expression in return. I felt like the kitty who got the cream. As Samantha came closer to me, I could see that she was nibbling on her lip and that she had a hint of flush on her cheeks since everyone around her was going "Ahh" as she walked by them.
When they eventually arrived at my side after what seemed like an eternity, I was assailed by her recognizable odor. It had taken them an eternity to reach me. I stifled the need to groan since she looked so amazing that I couldn't help but run my eyes over every part of her body. I resisted the urge to sigh. Susan moved up and grabbed the flowers that were in front of her while her father lifted her veil and folded it over the top of her head.
Samantha turned her head to look at me, and I couldn't hide the pleased grin that spread across my lips as I realized that this girl was mine. I greeted her with a whispered "hi."
She gave me her most charming smile and then mumbled "Hi" in response.
As the priest began his brief "We are gathered here today" speech, the priest cleared his throat ever-so-slightly, and I averted my gaze away from the person I have spent my entire life loving. Finally, he finished what he needed to say, and he turned to look at James. When he did, I noticed that James' eyes were misty from unshed tears.
He smiled down at his daughter, and then he put her left hand in mine. I understood exactly what he wanted to say; he was pleading with his eyes for me to care after her. I offered him a little nod of reassurance as his eyes met mine in a silent exchange. I knew precisely what he wanted to say. It was unnecessary for him to say anything because he knew I would always look out for Samantha.
Anika, who was still shedding silent tears but had a delighted smile on her face, was encircled by her father's arm as Samantha gave her father a peck on the cheek just as he was stepping back and wrapping his arm around her. As we both turned back to face the front to make our commitments to one another, I gave Samantha's hand a light squeeze, and she responded by letting out a satisfied sigh.
I made it a point to commit to memory every single second of the wedding, including every single word, every single motion she made, and every single breath she took. Since we were so intoxicated the last time we were in Vegas, I didn't get to see much of what was going on, and I really wanted to be able to image everything perfectly.
I re-placed the ring on her finger for the second time, this time with the intention that it would stay there permanently. This time, everything was above board; both her mother and James gave their approval, so there was no one who could stop us from doing what we wanted to do.
"At this time, I will officially pronounce you husband and wife. The priest smiled and nodded at me before telling me, "Now is the appropriate time to kiss your bride."
It's high time!
I gave her a grin and drew in my body to get closer to her. Her blue eyes met mine, and I exhaled a breath of satisfaction at the realization that we were finally married. It was as if nothing had ever happened; she was Mrs. Williams once more.
She let out a soft cry just as my lips made contact with hers, and in response, I moved in closer to her and kissed her more passionately. Her hand clutched the side of my grey suit jacket, and she kissed me back just as passionately. I broke the kiss and put my forehead against hers as I pulled away. She didn't immediately open her eyes, but the corner of her mouth began to pull back into a smile as she brought me closer to her. Her hand tightened its grip on my jacket as she did this.
I uttered the words "I love you, Samantha bear" in a hushed tone.
When her eyes eventually opened and met mine, they were filled with such fervent love and longing that it almost jolted me to the very center of my being. I was still having trouble wrapping my head around the idea that this incredible girl wanted me, and I couldn't help but wonder how I had been so lucky.
Henry, she whispered in his ear, "I love you too."
I turned around to look at everyone who had come here today to show their support for us and witness us make our commitment to each other while I grinned proudly and pulled away from her while grabbing her hand in mine.
My mother and father were sitting just behind me in the pew, and they were both beaming at my sister and me. I returned their grin and quickly cast my gaze over the rest of the church. Everyone that we know and have ever known was present, including members of my extended family that I hadn't seen in years and even a few of our former professors.
I gave Samantha another one of my reassuring smiles and asked, "Are we ready then, Mrs. Williams?" I inquired while pointing the back of my head towards the place at the rear of the church where we had been instructed to go in order to sign the register for our marriage. I walked my wife back there with pride, followed by Jerry and Susan, as well as the parents of James and Anika, who were all acting as witnesses and would need to sign the marriage certificate as well. She smiled and nodded.
James congratulated me by patting me on the shoulder and then giving me a slight nod of his head. He extended his hand to me and greeted me with the words, "Welcome to the family, Son." I gave him a firm handshake and a hearty laugh. Although I had known them for years, it was good to finally hear them acknowledge my presence in their family.
After we had all signed our names and made sure everything was in order, we made our way back into the church, which was now completely empty. I had a firm grip on Samantha's hand and watched her carefully as she moved around in that stunning garment. Confetti and rice were thrown at us from all angles as soon as we came out of the church doors. Some of it got in my mouth, and I couldn't help but laugh while Samantha giggled uncontrollably next to me.
I gave her one more kiss as everything collapsed around us, and I could hear the click of cameras all over the place. I took a step back and looked at Samantha; she was wearing the broadest smile I've ever seen, and she had confetti all over her body, including her hair, her shoulders, and even a bit clinging to the side of her cheek. To me, she had never appeared more stunning as she did in that moment.
The entirety of my life had been leading up to this very moment. This was the best moment of my life, and all of a sudden I was glad that my last marriage wasn't recognized by the law. I was standing here in a rain of different colored paper, and I felt like I had finally returned home. It's not often that someone gets to say they've married their dream girl not once, but twice.
I took her by the hand and walked her down the steps to the car that was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs and would drive us to the after party. I was counting down the hours before I would finally be reunited with my wife, and I couldn't contain my excitement. Just a few more hours to go!
Following the completion of the remarks and the serving of the meals, the music began. Immediately, I was able to identify the tune. It was the song that encapsulated everything about Samantha for me in a nutshell. James Morrison, you are the one who makes it happen. I reached out and held her hand while smiling and asking, "Want to dance?" I inquired while pointing in the direction of the dance floor.
She showed great enthusiasm by nodding her head and standing up, which enabled me to guide her over to the unoccupied dance floor. When I led this girl out to the dance for the very first time as my wife, I couldn't help but feel a sense of immense pride. To be able to say that I was married to my best friend makes me one of the fortunate individuals in the world, as there aren't that many people who can say that.
After taking her in my arms, we began to move in time to the music. I could almost get lost in her eyes because of how inviting they were; she had the most stunningly gorgeous, large blue eyes I've ever seen, and I couldn't help but feel like I was being sucked into them. I moved my hand up her back in a steady motion, enjoying the sensation of the smooth fabric under my fingers as I did so. She appeared to be in great shape, and I knew that I would never forget the way that she looked at this very moment.