My eyes well up with tears. “Thanks,” I whisper. That means a lot coming from him.
I grab his and Mum’s hand. “Bridget, hold hands with us. I want to talk to Dad,” I ask. She grabs Brock’s and Mum’s hands and we stand in a circle and bow our heads.
“Dad,” I whisper and instantly the tears block my voice. “I wish you could be here today, Dad… and I know you would be if you could.” Bridget’s bottom lip starts to tremble and I pause again. “I just wanted to thank you… for everything. For bringing me into this world… for showing me what true love was by the way you loved Mum… and for saving my life. For never leaving me in that room alone. I know it was you who saved me.” The lump gets really big in my throat and I hesitate. Mum sobs out loud, unable to hold it in any longer. “My dream has come true, Dad. He loves me and today I am marrying him.” I sob as I start to ugly-cry. “Your empty seat will be at the table next to Mum’s,” I whisper and Brock drops his head as a tear rolls down his face. “I promise to make you proud, Dad. I’m going to be such a good wife.” It gets too much and the room falls silent as we cry, all lost in our own grief.
“I love you Dad,” I sob.
“I love you Dad,” Bridget repeats.
“I love you Dad,” Brock whispers.
We all stay silent as we wait for Mum and after a silence that seems to go on forever she whispers, “I love you, my darling. Meet me at the gates when my day comes.”
I drop my head as the sound of broken hearts sob. Brock breaks the moment and wraps his arms around us and we all embrace.
“Enough sadness.” He smiles as he wipes his face and we all shake our heads as we pull ourselves together.
Abbie sticks her head around the door. “It’s time.” She is smiling but her face falls when she sees we are all in tears. “Those better be fucking happy tears.” She smiles and we all laugh.
Brock holds his arm out for me, I take it and we follow Bridget and Abbie as we walk out over the pool and around to the metal gates. I stand at the top of the stairs as the wind catches my face and I smile when I see Joshua, Cameron and Adrian standing at the flower-adorned altar. The violinist starts to play a traditional wedding song and slowly, as goosebumps cover my skin, we make our way down the steps. Joshua looks up and sees me and instantly his eyes cloud over in emotion and I see him swallow the lump in his throat. I break into a full-beam smile and I want to run and jump into his arms but instead I somehow hold it together and we walk up the aisle between our closest family and friends. This walk seems never-ending. When finally we get to Joshua, he shakes Brock’s hand and he then takes mine. Unable to help it I lean up to gently kiss him.
“Hello,” I whisper.
“Hello, my beautiful bride,” he whispers back. He kisses me again and then again, and then our kiss turns passionate and we forget where we are and our family all laugh and clap. Realisation hits and I giggle into his kiss and pull back. We turn around to everyone and they all laugh and shake their heads.
Embarrassed, we turn back to face the minister.
And then I am lost. I watch in slow motion as the beautiful man in front of me declares his love and I declare mine.
“Do you, Joshua Stanton, take Natasha Marx 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?”
His eyes hold mine and my heart stops.
“I do,” he replies.
And then it’s my turn
“Do you, Natasha Marx, take Joshua Stanton 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 smile broadly. “I do,” I reply.
Joshua places the gold band on my finger and I place one on his and we both laugh out loud and our family claps and cheers.
“You may kiss the bride.
I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Joshua’s eyes meet mine and I smile through my tears. To the sounds of our friends and family cheering, he tenderly kisses me and as my eyes close I melt into a new kind of wonderful.
As long as he loves me, there will always be magic.
****
Thank you for reading
If you are not ready to leave Stanton Land yet
there are more books to come