Chapter Four: I do
Snow covered the entire valley similar to those Christmas movies you love watching. The ones that make you sip hot cocoa, sit by a fire, and cuddle with a nice book to read. Eve and Gideon decided to have their wedding at Lake Mead, where the snow looked like a winter wonderland. The lake was frozen over appearing as glass, sparkling in the early morning light. Ness and Ronnie prepped the area, they brought in a beautiful white canopy, and chairs to match. There was baby blue, and lavender tulle accenting the chairs and garlands, the best of the winter colors.
They strung white lights to give it an ethereal feeling, it was beautiful. It sparkled, a truly dream wedding, she couldn’t have asked for a better set up. They only invited close friends, and family. Riley was Gideon’s best man, and the girls were Eve’s.
The girls’ dresses were ivory, with purple and blue sashes. The men wore black suits; the vest was lavender, while the ties were blue. Eve’s dress was lavender, it hugged her figure down to her mid thighs, there was baby blue tulle pouring out of the bottom tresses, making it seem like a princess gown. The bodice embraced her figure, gems and sequins sprinkled everywhere with little diamond accents encasing her entire frame. Her train felt as if it was a mile long, but it was absolutely stunning. The intricate sewing of lace and tulle brought tears to her eyes.
She was the most beautiful thing out there, her smile bright, cheeks rosy, and her heart finally at ease. The veil covered her face, but you could still see how lovely she looked underneath.
Gideon watched her walk down the aisle. His eyes were glistening with unshed tears. There was nothing in the world that could describe the way he looked at her while she made her way to him. Her heart felt full, finally she loved how it should be, and with the man who was made for her. Together, they decided on “Never Stop – wedding version by SafetySuit,” for the song she’d walk down the aisle in. The words sang true, he made her feel like the only woman out there.
It played in the background, but all she could focus on was the man in front of her. Gideon was her dream come true—biotech changed her life forever. Tears now streamed freely down his cheeks, his smile so large she couldn’t help but beam in return. She slowly made it to him; his eyes were lit up and glossy, but it was how handsome he looked that overtook her mind. His suit was like Riley’s, but he wore it better. No one could ever dress better in a suit than her man.
“You are so fucking beautiful, kitten. My god, I’m blessed to have loved you.” Her tears threatened to escape from his words.
“Don’t you dare ruin your makeup, Evangeline! I spent two hours to perfect that shit!” Ronnie screamed out, provoking laughter from everyone. She didn’t move to touch her face. She didn’t want it to rub off. A joke Gideon gave her once that stuck with her. She wore too much makeup one day, attempting to contour and shade perfectly to feel like a model. He observed her, told her she was beautiful. Then out of the blue he went to hug her, pausing suddenly, “Be careful, your face may rub off if I hug you too tightly.” She giggled at the memory, at a man that made her heart and mind content. This was their moment.
“Everyone, it is so nice to have you here on this special day.” The minister boomed. People cheered in the background, and Eve laughed at the silliness of it all, as if they were celebrities finally tying the knot. “We are here today to unite these two precious souls. It is a blessing to witness such a bonding of love.” Eve radiated, the words couldn’t ring truer at any moment.
“They wanted to announce the love they brought together has bared them a child. His name will be Declan Daxby Blackwell, in honor of their fathers. They are now here to unite their family and themselves in love and happiness.” They all clapped at the news of their child, the one she carried inside of her. She finally cried, all she ever wanted was a family with Gideon, and now they would have that. Or maybe she cried over hormones, she could no longer tell the difference.
“Gideon and Evangeline have written their own vows to recite, we will start with Gideon.” Gideon, coughed, he looked completely nervous and scared.
“Oh man, I didn’t think professing my love for a woman would be so nerve wracking. If I babble or stutter, be sure to smack me.” He laughed, Eve smacked his arm laughing too. “I think I can handle that,” she confessed.
“Okay, here it goes.” He took in a deep shaky breath, letting it out in another.
“Evangeline Rosemary Carpenter, the day we met was so very special to me. Though I didn’t know it at the time, it changed everything for me. I know I messed up and we spent far too many years apart, but I knew that you were the one. You were the one that got away. I told people that when they asked me about settling down, you were the only one I saw having that kind of life with. I wish I could have been a better man before, so this would have been much sooner.” He grabbed her hands, holding them in his, staring into her eyes as deeply as he could. She’d call it soul gazing.
“Look at us now, we are here together,” he gestured to her and then back to himself. “If anyone could have told me our future would be this very moment, I would have never let you go. I love you more than words could explain, and if words could possibly describe how much I love you, then it wouldn’t be as profound of a love as it is. I wouldn’t change it for the world.” Tears trickled down his face, his voice thickened with emotion.
“Our love is unlike anything I’ve ever seen or heard of. You read about them in books, you watch them in movies, but until we experienced it together I thought they were fairy tales. When you came back into my life like a shooting star, begging to be cherished and adored, I was a goner. There was no one on this earth that could take that away from me. There is nothing I wanted more in life than to make you my wife, and bare my children. I feel like we can have all of that and find our paradise together. I hope you’ll love me forever too, and want to spend forever with me regardless of how many times I annoy you each day.” There were no dry eyes, everyone cried along with them, and suddenly she felt as if her vows would never touch the surface.
“Evangeline, it’s your turn to share your vows,” the minister said, smiling widely.
“Wow, I don’t even know what to say that would touch your soul like your words have touched mine.” She blew out a worried breath, “Gideon Levi Blackwell, I don’t know what it is about you that makes me love you, but I do. From the moment you kissed me, to the moment you literally barged back into my life, there’s something there that’s unexplainable about our love.”
She grabbed his face, only breaths away, showing him her emotions. “You make me feel helpless to loving you, and it’s an addiction I don’t ever want to let go. You make my heart beat rapidly every time you are near me, your words caress me like a soft comforting blanket, and your kisses shatter me.”
She kissed his nose, pulling back to look into his eyes, “Deep down I know it’s dangerous to love someone so unbreakably and irrevocably like I do you, but I’ll never stop, and I have no desire to.” Touching his cheek, she trailed down to his neck, grabbing it so they are as close as possible.
“You are my life, Gideon. You are my happy place, and the only person I want forever, and that’s my only wish in the world. We are starting a family, something I have only dreamt of since being a little girl. You have made my life complete and forever isn’t enough, but damn it, I will settle if that is all we get together. Because together is all I need until the end of time, and I promise I will protect your heart in this madness we share. This is our time, baby.”
“Please take the rings and place them on each other’s fingers.” Riley handed them the rings, and they placed them on one another.
“I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
That kissed changed it all. It was as if the earth shattered into a million pieces, and this kiss brought it back, piece by piece into a whole entity. Letting it live on through her endlessly. That kiss was everything.
The only thing that could make their wedding better would be a dance with her father. He was one helluva dancer, and she would be so pleased to have him meet his new son-in-law. She truly believed he’d like him.
They smiled, danced, and spent the entire night hanging out with friends. When the part finally ended they went home and made love over and over again.
They got their happy ending, everyone deserved a happy ending.