Chapter20
Lincoln stood at the altar set up in the front of the room, the view from the top of the Space Needle through the windows that surrounded the room breathtaking. Behind him, the Puget Sound was visible in the distance, the colorful sunset sky stunning against its tranquil waters.
A veritable who’s who of Seattle society filled the guest list, along with several people Charity and Lincoln had known since childhood. It had taken some doing to get people there on such short notice, but as he looked at the overflowing seats on the bride’s side of the room, he knew he wasn’t the only one who thought Charity was worth all the fuss.
He’d chosen the venue for just that reason. The staff at the Space Needle had turned the spacious conference room on the viewing deck into an elegant little chapel, complete with gorgeous seating, flowers in every corner of the room, and a string quartet. The adjoining room was already set up for the reception and would offer amazing night views once the ceremony was over and the sun went down.
But the elegance of the venue and the stunning view was lost on him as he waited for his bride to appear. The same judge from the courthouse wedding stood beside him at the altar, but this time, she was dressed in a long, flowing dress instead of judge’s robes. She’d been elated when he’d called and asked her to do the ceremony, but he couldn’t imagine it without her. She was as much a part of their story as anyone else had been in the short, whirlwind romance, and he couldn’t wait to see Charity’s face when she recognized her.
“This is perfect,” she said quietly. “Has she seen any of this yet?”
“Nope,” he said with a wry smile. “She was too busy picking out the perfect dress with Shanice while I worked on other things. She told the planner the colors over the phone and it was a surprise for both of us.”
“Shanice is going to be here?” she laughed softly. “That should shake things up a little.”
“That’s a nice way of putting it, Judge.”
“Please, call me Marilyn. There’s enough stuffiness in this room to go around.”
Lincoln snickered, but then the music changed, a curtain rustled in the back of the room, and all eyes were on the entrance waiting for the bride.
The curtain moved some more, and a hand poked out, waving wildly as Shanice searched for the opening.
“We’re off to a good start,” Marilyn said.
Lincoln watched, half in amazement and half in horror as the dance between the curtain and the maid of honor continued. Then all at once, Shanice stumbled out onto the red carpet made entirely of rose petals in an electric blue dress that was tight in all the right places—for a Vegas wedding.
She looked around at the crowd, then scowled, spinning and reaching through the curtain, and pulling hard.
Will appeared out of nowhere, looking a little bewildered when Shanice put her arm through his and moved so that they were joined at the hip as they walked.
“Is that lipstick by his ear?” Marilyn asked in a hushed whisper.
“I wouldn’t doubt it. Will and Shanice really hit it off this morning, then they left to get some things done.”
“What things did they have to do?” Marilyn asked, still whispering.
“No idea. I paid for everything to be taken care of.”
Marilyn chuckled, then the two of them straightened up when the best man and the maid of honor reached the altar and separated to take their place for the ceremony.
Shanice blew a kiss at Will, who was standing next to Lincoln now, but before Lincoln could say something snarky in his best friend’s ear, the bridal march began, and everyone turned in their chairs, eagerly awaiting their first glimpse of the bride.
Charity stepped out onto the carpet in lacy white dress fit for a princess. Her spiral curls were decorated with delicate baby’s breath, the sheer veil shimmering in the soft light. Virgil stood beside her, the old man’s normally stoic face doing little to hide his emotion. Lincoln smiled at him, grateful that the man who had been like a second father to him had been willing to step in and fill that role for Charity.
When Charity smiled at him, she took his breath away. He couldn’t believe that this woman, who had come into his life so suddenly, had won his heart so completely. They’d known each other for such a short amount of time, but he couldn’t remember what life was like without her. He’d never felt like this before, and he knew in that moment that he would do anything to keep that smile on her face for the rest of their lives.
His hands were shaking when Virgil led her to him, and he reached for her veil. He carefully flipped it over her head so it trailed down her back, stealing a kiss before Marilyn had a chance to get started. The crowd chuckled then went silent, and Marilyn began the ceremony with words that had been spoken so many times before. But this time was different, and their love was far from ordinary.
***
Charity was floating on air as she walked down the aisle, the man who had saved her from jail on her arm, and the man that had saved her life standing at the altar looking more handsome with each day. His dark brown hair was perfectly styled, his green eyes bright with unshed emotion. His mouth parted when he saw her step out from behind the curtain, and she wondered if she’d had the same expression on her own face when she saw him. She knew there was a time when she’d managed to live without Lincoln, but she couldn’t seem to remember it.
Truth was… she didn’t want to remember it. She was starting her life over, and nothing was ever going to be the same.
The crowd was so much larger than she’d expected, and her last-minute wedding looked more like something that had been planned for a year. Every detail was perfection, but she was focused on Lincoln.
It wasn’t until she was almost by his side that she noticed the judge standing behind him, her smile bright, eyes twinkling as she winked at Charity. Before she could react, Lincoln stole a kiss, shocking her and the crowd and rendering her speechless.
The ceremony was a formal one, lasting so much longer than their quick courtroom courtship, but it was still over much too soon, and then Lincoln was leading her down the aisle, the guests standing and applauding as they rushed by.
They went through a short corridor, and the event host whisked them away into another room, leading them to a table on the platform which had seats for the bride and groom, Shanice, Will, Virgil, and Marilyn. Lincoln held the chair out for Charity, and she sighed as she sat down and took a drink of the bubbling Champagne.
“Are you alright?” Lincoln asked, his hand going to her belly while they were alone in the vast room.
“No, just relieved,” she said. “There are a lot of people here I’ve seen on TV and never met. It’s all a little overwhelming.”
He smiled, giving her a reassuring kiss on the cheek and putting his arm around her.
“They’re excited to see you,” he said.
“I heard that you were the man no woman could tame.”
“All lies, I promise,” he teased.
“I like the wild, untamed version of you, myself.”
He laughed.
He was still chuckling when the rest of the wedding party sat at the table, then the guests filed in and sat down at their tables. Will sat beside Lincoln, but when Virgil started heading for the seat on the other side of him, Shanice beat him to it. Lincoln opened his mouth to say something, but Charity waved Virgil over to sit between her and Marilyn.
“You’re technically my guest,” she teased, even though Shanice should have been at her side instead of Will’s.
When Virgil sat down, he leaned over and spoke quietly to Marilyn.
“I have a feeling you’ll be seeing those two in your chambers soon enough,” Virgil said with a dignified chuckle despite the crass suggestion.
“How do you know I haven’t already?”
Lincoln, Charity, and Virgil’s heads all turned at once, mouths agape in unison as Marilyn’s words sunk in. She was straight-faced for a moment, then laughed and shifted her focus to the linen napkin as she spread it neatly on her lap.
“Care to elaborate?” Virgil said, still grinning.
“No,” Marilyn said, then the DJ walked in, announcing the first dance now that everyone was settled in.
Lincoln stood, holding his hand out to Charity and leading her onto the dance floor. She felt like she was dreaming as she stepped into his arms and the quartet began to play “All of Me”. Charity put her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and just taking in every second.
“This moment, right here,” she said. “I’m never going to forget this. I love this song, and I love you.”
“It was the only song I could find that really captured how I feel. I hope I can make you feel this way every day for the rest of our lives.”
“Well, you’re off to a good start.”
All too soon, their guests joined them on the dance floor, but Charity was so lost in Lincoln’s arms that it didn’t matter. She was wrapped up in his arms, right where she belonged. As the room danced around them, she envisioned the next few years—the houses, the children, and the life filled with happiness she never thought she’d find. Life was perfect.
“Are you ready to throw the bouquet?” Lincoln asked, bursting through her thoughts and pulling her back to reality.
She looked around, a little bewildered and surprised to see that they were the only ones left on the dance floor. Everyone else was gathered around the floor, except for the single women, who were in pack and ready for the bouquet toss. She caught sight of Shanice, which wasn’t hard considering that her friend was waving frantically to make sure Charity knew where she was. Laughing, Charity turned around and tossed the flowers over her head then turned and watched as it soared over the crowd, bounced off a light fixture, and careened toward the spectators.
Will was facing Virgil when the bouquet headed his way, and he turned just in time to avoid taking a shot to the head. He caught the bouquet, his eyes widening in shock, then terror as Shanice rushed toward him.
He tossed it in the air and Shanice jumped, catching it with a triumphant yell. Charity was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe, and when she saw the horrified look on the faces of some of the older guests, she only laughed harder.
It was hours later and the party was still going strong when Lincoln leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“Let’s get out of here,” Lincoln said, taking her hand.
She grabbed her skirts in the other hand, stifling her giggles as they ran through a side door and straight into an open elevator.
They got out on the ground floor, and as they stepped out the sky opened up and rain began to fall. Charity kicked off her shoes and they ran, laughing through the rain, soaked before they made it halfway to the car.
They stopped under a large tree to catch their breath, still laughing. Charity threw her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. When she released him, he ran the back of his hand over her cheek and smiled.
“I’ve never loved anyone this much,” he said.
She kissed his palm, shivering as the cold started to seep in. He lingered for a moment, then he grabbed her hand again, and they ran the rest of the way to the car. He held her door open, then jumped inside, driving down the street and going past the hotel.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I have a surprise for you,” he said.
He fiddled with the controls until he had the heater turned up, then took her hand in his and guided the car through the quiet streets.
When he slowed the car and turned down a narrow road, she perked up a bit, but he was tight-lipped and grinning mischievously.
When they pulled through an automatic gate and drove around the bend in the driveway, Charity couldn’t believe the house before her.
“What is this place?” she asked when he pulled into the garage and helped her out of the passenger seat.
“It’s the best of both worlds,” he said. “I convinced my realtor to let me rent it for the week. If you don’t like it, that’s okay, we’ll keep looking. But if you do, I’ll buy it.”
“It’s a beautiful house,” she said. “And the neighbors seem nice.”
He laughed.
“It’s only five acres, but with the wooded area around it, it seems so much bigger. There are neighbors, but not too many.”
“That sounds wonderful,” she said as he led her up the stairs.
“That’s not even the best part,” he said, opening a door and stepping back.
The large master bedroom took up one side of the second floor, with the west, north, and east walls covered entirely in windows.
“Out this window, you can see Seattle,” he said. “There’s the Space Needle.”
“Wow,” she said. “It’s so beautiful from up here.”
“That’s Lake Washington through the trees. This house has its own private beach access.”
“Not bad,” she teased, but then he turned to the east wall, which was almost twice as long as the other two.
“The best part, to me anyway, is this direction. You can see Mount Rainier from here on a clear day. So, from this room, I can see where I met you, where I married you, and if you want this house, the place where we brought our children home.”
Her heart skipped a beat and she looked around, in awe of everything she was seeing.
“This place is perfect,” she said. “I can’t believe you found it.”
“A man can do anything for a woman he loves,” he said, pushing a damp curl from her forehead.
“Anything?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Anything,” he said.
“Good,” she said, giggling. “Then help me get out of this dress. You’re not the only one who’s been waiting all night to give a little something, something.”
“Anything to make you happy,” he growled, eyes already smoldering with need.
She definitely didn’t need to ask him twice.