Sophie

I jerked awake in a panic. The sun was high in the sky, and yet, Nina hadn’t made a sound. I jumped out of bed and flew across the room, shoving open the door to Nina’s nursery. When I reached her crib, it was empty. My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I spun around the room, hoping to see Andrew rocking Nina in the corner. He wasn’t. Neither him nor Nina were anywhere to be found.

Still full of panic, I hurried back into the bedroom to grab my robe. I was halfway to the door when I saw a note pinned to my vanity mirror. I frowned and moved closer. I recognized Andrew’s handwriting immediately.

Soph –

There’s a dress waiting for you in the bathroom. Put it on and come downstairs.

I love you.

Andrew

As I read the note, my body relaxed. Andrew obviously had Nina. My panic was all for nothing. I sighed and put my hand to my forehead, laughing at myself for getting so worked up.

Andrew’s note was clear, so I hurried into the bathroom. The dress he promised was hanging from the door in a long white bag. I unzipped it, and my stomach did a flip. It was the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen.

The lacy material was a soft gold that shimmered in the bathroom light. I ran my hand over the body, feeling the intricate detail of the pattern. It was gorgeous and not at all what I’d expected. When I read Andrew’s note, I assumed he had yet another romantic day planned. I thought for sure we would be heading out to the theatre for a matinee showing, or maybe spending the day in the museum district. But one glance at the dress told me I was very wrong.

“What’s going on?” I asked myself, shaking my head and pulling the dress off its hanger.

I got dressed slowly, taking care to not snag the delicate fabric. Once the dress was on, I looked at myself in the mirror. Even with my hair a mess from sleep and my eyes still red, I was a vision. The dress highlighted every curve of my body perfectly. I couldn’t stop staring at myself.

After a few minutes, I came back down to reality and finished getting ready. I didn’t know what was going on, but there was a set of jewelry waiting for me on the bathroom counter. I put it on and quickly brushed out my messy hair. I curled it slightly, not wanting to take too much time, but also wanting to look nice for whatever Andrew had planned.

My makeup came next. I dabbed on a light layer of powder and added just a touch of mascara and blush. I looked better, more awake. I only hoped it was nice enough for the surprise.

Andrew didn’t leave any shoes for me, so I made my way downstairs barefoot. My feet thudded softly against the hardwood floor as I reached the first floor landing. I looked around me, but Andrew was nowhere to be found.

“You look beautiful,” a voice said from behind me.

I spun around to see my father staring at me with tears in his eyes. He hurried over and kissed my cheek.

“Dad, what’s going on?” I asked.

“Your fiancé decided he didn’t want to wait another day,” Dad said. “He spent all night planning this little impromptu wedding.”

“Wedding?” My eyes flew open, and I took a step backward. “What are you talking about?”

“Andrew knew how stressed you were,” Dad said slowly. “He was worried that all this wedding drama was becoming too much. So, he decided to do everything himself.”

“He planned our wedding?” I asked blankly. “In one night?”

Dad nodded, a smile spreading across his face. I just stared at him. I couldn’t believe what I heard.

“This is a joke, right?” I asked. “You’re joking?”

“No,” Dad said. “What’s wrong, honey? Is this not what you want?”

“It is!” I said quickly. “I just, I can’t believe Andrew did this.”

“He told me about the talk you two had last night,” Dad said. “About how you didn’t care about the big, fancy wedding anymore.”

“I don’t,” I said honestly. “I was miserable trying to put everything together.”

“And Andrew loves you too much to let you be miserable,” Dad said.

I shook my head and looked over Dad’s shoulder. He was blocking my view of the back courtyard, but I could see the glass doors peeking out from behind him. Without knowing, I knew that was where the wedding would be.

“This is insane.” I laughed. “I can’t possibly, well, we can’t possibly be getting married right now!”

“You can,” Dad said. “If you want to.”

“Of course, I want to!” I laughed again. “I’m just in shock.”

“Well, take a minute,” Dad said. “I’m ready to walk you down the aisle whenever you are.”

“Right now?” I asked with a start.

Dad nodded, and I laughed again. This entire morning felt like a dream. I was certain I was still fast asleep and that I would wake up soon to find Nina babbling in her crib and Andrew fast asleep beside me.

But the longer I stood there, the more I knew this was real. My stomach settled, and my heart began to pound. My palms were sweaty, but a sudden wave of happiness washed over me. This was really happening. I was going to marry Andrew. Right now.

“A spontaneous wedding,” I said under my breath. “I suppose that’s fitting.”

“For you and Andrew?” Dad chuckled. “It’s perfect.”

I grinned and took my father’s arm with a determined nod. Now that the shock had worn off, I was ready. More than ready. I had to stop myself from sprinting outside.

Dad led me down the hallway and through the glass doors. A brisk breeze blew over my face, but I barely noticed. The second the doors opened, my eyes fell on Andrew.

He was standing at the end of a short aisle, lined with white roses. Nina was in his arms, wearing a gorgeous yellow dress with a matching bow in her hair. Andrew’s tux was fitted and perfect. I swallowed hard when my eyes slid down his body.

My eyes roamed around the courtyard. Everything was lit up in the sunlight. White roses covered almost every surface, and beautiful gold cloths hung from the trees. It was my fairytale wedding, exactly what I’d pictured as a child. Only this time, there were far less people in attendance.

Kaddy was standing off to the side, grinning at me as Dad and I made our way down the aisle. Liam stood beside Andrew. His eyes were wet with emotion. As we walked, my eyes fell on the few friends on either side of me. Teresa and her husband, both of whom worked with Andrew and me at Hopper, waved at me as I passed. Amy, who left the mansion to work a bigger, better job down the road, blew me a kiss. And Gretchen, the new stable hand smiled broadly as I passed.

A few more friends were there, all waving and smiling happily. It was small, a tiny wedding compared to others I’d been to, but it was perfect. When Dad and I reached the end of the aisle, I was already fighting back tears.

“Hey there,” Andrew said. “What do you think?”

I laughed and shook my head as Andrew handed Nina to me. I kissed her head and breathed in her scent.

“This feels like a dream,” I said. “I can’t believe you did this.”

“Do you like it?” Andrew asked nervously.

“I love it.” I sighed. “It’s perfect. It’s more than perfect.”

Andrew grinned and pulled me to him for a quick kiss. The minister, who I hadn’t noticed until just then, cleared his throat to get our attention. Everyone laughed as we pulled away. I felt my cheeks blush, but I didn’t care. This was my day. My wedding day.

“Here,” I said, turning to my dad. “Will you take her?”

“Of course.” Dad smiled and lifted Nina out of my arms. He kissed my cheek and then hurried to his seat.

Everyone sat down, and the minister began the ceremony. I barely heard the words he spoke. My eyes were glued to Andrew’s face. I couldn’t bring myself to look anywhere else. Even when Nina let out a high-pitched squeal, I just laughed and kept staring at my fiancé.

“Andrew,” the minister said. “Would you like to say a few words about Sophie?”

“Sophie,” Andrew said slowly. “I know this isn’t what you expected when you woke up this morning. But I couldn’t wait another second to be your husband. You and Nina are my entire life, my entire world. I can’t imagine ever being without you, and I can’t wait to start our life together.”

He said his vows while tears streamed freely down my cheeks. I gave up trying to control my emotions and cried with earnest. When it was my turn, I could barely choke out the words.

“A spontaneous wedding,” I said. “I didn’t even know I wanted this until it was mine. Andrew, you know me better than anyone ever has. There are so many things I want to say to you, so many things I want to promise, but I’ll just say I love you because that says everything.”

Andrew took a deep breath and blinked his eyes, trying to fight back tears. The minister finished the ceremony and pronounced us husband and wife.

Andrew kissed me fast and hard, his entire body pressed against mine. My head spun, and my heart raced. When we finally pulled apart, I could barely breathe.

“What’s next?” I asked when the ceremony was over.

Dad hurried forward and handed me Nina. A photographer that I didn’t realize was there began taking pictures of our little family. I didn’t have to remember to smile, my face was frozen in a permanent grin.

“I’ve never been this happy in my life,” I told Andrew later that day. We were dancing in the middle of the courtyard while our friends and family watched.

“I love you,” Andrew said simply.

The rest of the day was spent celebrating. We had lunch and danced, listened to music and played in the courtyard. Our friends stayed all day, congratulating us and making the day even more perfect.

“Thank you for this,” I told Kaddy. “I can’t believe you guys pulled it off.”

“It was all Andrew,” Kaddy said. “I just helped a little.”

“A little?” I raised my eyebrows. “This is straight out of the sixth-grade wedding book.”

Kaddy just winked at me and went to find someone to dance with. There were a few guys from the office there, and I knew Kaddy had her eye on at least one of them. I laughed to myself and watched her make her move. Some things would never change.

“Are you seeing this?” Andrew asked, suddenly appearing at my side.

“What?” I asked.

Andrew pointed across the courtyard. My dad was standing just outside the stables with a goofy grin on his face. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw him smile like that.

“What’s he doing over there?” I asked with a frown.

Just then, Gretchen stepped into view. She was smiling just as brightly. Her hands were moving as she talked animatedly to my dad. They were both so enthralled with each other that they didn’t notice Andrew and me watching them.

“Looks like your dad might be moving on with his life after all,” Andrew said lightly.

I nodded and leaned my head against Andrew’s chest. Seeing my dad happy was the icing on the cake. It had already been a perfect day, and now, it was even better.

“Everyone’s happy,” I said softly. “Everything is perfect.”

The End

Author Note: Wow. That one was a doozy. Ali and I wanted to put our own spin on a Beauty and the Beast type story. Hopefully we got that across. I loved every minute of this story, expecially watching Andrew grow from the bastard he started as into someone you hopefully fell in love with. As always, my sister, Ali, has graciously included one of her best selling series. It’s her best take on Ryan Reynolds with a touch of lust and a shit-ton of laughs. Her five book “Bright Lights Billionaire” is included for your reading pleasure. Just a thank you for checking out my book. Thanks for picking up a copy. I hope it gave you a break from life, make you chuckle, or lit your emotions on fire. Any of the above, and I’ve done my job. Until next time...