First thing Monday morning, Mr Beach’s son called to tell me his father had passed away. He’d had a heart attack while gardening. A neighbor found him slumped over in the grass with a handful of seed pods spilled on the ground next to him. At least he was with his beloved Dorothy. Now they could garden together.
I was so upset I called Jackie. ‘Here one day, gone the next. Life is so uncertain.’
‘That’s why you should be happy while you can because you never know when it might end,’ she said.
‘It made me think of Eric. While he has his quirks, he truly wants me and loves me. What do I have to lose except time spent building a life with him?’
‘True,’ Jackie said. ‘Life is full of uncertainty. There’s risk involved in any relationship. No marriage is perfect. No person is perfect. But if you love each other, you’ll find a way to weather the bad times and come out stronger.’
‘Thanks, Jackie, for picking me up.’
By mid-week I was starting to get nervous about the wedding. In two days we’d say those magic words: I do.
When I walked into Andre’s on Thursday, he started humming the tune to ‘Here Comes the Bride’.
I laughed and hung up my purse and jacket.
‘Are you nervous about the wedding?’ Andre asked.
‘A little.’
‘Don’t be. You’ll be a beautiful bride.’ He wiggled his fingers and made an evil face. ‘Now get into my chair. I’ve been waiting to get my hands in your hair.’
I sat down and he threw a cover around my neck and snapped it in the back. He fluffed my hair. ‘Same old thing?’ He sounded ho-hum. ‘Or, are you brave enough to try something different?’ he said in a much more cheerful voice.
I chewed on my bottom lip. I’d been thinking about Eric’s suggestion all week. ‘How about giving me some blonde highlights?’
Andre held his hand up to his ear. ‘Can you repeat that?’
I laughed. ‘I thought maybe it was time for a change. How do you think blonde highlights would look?’
Andre shook both of his hands. ‘Stunning! Absolutely stunning.’
A few hours later, I took a selfie and sent it to Jackie.
Love it! She texted.
I thought about texting Eric the photo but decided to surprise him instead.
When I got home, he was playing his guitar on the patio. The fire pit was on and a bottle of wine and two wine glasses sat on the table.
I opened the sliding glass door and walked out. Eric looked incredibly handsome sitting in front of the fire pit. The flames flickered, casting shadows across his body. ‘You sound great.’
Eric stopped playing and looked up at me. ‘Ah, you got the highlights. You look beautiful. Turn around.’
I turned around and then walked over and we kissed.
He picked up the wine bottle. ‘How about a glass of wine?’
‘That sounds wonderful.’
We drank the wine and Eric played a song he’d been working on. His guitar playing sounded better than his voice, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
Eric sat down the guitar and patted his thighs. ‘Come here.’
I walked over and sat on his lap. Eric brushed the hair off my face. ‘You look so beautiful in this light.’
And we kissed and made love right there. There was no sexy lingerie. No ties. No roleplaying. Just two naked bodies intertwined in ecstasy. It was moments like this that made putting up with his fantasies worth it.
‘I love you,’ he said.
‘I love you more.’
Eventually we went to bed and fell fast asleep. When I woke up in the morning, I slid out of bed, not wanting to wake Eric. Jackie and Bruce were coming at noon. Eric had arranged for a limo to take us to the courthouse for the wedding and then to the Top of the World, a very expensive restaurant about an hour away.
We’d decided to put off the honeymoon until next year, since we had just bought a house. Eric promised to take me to Paris.
I stumbled into the kitchen and made coffee. Izzy purred and I picked her up and scratched her back. ‘Mommy’s getting married today. What do you think about that?’
This wedding would be so different than my first. Scott and I were married in the church his family attended and the reception was at a beautiful banquet hall nearby.
After pouring cream in my coffee, I went out to sit on the patio. I glanced over at the fire pit remembering how wonderful last night had been. Then I noticed the brown stalks in the day lilies growing next to the patio. I remembered what Mr Beach had said about deadheading plants. ‘You have to pluck the dead stuff so the new stuff will grow.’ I walked over and snapped off the seed pods and pulled out the brown stalks. Maybe life was the same way. You had to pluck off the rotten stuff so new buds could bloom.
The door opened and it startled me.
‘Sorry,’ Eric said. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you.’
He walked over and kissed me. ‘In five hours, you’ll be my wife.’
I smiled. ‘And you’ll be my husband. I don’t think it’ll change things much, though.’
Eric pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘I don’t know about that. I mean we’re making a commitment to each other. Right now, one of us could just get up and leave if we wanted to. Once we’re married, it won’t be that easy. We both know what it’s like being married to someone who doesn’t honor you and take care of your heart. I will always take care of you as long as you take care of me. I promise you that.’
Jackie and Bruce arrived a little early and we gave them a tour of the house.
‘I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to see it,’ Jackie said. ‘It’s beautiful. I love all the antiques.’
I smiled. ‘Thanks. Do you want to help me get ready? Eric and Bruce can hang out in the great room.’
Jackie followed me into the bedroom and picked up the photo of us. ‘We’ve been through so much together, haven’t we?’
I laughed. ‘Absolutely. And I never thought that would include another wedding.’
I held up my wedding dress.
‘It’s gorgeous,’ Jackie said. ‘The photos you sent didn’t do it justice.’
The cream mid-length dress featured a sheer overlay with romantic Chantilly lace beneath and a shirred bodice.
‘Thanks. Eric picked it out.’
‘No way would I trust Bruce to choose anything for me. But Eric obviously has good taste!’
I sat at the vanity in the bathroom so Jackie could apply my make-up. I could do it myself, but she wanted to. She picked up the foundation. ‘Remember the first time we used make-up?’
I smiled. ‘Yes. It was a slumber party at your house and we got into your mom’s make-up drawer. Boy, was she mad!’
Jackie blended in the foundation. ‘We were all blue eye shadow and ruby red lipstick.’
We laughed.
Jackie applied the eyeliner and smoky eyeshadow. ‘What about when we shaved our legs for the first time? We nicked the hell out of them and practically used a whole box of bandages covering up all the nasty cuts.’
I pointed to my eyebrow. ‘And then you took the razor to your eyebrow and took half of it off.’
Jackie looked in the mirror. ‘And it never did grow back in right. I have to color it in with pencil.’
She held up two lipsticks. ‘Which color? Red or Raisin?’
‘Raisin.’
She applied the lipstick. ‘Rub your lips together.’ She stepped back and smiled. ‘You look absolutely gorgeous, Shel. Now for the dress.’
I carefully stepped into the dress and pulled it up. Jackie zipped up the back and stepped back. I turned around to face her. I’d never felt happier.
‘You’re beautiful,’ Jackie said. ‘Absolutely beautiful. You’ve had a certain glow to you since meeting Eric. It’s your turn for a Happy Ever After.’
I widened my eyes and fanned my face. ‘Stop it. Don’t make me cry and mess up my face.’ I put the make-up away and turned to Jackie.
‘For the longest time, I’d look at other couples and wish I had what they had. Bruce and you have been married twenty years and while you’ve had your struggles, you always managed to come out stronger and better than before. I want that. I want a man who loves me and who wants to build a life together. And Eric has given me that.’
Now I could see that Jackie was the one getting teary eyed. I hugged her. ‘Thank you, Jack. For being here, for being my best friend since kindergarten, for always having my back, no matter what.’
Our hug was interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door.
‘You girls ready yet?’ Eric asked. ‘The limo’s here.’
I sniffed and Jackie handed me a tissue. ‘We’ll be right there.’
Eric and Bruce waited for us in the living room. As soon as I walked in, Eric came over and hugged me. ‘You look gorgeous.’
‘Thanks. You look great, too.’
Eric wore a black pinstripe suit with a white shirt and black tie. ‘Are you ready?’
I nodded and we walked hand in hand to the limo.
I’d never been in a limo before, so when I crawled in and found that Eric had arranged to have it stocked with champagne, hors d’oeuvres and flowers, I felt like Cinderella must have felt riding in her pumpkin carriage.
He poured each of us a pre-wedding toast. ‘I’m the luckiest man alive,’ he said.
When we arrived at the courthouse, Eric crawled out first and then helped me out. He turned to the driver, who handed him a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers.
‘Are you ready to become my wife?’ He handed me the bouquet and kissed me.
‘But I didn’t order a flower for you. I thought we weren’t going to do flowers.’
‘I wanted you to have the sunflowers.’ He kissed me and we walked into the courthouse holding hands, along with Jackie and Bruce.
The judge was running a little behind, so we waited in a gathering area near the courtroom until it was our turn. About ten minutes later, we were summoned.
Eric and I walked side by side down the aisle to the judge, an older man with white hair and thick black glasses. Jackie and Bruce followed behind us.
‘Hi, I’m Judge Thompson. It’s great to have you both here today. Are you ready to begin?’
Eric and I looked at one another and nodded. I didn’t realize how nervous I’d be. My palms were sweaty and my heart raced like it was running for its life.
‘We are gathered here for the wedding of Michele Kathryn Post and Eric James Talbot,’ Judge Thompson said. He looked at me. ‘Are you, Michele, here of your own free will, and do you intend to marry Eric?’
‘I do.’
Judge Thompson turned to Eric. ‘Are you, Eric, here of your own free will, and do you intend to marry Michele?’
‘I do.’
‘Today you celebrate one of life’s greatest moments as you join in the vows of marriage. Please repeat after me.’
‘Do you, Eric, take Michele to be your wife?’
‘Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?’
‘I do.’
I breathed in deeply as Judge Thompson turned to me. ‘And do you, Michele, take Eric to be your husband?’
‘I do.’
‘Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?’
‘I do.’
The judge waited for Bruce and Jackie to hand him the wedding rings and then spoke. ‘The wedding ring is a symbol of unity, a circle unbroken, without beginning or end. And today, Eric and Michele give and receive these rings as demonstrations of their vows to make their life one, to work at all times to create a love that is whole and unbroken, and to love each other without end.’
‘Eric, take this ring and place it on Michele’s finger and state your pledge to her, repeating after me. “This ring I give as a sign of our constant faith and abiding love.”’
Eric looked at me as he spoke.
‘Michele, take this ring and place it on Eric’s finger and state your pledge to him, repeating after me. “This ring I give as a sign of our constant faith and abiding love.”’
I pushed the ring onto Eric’s finger.
‘Eric and Michele, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, I now declare you to be husband and wife. Congratulations, you may kiss your bride.’
Eric and I kissed and then I hugged Jackie and Bruce and thanked the judge. The wedding was the quickest six minutes of my life.
An hour later, we arrived at the Top of the World restaurant. En route, we managed to drink two bottles of champagne and had started a third.
The maître d’ led us to a table by the window. Sunflowers in a crystal vase sat in the middle. I turned to Eric. ‘You thought of everything.’
He kissed me and pulled out my chair. We had a bird’s eye view of the sprawling city below.
‘I bet this is gorgeous at night with all of the lights,’ Jackie said.
Eric sat down. ‘It is. I was here once a long time ago. We’ll have to come back sometime at night.’
Eric had pre-ordered our four-course dinner with paired wine. We started with broccoli soup accompanied by a Gruyère puff amuse-bouche. This was followed by a small crab cake amuse-bouche and then a rich lobster soup with curry.
The waiter brought bowls to the table with a generous heaping of succulent lobster tail meat with arugula oil on the bottom of the bowl. We watched as he poured the soup around the lobster and then served us.
I breathed in deeply, taking in the aromas of curry, sherry and cream. I tasted the velvety soft soup. I moaned. ‘This is absolutely amazing.’
The entire dinner was incredible, from the Scottish salmon to the beef tenderloin. By the time the waiter served the cheese plate and petite desserts, I didn’t think I’d be able to eat another bite.
Jackie lifted her glass. ‘How about one more toast?’
We all lifted our glasses. ‘To Eric and Shelly, an amazing couple with an amazing future.’
We gently touched our glasses and sipped our wine. Eric leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.
‘Thank you for including Bruce and I in your wedding celebration,’ Jackie said. ‘It’s been incredible.’
‘I have one more surprise,’ Eric said.
I looked at him. What more could he possibly do?
He smiled. ‘Jackie and Bruce will return in the limo we came in. Please, enjoy the drinks and food.’ He handed them a key. ‘Here’s the key to the house. I made sure the guest bedroom was ready for you. I don’t want you driving home. Spend the night.’
He turned to me. ‘You, my love, will come with me in another limo. I’ve booked us a night in the Honeymoon suite at Le Grand Hotel.’
‘But we didn’t pack anything,’ I said.
‘You didn’t but I did. I have it all covered.’
I could feel the tears coming and I couldn’t stop them. I was so happy I’d found this man. He was everything I’d always wanted and more.
‘You love me more than I thought anyone could,’ I whispered.
Eric ran his thumb down my cheek, wiping away a tear. ‘You don’t know how happy you make me.’
‘I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure I make you happy,’ I told him.
He was my white knight and I was certain I’d found my happily ever after!