George - Chapter Twenty Two: Once in a Lifetime - Part Two

I've included the song that inspired this chapter, which, like many songs for George's story, is a Michael Bolton song (I guess George is a fan. lol!)

 ****Steph****

Saturday, August 28th

I woke up on the morning of our wedding and knew from the barely visible light coming through the curtains that it was still very early. The time on the clock confirmed it and I mumbled as I rolled over on my side and tried to go back to sleep, but the excitement I felt kept that from happening. My feet started to involuntarily flip up and down and I realized that I was biting my lip and I laughed at myself.

"George would be laughing at me right now." I said to myself and I realized at that moment how much I missed him. I missed feeling him next to me, waking up to his arm wrapped around my waist, to him greeting me good morning by calling me Sunshine. . .It was all too much; the excitement, missing him, the longing for him. . .I jumped out of bed and found some running clothes hoping that if I could get in a run it would take some of the edge off. I quickly pulled my hair back and quietly made my way down the back staircase.

As I neared the kitchen I heard voices and found myself chuckling as I remembered that no one in that house slept late. I walked into the kitchen and saw Grandpa Chuck, Uncle Charlie, and Aunt Kate who all looked shocked to see me.

"What are you doing up? And are you going for a run?" Aunt Kate asked me.

"I couldn't sleep anymore and I have to do something or I'll go crazy, so yes, I'm going for a run." I smiled at them and they all shook their heads.

"Did you sleep well?" Grandpa Chuck wondered as he poured himself another cup of coffee.

"Pretty good; I don't sleep well the first night in a different place anyway, add that to what today is. . .I slept as well as I expected to."

"Well, you should probably get movin' if you want to get that run in. If Charlotte isn't up by the time you get back we'll grab some pots and pans and bang on them until she comes out." I laughed at the picture of Uncle Charlie scrounging up pots and pans and leading an assault on Charlotte's room.

"I can just imagine how happy that would make Charlotte." We all chuckled and I waved as I walked outside and looked around as I stretched. My eyes quickly looked across the street and I smiled as I looked at George's old house. I thought back to the first moment that I saw it and the ginormous ranch that I now stood outside of. It amazed me how much my life had changed in the eight months since that Christmas. I had been accepted by a wonderful family, which had always been one of my dreams; but after twenty one years of not having anything close to that, I had begun to believe that it would never happen. That had all changed last Christmas when I had first laid eyes on the ranch and George's old house. 

I began to run in the opposite direction of Bridge's house, not wanting to take the chance that I might see George as I ran past the small dirt road that led to her house, and my thoughts wandered to him. We had only known each other for ten months, had only really started to get to know each other in the last eight, but even after those eight short months, there was no way I could imagine my life without him. 

Although, if someone had told me the night that we first saw each other that I had met my future husband, I would have thought they were an idiot. Not the superhero guy, the guy who mysteriously appeared out of the shadows of a dark alley to "save" me. Not the guy who stood against the wall at parties as he watched and analyzed people. But as I kept running I realized that as I looked back even to those first times that we ran into each other, that there had been something there, as Grandpa Chuck had put it the night before, there had been a spark; and after last night I knew just how much George and I owed to Charlotte, Trev, and also Grandma Amanda for helping George and I get to this day.

I turned another corner and continued to think about George and how we had gotten to this day when the sight of someone running toward me stopped me in my tracks and I shook my head. . .

****George****

I yanked the covers off of me, finally deciding to give up on sleep and walked over to the dresser. I pulled out a pair of pants and then grabbed my running shoes before tiptoeing downstairs and sitting on one of the dining room chairs to put my shoes on. I hadn't slept worth anything; I hadn't realized how many times I had reached for her each night until she wasn't there and instead of feeling the warm skin under my hand, I had felt the cold sheet. Every time it happened, I jerked awake, confused for a moment about why she hadn't been there. Then I started thinking about the next day and worried that I had forgotten something important. I laid there going over every detail in my head until I eventually realized that I hadn't forgotten everything and would start to fall back asleep only to reach for her again and start the whole cycle over. 

I shook my head and chuckled at myself. "If she saw me right now, she would tease me relentlessly." I said to myself and jumped when I heard a voice.

"Yes, she would." I hadn't heard Mom come down the stairs and make her way into the kitchen.

"Jesus, Mom." I said and waited for my heart rate to go back down.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." She laughed and poured herself a coffee before turning around and looking at me. "You didn't sleep, did you?"

"No, not really. I'll be glad when the ceremony’s over."

She nodded and for a moment she got a distant look in her eyes and a smile spread across her lips. "I remember saying something very similar to Grandma the morning that your dad and I got married and I'm going to tell you what she told me. Take time to enjoy it, because it will be over before you know it. If you don't consciously make the effort to concentrate on her, on each other, the ceremony will go by in a blur and you'll get to the end of it and not remember how you got married."

I appreciated what she told me and knew that in order for me to do that I needed to go for a run. "I think going for a run will help me clear my head and help get rid of some of this nervous energy."

"Just don't run past the ranch, you never know, she could be standing outside or see you run past from one of the windows." 

"Good point. I'll run through town." I kissed her cheek and waved to her as I walked out the door. "Thanks, Mom." I called back to her and walked to the edge of the driveway and stretched as I looked back at the house thinking back to the first time Steph had seen it. We had gone on a run Christmas Eve morning and I had decided to show her the town, including Mom's house. I hadn't thought much about it then, but looking back it was now obvious why I had wanted her to not only like the town, but the whole family. I had been trying to impress her and hadn't even realized it. "God, what an idiot I was." I shook my head and looked back down the dirt road before I started to run down it and then turned left to go the opposite direction of the ranch.

As I continued to run, I started to wonder about what she was doing, if she had woken up yet, how she had slept, had she missed me last night. . .The questions kept coming and as I turned the corner to run along the main street, the questions kept filling my mind. I was so lost in my thoughts that I had run several feet before I noticed someone running on the same side of the street and when I saw her, a gigantic smile spread across my face and I slowed to a jog as we moved closer to each other.

****Steph****

We each slowed down to a walk as we came within ten feet of each other and then slowly walked toward each other, both grinning from ear to ear. "This is bad luck, you know?" I teased him.

"I'm not a big believer in superstitions."  I shook my head and kept smiling. "But maybe just in case, we shouldn't have any contact." He backed slightly away from me and I laughed at his over dramatics.

"Good grief!" I scolded him and continued to smile as I searched his face. "You didn't sleep did you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"To me, yes. You're not going to fall asleep while you stand at the end of the aisle waiting for me, are you?"

It was his turn to laugh. "I'll be fine. How about you? Did you sleep okay?"

"I slept okay. I woke up this morning though and was so excited that I needed to do something to take the edge off. It looks like you had the same idea. I figured if I ran this way there would be no way that you saw me. It didn't even cross my mind that you would also go for a run."

He nodded. "I didn't think about you going for a run either. I woke up and needed to clear my head and Mom reminded me not to run past the ranch. . .I'm glad I ran into you though. I think I might have gone crazy if I had to wait to see you." He took a step closer and I instantly felt a pull towards him and I smiled as I slightly backed away.

"I'm glad I saw you too, but if we're going to keep to the no touching rule, we need to go our separate ways." 

He nodded and pointed down the street. "I'm going to run that way, if you want you can continue to run past Uncle Jeff's and then back toward the ranch. Or. . .I could run with you." He took another step closer and I laughed as I maneuvered around him until we had switched spots.

"As much as I would love that, I think you need to go your way and I'll go mine or we'll never make it to our wedding on time." I admitted and he slowly nodded.

"I'll see you in about four hours." He started to walk backwards and I smiled at him.

I started to walk backwards too. "I love you."

"I love you too." We both slowly turned around and started to run in opposite directions and as I made my way through the rest of town and back to the ranch, I realized how calm I felt after seeing him and that calm continued even after I walked back through the front doors.

"I can't believe you went for a run!" I heard Charlotte complain from the kitchen and as I walked into the room she was shaking her head at me.

"Glad to see you finally got up."

"Ha ha! Very funny, but we need to get busy! There's less than four hours and we have to go get our hair done, finish getting you ready, and get to the meadow in time or George will kill me. He'll never let me live it down if we're late." I watched as she continued to hurry about the kitchen and realized that just an hour before; I had probably looked the same way. 

Several hours later, Charlotte, Bridge and I arrived at the meadow and walked into the tent that had been set up near the aisle path. Charlotte walked over to one corner of the tent and hung up the dress that I was changing into later. George's change of clothes hung in the corner too and the sight of them caused a wave of excitement to spread across my whole body; knowing that when I saw him wearing them, we'd be married. 

My eyes casually moved to the table that was nearest to the clothes corner and I noticed a vase of red tulips, a small jewelry box, and a card. I shook my head and chuckled and then looked over at Bridge and Charlotte who both were smiling from ear to ear. I should have known that he would do something like that, but in all the excitement it hadn't crossed my mind. From the smiles on both Bridge and Charlotte's faces I could tell that they had known about his little surprise. 

I lightly touched one of the red tulips before picking up the card and began reading a note that I knew I would never forget:

My Beautiful Soon-to-be Wife,

As I sit and write this letter today, our wedding day, I can't help but think about our first meeting and every one since then and how fortunate and blessed I've been that our paths crossed almost a year ago. It amazes me that there was once a time that you weren't in my life, a time when you weren't in every single one of my thoughts and dreams and I wonder how such a time existed. I wish I could tell you or even show you how much I love you; the amazing, thoughtful, beautiful, loving, and incredible woman that you are, but neither of us have the time on this earth that it would take me to do so. But I will strive to from this day forward and I pray that there isn't a day that goes by that you don't know how much I love, admire, and adore you. 

You know me well enough to know that one of the ways that I express my love for you is by presenting you with gifts, and with this being such a special day, I wanted to share something with you. Over the last several months, I've learned how much you value the pearl earrings that you wear. I know the story of how they came to be yours, and I adore that you treasure them so much; which is one reason that I hope that you will now also treasure the items in the box in front of you, items that once belonged to Grandma that I now gift to you. I know that she would be overjoyed that they are now yours and have no doubt that after the conversation that we had last night with Grandpa that she had you in mind when she left them to me. 

I love you, my incredible Steph, and I can't wait for you to meet me at the spot where we will finally become husband and wife; the spot where I will repeat the feelings I expressed above and where I will promise to love and cherish the magnificent woman you are.

I love you forever,

George

As I finished reading the last sentences, I could feel the tears threatening to fall down my cheeks and Charlotte ran over to grab tissues, trying to keep a makeup catastrophe from happening. The combination of feelings produced from thinking of the three people who had been responsible for showing me the greatest acts of love in my life, overwhelmed me. 

It took several minutes for me to collect myself enough to pick up the small box and as I held it, I ran a hand along the top of it, feeling the soft velvet and trying to prepare myself for what I would see when I finally opened it. What I did see when I ventured to open the lid, caused more tears to threaten to fall and I took a tissue that Bridge offered me. Sitting perfectly amongst the black velvet were two pearl earrings that were surrounded by gold and small diamonds. I gratefully smiled as I placed the box down and then started to remove the pearl earrings I had put on, the earrings that had belonged to another caring woman and had been given to me at a time when I didn't know much love. . .

By the time I had reached nine years old, I had known that I didn't have what most kids had; a loving and caring family, and I had learned long before that we barely had enough money for food and clothes. It just so happened that during that year, a beautiful, nice lady by the name of Ms. Winters moved to town. Whenever I saw her, I would stare at her and admire her for not only her beauty, but her kind and generous nature. 

After some time, I noticed that she wore a pair of pearl earrings and when she started talking to me one day while we both stood outside the butcher, I found the nerve to comment on and ask her about them.  She told me that they had been a gift from her grandmother when she had turned nine and she had always treasured them. I had walked home that day wondering if I would ever own a pair of earrings like that, even though it didn't seem likely at that moment as I walked into the worn down house that had nothing of value in it. 

Several weeks later, I ran into Ms. Winters at the butcher again and didn't know what to think when she removed the earrings from her ears and had gently placed them in my hands. She told me she wanted me to have them, told me that it would make not only her happy, but her grandmother happy if another little girl had them that would treasure them as much as she had. I had tried to argue with her, told her that I couldn't wear them even if I wanted to since I knew my parents would take them if they saw them. She had insisted that I keep them anyway and keep them hidden until I could wear them. I had hidden them for the next seven years, only looking at them when I knew no one was home, and besides the money and clothes I took with me when my Mom kicked me out at sixteen, they had been the only other thing I took with me and I had worn them almost every day since.

I carefully placed them on the table and with as much care, removed the earrings that had belonged to Grandma Amanda from the box and put them on. After I placed the still treasured earrings from my past in the box, I held it near my heart and prayed that wherever Ms. Winters was, that she could somehow know how much I treasured those earrings, not only for their beauty but for being a symbol of hope and love for me. I slowly walked over to my bag and found a safe place for them right as Grandpa Chuck walked into the tent.

As I turned around, he noticed the earrings and nodded as he walked up to me and then placed his hands around mine. "You look beautiful and Amanda would be honored that your wearing what were her favorite pearl earrings." He gently smiled at me as he squeezed my hands a little and I smiled back at him as I fought tears.

"We need to reapply your makeup before it's time." Charlotte motioned to the chair next to the table and as I tried to patiently sit there, I looked again over at Grandpa Chuck.

"He did get my letter, didn't he?" I asked after Charlotte was happy with her reapplication.

"Yes, and Jeff and I had to stop him from storming in here."

"Was he mad?" I had taken a risk in my gift to him but I never imagined it making him angry.

"Oh no! Not that kind of storming. He was about to storm in here and carry you down the aisle. . ."

****George****

I had looked at my watch five times, and as I looked at it the sixth, I started to panic. "You already know she's here, so why are you panicking?" Trev wondered. 

"It's not her I'm worried about, it's the pastor. He should have been here 30 minutes ago." I glanced at the trees and looked for any sign of the late pastor. "We can't get married without him."

"Or can you?" Grandpa wondered as he walked up to Trev and me with what appeared to be a mischievous smile; something that I hadn't seen often but from its presence on his face, I knew all wasn't as it seemed.

"If you know something about the delinquent pastor, please share so my heart can return to a somewhat normal beating pattern." I begged Grandpa.

"Will it though, go back to normal? You are about to get married. . ." Trev teased.

"I said 'somewhat.'" I addressed to Trev but kept my eyes on Grandpa.

"I might be able to answer that." I heard another voice and turned to see Uncle Jeff walking up to us. As he stopped in front of me, he held out an envelope and nodded for me to take it. As I opened it and then unfolded the note, I instantly recognized Steph's handwriting, and before I started to read, I glanced around at Trev, Grandpa, and then finally Uncle Jeff who once again smiled as he nodded his encouragement for me to continue.

My Dearest Love,

Where would I even begin in trying to tell you how much I love you? You who are by far the most loving, generous, encouraging, and thoughtful man I've known. The man that I dreamed of when I was a little girl; the man I hoped that I would find one day, who would love all of me even the parts of me that were broken. There seemed little hope of that happening, until one day almost a year ago when you entered my life. 

How does someone tell another how much they love that person, the person that they've dreamed of their whole life? The answer, my love, is that I can't. I couldn't possibly tell you or even show you how much I love you, the incredible, wonderful man that you are; the man that I admire so much for having the bravery to use the pain that he's experienced in his life to help others. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to tell and show you the love I feel for you, and I hope when the time comes that we're surrounded by our grandchildren, you’ll know how much I not only love, but also respect and appreciate you.

I'm always humbled by the fact that you not only share the dreams of your heart with me, but also its sorrows. On this special day, a day I know brings both of us happiness, there will be moments when we both long for those who can't be with us, and moments where we are overwhelmed by the gratitude we feel for those who have given themselves to make this day a special one. At this very moment, several of them are probably standing with you as you read this note; and while they’re all special, one of them is someone that you’ve confessed to having a special bond with. 

In my search of a present for you on this once in a lifetime day, I had only to look into your heart for the answer. When I learned very recently that your Uncle could perform wedding ceremonies and that he held a very special place in your heart, I asked him if he’d make our day even more special by marrying us. He graciously agreed and I hope you won't be too upset with me for changing this one part of our wedding. 

I love you, the man of my dreams, and I can't wait to see what we dream of and what will come true, together as husband and wife. 

Yours forever,

Steph

By the time I read the last words, tears were filling my eyes and as I looked up at Uncle Jeff I saw him nod with tears in his. I quickly turned my head to look over at the tent that I knew she stood in and had the overwhelming urge to see her, to hold her, to carry her down the aisle and profess my love for her at that very moment in front of everyone. I took several steps toward the tent but before I could take anymore, Grandpa stepped in front of me. "Where are you going?"

"I. . .I have to see her." I took a couple more steps before Grandpa stepped in my way and I felt a hand on my arm. I turned in the direction of the hand and saw Uncle Jeff shaking his head.

"I understand, believe me, I do. . ." He quickly glanced at Aunt Star who was sitting with Aunt Kate and Uncle Charlie before looking back at me. ". . .but there's less than thirty minutes until she walks down that aisle and while we're already out here, it takes women longer to get ready. . ." He hinted and joked and the sound of myself chuckling surprised me. 

"Speaking of which, I guess I should start making my way over to the tent." Grandpa looked over at me before continuing. "You're not going to try to follow me, are you?"

I shook my head and he patted my shoulder before making his way and I watched him until he rounded the corner and then turned to Uncle Jeff to meet his stare. "I. . ." I stopped as I tried to process not only what she had written but also the fact that Uncle Jeff had agreed to marry us. "Are you really going to marry us?"

He smiled and glanced over at the tent before he spoke. "I hate to admit that I didn't think of it myself, and I had completely forgotten it had come up in our dinner conversation the other night at your mom's. The very next morning she stopped by the house with Charlotte and asked if I could still marry people, I told her I could and she asked if I'd be willing to perform the ceremony for yours. I couldn't refuse, not with it being your wedding and she can be rather convincing too." He smirked as he looked back at me and he, Trev, and I chuckled at his statement.

I noticed movement near the tent and saw Mom make her way over to where we stood and as she stopped in front of us, she shook her head. "I don't know what you wrote in that note, but Charlotte's had to reapply about half of Steph's makeup."

Uncle Jeff jabbed me with his elbow. "What'd I tell you? It takes women more time."

Mom rolled her eyes at Uncle Jeff and Trev and I laughed at the two of them. "Is she okay?" I asked her.

She nodded. "She is." She reassured me and then turned to Trev. "If you're going to walk Charlotte up the aisle, you might want to make your way back there." 

"Right." He patted my back before making his way to the tent and Uncle Jeff and I walked to the front of the aisle. I looked at the smiling faces of family as I walked to my spot and thought about the words in the note that I had placed in my breast pocket: . . .and moments where we are overwhelmed by the gratitude we feel for those who have given themselves to make this day a special one.  While I couldn't deny that I did miss dad being there, as Steph had put it in her note, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for the people that sat there and for the person that now stood behind me. I turned around and looked at him. "Thank you, Uncle Jeff; not just for marrying us, but for everything you've done since Dad passed away, for all of us."

Typical of him, he nodded and patted my back before looking down at the ground for a brief moment. The sudden movement of him lifting his head and looking down the aisle caused me to turn around and as I saw Charlotte and Trev, all my thoughts turned to the woman who had filled them for the last ten months, the woman who in the next several minutes would become my wife.

The music started, and I watched as Trev and Charlotte made their way down the aisle. When they reached the back row of the seats, I saw the first of the white appear and from that moment on, I only saw her. As Trev and Charlotte continued walking, she took a moment to adjust her dress and whispered to Grandpa before turning to look at me and even from that distance, I could see the smile that had spread across her lips. Once Trev and Charlotte had reached the front, the music changed and I watched as everyone stood up and turned to look at the most beautiful sight that I had ever seen, the woman I loved walking towards me.

As she continued to walk the aisle, I kept my eyes on her, determined just as I had done on the night I had proposed, to remember every detail of her and that moment. I admired her dress and how incredibly beautiful she looked in it but as much as I enjoyed it, the look in her eyes moved me even more. As she and Grandpa reached the back row of chairs, I could see the love, happiness, and admiration in them and as she smiled even more at me, I had to swallow hard to fight back the tears that were threatening to stain my cheeks.

Within a matter of seconds, she and Grandpa had finished their walk and as she took her final step to stand next to me, we smiled at each other and I turned to face Uncle Jeff.

"Dearly Beloved. . ." He started and even though he continued on, I didn't hear much of what he said. Instead, my attention seemed to center on Steph; the sound of her breathing as she stood next to me, the slight move of her right arm and how it sent tingles up mine as our arms lightly brushed, the smell of lavender that I had missed smelling that morning when I woke up. . .I couldn't think of anything else until I heard Uncle Jeff say, "Who gives this woman away to be married?"

Both Steph and I looked over at Grandpa and smiled as he looked back at her. "Her Grandfather does." He kissed her on the cheek and sat down. Steph glanced at Charlotte and smiled at her as she handed her the flowers she had been holding and as she turned to face me, I saw the first of the tears in her eyes and I too started to feel tears once again filling mine. As we stood there waiting for the moment when we would say our vows, we looked at each other and like many other times in the last several months, I wondered how I had become so fortunate to have the love of the amazing woman looking back at me. I waited for Uncle Jeff to cue the vows, and as I continued to look into Steph's eyes, I placed her hands in mine and took a big breath before starting.
 

"When I think back to the first several months that we knew each other, I remember a time when I thought I knew the beautiful woman standing in front of me." She smiled up at me and I felt certain that her thoughts flashbacked to Trev's party when I had analyzed her. "What I now know, is that you are an incredible, strong, compassionate, thoughtful, loving, amazing, beautiful woman. A woman who taught me to not judge a book by its cover, who every day reminds me to take the time to enjoy life and those that I love, and whose love has given me the courage to be a better man. You are the missing piece to the puzzle that is my life, my soul mate, and the person who my heart completely belongs to."

As I finished, I felt the tears start to fall that I had tried to hold back and I smiled as she took both of her hands and gently wiped them away. She continued to look into my eyes as she took a breath and placed my hands in hers.

"I remember a time in my life when I wondered if I would ever know love, when it seemed impossible that I would ever be loved and be part of a loving family. Because of you, the most thoughtful, giving, supportive, unselfish, amazing, caring and loving man I've ever known, I now know what it feels like to be loved and to have a loving family. Sometimes we dream of things that seem impossible and that seem out of our reach, and sometimes our dreams can't even touch reality and because of you, I know what that's like. You are the man I've always dreamed of and more, who has shown me what unconditional love really is, who reminds me that I'm worth loving. You are my dream, my soul mate, and the one who my heart forever belongs to."

With each passing declaration, more tears fell from our eyes and by the time she had finished, I did the same as she had done for me and wiped her tears away. She once again wiped mine away and as we took a moment to comfort each other, we heard the sounds of others being moved from what we had just declared.

After several moments, Uncle Jeff collected the rings from Trev and handed Steph's ring to me. I smiled as I looked at her and made my lifelong promises to her. "I, George Frederick Davila, take you, Stephanie Brooke Hathaway, to be my wife. I promise to eat breakfast with you every morning, to clean the litter box and to not drink milk out of the carton, to call you when I leave work every day, to continue to spoil you, to never go to bed angry, to be there for you when life gets crazy and times are hard, to continually remind you of how incredible you are, and to love you for the rest of my life." I slid the ring on her finger and smiled as I waited for her to collect the ring from Uncle Jeff and start her promises to me.

"I, Stephanie Brooke Hathaway, take you, George Frederick Davila, to be my husband. I promise to eat breakfast with you every morning, to serve you breakfast in bed on your birthdays, to trust you when it comes to surprises, to kiss you good morning and good night each day, to always listen to what you have to say, even when I'm angry, to be there for you when life gets crazy and times are hard, to continually remind you of how incredible you are, and to love you for the rest of my life." She slid the ring on my finger and squeezed my hands as we impatiently waited for Uncle Jeff to say the words that we longed to hear.

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Uncle Jeff’s smile spread from ear to ear as he uttered the next words. "You may now kiss your bride."

I turned and looked down into her rich, hazel eyes as I took a small step towards her. She smiled up at me and everything else faded away as I smiled back down at her. The soft touch of her hands on my waist as my mine moved up to her face was the last motions I remembered before it felt like time stood still when our lips found each other for the first time as husband and wife. It was the cheering of the family that eventually made time start to move again. When we pulled away, she moved her hands to my chest and I lightly brushed her cheek with my thumb as I continued to look in her loving eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled back up at me and I offered her my arm before we both turned to face everyone. Charlotte gave Steph her flowers back and we smiled at everyone as we made our way back down the aisle and then into the tent. 

I closed the curtain behind us and watched her for a moment as she walked over to the table. The sunlight shined down on her rings as her left hand gently placed the flowers on the table top and I immediately thought of the other piece of jewelry I’d given her before the wedding. I looked up at the earrings and I reached for her as she started to turn around. "You wore the earrings." 

"Of course I did." She smiled up at me and then looked concerned. "You're not upset about the pastor, are you?"

I shook my head as I placed a hand on her cheek and then leaned down to kiss her. She seemed to melt into my chest and for a moment, I forgot that there were other people near who were anxious to see us. A knock on of the pillars unfortunately brought me back to reality. "Mr. Davila, whenever you and Mrs. Davila are ready, we'll start to take some pictures of the two of you before taking some with other people."

I stopped kissing Steph and looked out of the corner of my eye toward the pillar where the voice was coming from. "Thank you, we'll be out in a minute." I turned my attention back to Steph, wanting to continue kissing her but couldn’t since she was she biting her bottom lip. "Why are you biting your bottom lip?" I teased her.

She coyly looked at me. "She called me Mrs. Davila." 

I loudly laughed, one that I knew that people on the other side of the curtains could hear and continued to tease her. "So the lip biting is because you're happy to be called that. . .or are you upset by her addressing you by that name."

She firmly pressed her lips on mine and then seriously looked at me. "I will never be upset when someone calls me that."

I nodded and smirked. "Just making sure."

"We should probably make our way outside." She hinted and moved to grab her flowers, but before she could, I grabbed her hand and turned her so she once again faced me.

"Before we go anywhere. . ." I ran the back of my hand down her exposed neck and continued over her exposed skin, resting it just over the fabric of her bodice. ". . .I wanted to tell you that you are breathtaking."

She blushed slightly as she looked down for a moment at her dress. "You like the dress then?"

I removed my hand from the top of her chest and place it under her chin to return her eyes to mine. "As beautiful as the dress is, I'm much more captivated by the woman who's wearing it." I explained and once again claimed her lips with mine. She happily sighed when we stopped and placed her hands on my chest.

"There you go again, spoiling me with your compliments."

"I did just promise to do that."

She nodded and smiled as she turned around and grabbed her flowers. "We should go outside so pictures can be taken and then people can eat." She reached down to grab my hand and we walked out together to find the photographer. We took several pictures together in various locations around the meadow, which allowed everyone a chance to see us and for us to see them, and eventually, the photographer took several group pictures.

We made one more stop in the tent in between the pictures and the reception and after several moments alone, we reemerged and as people cheered, we made our way to our table. I held out her chair for her as she sat down and then sat down myself. As the different courses were served, we spent little time eating and instead gazed at each other and watched others enjoy the meal and time spent with other family members. When the meal ended, we made our way over to the cake and after we cut it, we gave each other warning looks as we moved our cake filled hands toward the other's mouth. There weren’t any cake incidences and once everyone had enjoyed a piece of cake, I led Steph to the dance floor and noticed the satisfied grin appear on her lips.

"I've been waiting all day for this." She admitted while I wrapped one of my arms around her waist and pulled her close as we started to dance. 

I gazed into her eyes and rubbed my hand on her back. "Me too." Once our dance ended, the rest of the family flooded the dance floor and we spent the next couple of hours dancing and socializing with everyone. A half an hour before Steph and I needed to leave, Trev motioned to me about the time and I nodded my thanks before moving to where Steph, Charlotte, and Emily were standing.

"I hate to interrupt, but we need to get ready." I wrapped an arm around Steph's waist and watched as Charlotte started to complain.

"Already?"

"As much as I'd love to spend time with all of you, I'd much rather go away, alone with my husband." Steph looked up at me and after looking at her I caught Charlotte smiling at us.

We made our way once again into the tent and I spent the next several minutes undoing each button on the back of Steph's dress, and found the slowness and intimacy of the act very arousing. 

As I undid the last button, I placed my lips on her shoulder and slowly moved the caresses up her neck until my lips reached her ear. "Absolutely breathtaking." I repeated my earlier statement. She slowly stood up and turned around before letting the dress fall to the ground and revealing her undergarments.

"It's too bad that we don't have much time right now. . ." She teased and I pursed my lips as I looked up at the sky and took in a deep breath in an attempt to regain some control over myself. When I my eyes met hers again, I nodded and motioned to our change of clothes. 

"I think we need to hurry up so we can get to the cabin we're staying at for the night. . ." I hinted and she quickly agreed. We changed and I placed the bags we had brought outside for Trev to put in the car and to let him know that we would soon be leaving. After making sure we had everything, we stepped out from the tent and our family gathered to tell us goodbye and wish us a happy honeymoon. We took that one last opportunity to thank everyone and then made our way to the car. I laughed as I saw it and looked over at Trev as I held the door open for Steph.

"Hey! Don't just look at me; I had some help. . ." He protested and I looked around noticed several guilty faces, including Will and Ethan.

I smiled at them again before getting in the car and after we waved goodbye and they were out of sight, I turned to look at Steph. "Are you ready for our adventures in Italy?" I asked and reached over to grab her hand to kiss it.

She nodded and a smirk appeared on her lips. "After our adventures in the cabin. . .”