Rise (New Haven Book 3)

by Sara Jo Cluff

  I glanced around the table and smiled, happy at my newly formed, slightly dysfunctional family.

  After lunch, Eric and I went for a walk. He helped me up the ladder to the alcove and we sat down on a rock, looking out over New Haven.

  “I love it here.” I leaned into Eric, who had his arm around me.

  “Me, too,” Eric said. “I never want to leave.”

  “Good, because you’ll never get me to leave.”

  He laughed and kissed the top of my head. “You know, now with Derek and Naomi engaged, and Will and Dee engaged, we need to get married soon so they can focus on their weddings.”

  I smiled. “I think a spring wedding would be nice, so what? May?”

  “March?” Eric asked.

  I shook my head. “Too soon. Dee hasn’t finished my dress yet.”

  “April then.” He gave me a hopeful smile.

  I thought about all the preparations and shook my head. “May.”

  Eric sighed. “Fine, May, but the beginning.”

  “Pick a day,” I said, running my fingers through his hair.

  “The second,” Eric responded.

  “Why the second?” I asked.

  He smiled as he ran his finger down my cheek. “Because I knew you’d say the first was too soon.” Before I could respond, he bent down and kissed me gently on the lips.

  When he pulled away, I curled into his arms and looked out over the city. It had taken a while to get where we were. We’d lost so many good people along the way. I still thought of my dad, Vice President Oliver, and Mack every single day. They had shaped me into the woman I’d become.

  Every bump in the road, every life lost, every injury I’d received, all of it had been worth it in the end. Our city was free. Our citizens were happy. Everywhere I went, I saw people smiling and heard laughter. That wasn’t something I had noticed when I lived in River Springs. Thunder Thighs had smiled on multiple occasions, even if it was a little deformed.

  Eric kissed me on my forehead. “I love you, Emmie Woodard.”

  I squeezed him tight. “I love you, Eric Greene.”

  We sat there for hours, talking about anything and everything we could think of, until the sunset. Then we sat there a little longer, watching the stars come out and light up the sky.

  “Would you hold still?” Dee was trying to get my dress buttoned up in the back.

  Standing, I stared in the mirror at Dee, who was behind me. “Sorry, my foot itched.”

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head, making her brown curls bounce. They seemed extra curly and extra perfect that day. “Too bad. This is more important than an itchy foot.” She glanced at me through the mirror. “Emmie, this is my first wedding dress. I need to wow people. If I want to start a side business, I can’t screw this up.”

  Tilting my head, I looked at my dress in the mirror. When I’d first seen it, I about had a heart attack. Dee thought it was because I loved it so much (which I did), but it was because there were no sleeves. My whole life I’d worn very modest clothing. Everyone in River Springs did. It was the style. So, wearing no sleeves almost felt scandalous. When I’d said that out loud, Vivica told me I needed to lighten up. Plus, she said I had nice shoulders. I thought it was a weird compliment, but I thanked her anyway.

  Dee informed me that a heart attack was not necessary. She hadn’t finished it. She added a lace covering over the entire dress that had sleeves that went down to my wrists.

  The lace opened at the waist, however, exposing the white silk material underneath. She had used a light lilac and light green stitch to embroider vines with flowers on the bottom half of my dress. The silk material stopped just below my ankles, but the lace continued in the back to form a short train.

  I let out a yawn as I watched her work. She tsked at me. “No yawning.”

  Rolling my eyes, I yawned again. “Dee, you woke me up at four this morning. Four!”

  She stopped what she was doing and put her hand on her hip. “Listen, lady, we had a lot to do. Hair, makeup, getting this dress put on you perfectly, so don’t mouth off. You look simply stunning, so you should be thanking me.”

  “You think I look stunning?”

  Dee nodded. “Absolutely. Eric might be the one to fall over with a heart attack when he sees you.” She went back to finishing off the pearl buttons in the back.

  “She’s right.” Mom rolled herself into the room in her wheelchair. She stopped next to me and took my hand. “You’re gorgeous.”

  “And downright sexy,” Tina said.

  She was sitting at one of the desks in Dee’s classroom. We’d set it up for my dressing room since it was right next to the park where I was getting married. Maya, Naomi, Vivica, and Courtney were sitting near her. I’d asked the five of them to be my bridesmaids. Dee was my maid of honor.

  Rosie skipped into the room, gasping when she saw me. “Emmie! You’re beautiful! I love your hair.” Her arm had finally healed, and the sling had been removed.

  “Thanks,” Dee and Tina said at the same time.

  They’d both spent hours on my hair. They started by doing loose ringlets all around my head. Then they put some thin braids throughout and a thicker braid that ran along the top of my head. Once they were done, they pinned my hair up so it was above my neck, making sure some of the curls hung loose.

  Rosie held out some small blue flowers that had bloomed around New Haven. “Can we put some of these in your hair?”

  I smiled at her. “Of course.”

  “As soon as I’m done,” Dee said.

  I twisted my butterfly pendant. Vivica had done my makeup. I was worried since sometimes she could go overboard, but she ended up going simple, yet elegant. The light gray and purple eye shadow she’d used made my green eyes stand out. She used a light, shiny lip gloss that had the slightest bit of pink to it.

  Dee finished and stood next to me, eyeing her work. She was smiling until she noticed me playing with my pendant. She creased her forehead in concern. “Emmie, don’t take this the wrong way, but you aren’t going to wear that, are you?”

  My mouth fell open. I’d worn it every single day since Eric had given it to me. He had hand-carved the butterfly himself. Wrapping my hand around it, I pressed it against my chest.

  Dee flushed. “I love it, you know that. It just doesn’t go with the rest of your ensemble.”

  “Oh!” Mom said. “I completely forgot.” She handed me a small box. “Eric wanted me to give this to you. He wanted to bring it in himself, but I told him that was out of the question. The groom can’t see the bride before the wedding.”

  “Why not?” Rosie asked. She swished her dress back and forth where she stood. She was wearing a lavender dress that Dee had made her. It poofed out from the waist down, where the silk material hung to her knees. At least Dee had given her sleeves that weren’t see-through.

  Mom smiled at Rosie. “They say that it’s bad luck.”

  “Well, open the box already,” Tina said, walking up next to me.

  I removed the lid and gasped. Inside was a necklace made of the same silver as my ring, the pendant a small butterfly with little purple gems on the wings. There was a set of purple diamond earrings, too. Santiago had pierced my ears last month, but I didn’t have any earrings that seemed nice enough, so I wasn’t wearing any.

  “Wow,” Tina said as she looked over my shoulder at the jewelry. “They’re beautiful.”

  Removing the earrings, I handed Mom the box and put the earrings in. When I was done, I bent down next to Mom, which was surprisingly easy. I wasn’t sure how Dee had done it, but my dress was effortless to maneuver around in, which I appreciated more than she probably knew.

  I took off my wooden butterfly necklace and handed it to Tina. “Keep a close eye on this.”

  Mom placed my new necklace around my neck and clasped it together. It went perfect with my dress.

  “Seriously, Emmie,” Vivica said, “you’re going to turn heads today.” She looked at Dee.
“You’re doing my dress when I get married.”

  We all turned to her.

  “Do you have news you need to share with us?” I asked.

  Vivica shook her head as she laughed. “No. I said when I get married. I hope to one day, but not yet.”

  Naomi smiled. “Well, I have a wedding coming up and you’re doing my dress, too.”

  Dee beamed. “Clients already! This is awesome.”

  Maya and Courtney stood by us, so we were all looking at my dress in the mirror.

  Courtney smiled. “I think everyone will want Dee to do their dress when they see Emmie.” Her eyes locked with mine. “You do look stunning.”

  “Can I come in?” I turned around and saw Marie standing at the door holding little Mack in her arms. He had just turned three months old and had started smiling. He had the cutest dimples on his chubby cheeks that amplified when he smiled.

  “Of course,” I said.

  Marie gasped when she finally saw me in my entirety. She whistled. “You look hot!”

  That made me laugh. “Thanks.” I held out my arms. “Come here, Mack.” He leaned toward me, smiling big.

  “No!” Dee’s outburst surprised us all. “What if he spits up on your dress?”

  “I fed him a while ago,” Marie said. “And he’s been burped. Nothing will happen.”

  Dee didn’t look satisfied with that answer, but I didn’t care. I took little Mack into my arms and hugged him. “You wouldn’t spit up on me, would you Mack?” He tried to grab some of my loose curls, smiling the whole time. I pulled him close and kissed his cheeks repeatedly. His giggle filled the room, making everyone else laugh.

  “Now I’ll have to fix your lip gloss,” Vivica said, rifling through her makeup bag.

  I kissed him a few more times. “He’s worth it.” Sighing, I handed him back to Marie.

  “Can we put the flowers in your hair now, Emmie?” Rosie asked.

  “Sure.” I sat down on a nearby chair while Rosie, Dee, and Tina placed them throughout my hair. Vivica took the opportunity to reapply my lip gloss.

  Marie looked at all the bridesmaid dresses. “Dee, you did an amazing job with these dresses as well.”

  All of them wore a sleeveless lavender dress made of silk that hung just past the knees. She did a lace cover like she did for me, but the shade matched their dress. The lace opened at the waist off to the right, instead of the middle like mine did. Dee’s dress was the same, except her lace cover was cream.

  When they were done with the flowers, Dee placed my veil on my head. It was made of the same lace material that she used for my dress.

  Bending down, Maya put my shoes on my feet. Vivica and Dee had tried to talk me into wearing high heels, but I refused. I didn’t need to trip and fall at my wedding. Maya and Tina were my voice of reason and talked them into letting me wear white slip-ons. They were comfortable, which was exactly what I needed.

  Dee helped me up and looked me over. “Dress. Check. Hair. Check. Makeup. Check. Jewelry. Check. Shoes. Check. Veil. Check.” She looked at everyone. “Are we forgetting anything?”

  “Your ring,” Rosie said, holding out her hand.

  “Oh, yes.” I slipped it off and placed it in her hand. She took it over to a small pillow and used a ribbon to tie my ring and Eric’s ring to the pillow.

  Marie took the pillow and held it in front of Mack. “Are you sure he’s not too young to be the ring bearer?” He reached out and squeezed the pillow, a big smile on his face.

  Vivica laughed. “I heard that back in the day some people used dogs to be the ring bearer, so using a three-month-old can’t be that weird.”

  “Besides,” Dee said with a shrug, “you’ll be holding him.” She eyed my original ring made of twine that still sat on my ring finger.

  “It’s staying on, Dee,” I said, twisting it around my finger.

  She held up her hands. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

  “Knock, knock.” Alexander stood in the doorway. “It’s time, ladies.”

  Mom put her hand on my arm. “I’ll see you out there.” I bent down and kissed her on the cheek before she wheeled herself out of the room.

  The groomsmen walked into the room. Santiago whistled when he saw us. “So, this is where all the hot ladies are hiding.”

  “No time for chit chat,” Dee said. “We all need to line up.”

  Santiago saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.” He ran over to me, giving me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You look amazing.”

  Dante came to me next, giving me a big hug. “I’m so happy for you, Emmie.” He kissed my cheek. “Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” I said.

  “Coolest brother first,” Derek said, pushing past Joshua and pulling me into a tight hug, making it very difficult to breathe. “Remember to name your first-born child after me. And any others you have. Love you, little sister from another mister.” He hurried away before I could tell him no child of mine would ever be named after him.

  Joshua rolled his eyes and then embraced me. “You look beautiful, Emmie.” He pulled back. “Promise me you’ll never name a kid after Derek.”

  I laughed. “I wasn’t planning on it. I’d name a kid after you before I would him.”

  “I heard that,” Derek yelled out.

  “Seriously, people!” Dee yelled. “You love Emmie, she looks stunning, we all know this! Places!” She tossed each bridesmaid a bouquet and then practically hurled mine at me. I had to jump to catch it.

  Will shrugged and gave me an apologetic smile as he linked his arm with Dee’s. Rosie stood at the head of the line, holding a basket of the same blue flowers that were in my hair. Marie stood behind her, holding little Mack in her arms, who was now sucking on the pillow. As long as he didn’t swallow the rings, I was fine with it.

  Courtney and Joshua were behind Marie, followed by Derek and Naomi, Santiago and Vivica, Dante and Maya, Tina and Luke, with Dee and Will right in front of me. Luke turned around and gave me a thumbs-up, turning back around quickly when Dee glared at him.

  Alexander pulled my veil over my face and linked my arm with his. He gently placed his other hand on my hand that rested on his arm. “You look exquisite, Emmie.”

  “Thank you …” I paused. “Do you mind if I call you Dad?”

  His smile reached up to his eyes like Eric’s always did. “I would be honored.”

  “Good.” I kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Lip gloss, Emmie!” Vivica yelled out.

  “If you were facing forward like you should’ve been you wouldn’t have noticed!” Dee said.

  I turned to Alexander. “This is going to be fun.”

  He winked at me. “Yes, yes it is.”

  We filed out of the room, one couple at a time, and walked toward the park. We had picked the perfect day. Winter had gone, but the summer heat hadn’t arrived. Pink, puffy clouds were scattered throughout the sky. The sun was beginning to set, painting pink and orange hues above the mountains.

  My friends and family filled the rows of white chairs that had been placed on the grass. I was able to talk Dee down to only a couple hundred people with an agreement to record the event for anyone who wanted to watch it later.

  Rosie went down the aisle first, dropping the flowers on the ground as she did. Then Marie followed with Mack, who very easily charmed the crowd with his dimples and a small bowtie around his neck.

  As Courtney and Joshua started walking, I looked out over the guests. Mom, Sean, Bruce, Gideon, and Terrance sat in the front on one side. On the other side were Nick and Carla. Next to them, as promised, was the nurse who saved my life, Janette, along with her family.

  The row directly behind them remained empty. We reserved those seats in honor of my dad, Mack, Vice President Oliver, President Brown, and all those who had given the ultimate sacrifice for New Haven.

  Among the crowd were Samantha Oliver and her mom, Dee’s family, Carmen Mendes, Dr. Stacey, and Hiro. Marcus, Zoe, a
nd Michael came down from Kingsland to be there.

  Dante had been contacting Zoe quite often. He kept saying how young she was, but something was starting to develop.

  Near the back, Thunder Thighs and Skinny sat next to each other and for the first time since I’d known them, they weren’t fighting. They weren’t talking, either, but I’d take that over fighting.

  “You ready?” Alexander patted my hand.

  I nodded. “More than ever.”

  The crowd stood as Alexander and I started down the aisle. There seemed to be some sort of archway in front, but my eyes were only on Eric.

  His blond hair was freshly cut and perfectly styled. He wore a black suit with a white, button-down shirt and a solid lavender tie. Seeing him so polished took my breath away. He was utterly handsome.

  Keeping my focus on his blue eyes, my smile broke records as I sauntered toward him. I probably would have sprinted, but luckily Alexander was there, helping me go at a reasonable pace.

  As we got closer, Eric blinked back tears, which made my eyes water. Somehow, his smile was even bigger than mine.

  When we got to the front, Alexander lifted my veil back and kissed me on my cheek. He put my hand in Eric’s and went to sit down next to Nick.

  Eric leaned in, gently kissing my cheek. “You look positively radiant.”

  Still holding hands, we turned to Archie who stood under the archway. I took a moment to look at the detail on the arch. It was made of oak, handcrafted by Archie. Even with one hand, his craftsmanship was remarkable. Vines that held the New Haven flower were sketched all along the arch, along with small butterflies.

  Archie smiled at us before he began. “I’d like to welcome you all today to this blessed occasion of the union of Emelia Woodard and Eric Greene. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Emmie and Eric over the past year and the one thing I’ve noticed more than anything is that their love and commitment to one another has never faltered and never wavered. They have stayed by each other through more than any of us wanted to see or should have to see in a lifetime.