by Adler
“When are you going to cut the cake?”
“Soon I think, why? Are you hungry for cake?” I am puzzled.
“No silly bride, I thought you were changing into your party dress to get this place rockin’!” Oh no, she’s had one too many already.
“Mom, can you take Simone over to the beverage table and see if we can get her something to sober her up?”
“Whaaat?? I don’t need to sober up, I’m just getting started.” She does a little wiggle, which I assume was an attempt at a dance move. Her heel catches and she would have slid on her butt, if my husband didn’t have impeccable timing. He caught her just as she was about to go. She is clearly embarrassed. Turning to my mom, she says, “maybe I will take you up on that coffee.” Then, turning to me, “This is your night, and I certainly don’t want to ruin it. I’ll pace myself better.”
“Hey Prince Gallant, thanks for the save.” She pats Harrison on the shoulder as she walks with my mom to seek out some caffeine.
Laughing, we grab each other’s hands and walk over to where his parents are sitting. On our way, I inquire about the conversation he had with my father. “Listen, we can talk later about that. I don’t want to darken our evening.” I look at him with my eyebrows arched. “Ok, he just wanted to make certain we had things covered for the rest of the night in terms of safety. And…he wanted to welcome me into the family officially and told me to call him Dad from now on.”
With excitement and happiness coursing through my veins, I wrap my arms around Harrison and give him a squeeze. This has been the most magical day so far, and it only seems to get better. It is amazing to me how far we have come. When I first met this man, he was aloof, cold, and controlling. My attraction to him and the chemistry between us was undeniable, but I could never have fathomed that in less than six months, I would be sharing his bed and his name.
“What are you thinking about mi amore?”
I feel a warm blush rushing down my face and neck. I pull him away from his parents’ table, to the corner where the band is setting up. “I was just thinking about how fate has put us together, but maybe it’s simply our destiny. All of this was meant to happen. You were meant to happen…”
Before I finish, he takes my face into his hands and kisses me passionately, as if we are the only two people on the planet.
“Ahem. I hate to interrupt, but perhaps we should have you cut the cake now? I think people are ready to dance.” A little agitated by the interruption, we both look over to see his sweet mother.
I instantly melt, she is such a lovely person, and I feel so blessed that his family has welcomed me into their fold.
“Sounds great!” We follow her to the cake table and the MC announces that we are cutting the cake.
We feed each other little morsels of the delicious sweet cream cake with lemon and raspberry filling. I look around the room, and Clarke catches my attention. She waves for me to join her. It’s time to change into my party dress and dance the night away with my husband.
“Be right back, lover.”
He licks his lips as I turn to follow Clarke. Gah. Wish I could just shove him in a coat closet and do dirty things to him right now!
I follow Clarke up a set of back stairs to the room that was prepared for me to use as a dressing room. She loosens the corset laces on the back of my dress, and I let it fall to the ground. I shimmy into a short little number that has a one-shoulder neckline. It has a jersey nude underlay and sexy beading in gold and silver ombre, with a fringe-beaded skirt. I twirl around in the mirror and love how the beads flow around my legs.
“You are not done just yet; here, let me help you.” Clarke pulls some of the pins out of my hair and it tumbles down my back. She re-situates the clip from Harrison’s grandmother. We both touch up our lips and check out our appearances. “Sizzling hot!” She swats me on my butt on her way out, “Coming?” I nod and grab the fur stole that Mrs. Towers lent me for the evening.
Back in the ballroom, I can tell the band is finishing their set. I think it is about time that Harrison and I have our first dance to kick off the rest of the night. The younger people are ready for dance music. The band was playing waltzes and other old-fashioned pieces to which the rest of us just don’t know how to move.
I walk into the ballroom, looking for my husband. I spot him amongst a group of men and women chatting animatedly. He looks at me and then does a double take. I see him excuse himself. He saunters over to where I am standing. He grabs me, twirls me around, and then holds me in an embrace while planting a kiss on me that makes me weak in the knees. “My God, Mrs. Towers, you get more beautiful by the minute. I could devour you right here on the dance floor!”
As usual, I think I may swoon; instead, I look over at my new mother in-law who is watching us intently. I nod to her, and she goes over to the DJ, who announces our first dance. The room parts, clearing the center of the dance floor for us. The DJ plays the perfect song, “Everything” by Michael Buble. We hold each other close, he spins me around and even dips me a couple times. The crowd roars when he picks me up at the end and we kiss. It is simply perfection. I have never been so happy in my life, and I don’t want this moment to end.
“Okay, everyone join the happy couple on the dance floor and show us your moves!” That DJ should be a radio announcer with his animated, baritone voice.
I feel Clarke’s hands on my shoulders, and I can already tell she is ready to let it roll. The DJ runs us through the typical dance fare, from Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ to the ‘Electric Slide.’ I toss the bouquet, and much to Clarke’s disappointment, some tween catches it. We opt not to do the garter toss; I find that ritual gauche. I see Clarke break out some moves that I had no idea she possessed. I half expect her to plunk down on the floor and do the worm. To my relief, she did not. We dance with aunts, uncles, my parents, and Harrison’s parents. My feet are throbbing in my Valentino pumps, and I am dying of thirst.
The DJ is announces that the fireworks show is about to begin.
Harrison walks up to me with a gleam in his eye. “I am ready for some alone time. Come with me.”
I slip back into the fur stole that Mrs. Towers lent me and follow Harrison up a small set of stairs, and down a long, dimly lit corridor. Up and away from the revelers. I look back over my shoulder, wondering if anyone saw us leave the party.
We duck into a velvet-draped doorway. He unlatches a lock and throws open the pained-glass doors to reveal a Juliet balcony with a metal balustrade. The arctic blast of air whips my hair around my head and flutters the beads on my skirt. Harrison and his perfectly messy hair doesn’t seem affected by the breeze. He hands me a champagne glass and fills it from the bottle of bubbly he had tucked under his arm as we left the ballroom.
With our glasses full and the bottle on the floor, we stand in the doorway to watch the impressive fireworks show over the lake. As the music wafts up from the ballroom, it seems to be in time with the fireworks show. The display becomes more massive as the music becomes more intense. I wager that the New Year is but moments away. Standing in front of Harrison, with his arms circling around me, and feeling his heart beating against my back, I feel that our hearts are in sync as one. I turn to look at him. His handsome face is lit up by the exploding lights in the sky, my life is complete. He fills the empty part of me and makes me whole.
I am overcome with emotion as I lift my face to his and look deeply into his soul. What I see in his eyes, is my future, my soul melding with his. We set our glasses down as I hear distant voices cheering and whistling as the New Year nears.
3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR! Then we hear the party goers break into the usual New Years song.
“Happy 2012 mi amore.”
I smile and feel tingly, “Happy New Year my love.”
He leans down, and we ring in the brand new year and new life together, with a passionate kiss.
When we finally break away and the fireworks have faded, he takes my hand in his, looks deep int
o my eyes and whispers, “Danielle, my love, I surrender to you.”
La Fin.