There was no hiding it from Heath. Especially because he moved in with me shortly after he proposed and he just happened to walk into the bathroom as I was standing there in front of the sink looking at the little white stick in my hand. Heath was beside himself. We decided we really had two options—have a really fast wedding before the baby comes, or postpone the wedding until after our little bundle of love arrived. We decided on option two.
Heath started his own construction business and he was busy all the time with new jobs, not only in Winterhaven but in the surrounding little towns as well. He had better hours, though, than he would working as a bouncer in the bar so I was happy about that. I just wished he was around more, especially during the first trimester when I felt nauseous and weepy all the time. He was working really hard so he could slow things down once the baby came. The sweet little things he would do for me, like bringing home a pint of ice cream, or bland buttered noodles after he got off work made me fall in love with him even more. Most days I felt like I functioned in a perpetual state of happiness, morning sickness and all.
“There! See I told you not to panic, it is completely zipped. And it’s just as beautiful as I remember. You look so beautiful,” Cate says.
“Oh, thank God!” I’m frantically turning around in the mirror, looking at the dress from all angles making sure everything is secured inside where it belongs.
The door opens and Greta walks in holding my little man. “Oh my God! Look at how cute he is in his little dress pants and tie!” Reaching out to take my little Sam, I prop him on my hip and we look in the floor length mirror together. “Hello, sweetie pie. You look so handsome, my heart can’t take it! Guess what? I’m going to marry your daddy today. So this is a very exciting day for our family…the second most exciting day. The first is when you were born, of course.” He’s looking at me in the mirror with a big smile on his face. I kiss up his chunky cheeks as he reaches out and grabs my earring. He’s almost nine months so not only does he want to crawl and move all the time, he also wants to put everything in his mouth.
“Here, hon…let me take him,” Greta says. “You look so beautiful. And to think you were so worried about that dress fitting. Heath is a lucky man. But just you wait, he is looking as handsome as can be today, too.”
Just the mention of Heath in a black suit and tie makes my mouth water. I can’t wait to see him and I can’t wait to say our vows and make everything official. “Well I can’t wait to see Heath standing up there by the alter looking smoking hot in a suit. He’s such a good man. And he seems to love me even more since I had Sam, even though I think my hips have expanded from child birth and I don’t know that they’re ever going to shrink back to the size they used to be.”
“That’s a sign of a good man. He loves you for the connection you two have in your heart and souls. And there’s nothing more beautiful than creating life. He looks at you like you walk on water. You just have to be proud and own this new body.”
“Thank you Greta, I will. I love talking to you; you’re like my own personal life coach.” I give her a big hug, I’m so overly emotional today. I take a moment to think about how I went from having no family to being surrounded by people that love and care about me. Heath is about to become my husband and we already have a beautiful little boy together. Eventually we’ll need to find ourselves a cute puppy to bring home with us as well and then everything will be just as it should be.
There is a small chapel where the wedding ceremony will be held. It’s out in the country and it looks quaint and cozy. The wedding will be small so it should be the perfect size. After the ceremony we are having the reception in an antique red barn not far from the chapel. We have it all set up with round tables, pristine white table cloths, tall clear vases in the middle of the tables with large white and purple peonies and strings of white lights hanging from the rafters. There will be a nice dinner of filet mignon and lobster tails and music and dancing after. Embry made the wedding cake for us and it is spectacular. Three tiers with marble cake, chocolate and raspberry filling with a white buttercream frosting. Cake tasting was my next favorite wedding planning activity after dress shopping.
Cate, Greta, Sam and I are standing right outside the double wooden doors to the chapel. Inside I can hear the piano start to play and I know the moment has arrived. Greta is going to carry Sam down the aisle and then Cate and I will follow.
“I guess it’s time,” I say to everyone. We all smile at each other and give hugs while trying not to tear up and smear any of our freshly applied make-up. With all of the changes I’ve had in my life over the last few years, I’ve always felt nervous or scared of what was going to happen. Today, though, I don’t feel any of those things. I went through a lot of ups and downs in my life to get to this moment where I am full of excitement and anticipation for what is coming next.
Within ten minutes I’m standing at the end of the aisle looking at Heath standing in front of the alter. I need to give myself a few minutes to compose myself and keep the tears at bay. Greta carries Sam down the aisle and I smile as his big blue eyes stare at me over her shoulder. Next it’s my turn. I stand there soaking in every detail…of Heath. The way he looks in his black suit, how he stands with his hands folded in front of him, the way I can see his love for me radiate off of him from across the room. His brown eyes pull me in, just like the first time I saw him, and lock onto me. I feel that familiar tingle inside of me as his gaze devours me and I see the curve of a smile touch his lips. Once I commit this feeling to memory, I take a deep breath and begin to walk toward the man of my dreams.
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Genevieve Matthews is a steamy romance novelist who specializes in men who know how to treat their ladies right. She lives in the heartland with her husband and two little boys. When she can find time, she likes to catch a movie, head out to dinner, or curl up with a good book.
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authorgenevievematthews
www.genevievematthews.org
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A Cautious Heart (The Heart's Temptation Series Book 1) Page 13