Stranded

by Chance Carter

  Liana came into the bridal suite and complimented every part of me, from my makeup to my shoes. She sure knew how to make a girl feel better. After carefully placing my veil atop my head, she told me that it was almost time for the processional to start. It was time to become a wife.

  I listened from the side doors to try to figure out what was happening inside the hall. Alexander and I had decided to keep things simple, with a small wedding party. Liana was my matron of honor, Emily was my maid of honor, and Connor and Patrick were Alexander’s best men. We’d figured it was best to keep the wedding party intimate to avoid offending anyone, and also because a ten-person wedding party at a fifty-person wedding just seemed to be too much.

  Through a crack in the door, I watched as Liana walked down in her violet dress, accompanied by Patrick. When they were three-quarters of the way down the aisle, Emily and Connor followed. I had told Liana and Emily that they could wear whatever they wanted within the realm of purple, but, as usual, they’d gone above and beyond. They wore matching tea-length dresses, with a sweetheart neckline and ruffles on the bottom. I was proud to have those two standing beside me.

  Finally, it was my turn to make my entrance. The wedding coordinator straightened my veil and motioned to me to start making my way down the aisle. The walk down was much more emotional than I had expected. On both sides of me, standing in admiration, were members of my new family, a few members of my remaining family, and friends who cared enough to spend our special day with us. I smiled at my cousin Sandra as she dabbed her under-eye area with a tissue, and made eye contact with Dr. Leonard and Dr. Rodriguez, who we’d decided should be part of our special day. They were unknowingly the ones who had brought us together.

  The fifty feet from the door to the altar were overwhelming, to say the least. Factor in the traditional wedding song being played by the pianist, and I was fighting back tears by the time I had a clear view of Alexander. He was perfect, standing there in his tuxedo even more handsome-looking than he’d been when I’d last seen him an hour earlier. In the front row, Alexander’s mother was already in tears by the time I reached her and her husband. They both looked at me with such sincere smiles that I looked up at the ceiling and thanked God once again for bringing me to their family.

  I handed my bouquet to Liana and joined hands with Alexander. I hadn’t known him to be the emotional type, but even he had tears forming in the corner of his eyes. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.

  “Friends and family,” the officiant began, motioning to everyone to take their seat. Since neither of us were religious, we’d opted for a nondenominational wedding, and I’d worked with the officiant to take pieces from different ceremonies to create the perfect ceremony for Alexander and me.

  “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Alexander Preston and Casey Donohue. The bride and groom would like to thank you all for coming to join in their special day. In addition to being a time of celebration, weddings are also a time to remember those who are no longer with us. Today, and every day, we remember Joanna Donohue, Casey’s beloved mother, who we all wish could be here today.” Alexander squeezed my hand for support as I fought back tears. “We also remember Gerald and Irene Preston, grandparents of the groom, who passed away several years ago.” I squeezed his hand right back. “At this time, the groom would like to share the vows that he has written for his bride.”

  Oh boy. I knew the waterworks were about to start. If the letter Alexander had given to me earlier in the day was any indication of what his vows were going to be like, I could kiss my perfect eye makeup goodbye.

  “Casey, it’s hard to put into words what you mean to me,” Alexander said. “You came into my life at the most unexpected time and brought me a new sense of purpose. You give me something to look forward to each day, and you give me a reason to always want to be a better version of myself.” Alexander choked on the words and paused momentarily. “You mean more to me than anything in this world. That adorable giggle of yours is music to my ears, and your smile brightens up my whole day. I believe with all of my heart that fate brought us together because we were meant to be. I promise to be the best husband I can to you, and the best father I can to our baby girl. You are my best friend, my soulmate, and my forever. I love you.”

  Alexander placed a gentle kiss on my cheek as I tried to compose myself long enough to make it through my own vows. Looking out into the crowd, I knew I wasn’t the only one moved by Alexander’s words. Even the friends and family members who had doubted our relationship had tears rolling down their cheeks.

  “Now, the bride would like to share her vows she has written for her groom,” the officiant said.

  I drew in a deep breath. “Alexander, life with you is always an adventure,” I began, trying to mask the shakiness in my voice. “From the day I first laid eyes on you, I knew you were something special. From the day I first spoke to you, I knew you were meant for me. You’ve become my best friend, the person I love spending my days with, the one I could never grow tired of. I grew up without a family of my own, without Christmases, and birthday celebrations, and kisses good night. With you, and with your family, I have found a family. I love everything about you. I love the way you crinkle your nose when you’re uncertain about something. I love the way you put others first, even when it means you have to make a sacrifice. I love how you’re not afraid to work hard and play harder. You’ve opened my eyes to a whole new world, and I can’t wait for many more years of adventures to come.”

  I exhaled, relieved that my vows were finally spoken. I’d gotten pretty good at holding back tears over the years, but holding back tears while speaking was a completely different story. Alexander flashed a perfect smile at me and mouthed “I love you.”

  The officiant took a step forward. “And, now, it is time to make the sacred commitment. Alexander, repeat after me.” He paused. “I, Alexander.”

  “I, Alexander.”

  “Take thee, Casey.”

  “Take thee, Casey.”

  “To be my lawfully wedded wife.”

  “To be my lawfully wedded wife.”

  “In sickness and in health.”

  “In sickness and in health.”

  “For richer and for poorer.”

  “For richer and for poorer.”

  “Till death do us part.”

  Alexander’s voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke the final words. “Till death do us part.”

  My eyes found Alexander’s as I recited my commitment. My vision was clouded with tears by the time I got to, “Till death do us part.”

  “By the power vested in me by the state of Georgia, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the officiant said. He paused to let it sink in. “You may now kiss your bride.”

  Before I knew what was happening, Alexander swept me off my feet and dipped me in his arms, laying a perfect kiss on my lips. I stood there, frozen and amazed, as our guests applauded. I’d never seen so many proud, smiling faces in my life. It was a beautiful sight to see. As I tried to soak it all in, Alexander nudged me to follow Liana and Patrick down the aisle. I shook hands and gave quick hugs to everyone in my path as I tried my best not to trip over my dress.

  I was married. The man next to me was my husband. I knew in my heart that, with our vows and the sweet looks we gave one another, we’d even convinced those who’d doubted us that we were meant to be.

  Chapter 32

  Alexander

  “Say cheese!” the photographer said for what felt like the hundredth time. At his request, Casey and I posed at least fifteen different ways—back to back, kissing, sitting side by side, prom-style. Casey only had one pose she knew she wanted: one of me kissing the baby bump. “That’s a keeper.”

  By the time we got to family pictures, I could hardly feel my jaw. I wondered if this is what celebrities felt like at meet and greets, taking picture after picture without a break. First, we called over my mom and dad to get a picture of the four of us.
This photographer, though clearly skilled at his craft, was annoyingly particular, so I wondered what his response would be to my father, whose smile was more a slight grin without his teeth showing.

  “Come on, Marc,” the photographer said. “Show me those pearly whites.” It took them a few minutes of bickering back and forth before he finally accepted my dad’s half-assed smile. Next, we got a picture of my entire family with the two of us. I got a group picture with my college buddies, then Casey got a picture with her friends from college. We finished off with a brother picture of me, Connor, and Patrick, and a best friend picture of Casey and Liana. When the photographer finally closed up shop and headed into the reception, I was confident we had enough pictures to fill up five photo albums.

  Etta James’ voice blasted through the speakers as Casey and I made our way around the small reception area to greet our guests. I had to admit that Casey had done a lovely job putting everything together, especially considering the tight timeframe she’d been working with. The ballroom had half a dozen round tables surrounding the dance floor, and Casey had made simple but stunning floral centerpieces. I had seen the components lying around the house in the weeks leading up to the wedding, but it was a whole different ballgame seeing how everything came together. Candles, surrounded by lilies, floated atop vases on each table, and different shades of purple and silver completed the room.

  I walked over to the back of the room and found some cousins from South Carolina standing by the extensive hors d’oeuvres table. “Thank you so much for coming,” I said, offering up hugs to each of my cousins.

  “Congratulations,” Robin, the matriarch of the family, said. “The ceremony was beautiful.”

  I smiled. “Thank you. It means so much to have you all here.” I repeated some variation of this same conversation half a dozen times. Casey introduced me to the few cousins she had invited, and I made polite conversation as I thanked them for traveling from New York to come to our wedding.

  “You did it, man,” Brett said, coming up from behind me. “Guess that was some damn good advice I gave you at Flanagan’s, huh?”

  “I guess so,” I laughed. “Hey, man. Thanks for throwing a kickass bachelor party. Wouldn’t have been the same without you!”

  “Anytime, Preston.” Brett’s youngest daughter tugged at his pant leg and begged for him to take her over to get some pigs in a blanket at the hors d’oeuvres table. I chuckled as I realized that would be me in a few years and told Brett I’d catch up with him later. It was time for the introductions.

  I’d never understood the whole idea of introductions at weddings, or bar mitzvahs, or sweet sixteen parties. After all, if you had to be introduced to the guest of honor, you probably shouldn’t have been invited. Not to mention, most of the time, the introductions were after they’d already made the rounds. I laughed silently at my own ridiculous internal ramblings.

  Filled with an energy that only new husbands must’ve known, I stood in the hallway next to my gorgeous bride as we listened to the emcee rally up the crowd. “You look stunning, babe,” I whispered to Casey. She blushed and offered me a kiss on the cheek.

  I had to admit that this wedding was more than I ever could have dreamed of. Sure, I was a guy, and we were naturally inclined to care less about our wedding day, but I still didn’t want it to be a huge disaster. I felt like there was this stigma of having a wedding with a pregnant bride—the whole “shotgun wedding” ideology—and I wanted to break that. Looking at Casey glowing in her dress, I knew we had. Tonight, she wasn’t a pregnant bride. She was just a beautiful bride who happened to be pregnant.

  Casey had kept pretty quiet about the venue, so all I’d known coming into our wedding day was the name of the venue and some menu options. I had to admit that the venue having the word “ballroom” in the name had made me a bit nervous—picturing this big, stuffy affair in a room four times too big and expensive for our number of guests—but it was the perfect place for us to celebrate our marriage. We had one of the best DJs in town, a photographer, and a videographer. Nothing felt like it was missing, even with the short amount of time Casey and Liana had had to plan.

  I searched my mind for the right way to tell Casey what I was thinking without saying something offensive. “Case,” I started.

  “Hush, handsome,” she said. “It’s almost our cue.”

  Through the doorway, a muffled voice spoke into the microphone. “Ladies and gentleman, I present to you for the very first time Mr. and Mrs. Preston.” Two uniformed staff members pulled open the double doors as Casey and I made our way on the dance floor. The little waddle she’d been doing since the start of her seventh month was gone, and she was full-on strutting like a runway model.

  It brought tears to my eyes as I saw so many important people in my life cheering for me as I began this new adventure. Patrick and Connor were pumping their fists, and Emily cheered alongside one of my college buddies, who she seemed to be hitting it off with. I told myself I had to ask her about that later. To my right, my mom was wiping tears from her eyes with my father’s signature handkerchief.

  I focused my attention back to Casey, who was smiling bigger than I’d ever seen her smile before. It made me happy to make her this happy. The first notes of Lonestar’s “Amazed” played as we made our way to the center of the dance floor. Not only was this our first dance as a married couple, but it was also our first dance as a family. Casey’s silky skin felt perfect against the back of my neck as we met halfway between us for a kiss.

  The round of applause our guests gave after our kiss caught us both by surprise, and we couldn’t help but laugh. Casey leaned her head back and let out a belly laugh in that way she did that made me thankful she was mine forever. We danced close for the rest of the song as we whispered into each other’s ears.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Preston, ladies and gentlemen,” the emcee said. He turned and looked straight at Casey. “Now it’s time for the father/daughter dance.”

  I wished I could have seen the look of horror that had taken over my face as I digested the words. I imagined it was the look that Casey, and Liana, and Emily all had on their own faces. I had to believe that Casey had told the DJ to skip the father/ daughter dance, and that it was simply a human error.

  Panicking, I started walking over to the DJ booth, but my father stopped me. The emcee handed him the microphone in a way that told me I was missing something.

  “Hello, everyone,” my dad said nervously into the microphone. He wasn’t one for public speaking. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Alexander’s father. I first want to thank you all for coming to celebrate my son and his lovely bride.” He paused and cleared the scratchiness in his throat. “As some of you may know, darling Casey never knew her father. All I can say is that he missed out on getting to know a truly remarkable young lady.” I glanced over at Casey, who was choking back tears. “Casey has been such a natural fit with our family since the first time we met her, and I couldn’t have asked for a better match for my son, or a better daughter-in-law for me and my wife, Lynn. So, Casey, I was hoping you’d like to share this dance with me.”

  Tears spilled from Casey’s eyes as she nodded and went in for a hug. I tried to contain my own tears as I realized that this was my actual reality. It seemed as though my dad had taken that speech straight out of a movie, but I knew it came from his heart. I watched on in amazement as they glided around the dance floor to Frank Sinatra.

  It was my turn next. My mother took my hand as we began slow-dancing to a song I had never heard before. “Did you know Dad was going to do that?” I whispered to Mom.

  “Not a clue,” she said with a shrug. “Who knew that, inside that tough exterior of his, there was a big sap?”

  I chuckled. “Kind of reminds me of me.” The photographer came up closer to us and we smiled for some pictures. I turned back to mother, who I could tell was holding back tears. “What is it?”

  “My little boy is all grown up,” she said. She pl
anted a big, fat kiss on my cheek.

  As our song ended, the DJ subtly changed over to something more upbeat. “C’mon everyone,” he yelled into the mic. “Let’s get you all on your feet!” Dancing of any kind was far out of my comfort zone, but I decided that I was the groom, and that meant that no one would care whether or not I had any actual dancing skill. Casey, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise on the dance floor. She moved as if she forgot there was a watermelon-sized bump in her way. She shook, and shimmied, and did the cha-cha, and joined some of the older guests for some line dancing.

  The rest of the reception was a giant blur of pleasantries, food, and more dancing. I lost count of how many guests came up to me and complimented our food choices, saying it was the best food they’d ever had at a wedding. They weren’t exaggerating. The homemade dressing on the venue’s house salad was to die for, and I could have eaten a tub full of the miniature crab cakes. They had a unique flavor I couldn’t quite place, definitely the hit of the party. Though I was interrupted for pictures and conversation at least half a dozen times during my main course, prime rib, I ate enough to know it was outstanding.

  As the waiters cleared our dinner plates, I realized that Casey and I had never discussed what we were serving for dessert. I hoped that, in the rush of planning, she had considered something beyond simple wedding cake. I was convinced everyone in the Preston family was born with a sweet tooth. Dessert was our happy place.

  I turned toward Casey at our table for two. “Case, what did we decide on for dessert?” I asked. “Please tell me it’s not just cake. You know my family.”