Forever You

by Allie Everhart

  “Yes, but Katherine won’t.”

  “Don’t talk about her today.” Harper comes around to face me. “I want you to only have happy thoughts.”

  Harper’s wearing the pale pink chiffon bridesmaid dress I got her. It has tiny straps at the top and is fitted at the waist with a simple satin sash. It has a loose, flowing skirt that ends right at the knee. She’s wearing her hair down but has a headband holding it back so her hair doesn’t blow in her face during the ceremony. It’s a thin, crystal-covered headband that she bought just for today.

  “Okay, you’re all set.” Harper helps me off the stool and turns me toward the mirror. I smile when I see my reflection. I never imagined how I would look on this day because I’d never given it much thought. But everything came together perfectly. Harper did my makeup just like I wanted it, soft and natural. My hair is pulled up off my face and shoulders, but I like that it’s not pulled too tightly. I didn’t want it to be stiff or overly formal. I wanted it to be more casual, like it should be for a beach wedding. Harper hands me a small mirror and I turn to see the back of my hair, gathered in a loose knot, the sparkly clip from the bridal store placed just above it.

  “Harper, you did a really great job on my hair and makeup.”

  “Thanks. And that lady did a great job on your dress. It fits you perfectly.”

  She’s right. The neckline, the waist, the length. The dress fits like it was custom made for me.

  “It’s time, Jade.” Harper stands in front of me. Her eyes are teary but she’s smiling.

  I glance at the clock by the bed. It’s now 6:45 and almost time to get married.

  There’s a knock on the bedroom door and Harper answers it.

  “Can I see the bride for a moment?” It’s Grace, all dressed up in a light gray short-sleeve dress, a small pink rose from the florist pinned just below her left shoulder.

  “I’ll see you out there.” Harper grabs a tissue on her way out of the room.

  “You make a lovely bride.” Grace comes over and takes both my hands.

  “Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me.”

  “I wouldn’t miss this, Jade.” She smiles. “You’re my granddaughter. My first grandchild to get married.”

  When I hear her say granddaughter, the word ‘daughter’ sticks in my head and it reminds me that someone’s missing here today. My mom. On your wedding day, you want your mom there and I don’t have one. I never really did. I had a shell of a mom, her true self hidden by drugs and alcohol.

  “What’s wrong, Jade?” Grace wakes me from my thoughts.

  “I was just thinking that it would’ve been nice to have my mom here.”

  Her smile fades and I realize I shouldn’t have said that to her since her son is the reason my mom is no longer alive.

  “Grace, I didn’t mean—”

  “You’re right.” She nods, her eyes on our joined hands. “A mother should see her daughter get married. I’m sorry he took that from you. From both of you.”

  “No, I didn’t mean it that way. I just—” I stop and Grace looks at me. “Actually, Grace, you’ve been more of a mom to me than my own mom ever was. You take care of me and listen to me and worry about me. So in a way, I kind of do have a mom here today.”

  She smiles, her eyes wet. She takes a tissue to blot her tears.

  I take one, too. “We’re going through a lot of these today.”

  “That seems to happen at weddings.” She hugs me, then stands back, smiling at me again. “I’ll see you after the ceremony.”

  She leaves, and I look at myself one last time, then go downstairs. Frank is waiting in the living room. He stands up when he sees me. His lips quiver and his face gets all red.

  “Oh, honey.” He smiles as a tear goes down his face. “You look beautiful. And so grown up. I don’t know if I can give you away yet. I’m not ready to.”

  His voice is shaky and I feel tears forming again as I meet him at the bottom of the stairs. “Don’t make me cry, Frank.”

  “I just never expected this to happen so soon. But sometimes the right person just walks into your life when you least expect it. And for you that happened to be on your first night at college. Who would’ve thought?”

  “Yeah. I know.”

  “Well, I suppose we should get out there.” He turns to leave.

  “Wait.” I pause as he turns back around. “Before we go, I just need to say thank you. For everything you’ve ever done for me.” I reach over and hug him. “I love you, Dad.”

  I feel him tremble as he hugs me back. “If you didn’t want me to cry, then you shouldn’t have said that.” He pulls away, tears running down his cheeks. But he’s smiling wider than I’ve ever seen him smile.

  “You’re the only dad I’ve ever known and even though I’m not technically your kid, if it’s okay, I want to call you that. I want my dad to walk me down the aisle.”

  “Nothing would make me happier.” He hugs me again. “I love you, honey. Now let’s get this thing started.”

  We each grab a tissue and wipe our eyes, then I pick up my pink rose bouquet and we head outside. Frank takes my arm as we walk onto the beach.

  White chairs sit on each side of a narrow piece of white fabric and at the end of it is a trellis covered with bright pink and white flowers. And standing just in front of it is Garret, looking more handsome than I’ve ever seen him, in his black tuxedo and crisp white shirt.

  Seeing him there, I’m overwhelmed with love, excitement, anticipation, and so much happiness I feel like I can’t contain it. I can’t believe he’s mine and that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

  We’re still far away from each other but I can see Garret smiling, his eyes not leaving me for even a second. The violinist that Harper hired starts playing the processional music and I realize that this is it. It’s time.

  I watch as Sean and Harper walk down the aisle. Lilly follows, looking so tiny and adorable, tossing pink rose petals from her little white basket. She’s skipping, which is not what we practiced but the skipping is even cuter than the walking.

  Now it’s my turn and I glance at everyone standing there, their eyes focused on me as Frank leads me down the aisle. There are only a few chairs and two rows since it’s such a small wedding. Grace and Harper’s parents are in the second row. Ryan is in the first row and Pearce is across the aisle from him, along with Lilly. She’s so excited she’s bouncing on her toes. Pearce is holding her hand, trying to keep her still.

  I look up and see Garret. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look at me this way. I’m not sure how to describe it other than to say that I feel how he looks, filled with pure joy and happiness.

  When we finally reach the end of the aisle, Frank hands me over to Garret. My heart was beating really fast, but as soon as Garret takes my hand, I relax.

  He leans down to my ear. “You look so incredibly beautiful.” He smiles as he stands up straight again.

  We turn to face Andrew. He begins talking, giving a little speech about marriage and love. I’m kind of listening, but not really. I’m too lost in the moment, trying to capture each detail so I’ll remember this forever. The roaring ocean, the cool salty air, the warm sun, the sweet smell of the fresh flowers lining the trellis. The setting is more perfect than I could’ve ever imagined.

  Garret keeps glancing my way, watching me, smiling. I look at him, too, and when I do it makes my heart get all fluttery.

  I pay attention again when I hear Andrew say my name.

  “Jade and Garret have written their vows and will now recite them.”

  Andrew steps back and Garret and I turn to each other, holding hands. Garret doesn’t seem nervous at all, but now my nerves are kicking into high gear. What if I forget my vows? Damn, I should’ve practiced more.

  “Relax.” I hear Garret talking softly and I look up at him. “It’s just you and me.”

  I nod and feel myself calming down.

  Garret keeps hold of my hands, looks
into my eyes, and starts speaking.

  “Jade. You’re my best friend. And today is the greatest day of my life, because today I take you, my best friend, to be my wife. To be forever by my side, making each day even better than the last. I promise to always support you, respect you, protect you, take care of you, and give you hugs.” We both laugh a little at the hug reference. “I vow to cherish you and never take you for granted. I love you with all my heart and I promise to spend the rest of my life loving you.”

  I stand there, letting my mind absorb his beautiful words and all their meaning.

  Garret gently squeezes my hand. I see him smiling at me. “It’s your turn,” he whispers.

  I get nervous again, but then I look into his eyes and do as he said and pretend it’s just the two of us, with nobody else around.

  “Last September, I arrived at college thinking I would just learn about things like biology and physics. But then I met you and you taught me so much more than that. Things you can’t learn in a textbook. You taught me how to love. How to trust. How to forgive. And even how to hug.” I take a breath, trying not to cry. “And today I’m happier than I’ve ever been, because today I take you, Garret, to be my husband. I promise to always believe in you, appreciate you, and be your best friend. I vow to always be at your side, supporting you, trusting you, and caring for you. And I will love you forever and ever.”

  Garret lightly rubs my hand, still smiling at me, his eyes filled with so much love. I smile back, hoping he can feel how much I love him, too.

  Andrew steps up to us again and continues the ceremony. It goes really fast after that. We say our I do’s and exchange rings and then he finally says the words I’ve been waiting to hear.

  “And now I am happy to introduce, for the very first time as husband and wife, Garret and Jade Kensington. Garret, you may kiss your bride.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  23

  Garret gives me a kiss, then whispers in my ear, “I love you.”

  I say it back as the music starts playing again. Garret takes my hand and leads me down the aisle as people snap pictures. As a wedding present, Kiefer hired a really expensive photographer to take photos. The guy’s been here since noon, snapping candid shots.

  When we reach the end of the aisle, Harper hugs me. “Congratulations!”

  She hugs Garret next. “Oh my God, your vows totally made me cry. And the way you looked at her up there?” She wipes her eyes. “I’m still a crying mess.”

  Sean gives Garret one of those guy hugs that aren’t really hugs but more like part shoulder grab, part handshake. He gives me an actual hug.

  Everyone is gathered around us now, waiting to give us more hugs and congratulations. Then it’s time for the formal pictures. As photos are being taken, Harper sends people over to the area that’s been set up for the reception.

  We hired a company to set up a dance floor on the beach. They put wooden panels together to make a hard floor surface. At one end of it, we set up some tables for dinner and the rest of it serves as the dance floor. Big poles secured in the sand support a white tarp ceiling, just in case it rains but I don’t think it will. The sky is bright blue and the sun is shining. It’s a warm day but it’s cooling off a little as the sun starts to go down.

  After the photos are taken, I grab Garret’s hand, looking over at the reception where the DJ is already playing music. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  “Not yet.” He catches me around my waist and draws me into him, his hand on my lower back. We’re standing under the trellis where the photos were being taken. “I want a minute alone with you first.” His other hand reaches behind my neck and he brings me in for a kiss. “You look so beautiful, Jade. When I saw you coming down the aisle, you literally took my breath away.”

  “Thanks.” I glance down. I’m still not very good at accepting compliments. “So you like the dress?”

  He tilts my chin up. “I love the dress. It’s perfect. It’s exactly the type of dress I imagined you wearing.”

  “You imagined my dress?”

  “I imagined this whole day. That’s what I do when I want something really bad. I imagine it in my head. I try to picture all the details. And if I keep focusing on it, it eventually works.”

  “Really? Have you tried this before?”

  “I used to do it all the time for sports. I’d imagine myself winning a swim meet. I’d imagine each stroke, the feel of the water moving over me, the sound of my breathing.”

  “I keep learning new things about you. What other little secrets do you have?”

  He smiles. “You’ve got a whole lifetime to find out.”

  Just the thought of that makes me smile so wide my cheeks hurt. “I get a whole lifetime with you.”

  “Yeah.” He laughs a little. “Did that just occur to you? Because if it did, it’s too late to change your mind. You are now officially stuck with me. And the Kensington men tend to live a long time so you could be stuck with me for the next 80 years.”

  ”I’ll take it. I’ll take as many years as I can have with you.”

  He gazes at me with those bright blue eyes, the ones I couldn’t stop staring at when I first met him. “I love you, Jade. I haven’t said that enough to you today so get ready to hear it some more.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He leans down and gives me a kiss. “Should we go join the party now?”

  “Yes. And you have to dance with me.”

  “Of course I’ll dance with you.” He takes my hand and we head toward the reception area. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I’ve never seen you dance before.”

  “I danced with you at my house at the fundraiser.”

  “That wasn’t really dancing. That was more like a hug with a little swaying.”

  He stops walking. “What are you trying to say? I can’t dance?”

  “I don’t know. Can you?”

  “Yeah, and I’m good at it, too. Slow dance. Fast dance. Ballroom dance. I can do all of it.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  I laugh. “No. I don’t. So if you can dance, then there’s another thing I didn’t know about you.”

  He bends his arm at the elbow and offers it to me, like he’s escorting me down the aisle. “Come with me, Mrs. Kensington. First we’ll have dinner and then get ready to be amazed.”

  “Okay, but I still don’t believe you.”

  When we get to the reception area, everyone stops talking and starts clapping. The DJ announces us and Harper takes us over to one of the tables to sit down. The tables are covered with white tablecloths topped with gray runners and vases full of light pink roses. White sparkling lights hang from the ceiling and around the small potted trees that line the dance floor. I insisted on the white lights given my newfound love of Christmas lights.

  After dinner, the dancing begins. Garret and I decided not to do the first dance by ourselves because I didn’t want everyone staring at us while we danced. So instead we did the opposite and made a rule that everyone has to do the first dance. The couples paired up and those who were single had to find a partner. Frank dances with Grace, Pearce dances with Lilly, and Ryan dances with one of the girls from catering who Sean works with at the restaurant.

  For the next song, Garret doesn’t stick to just swaying side to side. He starts moving his feet and taking me with him.

  “Wait. I don’t know what I’m doing,” I tell him.

  “You just have to follow my lead. The guy leads, the girl follows.”

  “I never follow. I always lead.”

  “Not on the dance floor.” He has a firm grip on my waist and leads me, just like he said, and eventually I get the whole following thing and somehow we’re dancing.

  Then a fast song comes on, one that’s always on the radio.

  He smiles. “You sure you want to see this?”

  “See what? Your dance moves?”

  “Yeah. Sure you can h
andle it?”

  I laugh. “I can handle it. Go ahead.”

  He starts dancing like people do at clubs. At first it’s funny, but then I see that he’s really good. Sean and Harper are dancing next to him and they’re good, too. I just stand there in shock. How did I not know this about my three best friends? Garret grabs me to join him but I don’t know what to do so I just try to copy Harper. I’m having so much fun I don’t really care if I look stupid. Luckily, Lilly comes over and starts flailing her arms and jumping around in circles, which makes my horrible dancing look a little less ridiculous.

  We take a break and Garret whispers something to Harper. She nods and goes over to the DJ.

  “What are you up to?” I ask as he hands me some sparkling water.

  “You’ll see.” He takes a drink of his own sparkling water.

  The dance floor is empty except for Harper, who’s standing right in the middle. And then some music starts. It sounds like a waltz. Garret goes over to Harper and the two of them begin moving across the dance floor, like they actually know how to do this. I sit there, mesmerized by their fluid movement.

  Sean’s sitting next to me. I nudge him. “Were they practicing this for the wedding?”

  “Not that I know of. But I remember Harper telling me she took a lot of dance classes growing up.”

  “She took ballroom dance lessons as a kid?”

  He shrugs. “I guess.”

  “When did Garret learn this?”

  Sean laughs. “He’s your husband. Shouldn’t you know the answer to that?”

  “Apparently he has hidden talents.”

  Ryan sneaks behind me, bending down to talk. “Did you know he could do that?”

  “No. I didn’t.”

  “He’s pretty good.” Ryan walks off.

  I watch as Garret circles Harper around, his feet never faltering.

  “Damn, my girl is freaking awesome,” Sean says.

  I’m not even watching Harper. My gaze is fixed on Garret. I’m almost jealous of Harper, being swept across the dance floor by him. I wish I knew how to dance like that so I could be the one in his arms.

  When the dance ends, he comes and sits next to me, dropping a kiss on my lips. “You believe me now?”