by Cynthia Dane
Nadia was the last to go in front of Jasmine. Jenny had Saul and Jasmine wait about thirty seconds before approaching the doorway, for this woman had enough experience to know that the moment Jasmine appeared, people would stop paying attention to anything else.
Jasmine had heard it all. That she was wearing Oscar de la Renta, that she had commissioned a royal dress made in Sweden, that she was wearing what amounted to a fancy prom dress because she was uncultured and dumb. When people only cared about her dress but had no verified info to go on, they would come up with all sorts of silliness to indulge. Nobody would have expected how she looked today, so Jenny waited until it truly was time for the bride to shine.
“Go!” The woman lowered her arm before slamming her headset against her head. Saul took his step forward, and Jasmine followed.
Although there was music and the sound of running water somewhere in the distance, the world was reverently silent. Gasps erupted as Jasmine stepped into the sunlight and everyone watched it shine upon her gown and reflect off her jewels.
She probably blinded a few people. I don’t care. She was holding back tears, words of awe and admiration for her father, the only man she had to hold on to right now – and who looked too proud to speak.
As soon as she had her footing on the catwalk, Jasmine looked at the display below. Hundreds of guests were elegantly spread throughout the gardens, sitting upon cushioned chairs while the colorful flowers brought out the hues of their dresses and cummerbunds. Jasmine didn’t recognize most of them, not that she could really see them from this high up. Yet they gazed at her, and soon enough she saw friends and family sitting with the best view of the top balcony. More than one person held up opera glasses.
For some reason, they stopped.
“Dad!” she hissed, watching in horror as Saul held his camera phone high above them. “Now is not the time for a selfie!” Out of the corner of her eye she could see Jenny having a conniption on her Bluetooth.
Saul smiled as he hit the photo button multiple times. “Shut up, Jaz! We only get to do this once! Smile!”
To Jenny’s absolute horror, Jasmine flashed a peace sign and smiled at her dad’s phone. Two clicks later, Saul put his phone in his pocket and waved to the crowd below. Jasmine grabbed his hand and tried to haul him down the catwalk.
She barely had time to savor her moments walking down the aisle. Cameras were going off in every direction. People scrambled to get a better look at her. Debates raged over who designed her dress. Others swooned, whether lost in romantic notions or wishing that they were the ones getting married that day. The only faces Jasmine recognized were Bonita’s – because she was wandering around everywhere, whispering her name into people’s ears – the Blakes standing next to the Andrews, Monica Warren standing up with the aid of her sister-in-law, and Kathryn and Ian standing behind them, the man smiling while the woman looked like she was about to pass out from being at a wedding.
When they rounded the corner, Jasmine heard someone shouting her name.
“Jasmine!” It was Nala, threatening to climb the scaffolding if boyfriend Vincent didn’t keep her back. “You look awesome!” Jasmine quickly shook her head at the security coming forward to calm things down.
Who were these other people? The sheiks and Saudi princes? The Liechtensteiner royalty Jasmine heard she invited without even knowing it? The CEOs of other Fortune 500 companies that traded billions of dollars with Ethan on a weekly basis? Celebrities?
Jasmine stopped caring as they rounded the final catwalk and began the ascent to the main balcony.
Because she saw Ethan, and he became all that mattered.
Her fiancé and soon-to-be-husband stood to the left of the officiant, princely in his finest Armani suit yet. The man hated tuxedos, but he allowed some of the style into his look this day. He had the best cummerbund of them all, a large purple rose hanging from his breast pocket, and diamond and gold cufflinks that sparkled in tune to Jasmine’s dress. Who told him to wear gold? It must have been Adrienne. Jasmine grinned, as widely as she dared, the moment Ethan caught her eye and smiled at her first.
This is it. My whole world is changing. I can’t walk away from this. I can only walk forward. In step with her father, who squeezed her arm with his and continued to sniff as they approached the balcony.
She felt like Cinderella on the way to the ball. She may not have had a carriage made out of her pumpkin, but she had her father, and he was sort of like a pumpkin sometimes – especially if he let his tanned stomach hang out for all to see. She also had an assortment of fairy-godmothers, some evil stepsisters who would always try to make her life hell, and enough friends in high places to keep the stepsisters at bay. Tonight, it was all about the ball – her wedding. Jasmine ran her tongue over her chapping lips and chomped down as hard as she dared. Don’t walk out of your shoe!
Cinderella, however, only had the one night at the ball. For Jasmine? She was walking into forever.
Either way, Ethan awaited her. He even came to her, as he stepped forward to meet her and Saul at the small steps leading down into the balcony.
Jasmine took his hand. Soft, but strong and commanding, with every bit of force he kept stored in his body crying to come out and show her how worthy he was. Jasmine didn’t need him to. She knew how wonderful he could be. Today, she hoped that everyone else in the world could see it too.
Both Ethan and Saul escorted her the final few feet to the officiant. It was here that Saul finally left her side and escaped into the house, hurrying to join his wife in the audience.
Jasmine was shaking. Was there a breeze? Or was it all the cameras still going off behind her as she held Ethan’s hand in front of the officiant? What could possibly be making her shake so much? Could everyone else see her shaking?
“You’re the most beautiful woman I have seen in my life,” Ethan whispered in her ear. “I have seen quite a few beautiful women. None of them are as gorgeous as you.”
Jasmine tittered into the back of her hand, having to take a couple more seconds to compose herself. Rather hard to do when an officiant looked at her through weary eyes.
He said a few words. Loudly, near a microphone, so everyone down in the audience could hear what they said. Jasmine did not retain any of it. Like at Henry and Monica’s wedding, she tuned everything out, her brain so far into overdrive that it was blanking out in hyperspace.
All she saw was Ethan, the man she was going to call hers forever.
“Jasmine,” someone hissed. “It’s your turn.”
“Huh?” What had happened? Who? Where? Jasmine looked into Ethan’s face, which did its best to not burst out laughing. Selena was having troubles as well.
The officiant? He merely gazed at Jasmine and repeated, “Do you, Jasmine Bliss, stand before us today with full consent to be wedded to this man?”
What! Had they made it this far already? Did Jasmine miss the part where Ethan went first and said he consented to be married to her? I wanted to hear it… Jasmine had to focus!
“I do,” she said. Her voice trembled. How could she sound nervous now? Of all times!
While they hadn’t written their own vows, they had chosen other vows to repeat. Ethan was the first to speak, and this time Jasmine actually heard it.
“I, Ethan Cole, take this woman, Jasmine Bliss, to be my lawfully wedded wife from this day forward. I promise to love and cherish her, to protect her from harm, to provide for her to the best of my abilities, and to be the greatest husband that she could ever ask for. I swear upon my life and my dignity to honor her, our relationship, and what we have set forth before the universe to mean our marriage. Should she become mother of my children, I will honor her as such, and swear to be a good and honorable father. I will not defame my wife, and I will remain loyal until my dying day, so help me God.”
Jasmine was glad that she only had to repeat what the officiant said, because she sure as hell could not remember or read anything else. She couldn’t even remembe
r what came next, and could hardly believe it when Adrienne passed two rings into Ethan’s hand.
“With this ring, I be wed,” Ethan said softly, slipping the fitted band over Jasmine’s left ring finger. It melded with her engagement ring, only now it looked stronger, more powerful. Her sweaty hand took the ring from Ethan’s and attempted to shove it on his finger.
Oh my God. I am putting a ring on him! This was perhaps the most symbolic thing Jasmine could have done in her relationship so far. It’s like… collaring him… in a way. No, not in a Dom/sub way, but this was a man who was used to having all the power. He had the final say in what kind of collar Jasmine had… let alone that she was going to wear one sometimes!
Slipping a ring over his finger meant Jasmine was as close as any woman would ever get to symbolically tying this man to her!
“With this ring, I be wed.” Jasmine was shocked at how easily the plain gold wedding band went over Ethan’s finger. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see it on his hand every single day for the rest of my life. ‘Til death did they part.
The officiator said the one thing Jasmine had been waiting to hear for so many weeks.
“May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Cole.”
A roar of cheers erupted from the garden. Ethan took Jasmine’s hand and turned to face them, his other arm slipping comfortably around her waist.
“Do we tell them that you might not legally change your name?”
“Nope,” Jasmine said through a smile, waving at the crowd below. “I want them all to bask in the fact that I can legally be called Mrs. Cole if I want.”
“It suits you well.”
They began the procession down the catwalk as husband and wife. “Yeah, well, you could always be Ethan Bliss, you know.”
“Somehow that doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of my competitors.”
Jasmine caught sight of her parents, both of them waving frantically with huge smiles on their faces. Beside them, Adam Cole stood, stoic. Or at least Jasmine thought so until he pulled out his handkerchief and patted his face.
“Somehow I think that was the point, husband.”
“I could get used to you calling me your husband.”
They diverted into the manor, where more than one officiant – and their lawyers – stood by the marriage license, ready for them to sign it. The fact Ethan wrote his name with no hesitation before handing the fountain pen to Jasmine filled her with more confidence than having him tell the whole world that he loved her.
Chapter 19
They arrived at the reception with a flourish, Jasmine already glad to have slipped into the flats her mother carried. I did it the moment we finished taking the photos. Jasmine couldn’t wait to feel her heels again. If only the reception were totally outdoors! Then she could feel the sweet grass beneath her feet.
Instead, they were at the community center in the Hills. For most of her life, Jasmine associated “community center” with metal folding chairs and paper streamers. Except those centers hadn’t been in the Hills. Here, it was like a mini-country club, but without the rules and expectations. Elite members of society could rent a cute manor to host parties and even small business affairs. There was a ballroom which accommodated the hundreds of guests filing in. A separate room for the cocktail hour? Bonus.
Jasmine and Ethan stood in front of their banquet table, greeting their guests as they came by. It was three by now, with rays of afternoon sunlight bathing the ballroom and illuminating Jasmine’s dress in ways that enthralled everyone. Naturally, many asked her who designed it, and she was happy to drop the name Bonita Bocelli… which nobody knew, but would be more than excited to meet later.
Raul dipped in to do Jasmine’s hair for the reception: the classic updo that would stay out of the way while she dined and danced with her husband. Ethan admitted he fancied this even more than the loose hair. “You look very refined,” he told her.
“You think so?” They had a lull in guests, although Jasmine could see plenty making their way toward her. I think I legit shook a prince’s hand. Prince of Liechtenstein? Somewhere? “I’ve always wanted to look refined.”
He leaned in closer, his breath hot on her ear. “I can’t wait to take it down for you later.”
Jasmine couldn’t help but giggle. “And this dress?”
“I’ll be delicate, I promise.”
“I’m sure you will be.”
Nothing pleased Jasmine more than to sit at the table and finally take her weight off her aching feet. I am so ready for Hawaii. They were leaving the next day, and it couldn’t come soon enough at this point. Even though her dress was still tight around her waist, she ordered the most carb-infested, dairy-laden thing she could find on the menu and start drinking Italian wine with it. Can’t wait to spill it all over my dress. Luckily, that didn’t happen.
It wouldn’t be a wedding reception without speeches, and that’s what the newlyweds were treated to as they enjoyed their meal. Ethan’s friend from Harvard went first, admitting that he didn’t know Jasmine very well, but that any woman who managed to tie-down Ethan Cole was a special one indeed. Everyone did their best to not look at Adrienne, who sat on the other side of Ethan, wearing the original dress she was slated to wear that day before her last minute change into a suit. She had another drink before anyone else.
When it was her turn to give a speech, Adrienne stood up, cleared her throat… and promptly tried to pass the mic to someone else.
“No you don’t,” Jasmine grumbled, slapping her hand in front of Ethan to get his best woman’s attention.
“Well, what is there to say,” Adrienne said, the flux in her voice betraying her anxiety. “Ethan and I go a long way back. Some of you even know that we used to date while we were at Harvard. People were really surprised when we went into business together… and I’m sure they’re even more shocked to see me standing here now.”
She said all of this in Jasmine’s direction, as if to declare, “See? I know what you’ve been thinking.”
“I haven’t known Jasmine for very long, either, but in the amount of time I’ve known her, I’ve come to know a bright young woman who knows exactly what she wants and what obstacles may stand in her way. That’s a compliment, truly. She is also incredibly tenacious, because anyone who has ever dated Ethan knows what a broody handful he can be.”
“Hey, now…”
“Shush.” Adrienne clasped her hand over his mouth. “The women are talking.”
Nobody had a lot to say about actually knowing Jasmine until they got to her parents – who offered to give another fertility demonstration, but were quickly removed from the open floor – and the few friends she had. Monica was asked to say a few things, and the core of her speech was, “Ethan needs a woman like her, and she needs a man like him. Trust me, I’m a professional matchmaker. I know these things.”
By the time the speeches ended, Jasmine had finished her food and was letting it sit. There’s still the cake! A lovely monster sitting pretty on a table along the far side of the wall. There were so many flowers on it that most people thought Jasmine chose it… but in reality Ethan insisted on more flowers. Jasmine had married one of the biggest softies in the world, and nobody but her knew it.
Just in case she needed to burn some calories, the live jazz band began playing, and Ethan extended his hand to his new wife.
“You know how this goes,” he said, pretending to be so put out by having to dance with her. “Nobody else is allowed to dance until we get it on out there… and these people are dying to get down and funky.”
This was not a crowd that would do the Macarena, the Funky Chicken, or even a damn Conga Line, but they would all turn their heads when husband and wife first took to the floor and slow-danced to a jazz rendition of Savage Garden’s “I Knew I Loved You.” Ethan had rolled his eyes when Jasmine announced the choice weeks back, but now his eyes were focused on hers. They went from holding a respectable pose to Jasmine sinking against his chest in about two second
s. Screw propriety! It was her wedding day, and Jasmine wanted to be cute with her husband. My husband! What a wild idea!
The floor slowly filled up with other couples. Jasmine didn’t pay them any mind. She looked up, into Ethan’s eyes, smiling at the way he looked at her. It wasn’t until her father barreled through a few minutes later, demanding a dance with his daughter while Luna sashayed away with Ethan, that Jasmine considered the world beyond them.
Her dress didn’t let her do a lot of dancing, but Jasmine was content to relax and watch her wedding unfold. Many people came by to privately congratulate her, including a teary Francesca Blake who declared her, “As beautiful as my daughter on her wedding day.” She then extended an invitation to Jasmine to attend a garden party when she returned from her honeymoon, and asked if the newly minted Mrs. Cole had any plans to host her first soiree before August.
They cut the cake, foregoing smearing icing on each other’s faces to instead feed each other a piece. It was while they ate at the banquet table that a frantic Judith appeared, asking, “Have either one of you seen my dates? I think they might be brawling out back!”
“What?”
“What?”
“Shit,” Judith hissed. “Do not tell Monica, okay? Happy wedding!” She hurried off, cursing more beneath her breath as she ran to the backyard of the small, rented manor.
Both Ethan and Jasmine watched after her. “I am so telling Monica,” Ethan said.
“Definitely.”
They barely had time to share a smile of mischief before Eva marched up to the banquet table… and went straight for Nadia.
“You’re killing me,” she hissed across the table, making the poor girl lean back in her seat with a startled squeal. “What are we even arguing about? I so did not flirt with that boring-ass girl… on purpose. I swear!”
“Brother,” Jasmine mumbled, turning back toward Ethan. “Should you or I stop this drama right now? I don’t want it at our wedding. Apparently there’s a fist fight going on anyway.” More than one security person was racing out a back door.