by Meagan Hill
Bob and Clarisa nodded their heads, understanding what Miranda was saying and what she wasn’t. They knew immediately that if they caused problems for Mitch and his family, they would likely not see her again. They might not have seen her in almost six years, but they certainly remembered how strong-willed she was.
Mitch and Miranda stayed and talked for several more hours before Miranda pled exhaustion. As expected, Bob and Clarisa hadn’t wanted to let her leave again but quickly understood that Miranda’s place was with Mitch, as Mitch’s place was with Miranda. The two would not be separated.
After that day, Miranda spoke on the phone with both of her parents daily as they got used to having her back in their lives. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but Miranda always handled it as well as could be expected. Clarisa was very excited to meet Nina as both of them helped Miranda plan their wedding. The thought brought her back to the present.
“There, you’re perfect,” pronounced Libby. Miranda and Mitch’s sister had instantly bonded and had grown quite close. Miranda was all too aware of the passing of the days for Libby, who was still aging and would continue to age if she was unable to find her mate.
Pushing her worry for her friend and soon-to-be sister aside for now, Miranda opened her eyes and examined herself in the mirror. They had done an exceptional job on both her hair and her makeup. The makeup was light, simply highlighting her best features. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a twist with a nest of curls at the top. They would attach her veil just under the back of her curls after she was dressed. “You did an exceptional job, ladies. You have made me beautiful.”
“You were already beautiful, my dear. We just highlighted it,” responded Nina with a warm smile and a gentle hug.
Miranda removed her robe as Clarisa and Libby readied her dress for her to climb into. Miranda was reminded that Clarisa hadn’t yet seen her scars when she gasped suddenly, nearly dropping her side of the dress in her shock. Seeing the horror in her mother’s eyes, Miranda placed her hand against Clarisa’s cheek, drawing Clarisa’s eyes to her own. “Mom, it’s okay. It’s over and done with. These are just a reminder that I am stronger than anyone ever imagined.” Of course, Clarisa couldn’t know it, but Miranda wasn’t just referring to her inner strength. She was also referring to her magical powers. Mitch and Miranda had barely scraped the surface of what she could do, and they were already amazed and, to tell the truth, a bit scared. Miranda had gained power over fire, and learning how to control that had led to them investing heavily in fire extinguishers.
Clarisa regained her self-control with effort, before offering her daughter a watery smile. Nodding her head, she continued to help Libby lift the dress over Miranda’s head, being careful to not muss her hair, and settling the gown around Miranda’s hips. Nina zipped up the back as Miranda adjusted the dress to lie correctly against her body. It was absolutely exquisite. The strapless bodice bared her shoulders, though her arms were covered in close-fitting lace studded with crystals in many different colors. The bodice accented her curves as it hugged her torso and down over her hips before flaring out into a full skirt that was also covered in crystal-studded lace. The effect of the differently colored crystals on the white lace was stunning as Miranda literally sparkled. Miranda bent over slightly to allow her mother to place her veil in her hair, and with that, Miranda was ready.
“Last check. Something old and borrowed – the pearl necklace Mom let you borrow. Something new – everything else you have on. And something blue – your garter. There’s a penny in your shoe and a linen handkerchief tucked into the bottom of your bouquet should either of you start crying. Don’t want a bunch of Kleenex lint all over you for the pictures,” Libby quipped, causing all of them to laugh and relax a bit, exactly what she’d intended.
The three ladies finished fussing over Miranda before checking their own appearances one last time. Soon enough, Malcolm was knocking on the door, which Clarisa opened. Miranda had to chuckle at her mother’s reaction to her father-in-law. Clarisa had been unable to speak for a full five minutes after meeting Malcolm the first time, and she still had difficulty keeping from giggling like a schoolgirl every time she saw him. Malcolm, fully aware of and greatly amused by his effect on her, tried his best to keep from flustering her further by speaking directly to Miranda. “Miranda, my dear, you are absolutely beautiful. You’re almost as beautiful as my own bride on our wedding day so very long ago.” Nina just snorted at his backhanded compliment.
Miranda simply chuckled her amusement before replying. “Thank you, Malcolm. That is a wonderful compliment considering how beautiful Nina is.”
“Ladies,” Malcolm nodded at Clarisa and his daughter, “you are lovely as well. Clarisa, Nina, it’s time to take your places. I will escort you to your seats and then join Mitch at the altar.”
“Is our boy nervous?” asked Nina.
“Not at all,” Malcolm responded with a grin. “He’s quite anxious to get started, actually, though I can’t tell if it’s more for the wedding or the honeymoon.” They all laughed gaily as Malcolm escorted Nina and a blushing Clarisa from the room. Libby fussed with her hair for a moment before handing Miranda her bouquet as she grabbed her own. “Are you ready?”
“Absolutely. Let’s get this started already.” Libby was laughing at Miranda’s impatience when she opened the door at Bob’s knock.
He was speechless for a moment before murmuring, “You are beautiful, Miranda. Just beautiful. You remind me of your mother at your age.”
“Thank you, Dad,” Miranda whispered back as she kissed his cheek.
“Are you ready? Everyone’s waiting on us now.” Miranda nodded as she wrapped her arm around her father’s. Libby helped Miranda carry her train through the door and onto the path that led to the stand of oak trees that created a natural bower near the water’s edge. Once on the path, which was covered with white fabric to protect her dress, Libby helped Miranda arrange her skirt properly before taking her place in front of them. Miranda had chosen to have the wedding and reception at the Litchfield Plantation on Pawleys Island, near their house in Charleston. The plantation offered plenty of room to host the wedding under the trees right on the water with the reception following in the large halls inside afterward. Considering the wedding planner the site provided and all the work she did, planning the wedding hadn’t been all that difficult or demanding. Of course, Miranda didn’t want to even begin to think about how much the wedding had cost, and she had decided to not worry about it. What was important was that she and Mitch were joining their lives together in front of all their families and friends. Of course, the Mastersons were an important family in Charleston, which meant there were a lot of their friends in attendance, and a great many of those Miranda hadn’t met yet.
Miranda followed Libby as she led the way around the house, stopping just out of sight of the chosen altar area. Bob cleared his throat nervously, bringing Miranda’s attention to him. “Are you absolutely positive this is what you want, Miranda? Are you sure it’s love and not gratitude for getting you out?”
Miranda was touched by the question, knowing it had taken a great deal of courage for her father to speak. He was still unsure about how to act around Miranda, not having the opportunity to really watch her grow up. As an adult woman with a mind of her own, she scared him sometimes. “I love him, Daddy. I’m positive of it. He is my other half. We just didn’t meet in the best of circumstances. I’ll always be grateful to him, yes, but not enough to tie myself to him forever if I didn’t truly love him.”
Miranda’s father nodded his relief, glad to have asked the question anyway. Clearly, Miranda knew exactly what she wanted.
Soon enough, the musicians began Pachelbel’s Canon in D minor. Libby began her walk as Miranda and her father made a few last-minute adjustments to their appearances. Finally, it was time for her to go. With measured steps, Miranda and Bob began their way down the long aisle. The large crowd of guests rose from their seats, murmuring
their approval of the bride’s beauty. Unfortunately, since the altar wasn’t raised, Miranda wouldn’t be able to see Mitch until they were almost there. Miranda did notice, however, that the large candles lining the aisle had not been lit as planned. Miranda reached out a quick hand and touched the nearest one as she passed. Instantly the candle flared to life, along with its mate across the aisle. Then, the candles flared forward to the altar, preceding Miranda as she went. The guests, startled by the occurrence, were delighted with the effect, though the wedding planner was completely stumped on how it had happened.
After feeling like she’d walked half a mile, they finally reached the front, and Miranda could finally see Mitch. His blue eyes shone brightly with happiness, every ounce of love clearly showing for all to see. Miranda opened their mental connection. She’d closed it first thing this morning, trying to maintain the tradition that the groom could not see the bride before the wedding. Instantly, Mitch’s happiness and excitement rocked into her as her own rocked into him. With their eyes locked, Miranda reached for Mitch just as he reached for her. Bob took both of their hands in his, signaling his giving over of his daughter to Mitch. The minister started the ceremony with the traditional asking of who gives the bride, and Bob answered as he’d planned before stepping back and sitting down with the quietly weeping Clarisa.
The rest of the ceremony seemed to blur by until they got to the part for the vows. Mitch and Miranda had chosen to write their own vows and had been working on them almost as much as their new powers. Now that it was time to say them, Mitch seemed to find himself choked up forcing him to clear his throat several times before he could begin.
“Miranda, I am so blessed to have found you. You are everything to me, my sun, my air, everything I need to live, you give to me. I cannot and will not live without you, always. Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will always be right beside you, loving you, taking care of you, for our eternity. Our relationship was dictated by the fates, but also by our love for each other. I pledge to you my heart, my mind, my body, my soul, and my spirit. Every piece of me is for you. I love you, Miranda.”
By the time Mitch had finished his vows, tears had begun to trail down from his eyes, though he seemed unaware of it because his entire focus was on Miranda, who had also begun to cry. He let go of one of her hands to reach up to gently wipe away her tears and so was a bit startled when she reached up to wipe away his own with a cloth handkerchief. Both of them chuckled a bit, amused by Mitch’s little jump.
After a moment, Miranda’s face grew more serious as she gazed intently into Mitch’s eyes. Her voice came out quietly, broken by the tears building in her throat as she tried to fight them. “Mitch, you came into my life when I was at the lowest point anyone could be. You picked me up and rescued me, with no regard to how it would affect you. You are everything any woman could ever hope for. You are gentle, compassionate, loving, loyal, selfless, strong, stable, humble, considerate, and so much more. I am truly blessed that not only did you rescue me, but you also love me. I will never forget what you have done for me, what you have made me feel, and I will live the rest of my life showing you how very much I love you in return.”
The officiator then asked for the rings, taking them from Malcolm and Libby, who were standing in as the best man and maid of honor. Holding them up, he said, “Circles have no beginning and no end, and so in the long and sacred tradition of marriage, rings have come to symbolize eternal love and endless union of body, of mind, and of the spirit. They have been given by lovers to each other as tokens of faith, trust, and hope, as well as a tangible sign of a promise given and kept through the days of their lives together. We are here to witness the making of this promise, and giving of all the intangibles of their heart and spirit; love, trust, faith, and hope; not just in each other but also in their relationship. They are making a declaration before all of you that from this day forth, they are united before the world in a promise that spans the years of their lives.” He then placed Miranda’s ring into Mitch’s outstretched hand.
Mitch took Miranda’s left hand, placing the ring at the tip of her finger before reciting the rest of the vows they had agreed on. “Miranda, I give this ring to you as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your husband. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours.” Mitch moved the ring up Miranda’s finger to rest at the top, where it fit perfectly. He then lifted her hand to his mouth, placing a soft kiss directly onto the ring, declaring his devotion to all. Mitch couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across his face..
Miranda took the other ring from the officiator’s hand before taking Mitch’s large left hand in her own. Taking a deep breath, she recited her vows. “Mitch, I give this ring to you as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your wife. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours.” Miranda then lifted Mitch’s hand to her lips, copying his action before smiling widely back at him.
“With the exchange of vows and rings, Mitch and Miranda have pledged their love to each other in witness of every person here. Therefore, with the powers invested to me by the state of South Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mitch, you may now kiss your bride.”
Mitch gently grasped either side of Miranda’s face, staring deeply into her eyes before bringing their lips together in their first married kiss. They gently moved together as the guests were startled by a loud crack of thunder coming from the absolutely clear sky and the flaring of the candles. When the wind began to pick up speed and the candles burned despite the wind, Malcolm inconspicuously nudged Mitch, reminding him they needed to rein in their powers. The wind abruptly died off, and the candles returned to normal, leaving the unknowing guests wondering if they’d imagined the whole thing.
Eventually, as the catcalls finally broke into their focus of each other and the officiator cleared his throat loudly, the couple pulled apart. Miranda glanced at Malcolm, mouthing, “Sorry,” to him as he shook his head and laughed.
Mitch and Miranda turned to face the audience, their arms linking automatically, and stood still while Libby handed Miranda back her bouquet and adjusted her skirt. When they were ready, the officiator raised his hands above them, calling out in a loud voice, “I am pleased to introduce to you for the first time, Mitch and Miranda Masterson.”
The audience clapped and cheered as the newlywed couple strode down the aisle, Miranda stopping briefly to press a kiss to a weeping Clarisa’s cheek before doing the same with an equally weepy Nina.
The rest of the day flashed by quickly. They first had to pose for their pictures while the guests roamed the breathtaking grounds and explored the large carriage house where the reception was being held. After the photos, they all gathered in the dining rooms for a wonderful dinner that neither Mitch nor Miranda could have said what it was they were so focused on each other. The regular traditions were followed, with the cake cutting, which neither of them shoved cake into the other’s face as agreed and decreed by Nina, and the toasts were made, bringing many to tears during Malcolm’s moving toast. Miranda threw the bouquet, which landed neatly into Libby’s hands while Mitch tossed her garter after spending quite a bit of time playing under Miranda’s skirt, both embarrassing and enflaming her. The man who caught the garter, apparently accidentally since he was not facing Mitch and simply had his hand up in the air as he talked with another man, was unknown to both of them. He was a nice-looking guy, though, and had been watching Libby all evening. Her blushes as they danced their required dance showed she was not immune to him, either. The Mastersons could only hope.
THE END
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