Jared looked so handsome standing there beside his son, and Liv couldn’t help but imagine for a moment that it was their wedding, that she was up there with him, that together they were listening as Pastor Ed assured them that a hasty marriage didn’t necessarily mean a casual decision.
Liv noticed Shelby draw in a deep breath that she let out in a puff. She looked far more demure and pretty than Liv even remembered her. Her blonde hair was swept upward into a twist that was dotted with pins bearing rhinestones and small red flowers. The bodice of her white dress was sleeveless with a high neck and beading that sparkled with the reflection of the candles, and the ankle-length skirt flared only slightly with its overlay of tulle. Beaded white satin ballet slippers finished off the look, and Liv thought the bride looked very much like a regal ballerina.
“Rand and Shelby, let the foundation of your marriage be the devotion you have for each other at this moment. When trouble comes, because it always does come, commit yourselves to looking back at this day, with your friends and loved ones surrounding you, and the net of God's assurance beneath you, and stand firm. Never allow your love for each other to be blotted out by the everyday, or by the doubts of others, or by the worst-case scenarios that may play in your heads. Let your love stand strong like a house built on solid rock rather than on sand. Take comfort in what you see in one another's eyes this day, and hold it to you like a shield against anything else that would come to chip away at the foundation of what you believe in your hearts to be true: You were meant to be here, in this moment, on this day.”
Georgia slipped into the row beside Liv, and she squeezed her wrist as she sat down in the chair on the aisle.
“What did I miss?” she whispered.
“They just got started.”
Georgia's hand went to her heart the moment her eyes came to rest at the front of the room. Liv wondered if Jared was the inspiration for her reaction, or Rand and Shelby. Despite the fact that they had mended their fences, Liv hadn’t forgotten that Georgia's affections for Jared went far deeper than a few kind words and an appreciation for the competition.
“The bride and groom have written their own vows, which they would like to share with each other and with all of you now.”
Rand looked into Shelby's eyes and gulped. They both smiled, and then he took her hand into his.
“Shell, I love you so much,” he began, and then he paused and smiled as he shook his head. “I’d always heard that love was a gradual thing, that it crept in slowly when you weren’t necessarily looking. But for me, it didn’t come that way at all. It hit like a thunderbolt. The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I’d found my match. And not just because you’re so incredibly beautiful, but because you have a light about you, a heart like no one I’ve ever known before. With each passing day since that one, my love for you has grown until I can hardly contain what I feel for you. I promise to spend the rest of our lives showing you that I’m fully aware of how blessed I am to have found you. So …”
Rand turned toward his dad, and Jared produced the ring. His eyes sparkled as they met Rand's, and Liv sighed. Somewhere between their conversation in the car and this moment, Jared had come to terms with his son's marriage. She could see it on his face, burning in his eyes.
“… I give you this ring,” he continued, slipping it onto Shelby's finger, “as a symbol of my vow. With all that I am, with all that I have, I honor you in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Shelby's head tipped to one side as she fought back the tears. “Oh, Rand,” she sniffed. “I love you so much that I feel like I could bust wide open from it. I’m so thankful that, when you looked into my eyes, you immediately felt the same as I did. I can’t imagine being in love like this alone. But for some reason that I can’t comprehend, that I certainly don’t deserve, God chose to bless me in this way. And with our union, He's gone one further. He's allowed me to trust, without question, in something that I just don’t understand. That's SO not me,” she added, and Rand nodded.
“You’re right,” he said, chuckling. “It's not.”
The guests erupted in laughter at that. Liv understood the sentiment. She was having trouble trusting in her own unusual emotions.
She noticed Jared give a gentle pat to Rand's shoulder, and the simple act brought tears to her eyes.
“I know,” Shelby went on. “But that was the old me. This new one, the one that pledges her love and life to you today, the one that believes one-hundred percent in a future with you, this Shelby is a new creature. Today, I become your wife. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.”
Shelby turned to the friend beside her, a wide-eyed brunette with a smile so big that it seemed to fold her face in half. She handed Shelby the ring.
“Please accept this ring as a symbol of my vow. With all that I am, with all that I have, I honor you in the name of Jesus Christ.”
“Beautiful,” the pastor commented. “Just beautiful. So now, before your friends and your family, and before the God who will nurture you and love you and protect you all the days of your life, I pronounce you husband and wife.”
Rand moved in for a kiss before the pastor could suggest it, and Shelby slipped her arms around his neck with such joy that Liv's pulse raced a little.
The pastor smiled and then shrugged at the guests. “I think that's the part Randall's been waiting for. Family and friends of this happy couple, I give you Rand and Shelby Hunt.”
Applause exploded in the room, and Liv hopped to her feet to join in. The tears that had welled in her eyes cascaded down her face as Jared and Rand hugged one another. She clapped her hands furiously, and Georgia put fingers to mouth and let out a shriek of a whistle.
She and Liv embraced one another as Georgia exclaimed, “What a joyous day!”
The guests tossed white confetti and red rose petals at the bride and groom as they made their way past them, and Jared followed, stopping in the aisle to give Georgia a hug. Then he reached out for Liv's hand and led her down the aisle alongside him. She couldn’t imagine what Jared was feeling just then, hand-in-hand with her, sauntering down the wedding aisle, but her own heart raced with emotion.
I love this man. I love him so much.
Liv thought back to Shelby's words about feeling like she could burst with the love she had for Rand. She and Jared really did have a lot in common with the bride and groom. Except for the fact that neither of them was brave enough to take such a leap, even in the name of love.
In the dining room, a small wedding cake decorated with red roses sat in the corner on a round table. The large mahogany dining table that consumed the center of the room had been laid out with a gourmet feast of buffet items, from a four-tiered glass seafood extravaganza to a smoked salmon on cut crystal to a shining silver platter offering a scrumptious prime rib. Small matching glass bowls offered sides such as cranberry sauce, whipped sweet potatoes, steamed asparagus, and a tomato and mozzarella salad. Shelby's family had outdone themselves, and Liv marveled at it all being pulled together in such a short time.
“Please help yourselves to the buffet,” Jasper announced, with his arm around the shoulder of his beaming wife. “There are tables and chairs set up through those doors, or outside on the veranda. And once the living room is cleared from the wedding, there will be music and dancing. Enjoy yourselves!”
Liv and Jared made their way around the buffet table. She lined shrimp around the outside of her plate, and placed a slice of prime rib right in the middle. One dab of this side dish, one dab of another one, and Liv's china plate was heaped with food when she and Jared made their way to a table on the veranda.
White twinkle lights glistened in the trees and around an ornate wrought iron fence, and each table had donned a dark red linen tablecloth. In the center of each sat a small glass dish that held two floating candles and one perfect white gardenia. The flowers’ faint scent whispered in the air above the wedding guests who chose an outdoor setting for their meals.
“It's hard
to believe it was just this morning that we were collecting the remnants after the storm.”
“I was thinking that earlier,” Liv replied. “Florida weather is so odd.”
“Well, it's beautiful now.”
“I can’t believe what an amazing job Shelby's parents did putting this together,” Liv told Jared in a hushed voice.
“You know what Vivian said about seeing something in Shelby that she’d never seen before?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that look in Rand's eye before either. I think he's really committed to Shelby.”
“Does that surprise you?”
“Maybe a little,” Jared grinned. “He hasn’t been the settle-down type of kid.”
“Ladies’ man?”
“To say the least.”
“All that appears to have changed now that he's met the right girl,” Liv offered, popping a large shrimp into her mouth. “I’m really happy for them both.”
“You know what? I am too.”
“I can tell.”
Jared reached around the centerpiece and touched Liv's finger where her hand rested on the table.
“You know what I was thinking while I was standing up there with Rand?” he asked.
“No. What?”
“I was thinking how proud I am to have raised such a brave young man.”
“He's remarkable, Jared. You have every right to be proud.”
“I mean, when I compare Rand and Shelby to us—”
“To us?”
“Well, look at them. They met, they just knew it was something special, and, despite the misgivings about it being too soon, they had the courage to reach for it. That's very brave.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“I wish we were that brave.”
She set down her fork and looked up at Jared. In his eyes she saw something akin to regret but also an unmistakable dash of hope.
“I think in our case,” he went on, “our age and experience have acted against us. It's hard to be brave when you’re so busy being sensible.”
Liv laughed. Sensible was the perfect word for what they were—so sensible that it almost made her want to scream.
Music began to play in the distance, and Jared arched a brow.
“Old Blue Eyes,” he commented, looking into the air as if watching Sinatra himself perform in the trees. “Classic. Let's dance!”
Before she could accept, he had her by the hand, leading her into the living room, which was now transformed into a beautiful ballroom with dim, gold-tinted light shining from a large chandelier. A small, six-piece orchestra sat on a platform with a male singer in front, decked out in an old-fashioned dark suit with a skinny black tie.
Jared twirled her once for dramatic flair before leading Liv toward him for a dance. They were one of only about five other couples on the dance floor, and Liv felt as if they were the only ones on planet earth, swaying to the music, she wrapped up in his arms, her head nestled into the curve of his shoulder.
And Disneyland thinks they are The Happiest Place on Earth! She had a thing or two to tell Mickey and that was for sure.
As the song drew to a close, Jared leaned back and looked into Liv's eyes. There was a sleepy, somewhat dreamy quality to his expression that sent warmth radiating from her heart, and it traveled all the way to her toes and up to the top of her head.
“Liv, I—”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the singer interrupted. “Your hosts have asked that you all join them in the dining room for the cutting of the wedding cake.”
Jared sighed. “We can’t miss that. Shall we?”
Liv nodded, trying to smile over the top of the disappointment that she felt certain was streaming out of her eyes. What was Jared about to say?
It wasn’t until they started off the dance floor that Liv noticed Georgia was half of one of the couples alongside them out there. When their eyes met, Georgia yanked her partner by the arm toward them, grinning from ear to ear.
“Preston, this is my new friend, Olivia Wallace,” she crooned. “And Jared Hunt, the father of the groom and my boss.”
“Congratulations,” the man said as he shook Jared's hand. “Pleased to meet you both.”
“Preston is Shelby's uncle from right here in Fort Myers.”
“I guess you and Jared are family now then,” Liv added.
“I suppose we are. They make a nice couple.”
“I think so too,” Liv said with a smile. “We were just heading in for some cake. Join us?”
Preston nodded, and Liv shot a quick thumbs-up signal to Georgia from behind him. The ear-to-ear grin she returned told Liv that she may have adjusted her attention from Jared to this new and distinguished target she’d come across.
Liv guessed his age at somewhere in the late fifties. With a full head of salt and pepper hair (mostly salt), clear blue eyes, and about half a foot of height on Georgia, they made a nice-looking couple. Liv sent up a quick, silent wish that something developed between the two of them, for several reasons, but mostly because Georgia deserved to find love. And this was a realization that Liv found both surprising and somewhat comforting.
“Oh, good, Dad!” Rand exclaimed as they entered the dining room. “Come stand next to us for the pictures. Olivia, you too.”
The photographer's camera clicked off a dozen times before a slice of cake made it to a plate, and then a dozen more as Rand and Shelby fed one another dainty bites. Afterward, two waiters moved in to do the actual slicing and serving of a traditional white wedding cake with butter cream icing.
“So many people have the more exotic wedding cakes these days,” Liv said to Jared after her first bite. “It's so nice to get a taste of real wedding cake with no fruit filling or some gourmet fondant frosting.” At just that moment, Vivian floated by them. “The cake is exquisite, Vivian.”
“Oh, thank you. Jasper's niece is a pastry chef in Sarasota, and she made it for us.”
“The ceremony was just beautiful too. You’ve done such a lovely job putting it all together.”
“I appreciate your saying that. I won’t kid you, I was concerned. But it all came together just as it was supposed to.”
“I think you’re right,” Jared told her.
Vivian reached out and patted his arm. “Enjoy yourselves,” she added before continuing her rounds.
When they entered the ballroom again a few minutes later, half a dozen waiters were circulating with silver trays bearing crystal glasses of sparkling cider. Jared accepted two of them and then handed one to Liv.
“Thank you all for coming,” Rand said through a microphone from atop the orchestra platform. Shelby stood beside him. “I think most of you already know that Shelby and I will be leaving for England in a few days, so it means that much more to us that we had the opportunity to share this night with the people closest to us.” He and Shelby raised their glasses as he added, “So here's from us to you. With deepest gratitude and love, we ask that you and your families are all blessed and healthy in the months to come as we start our life together.”
Everyone raised their glasses as well, and several congratulatory wishes popped from various points around the room before they all sealed the deal with a sip.
“Olivia, how about a trip around the dance floor with me?” Rand suggested as he walked toward her.
“I’d be honored.”
Jared offered an arm to Shelby, and the four of them hit the floor to an instrumental version of Moon River.
“I used to roll my eyes at my dad when he’d pull out his vinyl record relics and play these old songs,” Rand told Liv. “But when we were talking about what kind of band we wanted tonight, Shelby and I both thought it would be cool to get someone who could sing all the classics. We heard these guys play at her parents’ anniversary party last week, and we were stoked when they had the date free. I’m sure my dad is on Cloud Nine.”
“Oh, he is,” she said with a chuckle. “We
were outside having dinner when he heard something by Frank Sinatra. He got all dewy-eyed like he’d found a long-lost friend.”
Rand laughed. “I can see it now.”
“It was a beautiful wedding, Rand. I’m so happy for you and Shelby.”
“Thanks, Olivia. I know a lot of people think we’re out of our tree, but it's right for us to be together. I don’t have a doubt about that.”
“Some people never find that kind of confidence in a relationship. It's awe-inspiring.”
“Good,” he replied. “Maybe it will inspire you and my dad to take a chance on love, ya think?”
Liv grinned, smacked Rand on the shoulder, and leaned into his embrace to continue their dance in silence. After a moment, though, she tilted her head back and laughed out loud.
As the music wound down to a close, Jared approached them with Shelby on his arm.
“What are you two laughing about?” he asked, but Rand just shook his head.
“Your son has a filtering problem,” Liv told him. “Whatever he thinks in his head comes straight out his mouth.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“It's a gift,” Rand added, and then he took his bride by the hand and walked away.
“How about we get some coffee and another piece of that cake?” Jared suggested.
“Sounds like a plan.”
With his hand on the small of her back, Jared led Liv toward the dining room. While she doctored the coffee, he picked up two plates of cake, and they met up at the French doors leading outside.
“It's so mild out tonight,” he commented. “Why don’t we sit on the veranda again?”
At the same table where they’d enjoyed their meal, Liv leaned back in her chair and glanced up at the twinkling tree branches overhead.
“I’m not so happy about a hurricane being the reason for it,” she said, “but I’m so glad I got to stay and see Rand get married.”
“I’m glad of that too. It wouldn’t have been the same without you. In fact—”
The Big 5-OH! Page 18