Epilogue
EPILOGUE
HERE COMES THE brIDE… ALL DRESSED IN… BLUSH
CLARA
VALENTINE’S DAY – ONE YEAR LATER
Sliding my hands down the front of my dress, I look at my reflection in the mirror. It’s not anything special. It was the second dress I tried on. The underlay is a blush color with an ornate white beading overlay.
It has swoopy, off-the-shoulder beaded sleeves that are almost Grecian in appearance. I was stunned by it at first sight and loved it the moment they slid it over my head. My shoes are the lightest light blue I’ve ever seen, almost a silvery color.
My new is my diamond heart-shaped necklace that Luke surprised me with this morning, and my old is the very first puck he scored a goal with in a game when he was seven years old. I have it tucked into my bouquet.
Reaching for my bright-pink rose bouquet, I close my eyes and open them again to take in my entire reflection. I love it. The way I look right now, it’s better than I could have imagined. I feel like a fairy princess. I’ve never felt like a princess in my life until today.
There is a knock on the door, and I turn my head, calling out to whoever is on the other side to come in. I’m not surprised to see not one but two people slip into the room. Sarah and Barbara are both wearing the bridesmaid dresses they chose.
Deep-red satin fabric that has wide tank straps with a square neckline. It’s stretchy fabric, so it hugs their bodies tightly until it hits the knee and then flares out more like a mermaid style with ruching on the waist and hips. I love it, and they did a great job picking it out between them.
“Are you ready?” Sarah asks.
Am I ready?
Absolutely.
I am beyond ready.
Like, out of this world ready. I’ve been ready for months. But I’m nervous. Pressing my lips together, I roll them a few times as I try to explain how I’m feeling. I’m ready, but at the same time, I’m not.
“You’re nervous,” Barbara states.
“I’m nervous,” I confirm.
They both move toward me, and I feel their arms wrap around my body. “It’s going to be fine. You’re going to be fine,” Sarah whispers.
“Luke loves you so much,” Barbara says, then shifts back slightly. Her gaze finds mine, and she gives me a smile.
“My mom isn’t here,” I whisper.
“No, she’s not,” Barbara says. “That’s her loss, on her, not you.”
She’s right. I know she is, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want her here. She hasn’t talked to me since it came out that Luke and I were not only staying together but also engaged and had moved in together.
It made her so angry she told me that she would not have anything to do with us. The only way she would talk to me again was if I broke it off with him. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t give up on the love I had for Luke, and I wouldn’t. I thought she would come around, but she didn’t, and my wedding invitation was sent back with Return to Sender in her handwriting.
“It feels like my loss sometimes,” I whisper.
Sarah shakes her head. “But it’s not. It’s only on her. Nobody else.”
I know their words are true. Luke has said the same thing a million times. I know he’s been feeling somewhat the same way as I am. His father has made the same statements as my mother.
“I’m ready.” I shake off the thoughts of my absent mother. “If she doesn’t want to be part of this, then she doesn’t deserve to be.”
“That’s right,” Barbara states. “She doesn’t deserve it.”
The door opens, and the wedding coordinator calls for both of them to line up. I stay in the room alone, my bouquet in hand, staring at my reflection in the mirror until it’s my turn. When the coordinator opens the door and calls out for me, I turn my head and smile. I’m walking down the aisle alone.
Last night at the rehearsal, it didn’t seem like such a feat, but in the dress, with the heels, and the audience, it is suddenly nerve-racking. Shakily, I make my way toward the closed doors of the church. I stand in front of them while the coordinator fixes my dress and primps me until I look perfect when those double doors open.
My entire body trembles and my knees threaten to give out completely when the double doors open and the wedding march begins. Gripping my bouquet tightly, I take one trembling step forward, then another.
There are so many faces in the crowd. We had planned on a smaller wedding, but now I’m wondering how many people are here because it seems like there are a thousand eyes on me at this very moment.
I lift my head, and my gaze connects with Luke’s at the end of the aisle. His lips curve up into a smile, and instantly, I feel calm. It washes over me, inside and out. My mother being here doesn’t matter the moment my gaze locks on his.
Because Luke is all that matters.
My love for him and his for me.
The moment I reach him, his lips curve up into a smile. “Hey, baby,” he rasps.
“Hey,” I mouth back to him.
“You’re gorgeous.”
Then our wedding begins.
On Valentine’s Day.
The day I thought my world was ruined the year before.
Now, it’s perfect.