32. Chapter 32
The Wedding
Skye
H anding over the reins for the wedding turned out to be one of the best decisions Skye ever made.
The idea of coordinating the number of details that went into a wedding and reception, even a small one like theirs, made her head spin.
Elyza, however, thrived on the chaos that came with mixing and matching colors and fabrics and flowers.
She blossomed under the challenge, and Skye gladly handed over control to her friend, except for the guest list and the dress.
Skye and Rabble kept the guest list extremely limited, especially since the majority of their friends would already be standing at the front of the church alongside them.
Mrs. Basket and Olivia were among the few others to receive invitations, along with Mrs. MacAlister, Elyza and the twins’ mother.
So long as Skye could call Rabble her husband at the end of the day, she didn’t care about much of anything pertaining to the wedding.
Skye’s other requirement felt more personal, so she privately enlisted Elyza’s help.
They met at The Wild Bride one night after closing, and Elyza made sure Skye found exactly what she wanted amid the pre-laid out selection.
The thought of wearing a white wedding dress still made her heart seize with anxiety, so Elyza pulled three shimmering gowns from the endless racks for Skye to choose from.
With her friend’s careful attention, she left the bridal shop feeling lighter than a feather drifting on a soft wind.
Elyza made a show of revealing the venue she’d selected for the wedding and reception.
A small church that had sat abandoned on the outskirts of town for years, left to fall into disrepair.
Skye had always loved the church, the magnificent stained glass in delicately arched windows, the towering steeple, and ornately crafted cross at its peak.
A sense of rightness went through Skye, and her heart thumped with growing excitement.
“Isn’t the church a little…” Skye searched for a kinder word than decrepit . “Dated?”
Elyza gave her a secret smile, a twinkle in her eye. “Do you trust me?”
She balked at the question. Of course, she trusted Elyza. They were best friends, and yet… Skye sucked in a deep breath through her nose and slowly released it from her mouth, a calming technique she’d been working on. “I trust that you’ll work your magic.”
Elyza pulled Skye into a hug, one full of unspoken gratitude for each other. Skye found herself squeezing Elyza back fiercely, tears pricking her eyes.
“Let’s get you married, girlfriend!” Elyza said with a grin.
Skye couldn’t help the blush that crept up her neck, spilling warm pink onto her cheek as she giggled. “Deal.”
***
Rabble
The repairs to the church turned out beautiful.
Skye had always loved the place, ever since the original congregation moved toward the city center, leaving the old building to fall into disorder.
Purchasing it didn’t take long at all. He contacted the pastor and then his realtor.
Pulling the right strings, the entire transaction took less than a week to complete, and Rabble became the proud owner of one derelict church.
They didn’t have time to fix everything wrong with the structure, but fortunately the building had solid bones.
Beyond a fresh coat of paint, a quick polish for the floors, and temporary fixes for the chipped stained-glass windows, everything else would have to wait.
Dash salvaged four pews from a stack of furniture in the corner of the nave and dusted them for the intimate gathering.
With Dash in charge of ensuring Rabble arrived at the church on time, they pulled into the parking lot an hour ahead of schedule.
The man had no patience for arriving anywhere near on time.
In his estimation, if you weren’t early, you were late.
Usually Rabble and Declan would give him a hard time for it, but Rabble was secretly grateful for the early arrival time.
He could work out some of his nerves while they waited.
Rabble took one step into the sanctuary and whistled in appreciation at Elyza’s talent.
She successfully concealed the unfinished parts of the church under artful wedding decorations.
Cream lace and sheer wheat-colored fabric draped around the pews they’d salvaged, and vases wrapped with satin ribbon adorned as many surfaces as possible, each with simple bundles of white sweet alyssum, vibrant-yellow coneflowers, and fountain grass.
A distant voice drifted inside the church and Rabble met Joe Armanan at the door.
Small-town sheriff and conveniently, a registered officiant.
Was there anything the man couldn’t do? As he took his place at the altar, Joe gave Rabble a small smile, though it looked more like a grimace on his craggy face.
Rabble escorted Mrs. Basket and Olivia to their seats when they arrived together. As he knelt before the older woman, tears pricked at his eyes. “Thank you,” he choked out in a whisper.
She patted his cheek affectionately. “You’re a good boy, Rabble Raden. And an even better man, Matthew.”
***
Skye
At the back of the church, Skye hid behind a set of ornate solid wood doors.
On the other side, Rabble waited for her, and that was all that mattered.
The doors opened, and she ducked back into a darker corner as Declan and Dash escorted Bekah and Kellyn down the aisle.
Their long periwinkle dresses flowed like water on the polished wooden floor, reminding Skye of mythological nature spirits she’d read about as a kid.
While the ladies exuded grace with every swishing step, the twins looked handsome in their chambray shirts and suspenders, a tiny cluster of wheat spikes tucked against their chest as a boutonniere.
Once they took their place at the front of the church, Elyza primped Skye’s hair one more time, shaking out the long curls with a loving hand.
“You ready?” she asked.
Skye’s heart skittered, and her breath hitched with nervous excitement. “I am.”
Elyza grinned, and her eyes sparkled. “Then let’s get you down that aisle.” She opened the double doors, securing them with little wooden stops, and proceeded down the aisle like a model on a runway.
Elyza stepped up to take her place as the maid of honor then, hidden in the florals of her bouquet, she clicked a small device that allowed her to control the music from her position at the front of the church.
The smooth, lilting tune sounded like summer nights and gentle breezes that invited Skye to begin her journey toward the only man she ever wanted.
***
Rabble
The moment the music changed, moving into something smoother, something rich and warm, Rabble recalled long days under their fence, laughing together as the towering oak and flowering lilac watched over them.
Elyza grinned at him and Rabble’s eyes caught movement at the rear doors. He froze, his body becoming impossibly still.
“Please stand,” Sheriff Armanan said.
The twins’ mom, Mrs. Basket, and Olivia rose to their feet, turning back to witness the vision gliding through the doors.
Rabble’s eyes couldn’t get any wider, could they? Surely, his chest couldn’t expand anymore. His heart felt swollen with love, and he struggled to pull in breath.
Skye began her measured assent toward him, her smile beatific and gentle, though an excitement sparkled in her eyes too.
He gulped as his gaze travelled over her, taking in every minute detail.
She wore her hair long, curling down her back, a few stray tendrils about her ears and cheeks.
Her smocked dress shimmered with a creamy light as she walked, the slightly puffed sleeves settled off of her shoulders.
His eyes lifted in surprise as he took in the hand-embroidered fall flowers and wheat that started at the neckline and hem and grew toward her heart.
The details of the floras and field grasses were unparalleled, and he wondered who dared to put such colors on a wedding dress and where could he send his thank you note.
She kept her steps light and rhythmic until she stood just before him, and Rabble extended a hand, inviting her to join him at the altar of their forever. He didn’t hear most of what Sheriff Armanan said, too focus on Skye’s radiance, and Rabble nearly missed the call for vows.
Skye went first. “From that very first day, I knew you were mine. You have been my safe place, my calm and my crazy, and I vow to spend every day by your side from now until eternity. Because there is not a place or a time in existence in which I wish to be parted from you.”
Rabble tried to swallow past the lump cutting off his voice.
He cleared his throat and spoke, voice rough.
“From that first day, I knew you were mine. You became my home, my peace, my silence, and my music. Not a day has passed when I haven’t wanted to be by your side.
And there is not a place or a time in existence where I want to be apart from you.
I love you, Skye. Every breathtaking inch of your mind, body, and soul. ”
A quiet sob escaped her, and Rabble pressed his hand against her cheek, a small thrill going through him when she leaned into his touch.
The next words Rabble heard released a tidal wave of need and possessiveness.
“Husband and wife… kiss the bride.”
Rabble cradled Skye against his body, her gaze reflecting his thoughts, a promise of long nights of love and days of staring down the world, side by side.