Chapter Twenty
A month after he asked for Susannah’s hand in marriage, they were married to the delight of the town.
Susannah had left the guest list up to him, and he had, in turn, left most of the decor and food to her once he knew how many people he was inviting.
Well, it had started small, but he had eventually decided to invite pretty much everyone in town.
He wanted to be seen as a person who was well-liked by the townsfolk.
And since Susannah understood his goals in life, she didn’t seem to object. She was happy to have a chance to cook for everyone. Even enlisted Pauline’s help for some of the baking because she couldn’t do it all on her own.
But now, everything was coming to fruition because it was the day of the wedding.
The ceremony itself was to be held in the social hall, with the reception to follow immediately after.
There was no reason to wait, honestly. As Susannah walked down the aisle in a beautiful new blue dress that she would be able to get plenty of use out of, Wesley couldn’t help but feel that he was extremely lucky to be able to marry her.
The pastor shared his thoughts about God’s intentions around marriage, the scriptures, and the official side. Wesley couldn’t focus on any of it as he stared at his bride. Her hair had been done up in a bun, and she looked gorgeous.
“Do you, Wesley Montgomery, take Susannah Peterson to be your lawfully wedded wife?” the pastor asked.
“I do.”
“And do you, Susannah Peterson, take Wesley Montgomery to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do. Wholeheartedly.” Susannah’s face broke out into a wide smile.
“Then, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife,” the pastor said.
They shared a brief kiss in front of the crowd before breaking apart to welcome everyone to the party and invite them all to share in the delights of the day.
Susannah had put her heart into making a sweet cake that now took over the center of the room.
It looked delicious, and he was glad that she had been able to put all of her efforts into planning what mattered most to her.
“Ah, Wesley,” Thomas said once he had the groom to himself when Susannah was off with the ladies. “She’s a special one. I can see why you picked her. How much of a hand did she have in planning this party?”
“I gave her a guest list. She did everything else,” Wesley said.
“She did well. She did delegate some tasks to me, but that is part of the planning. She told me she’d take care of everything else if I took care of the guest list, but that part of taking care of it would be delegating tasks as needed.
I was all right with that. I think that is what allowed her to pull it off so flawlessly.
She knew exactly what she could and couldn’t handle. ”
“She did well,” Thomas said. “And, if she did this well with this, I imagine she’ll do just fine hosting other parties for the community. After all, for the position you want, that is what needs to happen. Is she aware of that?”
“That was part of why she wanted to see how well she could do with this one,” he said. “It’s the first party she’s ever planned.”
Thomas’s eyes widened, but he had nothing but praise. As the news spread, it appeared that everyone was shocked this was the only party she’d ever planned.
At the end of the night, as they stood in their home together, he embraced her tightly.
“You did wonderfully planning the party,” he said. “I know you probably heard it all night long, but I wanted you to hear it from me. You did so well. I enjoyed it.”
“You know what? So did I,” she said as she hugged back. “I’ve never had a chance to enjoy a party like that. Orphans in the orphanage were hired to work the parties, and that was part of how I learned how to plan one. But I never thought one so large would be so fun.”
He smiled down at her and then gave her a proper kiss. When they pulled away, she moved toward the bedroom.
“Well, I’m exhausted.”
“Me too. But what a perfect way to start such a loving life together.”