Epilogue
epilogue
LAVENDER
I’d been to a lot of high-society weddings. Huge churches, hundreds of people. Everyone in tuxedos or dresses made by a French designer. A place almost more for networking rather than any sort of celebration of romance, because the marriage may well be one of convenience, where love is completely optional.
Thank God, it's not the case with Hawk and I.
There are a dozen or so people gathered around a handcrafted, rustic-looking wooden archway, a small-town minister in front of a podium, and a carpet rolled out over the grass. We’re in a meadow, a small clearing in the forest, the sun beating down on the trees surrounding us, and behind is a gorgeous, picturesque view are two mountain peaks, snow-topped, majestically scraping against the sky itself.
It’s everything I ever wanted in a wedding.
Hawk’s parents are here, as is Tabitha. Her friends and mine are there too: Savvy, Char, and Tabith are my maids of honor. Also present are their husbands, respectively. e h
Hannah, one of my friends is also in attendance. She catered it, and I helped design all the baked goods we’re serving. A cake adorned with edible real flowers is my personal touch, and Hannah had to tell me she would never have thought of doing that. The two of us had crafted quite the spread. Just another day at the office for us, really.
I’m forever thankful to Hannah and the experience she’s given me as a baker. She’s also given me a recommendation for a culinary school, in the hope that I’ll get a scholarship for one. If I get the scholarship, it’ll be paid for, without my mother’s help, and I’d be so thankful for that.
I haven’t heard from that woman since. She did cut me off just like she threatened to do, but it doesn’t matter. Hawk will take care of me. He’ll get me back on my feet. And life will go on, and I’ll be free of the absurd expectations of my parents.
The only person in a tuxedo here is Hawk. Everyone else is in everyday pants, the fanciest of them choose khakis. The girls are in dresses, the four of us being a bit more urban minded in having multiple outfits at the ready.
Me? I worked with Tabitha to create something truly amazing. It’s not from a designer who would charge us thousands of dollars, it’s something way better than that. Ivory lace adorns my gown, floral designs through the whole dress, and lacy frills that follow my path as I proceed down the "aisle" toward the minister and Hawk.
Fresh wildflowers adorn my hair, a mix of its natural blonde and the lavender of my namesake. I carry a bouquet of roses and lavender, a dedication of love and devotion in typical wedding symbolism. I hope that my whole outfit speaks of my newfound love for nature and Evergreen Valley, showing I am ready to become part of this town and give myself to my family and my community until I am old and gray.
I fidget the bouquet a bit, thinking of other wedding traditions. The only people I know who are single are Hannah and Hawk’s little sister, Serena. I wonder who I ought to throw it to, and they’re unfortunately on opposite sides of the ceremony. Maybe I’ll give it to Tabitha and tell her to choose. As much as I love traditions, breaking them is so much fun as well.
Hawk smiles as I reach the minister.
I’m filled with anticipation for what is to come in our life. He has started working with his friends on building a proper chalet of our own, taking inspiration from the rented one. A home worthy of us and our family, one that we’ll build our very soul and desires in, however big it may eventually be.
The minister begins his words. Things we have heard before. Things we agree with wholeheartedly. We give our vows to one another, and our friends and family look on at us earnestly, their happiness only a close second to our own.
Soon, we are told to kiss.
We give our guests, and what we, want.
A delightful, passionate kiss. Nothing too sexy, but we’re making it pretty clear that something very adult is going to occur as soon as we gain some semblance of privacy.
The sun starts to set behind the mountains as we finish the ceremony. I look to my love and into his eyes, which stare back at me with genuine appreciation.
His love, the love of family, our will to be true to each other and to nature, these are all things that are as timeless and enduring as the mountains themselves.