Chapter 2: The Ceremony
A/N: Same disclaimer applies. Thanks to my lovelies, you know who you are.
x-x-x
I followed the limo transporting the female members of the bridal party back to the church, awkwardly lugging half a dozen garment bags over my shoulder once we got there. Finally, I settled Lauren and her attendants into the Bridal Suite and stole my opportunity to take a breather while they all got dressed.
I put a quick call in to Kate, checking up on their progress and letting her know I wouldn't get back to the hall until the ceremony was finished. I wished I could have spent more time at the ballroom rather than dealing with Lauren's temper tantrum, but I suppose that's why I'd hired my assistants. Hopefully they could handle the majority of what needed to get done and I wouldn't have too much to finish during the cocktail hour while Lauren and Tyler were off taking photos.
Photos. Photographer. Shit.
My internal alarm started blaring, twisting my stomach with the familiar panic that always came when a vendor wasn't in their proper place. I'd once had a videographer blow off a wedding entirely and my tummy didn't settle back to normal for weeks.
Who was the photographer again? Cullen, right. Phew.
Immediately, my nerves backed down a few notches. Edward Cullen was one of the most sought after wedding photographers in the state. I first worked with him back when I was still a summer intern and he was just starting out. Every wedding season he grew more and more popular, with brides contacting him over a year in advance to book him. Now he was landing on practically every 'Best of' list of wedding vendors out there and it seemed like every year I ended up working more and more weddings with him.
The man was ridiculously talented not to mention completely dependable. He was one of those rare wedding vendors who was a dream to work with, for brides and planners alike. On top of being talented, he was easy-going, charming, and charismatic. Of course it didn't hurt that he was young, only twenty-eight, and good looking. I always liked working with him, enjoying his friendly company and quick humor that made the long, exhausting days go by that much quicker, and I could always count on him to be there, keeping the bride smiling and happy.
Dependable or not, it still made me uneasy that Lauren was supposed to be getting dressed and I hadn't seen him anywhere.
Keeping my pace just shy of a power walk, I made my way down the hall and stepped outside, smiling at the florist and her assistant as they unloaded her van. My eyes quickly scanned the mostly-empty parking lot, searching out his car. The previous summer I'd had to catch a ride with him from the ceremony to the reception hall when my battery died, so as long as he hadn't switched vehicles... There. Second row. Shiny, silver Volvo, a sure sign that he was at least on the premises.
The summer sun was bright and warm, the sky above the old, stone church stretched out in a flawless expanse of cornflower blue, the kind of day that makes you wish for an open field of grass to just lay out on a soft blanket and do nothing but listen to the breeze. Instead, I settled for just one moment, closing my eyes and breathing in the fresh, warm air that smelled of freshly cut grass and the hydrangea blossoms that lined the church wall.
Lauren may have been unpleasant (to put it lightly) but she landed herself the perfect June day to get married. Not that it really meant much in the long run, other than beautiful, sun-drenched wedding photographs. Only three years earlier, on a similar beautiful summer day, I'd arrived at my hometown church, carrying a big white garment bag that held my wedding dress. I'd turned to Rose, my maid of honor, and told her it was good luck to have such a perfect, sunny sky. So much for that.
Opening my eyes, I shrugged it off. I didn't know how Lauren and Tyler would end up, but I could make sure that this day, marking the beginning of their journey, was as flawless as that clear blue sky.
Part of that meant finding the MIA photographer.
Stepping out into the parking lot, I glanced around the perimeter. It didn't take long to spot him. He was knelt down on a patch of grass beside the church, his camera poised in front of his face as he focused in on exactly what I'd been admiring mere moments before, the crisp stone steeple and how the light grey peak made the blue sky look that much deeper. I couldn't wait to see if his photograph captured that same sense of peace I'd felt.
Shoving my hands into the pockets of my navy cotton dress, I played with the case of my phone while I crossed over toward him. As I stepped through the grass, the cool blades tickling my feet through the gaps in my flat sandals, my stomach started anxiously churning again.
Weird.
I shook it off as nerves. It was a huge wedding, after all, one of the biggest I'd taken on since starting up my business. It was understandable that I'd have a tougher time keeping my cool than normal. Still, I couldn't ignore the feeling entirely, nor the fact that the can-can line started up the moment I spotted Edward Cullen.
When I first met Edward, I'd been freshly engaged to Jasper, caught up in the anticipation and excitement of starting my life with him. While I had acknowledged that Edward was attractive (no sane, breathing woman could deny that) I simply hadn't had eyes for anyone else. We'd formed a friendship of sorts, chatting and cracking jokes when we ended up at the same events, but never really associating outside of that. The previous summer had been difficult, my first working weddings after the demise of my own marriage. The pain was so fresh that I really didn't pay attention to much apart from doing my job, certainly not to the looks of my sometimes-coworker.
But now...now I could appreciate the sight before my eyes in an entirely new way. How the sun teased out a rainbow of vibrant reds and browns in his tousled hair, how the rolled sleeves of his dress shirt accentuated the way his lightly tanned forearm flexed while he repositioned his camera, his elegant fingers as they twisted the lens. Though they were hidden behind his camera and squinted tight in concentration, I remembered his eyes were a bright, intense green, as lush as the grass under my feet. Just thinking about them made the can-can line pick up the pace.
I was only a few steps away when he looked up, lowering his camera just a bit as his lips quirked into a quick smile. His friendly gaze stopped me in my tracks as I soaked in that stunning color, even more beautiful than I'd remembered.
I caught myself mid-sigh and groaned at my own foolishness.
Stop swooning like a teenage girl, Bella. Sure, he's cute, but you're not ready to go there again, and he's certainly not going to be interested. Divorced, remember? What kind of hot, young guy with his pick of women is going to willingly saddle himself with that kind of baggage?
"Hey," he murmured as I moved over next to him. He lifted his camera once more, tilting it just a fraction and releasing the shutter twice before lowering it again to hang from the thick strap around his neck.
He pushed up from the ground to stand next to me, shifting his bulky camera bag to rest at his hip. With his attention momentarily turned elsewhere, I indulged in just one more second of feminine appreciation. Was he always so tall? How did I never realize how long those rangy legs were under those tailored pinstriped slacks he wore?
He turned back to me and I fixed a smile on my face, cursing my pale skin and the painfully obvious blush that spread over my cheeks.
Maybe he'll just think I'm hot. It's June after all and I'm always running around at these things.
Thankfully he didn't notice, or if he did, he didn't say anything.
"What are you doing out here? Don't you have napkins to fold or something?" he asked, his smooth voice light and teasing, his eyes crinkled from a mix of humor and the bright sunlight.
"Actually, I was looking for the photographer," I replied coyly, leaning in toward him and lowering my voice into a mock whisper. "He appears to be running a little behind schedule."
He sniffed out a laugh, nodding as he adjusted the thick strap across his chest. "Nervous you'd have a no show?"
"Not once I remembered we managed to book Edward Cullen for this little shindig. Apparently he's some sort of big shot."
This time his laugh was full and earnest, acknowledging my playful barb for how it was intended. It was nice that despite the raging popularity that surrounded him on the wedding circuit, he remained humble. Too many people let it get to their heads.
"Are they really having five-hundred people?" he asked incredulously.
"Five-hundred and eighty-six by my list. I was up all night assembling the last minute favors she just 'had to have,'" I told him while we turned and strolled toward the doors of the church, comfortable in each other's company, unhurried for just a moment of our mutually hectic day.
He blew out a low whistle. "That's a lot of little bows to tie. How're your fingers holding up?"
"Still have all ten," I said proudly, fanning them out in front of me.
"Glad to hear it. Guess I'd better head inside and find the bride. Rumor has it the wedding planner's a real hard ass and doesn't take kindly to those who throw off the timeline," he said dryly, his lips spreading into a grin when I shoved lightly at his shoulder.
"Very funny," I grumbled, unable to fight back a smile as I followed him through the heavy doors and into the church. "Down the hall and to your left."
He lifted his hand in a salute, turning lithely on his heels and striding off down the corridor.
Once he was out of sight, I realized I'd been holding my breath and watching him the entire time. Letting it out, I couldn't help but laugh at myself for being so silly. I'd never been so ridiculous over a guy, not even Jasper. We were friends, then all of a sudden we were dating and so on and so forth. I'd loved him, but never once had I felt this sense of excitement just from standing close to him. When Edward smiled at me, I felt practically giddy. Not in a way that made me feel happy but in a way that scared me and left me feeling uncertain and a little nauseous.
What the hell is this?
I'd never thought about dating again and wasn't planning on thinking about it any time soon, but it was impossible to ignore what was going on inside me. This was something, but I wasn't ready to dig into it and define what I was feeling.
Instead, I decided to hunt down the florist and try to distract myself.
Twenty minutes later, I was pacing the empty chapel, adjusting sprigs of baby's breath in the alter arrangements and fluffing the waterfalls of soft tulle that circled the ends of the pews. Everything was set perfectly but I could never stop myself from nit picking just a little. I stopped at the top of the aisle, squinting my eyes to see if I could make out any other adjustments that needed to be made.
"I don't think anyone'll notice if the aisle runner's half an inch off center."
I whirled around to see Edward leaning against the doorway, watching me with amusement. The can-can line was back in an instant.
"I'll notice." I shrugged, turning back to study my work with a smile.
"Always the perfectionist."
"That's why they pay me the big bucks," I joked, smirking at him playfully. My heart beat just a little faster when his smile blossomed into a grin. Needing something to do with my hands, I stepped over to the open doors and tried to focus in on adjusting the floral wreaths that hung from thick satin ribbons, tucking the blush toned roses just a fraction deeper and not really accomplishing everything.
"Stop that. You're picking," Edward lightly chastised. I gave him a guilty smile and clasped my hands together in front of me to keep them still.
"How's Lauren doing?"
He shrugged and leaned back against the doorjamb opposite where I stood. "Complaining about something. I left my assistant to handle the shots of her getting into her dress. Figured she'd be more comfortable with a woman."
"Liar," I grinned, embracing the opportunity to take some weight off my feet for a minute as I mimicked his position. "You just wanted to get out of the lion's den."
His smile was innocent and mischievous all at once, like a little boy who knew exactly what he was doing but was still trying to charm his way out of a time-out. "Can you blame me?"
"Not at all. What do you think I'm doing out here?" I said with a coy giggle.
We stood there in comfortable silence, leaning and looking, the sounds of people milling around in the lobby and rushing through the halls around us. For just one minute, then two, then three, we stayed there until the outside world caught up with us.
"Long day today," he sighed as he pushed off the wall, stretching his back out just a little.
"You've got some catching up to do, Shutterfly. You've only been on the clock for half an hour," I teased. A breeze came fluttering through the stuffy church, likely someone propping the front doors open, and I gathered my hair back off my neck, scrunching it in my hands to cool off a little.
"Hey, what happened there?"
"What?" I asked, glancing up to see Edward just as he stepped in front of me, his brow scrunched in concentration and his gaze focused on my neck.
"The scratches on your neck. Right here," he said gently, the tip of his finger tenderly tracing over my skin as light as a kiss.
I felt completely frozen, unable to breathe. Edward was touching me. I realized in that instant that he'd never touched me before, not even a handshake. If he had, I certainly would have remembered because the moment his skin made contact with mine, my entire body seemed to come alive, humming with electricity.
A spark, I realized with a jolt. Wasn't that what Jasper had told me he felt with Alice? What he'd said was missing with us? I'd never once understood what he was talking about.
Until now.
I cleared my throat as subtly as possible, not wanting to freak him out over my reaction to such a seemingly casual gesture.
"Oh, that. Would you believe I got mauled by my cat?" I asked, playing it off with my normal wry humor. Normal, Bella, just act normal.
"I thought you were allergic to cats," he said, softly stroking over the raised abrasions.
I wanted to close my eyes and bask in the way he was making me feel, but I caught myself just in time. Then it hit me what he'd just said. Wait...
"How did you know that?" I asked, baffled how he'd know such an insignificant tidbit about my life.
His eyes, still trained on my neck, widened for just a fraction of a second. If I hadn't been watching him so closely I would have missed it entirely. He swallowed, looking just a little uncomfortable as he cleared his throat.
"You're deflecting. How'd you get this?" he asked. It didn't slip past my notice that he'd avoided my question, but I decided not to press.
"Acrylic nails and an emotional meltdown," I confessed with a shrug.
"Lauren did this to you?"
"It looks worse than it is," I insisted, brushing his hand away and dropping my hair back over my shoulders to cover the mark. "No big deal."
He stared at me quietly for a moment, his jaw set and his eyes simmering as they searched my face. I felt like I couldn't hide anything from those intense, searching eyes.
"I mean it. I didn't even notice it was there."
Finally he seemed to relax, taking two steps back to resume a polite, casual distance. Then he smiled and the tense intimacy that had surrounded us for just a few moments was gone.
"It'd serve her right to spend her wedding night in a jail cell for assault."
"Oh my gosh, could you imagine?" I laughed. "Lauren sitting there in her giant poofball and three-thousand dollar tiara, mascara running down her face while she got squished between a hooker and some butch biker babe in leather and a mullet."
"The criminals would be clawing to escape. There's nothing scarier than an angry bride."
"Ain't that the truth," I groaned.
He hesitated for a minute, fiddling with the strap on his camera as he looked at me. "Have you at least got some Neosporin in that magic bag of yours?"
"Of course."
"Of course, she says. If I ever get stranded somewhere, I want you with me. I'll bet we could survive the apocalypse with the contents of that bag alone," he teased.
"Very funny," I dryly returned.
"Go put some on those scratches, will ya?" he implored, his voice filled with sincere concern. "I mean, I'd hate to think you might get infected with Bridezilla cooties."
I clutched at my hair, making sure the mark was still covered and rolled my eyes at his obsession over a little scratch. "Don't you have some snapshots to take?"
"Ouch, Swan," he said, slapping his hand over his heart like I'd wounded him. "You know very well that every click of my shutter is a masterpiece."
"Well then go be a genius and let me get back to work," I said, shooing him off, turning away so he wouldn't see the way my cheeks flushed when he laughed.
For the next hour and a half, I hurried around the church, setting out programs, speaking to the pastor, squeezing bridesmaids into dresses that didn't fit because they stubbornly ordered them a size too small. The usual.
Edward and his assistant were always there in the background. If the constant quiet clicking of the camera didn't alert me to his presence, this newfound awareness for him wouldn't let me forget.
Still, I stayed on task, and soon enough the guests were seated, packing the church to the brim. Prelude music filled the church as I wrangled members of the wedding party into their proper places in line and armed the bridesmaids with their bouquets, quietly reminding them to smile and take it slow as I sent them one by one down the aisle.
With the flower girls sweetly stealing the spotlight, I rushed back to straighten Lauren's train and fluff her veil, trying not to gag as her rotund father pinched her cheek and waxed poetic about his 'snookie ukums getting mawwied.'
I stepped off to the side to let them have their moment before heading down the aisle and felt a tap on my shoulder. Edward was standing there next to me, tender apprehension filling his eyes as he gazed down at me.
"You gonna be okay?" he murmured softly.
"Yeah, why?" I asked, surprised and more than a little confused at the question. He didn't answer, simply continued to regard me with that unwavering expression, searching for something, though I didn't know what. I nodded at him reassuringly though I couldn't keep the perplexity out of my voice. "I'm good here."
The look in his eyes cleared and he nodded rapidly, chuckling at himself as he muttered.
"Right. Never mind; of course you are."
I gave him an odd look, raising my brow, silently asking 'what was that about?' He shook his head and smiled, so I shrugged it off.
"Better go find your spot, Shutterfly. You're gonna miss all the action," I said as Wagner's Bridal Chorus started to blare through the organ.
He dropped his hand to my shoulder, squeezing once before he stepped away to find his seat, ready to capture Lauren's big moment.
That was weird, I thought. There was something about Edward today. He seemed…different somehow, though I couldn't be sure if he was actually acting differently or if it was just my perception of his behavior that had changed since my earlier epiphany. Maybe I was projecting my crush or whatever this was on him, exaggerating each word and gesture into something that wasn't really there.
The truth was, I had no idea what I was doing. I'd been with Jasper for so long that I didn't know how to be with anyone else, how to act around a different guy, how to handle my attraction. It was more than a little terrifying and this day was busy enough without having to process my feelings.
Later, Bella, you'll figure it out later.
At the front of the church, Lauren's father tearfully handed her off to her groom, patting him on the back and taking his seat next to Lauren's mother. The pastor's voice rang out through the room, reciting words I'd heard a thousand times before. And I stayed.
The previous season, I'd always left during the ceremony, sending the bride on her way and then rushing off to keep myself busy with other tasks. The ceremony was the toughest to handle. It had always been my favorite part of the day, but after the divorce, I couldn't take it. It hurt too much to watch other couples say those same words that I'd said, knowing that, for me, they hadn't held true.
But today I stayed. I stood against the wall at the back of the church and soaked in every moment-the unity candle, the rings, the vows. And for the first time in a year and a half, I let myself cry happy tears while I watched two people bind their lives together through marriage.
While Lauren and Tyler promised to love, honor and cherish, I found my attention wandering over the crowd until I found Edward. But his gaze wasn't fixed through his camera on the couple in front of them like I'd expected. He was looking back at me.
x-x-x
A/N: Ah, Shutterfly…
The response to the first chapter was simply overwhelming. You guys really are the best readers ever. Thank you for the warm welcome back! I'm so sorry I didn't get a chance to respond to reviews this time around but please know that I read (probably multiple times) and appreciated every one of them.
I always love hearing your thoughts and reactions, so click on that little link & leave me some love, lemme know if Shutterfly was worth the wait…
Oh, and it's been awhile since I've done a fic rec in a chapter. If you are not reading The Best I Ever Had by WhatsMyNomDePlume...I don't believe I know you... (bonus if you can name that movie). Seriously though, go. Read. You will thank me.
See you Monday. :)