Ronnie stood in the hallway near the chapel doors. She watched from the corner as Jonah set off down the aisle. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her little brother in a small tuxedo. She knew for a fact he hated wearing it, but he'd agreed to wear it nonetheless…only for her.
Kayla went next, accompanied by one of Will's Columbia friends. Her dress was strapless, and reached the floor. Kayla's dress was also the same shade as Kim's dress had been. Though Kayla didn't tell Ronnie directly, Ronnie could tell Kayla would've preferred black instead.
Blaze or rather, Galadriel rubbed Ronnie's arm. Her dress was the same style as Kayla's, only instead of green, Galadriel was wearing a light purple. Galadriel had made it her duty to mention that she resembled an Easter egg every time she wore the dress. And she had done so every hour today.
"This is it." Galadriel whispered. She quickly hugged Ronnie. "Congratulations."
Scott took Galadriel's arm. "We're up."
Galadriel hooked her arm inside Scotts. Scott took a look back at Ronnie and winked before they began down the aisle. The chapel doors closed behind them, leaving Ronnie completely alone outside the chapel.
Ronnie began thinking she should've as someone to walk her down the aisle, if only to make sure she made it. But the only men Ronnie considered were Tom Blakelee and her stepdad Ryan. And no matter how many times Ronnie thought it over; she wasn't close to any of them enough for her to have them walk her down the aisle. So, against her mother's, and Will's mother's insistence, Ronnie decided to walk down the aisle alone.
Ronnie walked up to the doors and waited. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her heart was racing a mile a minutes. Her hands gripped her bouquet tightly, unconsciously twisting it. Questions popped in and out of her mind.
Can I do this? Am I ready to make this commitment? Is this going to work out? Will he leave me for another woman? Will I leave him for another man?
Ronnie turned from the doors. But before she could take a single step away, she heard the familiar notes of her father's music. Her questions disappeared as the music flowed through the cracks beneath the door, filling Ronnie with strength. She smiled as she remembered the countless hours her father had spent at the piano when he thought Ronnie couldn't hear him. The hours he spent playing in the chapel when she wouldn't let him play in the house. Her fingers began to play with the notes.
As the doors opened, Ronnie took one last deep breath. She opened her eyes to the chapel full of guests. Whatever chatter had taken place had been silence as Ronnie took her first step down the aisle. She stood tall and walked with determination and grace. Her eyes roamed from side to side, taking in all the friends and family that had taken up the entire set of pews within the small church. Her few friends from high school and Julliard, Scott's friends from Columbia and town, and the small family they both had.
Suddenly the light in the chapel seemed to grow as Ronnie grew closer to the front. Ronnie looked to the front of the chapel, behind the preacher. The sun burst through the, relatively new, stain glass window magnificently. Its warmth radiated over Ronnie, filling her heart. She thought back several summers ago, where Ronnie had overheard her father and brother talking. He thought back on her father's word to Jonah, "Every time light shines through the window, I want you to know, that's me. I'm not going away."
He's walking with me. Ronnie thought.
Ronnie let her eyes move from the glass as she finally reached the front of the chapel. She turned to awe-struck fiancé and smiled.
Will smiled back and took her right arm. He leaned down barely and whispered. "You looked beautiful, Ronnie."
Ronnie felt her cheeks warm.
As the music ended, Pastor Harris raised his hand. "Please be seated."
Ronnie heard the old benches creak as the guests took their seats. She tried to hide her giggle. Will squeezed her hand.
"Dear friends and family, we are gathered here in the house of the Lord to witness this blessed union of these two young lovers." Pastor Harris began. "However, before we begin this ceremony, I ask we all remember those who could not be with on this joyous occasion."
The chapel was silent.
"Love is one of the greatest blessings that God gave us as his children. The ability to look beyond ourselves, and care for someone with all our heart and mind. When we love, we see things other people do not see. We see beneath the surface, to the qualities which make our beloved special and unique. To see with loving eyes, is to know inner beauty. And to be loved is to be seen, and known, as we are known to no other. One who loves us, gives us a unique gift: a piece of ourselves, but a piece that only they could give us." Pastor Harris began.
"We who love, can look at each other's life and say, "I touched his life," or, "I touched her life," just as an artist might say, "I touched this canvas." "Those brushstrokes in the comer of this magnificent mural, those are mine. I was a part of this life, and it is a part of me." Marriage is to belong to each other through a unique and diverse collaboration, like two threads crossing in different directions, yet weaving one tapestry together."
Or notes to a song. Ronnie thought.
"Today, we gather in this church to witness the most sacred promise known to God and man. The promise that William and Veronica have chosen to make." Pastor Harris said. "And with the exchange of their vows and rings, we witness their first step in their union."
Ronnie released Will's arm and passed her bouquet to Galadriel, taking his ring at the same time. Will turned to Scott and took Ronnie's ring. They turned to face each other again.
Will took Ronnie's left hand into his right. He looked directly into Ronnie's eyes and he spoke. "Ronnie, from the first moment we talked, I knew you were different. You tried to show yourself as a loner and made every effort to hold yourself back. But as you showed me glimpses of who you really were, I couldn't help but want to see the real you.
"And you showed me someone with a deep passion, and caring heart toward others. You showed me someone you set others above herself. You showed me someone who thought with her mind and with her heart. Someone with a great talent, and who wanted to share it with the world. And the more time I spent with that young woman, the more I found myself falling in love with her.
"So I make this promise to you, Veronica Lindsay Miller, to take you as my only love from this day forward, to stand by your side, to listen when you speak, to comfort you when you cry, and to join your laughter with my own. As your friend, your lover, your confidant, and your husband. Let me be the shoulder you lean on, the rock on which you rest, the companion of your life. With you I will walk my path from this day forward." Will finished. He slipped the diamond ring onto Ronnie's finger.
Ronnie took a deep breath before she began, praying she wouldn't start crying. "Will, you first showed me a conceded and arrogant young man. But you showed me who lay beneath the façade. You showed me someone who carried a pain alone, longer than anyone should have to carry. You showed me someone who dared to love with everything they had. You showed me beauty that I would have overlooked on my own. You taught me how to accept the mistakes of others, and to move forward. You showed me someone who dared to be themselves. You taught me how to be myself. And by doing so, I found myself falling in love with him.
"So I promise you, William Thomas Blakelee, to accept the faults we both have. To share the joy and pain of life's journey. To be your friend, your enemy, your lover, and your wife. I will stand by your side in the darkest moments, and laugh with you in the lightest. I will never abandon you and turn you out to the cold world. I will always welcome you with open arms and an open heart. I will cherish every moment I have been blessed to share with you. And with you, I will live my life from this day on." Ronnie finished. She slipped the gold band onto Will's figure.
"Veronica and William, by the vows you have shared and the rings you have exchanged, you have taken the first step into a sacred union. Do you accept the blessings and adversities that shall and will cross into your lives?" Pastor Harris asked.
"We do." They answered in unison.
Pastor Harris nodded. "William Thomas Blakelee, do you take Veronica Lindsay Miller, as your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, for fairer or fouler, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death you depart?"
Will nodded. "I do.
"And do you, Veronica Lindsay Miller, take William Thomas Blakelee, as your wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to be bonny and buxom at bed and at board, to love and to cherish, till death you depart?" Pastor Harris asked.
Ronnie smiled. "I do."
"Then in the house of God and in the presence of these witnesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Pastor Harris said. "You may kiss the bride."
Will released Ronnie's hands and lifted her veil from her face. His hand gently pulled Ronnie toward him. Ronnie closed her eyes and her lips met Will's. Her right hand held his shoulder as his arm came around her waist.
They parted quickly, smiling at each other. Will took Ronnie's left hand into his right and they turned to face the guests. Ronnie retrieved her bouquet from Galadriel.
"It is my pleasure to introduce to you all Mr. and Mrs. Blakelee." Pastor Harris said.
The small church burst into a thunderous applause. Ronnie laughed as she heard Jonah's loud whistling echoed through the chapel.
With a gentle tug from Will, they walked down the aisle.