Just a Dream
Chapter 4
The ride in the limousine was… well, actually I have no idea how the ride was, I was a bit preoccupied with kissing my husband. The automobile itself was lovely, the chauffer was
dressed in a black uniform suit and a hat that reminded me of a policeman's but in black instead of blue.
"Rosa- Rosali-" Emmett was now trying to say something but I didn't want to stop kissing him. I couldn't get enough of him. "Rosalie, I-" he tried again, "Rose, I have to tell you-" but
this time, it was the chauffer who interrupted him, saying, "Ma'am, Sir, you have reached your destination." as he opened our door for us. Emmett didn't bring it up again this time. We
were here.
The reception was scheduled to take place in the Copley Square Hotel's ballroom, where my father's good friend Mr. Charles Wagner was employed as head manager and had given my
father a good deal on rental payments. The room was set up and decorated perfectly, the dance floor in the middle of the large room, about two dozen tables set up to seat seven
each, and the long table in the back of the room for the wedding party. The wedding cake, which I got to see for the first time today was in the kitchens, they would bring it out when it
was time to cut it.
Emmett and I entered first together, so we could see how the hotel staff had decorated. I was in awe as he and I walked through the tall oak doors, hand in hand. "Oh, it's beautiful."
I said softly, nearly whispering. Emmett chuckled, "Nothing could ever come close to beautiful after seeing you today." he said. I smiled up at him and I kissed him softly, smiling happily.
That was when my mother had to interfere.
"Alright, come on you lovebirds. You've seen it, now you have to wait for everyone else to enter now so they can announce your arrival properly." she said as she shooed up a private
sitting room just off the lobby, "It will only be a moment." And she stepped out of the room to give us some privacy.
I smiled and leaned over to kiss him again, but this time he leaned away. "Rose, quickly. Before… we go in, there…" he cleared his throat nervously. "There is something you need to
know…" he said as he reluctantly reached into the pocket on the inside of his jacket, reaching into it and pulling out a crumpled piece of paper that had apparently been smoothed out
along the edge of a desk or table. I realized it was a letter. He handed it to me, looking remorseful. With shaking hands, I took it and looked at it. It was addressed to him and there
was no return address, just an official looking stamp that I couldn't identify.
My hands were trembling as I turned it over to pull out the slip of paper inside and my eyes swelled up with tears…
Em POV
As I handed the letter over to my Rose, I immediately regretted it. I knew this would hurt her and just the thought of her in any sort of pain was almost as bad as it actually happening.
The pure shock on her face as she read the notification of my being drafted, I saw tears fall from her eyes. Her hands were trembling. She shook her head back and forth again and
again, "No…" she said softly. "No, no, no, no!" she cried, jumping to her feet and moving to rip the letter to shreds, but she didn't. "They can't do this!" she screamed, shaking with
tears of anger and misery. "But that's on our honeymoon." she said miserably, falling to her knees and wrapping her arms tightly around herself as she began to cry.
I ran over to her and knelt by her, wrapping my arms around her. "I love you." I whispered to her, kissing her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, kissing away all traces of her tears. She
leaned against me and buried her head against my chest. "The war is never going to end…" she sobbed. I held her close and safely in my arms. "Yes it will, it will be over before you
know it, and I will be coming back safe to you, and then we can start a family." I said softly, lifting her chin and looking into her eyes. "I promise." I said softly…
Normal POV
The food consisted of the hotel's menu options, that way we wouldn't have to worry about choosing a catering service that only half the guests liked and everyone was happy. Well,
almost everyone… As the reception hall was now full of happy people, I put on my best smile and feigned happiness again. No one knew it was an act, well. No one but my Emmett, and
he put on a pretty good act himself.
The reception went by without incident, and my mother, who had spent about two hours this morning working on my hair and makeup, glared at us both when it came to the cutting of
the cake and I smeared the icing over his mouth and he did the same to me, both of us laughing happily. It obviously worked, the guests were fooled by our feigned happiness.
The only time I truly felt at peace with my thoughts is the moment the band started to play the song that Emmett must have recommended specifically. Dream a Little Dream of Me,
written by Frankie Laine. It was the first song that he and I had danced to. I was sitting down by the flower girls, thanking them for the wonderful job they had done, when I heard it
begin to play and I looked up to find Emmett standing in front of me, offering me his hand. "Did you know it's good luck to dance with a pretty girl dressed in white?" he asked and my
eyes lit up. That was the exact line he had said the first time he asked me to dance, except my dress had been rosy pink at that party. Well, I of course said no. I had been there with
my beau at the time. But thank goodness I had finally said yes, and it just happened to be this song. At the 20th Anniversary party of my father's company.
I couldn't think of anything else to say, "I thought it was a pink dress that made the luck?" I slowly stood up and took his hand, never taking my eyes away from his. He smiled and led
me to the center of the dance floor, putting one hand on my waist, and keeping the other one enclosed over mine and we began to sway and take a few steps back and forth and
around, repeating the pattern over and over. Another thing that had surprised me about Emmett McCarty. For someone of his able-bodied physique, you would expect him to be a bit
clumsy and to be more gauche, but he was actually a phenomenal dancer, and I had started taking dance lessons at the age of four. Our movements were harmonious to each other's.
We had not required any lessons before the wedding, we were practically already proficient on our own.
We twirled and dipped and spun and pretty soon, we had cleared the dance floor. Everyone had left the floor to watch with fascination and awe. This was going to be our last dance of
the night. After this dance we were off, back to the limousine. Emmett sang the lyrics quietly to me, I loved the sound of his voice, so deep and husky, yet smooth and beautiful. He only
sang for me though, and it always made me smile, no matter how upset I was. With one last dip, the song came to a close and our "audience" applauded.
Some of the drunken guests were wolf whistling and "woot -ing" loudly. It came time to toss the bouquet and the guarder. Someone pulled up a chair onto the dance floor and I
laughed as Emmett mock-dramatically offered it to me. I seated myself and stuck up my leg, giggling. Those same drunk boys wolf whistled and I laughed, Emmett knelt down in front of
me and winked at me before slipping his hands up under my skirt. I saw my dad make that "gah" sort of face, rubbing his eyes and turning his head and I laughed again. My mother
found it humorous enough.
Emmett slipped the little bit of white lace fabric off my leg and twirled it around his finger, a big goofy grin on. I laughed at the sight of those adorable dimples and the single men in the
crowd gathered around, waiting for him to throw it. Emmett then flicked the guarder with his thumb and forefinger and it went soaring over the men. They jumped as high as they could
and stretched to their tallest to grab it. One of the drunken boys caught it, laughing victoriously and then running from the crowd of men trying to seize it back.
Emmett and I laughed and then it was my turn. My matron of honor, Melanie, handed me the bouquet and the single girls and women in the room bunched together, laughing excitedly
as I turned around, covered my eyes with my hand and threw the large bouquet of flowers over my head. Sara, the younger flower girl caught it and her face lit up with glee. I laughed
as she ran to show her mother. Everything was happening so fast now, next thing I knew, Emmett was grabbing my hand and we were running for the exit and our friends and family
were throwing grains of rice at us, everyone happy and smiling as we climbed into the limousine and were being driven away by the chauffer with the black policeman hat.
That was when the silence hit, and it hit hard.
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