Chapter ten
So this chapter is meant to be the Big Day – Steve and Sarah's wedding. Here's hoping you all enjoy it and if anything please Read and Review! BTW posting this on Valentines Day was purely a coincidence
Today was her wedding day.
As Sarah looked up into the mirror she had to starve the tears in her eyes. This was the happiest day of her life, but her father was not there to give her away. Jay was going to take his place, but she still felt the loss of her father.
Her father was out on bail, and even though they had petitioned the courts to allow him to come for a few hours under strict supervision, the request had been denied.
She saw as the bedroom door opened and her mother walked in. As always she looked lovely in a floral dress that flowed down to her feet, which were encased in white sandals. Her mother's gray hair was fashioned in a stylish bob, which revealed her silver earrings.
"Oh baby, you look so sad" Anita said as she came and hugged Sarah.
"I just wished papa could be here to give me away" she sobbed; luckily she had not had her make up done as yet.
"I know baby. He would have been here if he could. We're having the ceremony filmed especially so he can watch it and he wont miss out" her mother wiped the tears from Sarah's face.
Just then Nari walked in, dressed in her maid of honour dress; a long cream silk skirt topped with a raw silk, light gold wrap around sleeveless top. She took one look at her and smiled sympathetically.
"Oh sweetie. You should be smiling and laughing, not crying. That's for after a couple of years when that hunky husband of yours develops a beer gut".
Sarah had to laugh at that. Just the image of Steve with a paunch was hilarious.
"Ah, finally she laughs. Thank you Nari darling" her mother said as she led Sarah to the chair near the window. "Now you sit here, I'll get Loraine to do your make – up".
Nari came and sat on the ottoman in front of her. She took Sarah's feet in her hands and started to massage them to relax her. "Is this more than your father not being here?" she asked as she worked on her feet.
"If you think I'm getting cold feet, then you are absolutely wrong. I want this. I want that man waiting for me, more than anything" Sarah spoke quietly and thoughtfully, "I am only a little worried that he has been trapped into this".
"Don't be ridiculous. If he didn't want you and the baby, Steve would have never proposed to you" Nari tried to soothe her.
"You don't understand, he is a very honorable man. No other option would have occurred to him" she sighed and closed her eyes, "I don't doubt that he loves us, but I just feel bad that his hand was forced into doing something he may not have done for a few years yet".
Nari looked at her with a serious expression, "You're right, Steve is a very honorable man. But he also seems like a guy who does not do things he doesn't want to do. He may not have proposed to you for a while if you weren't preggers, but it happened. The important thing is that you both love each other, and you love that baby".
Sarah smiled at her friend, she knew she was being silly, and perhaps it was natural to have nerves about the wedding. But she was already feeling better after talking about it. There was no one else she could talk to about it.
Her mother was already stressed and she didn't want to burden her with her own worries. Loraine was nice, but she was still unable to talk so personally with her sister in law, she felt awkward talking to her about things like this. And she obviously could not talk to any of Steve's friends about it.
"And just for your information, I have seen Steve downstairs getting ready, he looks absolutely smashing in his formal Navy blues" Nari winked at her and smiled cheekily.
"I honestly cannot believe I am marrying him" she touched her belly, "You know I absolutely hated his guts that first night I met him".
"Really? What did he do?" Nari asked.
"Well, he yelled at me for walking out of a club with a stranger, even though that stranger was himself" Sarah smiled as she remembered it. He had been so handsome and brooding sitting there, having his drink. "I made a complete fool of myself. I tried to pick him up on a silly dare".
"Well whatever you did obviously worked, sweetie. That man is smitten".
"Me too" Sarah said and knew that she could not wait to live her life with him.
-X-
Steve stood in front of the framed photograph of his parents. It was an old one from their wedding day, and till now had been hidden in one of his father's desk drawers. Mary had pulled it out the other day and given it to him.
He touched the frame, wanting desperately to touch the people in it. He felt an overwhelming sadness that he had not felt in a very long time. His life was good, he was happy. But today he could not help but miss his parents.
His parents looked absolutely and completely in love with each other. They were both looking at each other and laughing at something; perhaps a private joke.
He had never really paid any attention to them as a kid or a teenager; he had taken them for granted and hadn't really understood the way they were around each other. But now he remembered that they were always laughing. Even after they had an argument, his father would say something to make his mother laugh.
He smiled as he remembered one time when they had just moved into this house, his father had playfully thrown his mom into the water. She had been so mad at him because he had ruined her new dress, which she had saved up for. Her father had bought her a new one the next day and as a result had sacrificed a couple of nights with his buddies at the bar.
Steve was brought out of his thoughts by two slim arms coming around him from the back. His sister's head popped out from his left to look at him in the mirror.
"That picture always makes me laugh. The more you look, the more you want to laugh" Mary said as she smiled at him.
He turned to her, "You look… handsome" he said as he noticed her wearing a feminine version of a Tuxedo.
"You couldn't expect me to wear a dress when I'm in the Groomal party" she said as she straightened her bowtie.
"Groomal?" he quirked an eyebrow.
"There's Bridal, so there can be Groomal".
He laughed at his sister's silliness, "Who helped you tie your bowtie?"
"Chin helped. All the boys look really good" she said then, "But you look especially handsome".
"Well, I am the best looking out of the bunch" he checked in the mirror, he; had decided to wear his dress blues for the wedding, "Have you seen Sarah yet?"
"No I have not. Although I did speak to her on the phone" Mary handed him his uniform hat. "Are you getting nervous? Cold feet?"
"My feet are warm and toasty".
Mary laughed, "Good to know".
There was a knock on the door, Danno popped his head in, "You ready?"
"Yup, all ready" Mary answered for him. She took his arm and led him toward the garden, where guests were already sitting and mingling. The girls had decorated the house with fresh flowers all over. The kitchen was busy with a small team of caterers ready to go once the ceremony was over.
It hit him all of a sudden that this was it. After this moment he would not be alone anymore. He would have a family and he would do anything in his power to protect them and would provide for them to the best of his ability.
Instead of the sadness that he felt overwhelming him some time before, he realized now that all his father had done was to protect his family. He could no longer blame him or be angry with him for sending Mary and himself away from him. He understood how his father must have felt having lost his wife and his family under threat. He did the best he could.
Steve knew that he may not do the same things as his father, but he knew that if he ever were put in the same position, he would not hesitate to do anything to protect his children.
Chin came toward him. He as well was dressed in a tux, "Looking good, brah" he clapped Steve on his back, "By the way, Gov. Denning has just arrived and he wanted to speak to you".
Chin's tone was serious and immediately put Steve on edge. The last thing he needed was for his wedding day to be interrupted. No matter how understanding a woman, she could never forgive that.
Steve followed Chin's directions to the front of the house, where the Governor's entourage was trying to be discreet but failing miserably. The Governor must have seen him because he exited his SUV, his appearance as always imposing and if Steve had been a lesser man, intimidating. Following him another man had followed, equally as imposing as the Governor.
"Thank you for coming Gov. Denning" he greeted and shook hands with him.
"It is a pleasure Lt. Commander to be here" he turned to the other man, "I'd like you to introduce Mr. Nathan Jacobson".
"Nice to meet you Mr. Jacobson. How can I help you sir?" Steve asked pointedly of the Governor. There was something weird going on and it was not going to be very good, considering the fact that they had approached him this way.
Jacobson spoke this time, "Lt. Commander McGarrett, I have heard great things about you and I am interested in recruiting you for a special CIA Taskforce I am heading".
Steve was taken aback, this was completely unexpected, "With all due respect sir, I have my hands full running the Five – O. I don't think I will have time to do this".
"I understand that this is all the way from left field, but the taskforce is not 24/7" Jacobson explained, "I am interested in recruiting men with different expertise. Yours, I believe is intelligence as well as being a Navy SEAL, therefore specialize in field and stealth combat".
"That is correct sir" Steve decided to hear the man out. "Do you mind my asking what the taskforce is for?"
"You understand why I wouldn't be comfortable telling you that here. But I do want to arrange a meeting with you. I apologize for interrupting on such an important day, but I am leaving for D.C in an hour and will only be back next week" Jacobson explained. "I'll have my assistant contact you in a couple of days to meet next week, if that is alright with you?"
Steve hesitated at first, but he was curious, "That should be fine, sir. Now if you'll excuse me, but I need to get back in there".
"I'm sorry for keeping you, Commander. Best wishes on your special day and to your lovely bride" Jacobson smiled.
"Thank you, sir" Steve shook hands with him.
Steve turned to go back inside the house. Chin was waiting for him along with Danno, "So what was all that about?" asked Danny.
"The man with Gov. Denning is Nathan Jacobson. He is interested in recruiting me for a CIA Taskforce" he waited for their reaction.
Danno raised his brows, "So what did you say?"
"I'm going to a meeting with him sometime next week. Just to see what it is".
"Are you actually interested?" Chin asked him this time.
Steve sighed, "I have to hear him out first. Only them will I commit to anything".
"Are you gonna tell Sarah about this?" Danny asked.
"Not until I have the meeting".
Danno was about to say something when, Loraine walked toward them, "Alright boys, we should get set up. All the guests are here and its about ten minutes before Sarah is due to come down".
She shuffled all of them toward the garden and then to the beach. There were not many guests, only fifty of their closest friends and family. They were seated on either side of the make shift isle, on white timber chairs. He spotted Joe and Sarah's mom Anita sitting together next to the Governor and Lori, she smiled and waived at them.
He also spotted some of his old SEAL buddies he hadn't seen in years, but had been available. It felt nice to see them after so long.
Steve and his groomsmen, including his sister, stood on the left side of the Priest. Danny stood right next to him as he was his Best Man. "You got the ring?" Steve asked him.
A panicked expression crossed his face, his hands patting himself down frantically. Then his expression relaxed and he smiled, "Yeah, all good".
Two acoustic guitarists sat playing some song that Steve could not recognize because his concentration was on the backdoor that would show Sarah any minute now.
He watched the door carefully for a few moments. Then Grace appeared dressed in a cute light gold floor length flower girl dress, her feet were bare and she carried a small white basket and walked down the isle, scattering rose petals in her wake.
Next came Nari followed by Kono and Loraine, all dressed in long floaty cream silk skirts and light gold wrap around raw silk sleeveless tops. They each carried a small bunch of flowers.
When the girls came and stood opposite them, the music changed to a guitar version of the Wedding March. All eyes turned back to where Sarah stood with her brother Jay.
Steve felt his insides shiver when he saw her.
He had always thought it silly when a man would get emotional looking at his bride. But he now knew how those men would have felt. He actually felt his breath stop.
She looked serene and lovely in a beautiful floor length dress. It was a simple sheathe of satin covered in beautifully embroidered lace, draped over her small belly and trailed in the back as she walked toward him. He had thought she would wear a white dress, but the colour of her dress was a cream, that looked gold in the sunlight.
Her jet-black hair was pulled to one side and flowed over her right shoulder, her fringe combed to the right. Her make up was minimal; only the sweep of eyeliner she usually wore that complemented her choice of scarlet lipstick. Her only jewelry, the engagement ring he had given her. He also noticed that she was barefoot, same as her bridesmaids. She carried a bouquet of antique roses that matched her dress.
He caught her small smile and he felt himself calm. All the nerves calmed down and he felt happy.
He smiled back and waited for Sarah to come to him.
-X-
Sarah walked down the isle on her brother's arm. She spotted her mother sitting in the front row along with Joe White, the Governor and Lori. She also saw some of her friends from her school, her fellow teachers including her school principle.
Aidan, one of her students who was also in the Photography club, was the official photographer she had hired, so he could have some experience and earn some extra cash.
It was only then that she looked at Steve, standing straight ahead, looking stunningly handsome in his Navy dress blues. He carried his hat under his arm. He looked a little nervous, but when she smiled at him, his tense expression relaxed and he smiled back at her.
All her earlier doubts vanished, because she knew that Steve would not have done this if he didn't want to. He was a strong man and he could never be manipulated into going against his will. He would not have gained the respect of others, herself included, if he had been weak enough to be manipulated.
Her brother led her to Steve and just before he gave her hand into Steve's waiting one, Jay leaned down and kissed her forehead, "I love you" he whispered to her.
"Love you back" she smiled at her brother.
Then she looked at Steve, "Hey" she mouthed to him. To which he smiled and winked back at her.
The priest indicated for her to speak her vows first. She heard her voice quivering a little but her hands were steady, held in Steve's.
"I Sarah Elizabetta , take you Steven John as my husband, my friend, lover and true love. I vow to you, in the presence of our family and friends, to stay beside you in sickness and in health. In joy and sorrow; in good times and bad. But most of all I promise to love you and comfort you for all the days of our lives".
"I Steven John, take you Sarah Elizabetta as my wife, my friend, lover and true love. I vow to you, in the presence of our family and friends, to stay by your side in sickness and in health. In times of joy and sorrow; in good times and bad. But most of all I promise to love you and comfort you for all the days of our lives".
Sarah tried her best to control her tears, but it was a lost cause. Steve noticed and gave her a handkerchief, which he pulled out from his pocket. She wiped the tears as best she could, before they were instructed to exchange rings.
Steve took her left hand, "With this ring, I thee wed" he slipped on a white gold filigreed ring onto her finger that matched her engagement ring.
Next she took a white gold wedding band with a Celtic braid design, and slipped it onto Steve's left ring finger, "With this ring, I thee wed".
"With the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you, husband and wife" the priest paused, then said with a smile, "You may now kiss your bride".
Steve laughed, looped his hand around her waist and pulled her close. Then planted his mouth firmly onto hers and kissed her thoroughly, passionately. She responded not caring who watched as she put her arms around him, deepening the kiss as she slipped her tongue into his mouth.
She heard a distant sound of clapping and someone whistled loudly behind Steve. But instead of pulling away, he pulled her closer and lifted her up. She laughed as she pulled away from him, "Your lipstick's still intact".
"Oh sailor, I was prepared for your kiss" she smiled at him cheekily.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, Lt. Commander and Mrs. Steven J. McGarrett".
-X-
The party was in full swing. Everyone was enjoying themselves, eating, drinking and generally being merry.
The lanai had been converted into a DJ station, again one of Sarah's students had the opportunity to earn some extra cash by showcasing their talents.
It was a pretty low key and casual affair. Steve had already ditched his Jacket and tie, his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. The music was good and it had been announced that the Groom had requested a special song for his Bride.
Mary watched her brother borrow Sarah from Rachel and Stan, who had been talking to her.
Just as they came to the make shift dance floor, the opening guitar rift of 'Waiting for the Sun' by Australian band Powderfinger started to play.
She watched her new sister – in – law throw her arms around Steve and hug him tight. They both danced close to each other, singing the words to each other.
This will be an uncertain time for us, my love
I can hear the echo of your voice in my head
Singing my love
I can see your face there in my hands, my love
I have been blessed by your grace and care, my love
Singing my love
There's a place for us sitting here waiting for the sun
And it calls me back into the safe arms that I know
For every step you're further away from me, my love
I grow more unsteady on my feet, my love
Singing my love
Now we're waiting for the sun
The happy couple was joined by others as soon as their song finished. The dancing went into the night, people were still milling around long after midnight. It felt truly like a celebration.
Mary was glad that her brother had finally settled down with a great girl and a baby on the way. She knew he would be a great dad, even though they didn't have much of an example to follow.
She felt a guilty pang as soon as she thought that. Logically she knew that her father's actions were those of a desperate man, but emotionally she had felt abandoned as a child.
But now that Steve was in such a settled position, maybe it was time for her to come back home.
Hopefully everyone enjoyed the wedding. I have links for Sarah's dress and their wedding song are on my profile, so if you want to you can check it out.