Chapter 25: the real Deal
The night of what ever Max had planned finally arrived and I had gone out had my hair done up and everything now I was sitting in our bedroom putting the finishing touches on getting ready. I was excited to see what he had cooked up.
"You look beautiful tonight." Max said as he softly kissed my bare shoulder.
"Thank you," I say turning around to look at him standing there before me in his tux. "You are very handsome as well." I give him a soft smile.
"Are you ready?" I hear him ask me.
"Yes I believe that I am." I say as we started to walk down the stairs. Max stops us so that he can place the wrap around my shoulders so that I do not freeze and leads me outside where there is a long white limousine waiting for us. I am very shocked to say the least. He has appeared to have pulled out all the stops on this one. The door is opened and we slide inside of it. "Oh my," I whisper, nearly gasping out in surprise.
"This is for you." He hands me a small bouquet that is comprised of baby roses.
"Aw, thank you." I say softly leaning over and kissing his cheek now, this was one of those sweeter moments in our relationship and it is appearing that he has indeed put much thought into this, "this is lovely."
The ride to where we are going seems like it is very short, but I don't complain it feels nice to be so dressed up and on the arm of my husband for a change. The door to the limo opens and he gets out holding out his arm for me. We walk inside the building it's the Astoria hotel. I'm completely unsure of what we are doing here. But there are Abby and Carol standing with smiles on their faces.
"Ready Max," they both say in unison. "You are right on time."
I see him smile as he lets go of my arm, he kisses my cheek, "see you in a few minutes love." And with that I am being pulled away by Abby and Carol in another direction.
"What is going on?" I ask them as we are now standing in a very small room.
"You'll find out in a few minutes," Carol says. "John she's here." I hear her call out.
"Anna," I see him come around the corner, dressed in a tuxedo the same as Max had been, "you look beautiful," he kisses my cheek too and I'm getting a little more nervous. I watch as Carol slips out the door and comes back two minutes later.
"Everything is ready; let's go I believe that it is time." Carol has her hand on the door.
"Wait time for what?" I ask nervously, I don't know what is going on surprises are one thing, but this seems like a little more than a surprise. You can tell that he has definitely put a lot of thought into this, and gone to extra lengths if Carter, Abby and Susan are all in on it.
"You'll see." Carter said holding out his arm for me to take and Abby puts the flowers back in my hand before we all leave the room. Carol is in front of Abby who's in front of me and as I slip my hand onto the crook of his arm, I realize that I am being led blindly by Carter.
Is that, oh my god, there is soft music, I can hear the music and it seems familiar too me like I have heard it before. We walk a little further, oh he didn't and as we stop and Carol walk through the door but Abby, Carter and I stop I have a feeling I know what he has done. I think Max might have fallen off his rocker putting together something like this and not telling me, but then if he had told me, I might not have been very willing to do it. I can't believe that he has gone and done something like this. Touched beyond words right now, how did he come up with an idea like this, where did he find the time to put something like this together and keep it a surprise from me. That was the question of the hour, keeping something like this from me had to have taken a lot of effort, but how did I manage not to get something out of Dr. Intercom, they must have kept him in the dark either that or he's gotten better and keeping secretes. There are tears in my eyes now.
"Oh now you can't cry yet." Carter said as I feel his hand brush against my cheek as he wipes away what tears had managed to escape from my eyes.
I try and smile as I watch Abby walk into the room now; as we stand there I hear the music change. He has gone and done it. That music has completely given it away, well that and the fact that Carter and I are still now standing behind the doors and I can't fully see into the room from where we are standing, I'm sure that was their idea to build up a little more suspense and to keep it a surprise just all that much longer.
"I'm sure you've figured it out now, it's your turn my dear." Carter says as he starts us walking now. He moves us so that I can see inside the giant room that we are about to walk into.
There gathered in the ballroom were our friends and family. I look down the isle and there standing next to Max is Doug dressed in a tuxedo as well. I am speechless right now, I have no idea how they have pulled this all off, but I am touched beyond words. Good thing that I didn't have to say anything right now because I couldn't have if my life depended on it. I can feel the tears in my eyes as I look at the man I love and the smile that is on his face. I hadn't seen a smile like that since the day that we had exchanged our vows the first time. We keep walking my eyes are locked on his, just as they were that day that seemed so long ago now. When we got married the first time it was impulsive in Reno when we were there for a weekend conference. It just seemed like the right thing to do, and now here after all we had been through he thought enough to do it with again, this time with our friends. This was well past amazing. The setting was perfect and everything was beautiful.
I reach the end of my trip on Carter's arm and he sets my hand on Max's arm before kissing me softly on the cheek as to say that he knows that this is what makes me happy and even though he doesn't get along with him he can put my happiness above all of that. I smile softly at the man standing there waiting for me, he was my husband, and was about to reconfirm that before everyone.
"Who gives this woman to be wed to this man?"
I hear a voice from behind us, it is so familiar and yet it couldn't be who I thought that it was, and as I turn to see who it is, my smile grows by leaps and bounds, "Her mother, her brothers, and her friends." It's my oldest younger brother standing there.
I am still beyond overjoyed, and after all this time I never imagined that I would be standing there exchanging vows with Max in front of everyone. I had stopped wearing my wedding ring when I thought that we had decided to separate. The ring that he slipped upon my finger tonight was not the same one; this one was different from my original one. He had, had it redone. We were getting a new start, a chance for a new life together in a new city among our friends.
The vows that we shared tonight, repeating them back to each other, before everyone were different than the first ones, his, he had taken the time, where he had found it I do not know, but they were beautiful and you could tell that they came from his heart. For he could when he wanted to be, be a very romantic man.
He leans in to share that second first kiss, I see him pause for a second and while I could see the smile still on his face, "you are as beautiful to me tonight as you have always been. Tonight we start anew, with our family and friends, baby I love you now and I will love you for the rest of my days, for you make me, the happiest man around."
My heads spins as he gently at first starts to kiss me, but then in that tradition tries to wow those who are there and I can here Doug softly snickering followed by, "let the woman up for air," just loud enough that the two of us would hear.
There a small shy smile on Max's face as he pulls back away from me just enough to offer me his arm. I give Doug a shy blushing bride grin before we turn to make an exit.
After the ceremony we headed next door where they had set up a full reception. I was in awe of all of this as I walked on my husband's arm. Everything was absolutely beautiful. The tables covered with white carnations and red roses, the softness of the candle light in contrast to everything. He guided me gently across the room where there was a dance floor, "Anna I would be honored if you would dance with me."
I smile and take his hand, "I would be honored to dance with out tonight." I say as we walk out onto the dance floor this is our second first dance. But it has been a long time since I have felt well enough to dance with him. I put my hands into his as the music starts and we move together to the soft country music that is now playing.
He picked a Trisha Yearwood song and it actually was very fitting that he had picked it.
Dreamed of you in my solitude
I told myself way back when
That if my prayers
Could get be there
I'd never let you go again
Darlin', I had lost you once
Thought my world had come to an end
Now, in my hands
A second chance
I'll never let you go again
Now and forever more
You can come to me
Baby, run to me
And I'll take you into my arms
I'll never let you go again
In my hands
A second chance
And I'll never let you go again
We just held each other tightly as we danced to the song. I felt comfortable and content there with him. Hearing the lyrics to the song and feeling the way that Max was holding onto me I realized that I had just completely half the mission that had been assigned to me. To help someone find that true love. I think that I understood now what he was saying. For the first time in a long time I felt loved and realized what I had given up was the real deal. Max loved me for who I was. He still loved me while I was sick and he thought that he had lost me. And it was really I who had lost him. I was never going to let him go again like that. A love like this only comes around once in a life time and I was bound and determined not to make the same mistake twice. Here holding onto him, I knew that I had my second chance, he thought that he was getting his but in reality it was me who was getting mine. He hadn't done anything wrong, I had. I thought that I was doing what was best for the two of us, but in reality I think back now and I think that I was doing what I thought was best for me. For if I cut all the strings that I had, then I wouldn't have to feel guilty about giving up and walking away, dying and leaving him, well it wasn't my time to die, I had a lot more left in me to live for, and I was going to live for him.