Chapter Thirty-Seven
"On behalf of my wife and I …"
The groom's toast was interrupted at the very beginning by the applause of the wedding party that filled the restaurant where Diane and Kurt had had their first date not much more than a year ago. The clapping turned into the guests clinking their glasses, which was a well-known form to ask the newly weds to kiss and they complied with pleasure.
Diane loved hearing him call her his wife for the first time and she couldn't wait for the opportunity to call him her husband in return.
"On behalf of my wife and I, we'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight to celebrate this special day with us. I don't want to make a big speech, I'd just like to thank this wonderful, gorgeous, smart and funny woman for marrying me today," he looked at Diane as he started listing the adjectives and his eyes never left hers as he continued, "You've had me under your spell from the moment you first smiled at me and I never want that smile to fade away. I love making you laugh just to hear that adorable sound. I love arguing with you and making up afterwards. I love falling asleep in your arms and waking up next to you every morning. I love how you're so strong but still let me believe you need me. I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. Thank you for making my life complete."
He sealed his words with a kiss that Diane happily returned, while their guests showed their appreciation with another round of applause. His heartfelt words touched her deeply and she had never been so sure of making the right decision in marrying him as at that very moment.
"And now it's time for the first dance of our newly weds," Katherine announced and Kurt held out his hand to lead his wife to the middle of the dance floor.
The band started to play the song 'Hungry Eyes' Diane and Katherine had picked out together and they were dancing to the tunes, holding each other's gaze as if they were the only ones in the room. Only when the song ended did Diane notice that they weren't the only pair dancing anymore and soon they were approached by Will who asked for a permission to dance with the bride, which Kurt didn't protest.
"Going to look for my daughter, see if she's up for dancing with me," he kissed Diane's cheek before he let go of her completely.
"Just don't disappear from my sight," Diane warned him playfully with a smile.
"You two make a beautiful couple," Will complimented her as he took her in his arms.
"Thank you. I still need to get used to being called someone's wife, but I love the sound of it."
"Do we have to rename the firm to McVeigh Gardner now?" he asked jokingly, making her laugh.
"Let's just stick to Lockhart Gardner," she smiled at him.
o-o-o
When Katherine announced the wedding cake, Diane felt a rumble in her stomach since she hadn't really eaten anything from the dinner. Not to mention she was dying to see the special cake her friend had planned just for her. She wasn't surprised to see that the cake was huge, it consisted of three layers and was covered in white frosting.
Diane and Kurt were expected to cut the first slice together and feed each other with it, which they did gladly and their audience demanded another kiss from them afterwards.
"It's delicious," Diane complimented Katherine, "Coconut, lime, white chocolate?" she guessed the ingredients.
"Yes, I wanted it to be special."
"Thank you," Diane hugged her friend when she suddenly felt someone tugging her dress softly and she looked down to see Kurt's little niece standing next to her.
"You promised me the biggest slice of the cake," Fanny reminded Diane of their conversation at Christmas and she smiled at the girl.
"And I always keep my promises."
Kurt took his niece in his arms and Diane cut her a big slice of cake that she handed to her on a plate.
"Thank you," the girl's smile couldn't have been wider as she stared at her dessert and Diane kissed her on the cheek.
"I'm going to bring our slice to the table, so we can eat together," Diane suggested and Fanny obviously liked the idea.
They sat down at their table, with Fanny in Kurt's lap and while Fanny was eating her cake, Diane and Kurt consumed the other slice together as Diane fed herself and Kurt with small bites.
"There you are," Lara approached them with a slice of cake in her hand, "How about you let Diane and dad dance some more while I sit with you?" Lara addressed her favorite cousin.
"You promised me I can dance too," Fanny claimed.
"But you have to eat your cake first," Lara pointed at the plate in front of the girl that still had more than half of the slice.
"I will, it's yummy," she smiled and let her uncle seat her on the chair and lead his wife to the dance floor again.
"How long until we can disappear in that room?" Kurt asked pulling Diane close to him.
"Not too long, but I still need to throw my bridal bouquet."
"Just please make sure my daughter isn't the one who catches it," his anxious voice made her chuckle.
"Then you should probably keep her away," she replied.
"Have I mentioned how stunning you look tonight?"
"I think you have," she smiled, not hiding how much his compliment meant to her even for the umpteenth time, "What surprises me is that you haven't complained about your tux yet," she added playfully.
"I wouldn't dare, we look too good together," he smiled at her and she replied with a loving kiss that held the promise of more and she couldn't wait for them to finally be alone in that room either.