Deep breath everyone...
It'll Have To Do
Fitz squinted his bleary eyes and cursed the light that was pouring in from the window across the room. It was too damn bright. He opened his eyes and reached over for Olivia, but his hand was met with cold sheets. When he realized that he was in his old guest room at Charlie and Quinn's place he cursed and closed his eyes again. He wondered how he had gotten here? And why wasn't she here with him? He immediately sat up in the full bed and grinned to himself. His head was pounding but it didn't matter. He was getting married to Olivia today!
He vaguely remembered the festivities from the previous day. They had the rehearsal at the church earlier that afternoon. It had gone perfectly smooth. No problems or hiccups. The pastor, an elderly man, was very helpful and patient with Fitz and Olivia as he led them through the ceremony and explained everything to them. His wife was very sweet and kind and showed everyone in the wedding where to stand during the ceremony and when and where to move. She was completely enchanted with Elizabeth and Megan as the flower girls and showed them how a princess walks down the aisle and how important dropping the rose petals is so the bride feels special. The girls took their job very seriously and listened to every word the kind woman told them.
Nana and Pops took the girls away from the church with the promise of Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. The adults in the wedding party had left the church to get dinner of their own together. Fitz had made reservations at a Mexican restaurant and that's where the beer and margaritas had begun to flow freely. The wedding party had been met there by Quinn, Robin, Stephen, and Jason, who had done a little decorating to the small room the group was currently enjoying themselves in. Condoms of every color had been sprinkled all over the table and a few had been blown up and tied off like balloons. Olivia and Fitz smiled at each other knowingly over the table. No one but them knew that they were done with birth control until a little Grant was produced. But they took the horseplay with humor and congratulated their friends on a job well done.
The men and women were supposed to separate themselves, each gender enjoying their own variation of the 'last night single' ritual, but no one ever made the move to part ways. So they all stuck together throughout the entire evening and celebrated as one unified crazy group.
After their meal, Stephen called for a party bus to pick them up and the large group headed into the city for more insanity. The first stop was the bowling alley, as suggested by Rob. Fitz was thankful for his friend's idea because he was feeling pretty confident that, in her impaired state, he could finally kick Olivia's ass at the game. She sat on his lap in their seat on the bus and boldly professed that she fully intended to beat her fiancé. He gave her his lop sided grin and asked "Would you like to make a bet on it, Miss Pope?"
Olivia scrunched up her face. "I don't want you to call me that. You're supposed to call me future wife." She looked around the bus and sloppily said, "You guys! It's so cute when he says future wife."
Abby chuckled at her fading friend. "Liv, I don't think you should take that bet. In your...state of mind."
"Stephen, kiss your wife," Fitz said as he continued smiling at Olivia.
"What? Why?" Stephen sputtered.
"So she'll quit talking." Fitz said sarcastically. "Liv knows when she can handle a bet and when she can't. Don't you, babe?"
"Yuppers," she said touching his nose. She stared into his eyes and said, "You're pretty."
Fitz chuckled at her. She was so damn adorable. Slightly inebriated, but adorable nonetheless. "You're gonna marry me tomorrow." He said grinning at her.
"I gotta marry someone. It might as well be you," she said grinning back. "Do you want me to throw the game when we get there? Cause I will!" She not too quietly whispered as everyone laughed.
Fitz chuckled at her and pretended to think about it. "You are so good to me, future wife." He leaned close to her face and smiled when she met him halfway. The smile faded the instant their lips met in a hungry kiss. Hoots could be heard throughout the bus and it made them break apart and laugh. "I think I can handle you though."
"I like it when you handle me." She said in a low tone, feeling very frisky.
"Mmmmm," he growled. "Play your cards right and I'll tuck you into bed and handle every inch of your body after we ditch these weirdos." He grabbed a handful of her ass and attacked her mouth again. She moaned into his mouth and the weirdos balled up their napkins and threw them at nauseating couple.
The happy group stumbled into the bowling alley and played for an hour while drinking beer. No game had ever seen more gutter balls rolled or heard more laughter and teasing because of it. The shocking winner was Abby and she made the most of her victory by carelessly dancing and pointing in everyone's face with a huge grin plastered on her face.
After the bowling escapade, the drunk cackling bunch loaded back into the bus without a clear idea of where to go next. Suggestions were thrown out from almost everyone but they couldn't agree on any one of them. Until Quinn gave her idea. "Let's go to that place in the city where you can climb the rock wall. When we're done we can play laser tag! They have both in the same place. I've been there before."
Everyone looked around the bus at each other and heads nodded in agreement. "Hell yea!" Jason shouted. "That sounds like a lot of fun to me!" They all voiced their excitement and Quinn gave the driver the address.
Upon entering the huge adult playground, everyone in the group was given a waiver to fill out. They helped each other fill out the forms and turned them in with giggles. They all agreed that laser tag would be the safer option to start off with since they were still feeling the effects of the alcohol they had consumed. They each got a vest that they slipped on over their heads and fastened just above their hip. And a plastic gun. The group eyed each other silently, choosing who their first victim would be.
A good looking guy named Chandler, appearing to be in his late teens stood in front of the group, introduced himself, and gave them the run through of how to operate their guns and how to play the game. "You all will be the only ones in the arena so you don't have to watch out for other people. It's gonna be pretty dark once you're inside so watch your step. And last but not least, when you're hit, you're out."
"Babe? Will you protect me in there?" Olivia asked sweetly.
"No way!" Fitz said as he watched her eyebrows go skyward. "It's every man for himself."
"Fine! You're the first one I am going to shoot," she said with a smirk.
Fitz pecked Olivia's lips and gave her a smirk of his own. "You'll have to find me first."
Side eyes, cutting throat actions, and pointing fingers were shared among the buzzed adults. Everyone wanted to take down someone and they were anxious to get started. Chandler led them to the opening of the arena and told them "You have thirty seconds to get settled somewhere. When the alarm goes off the game starts. Last person standing is the winner. Good luck!"
They poured into the dimly lit arena and quickly took in their surroundings. There were walls, and steps, and foam covered bumpers everywhere in the huge room. They scurried like roaches in sunlight looking for a hiding place away from the others. Rob stumbled up the steps and headed for a corner of the room, but found Stephen squatted there already. "Beat it" was all the British man said before Rob was off looking for another place.
The alarm went off entirely too fast for everyone's liking but they each held their position until one of them made the first move. Time slowed down, but everyone's breathing was nervous and quiet as they squinted through the darkness searching for someone to shoot their red beam at. Naturally Quinn was the first one to show herself to the others. After that, it was a blur of red beams and loud laughter as they all tried to take each other out of the game.
Abby, Rob, Yvonne, Charlie, Stephen, and Robin had all been taken out of the game over the course of thirty minutes. Abby and Stephen were making out on the sidelines of the dark room while the others cheered on the person they most wanted to win out of the five that remained in play. It was uncontrolled loud chaos.
A few minutes later Jason joined the group on the sidelines, leaving Fitz, Olivia, Thad, and Quinn still in the game. It got even more intense. Quinn aimed for Olivia but Thad shot his laser beam at her faster and she was out. And she was pissed about it too. Quinn shouted profanities at the younger Grant brother as she stomped over to where Charlie waited to comfort her. Rob grinned into the darkness, thankful that her wrath was pointed in someone else's direction other than his.
The three that remained stayed well-hidden for quite a while in complete silence. Until Thad peeked up over the wall he was hidden behind, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the other two players. He saw Olivia looking around wildly and decided to make his move to take her out of play, leaving him and his brother in an ultimate match. He crept on his belly until he got closer to where Olivia was still hiding. Thad heard her whispering Fitz's name repeatedly and he decided to make his move. He jumped up, aimed at her chest, and pulled the trigger of his plastic gun. Olivia's chest lit up with a red light signaling she had been hit.
She looked down at it and then looked up and around for the perpetrator, finding Thad's grinning victorious face. "Bye, Liv." Thad said gleefully. He watched as she shot him the bird and started walking away from him and towards the other sideline sitters. He was so preoccupied with his win that he didn't notice Fitz until he stood right beside him. Thad pulled up his gun to shoot his brother but Fitz grinned at him and pointed at his chest. Thad looked down and noticed his own chest was blinking red. "How in the hell...?"
"You took out my girl. That was a bad decision, little brother. I win." Fitz sauntered over to where Olivia had watched their exchange.
She happily threw her arms around his neck and gave him a very heated winners kiss. When she finally pulled away from him she said, "My sexy hero." The others made gagging noises beside them. Fitz brought his toy gun up, rested it on his shoulder, and put his arm around Olivia. They walked out into the well-lit lobby and everyone took off their gear.
The grumbling bunch made their way over to the rock wall, where again, they were given instructions as well as strapped into harnesses. They were spread out across the vast wall and of course the men made it their mission to turn the fun event into a competition. The women rolled their eyes at them and took their time climbing up the rock wall, encouraging each other. Charlie ended up scaling the wall faster than anyone and he rang the bell loudly at the top before descending quickly back to the floor. The other men couldn't shout profanities because there were several kids climbing but hate filled looks were shot Charlie's way. Quinn was the first of the women to make it to the top. She knew they weren't racing, but her competitive side came out at the last minute and she wanted a victory after the laser tag game.
Once everyone was back on the floor and their buzz from the alcohol was just about gone, the group turned in their harnesses and went outside to get back on the bus. Yvonne suggested that they go back to their cars and decide what to do from there. Everyone agreed, knowing they would need them for the big day tomorrow. Back at the Mexican restaurant, Abby declared that the women would go to her house and would see the men at the church the following day. The men decided they would go to Quinn and Charlie's house for the night. All of the couples kissed their significant others goodbye and headed for their destinations.
The women headed straight for the house with no stops.
The men headed straight for the liquor store to load up for a long night of playing poker.
Fitz sat on the edge of the bed in the guest room, the smile still on his face. He got up and emptied his bladder before going into the kitchen. He found Stephen sitting on a bar stool sipping black coffee and looking like hell. "Did your baby bladder wake you up?" Fitz asked.
"Why do you insist on yelling at me after a night of drinking, mate?" Stephen whined.
"I'm getting married today! Get some Tylenol down your throat and make me some damn breakfast. It'll be just like your wedding day. Mate." Fitz said smiling.
Stephen held his head in his hands. "You get the pain reliever and I'll go look for breakfast shit. God, I hate you right now."
Fitz smiled victoriously and went into the bathroom cabinet to find the medicine. He found birth control, Tums, a jar of Vaseline, and a few bandages, but no Tylenol. He remembered that there were only guys here so he made himself at home and walked into the master bedroom to get to the master bathroom in search of the medicine everyone was bound to need sooner or later.
"What the hell is he doing in here?" Quinn asked.
Fitz froze where he stood and felt mortally embarrassed for walking in on Quinn and Charlie. He whispered up a thankful prayer that he hadn't seen anything at all and turned to walk out the door. "Fitzy? Where the hell are you goin'?" Charlie asked conversationally.
Fitz had his hand on the doorknob and was about to turn it to escape when Quinn said, "Shut up, Charlie. Don't make conversation right now!"
"Yea, I'm gonna go. I didn't mean to interrupt. Sorry guys." Fitz said.
"It's no problem. The wife is ovulating, so we are taking advantage of..."
"Ok. Bye." Fitz opened the door and slammed it shut behind him as he sprinted back to the kitchen.
Rob handed out the pain reliever as Stephen cooked a little bit of everything. Fitz had told the rest of the guys about what he had walked in on and everyone gave them a hard time when they eventually showed their faces. "What is it with you guys screwing the morning of a wedding? IF anyone should be getting laid it should be me." Fitz exclaimed.
"You'll get yours tonight." Thad proclaimed. "I still can't believe you're getting married."
"Right?" Rob agreed. "We all thought you'd be the eternal bachelor."
"It's true, Fitzy. None of us thought you would ever settle down. It's nice to see you've found the perfect girl though." Charlie said.
Jason poured everyone some orange juice and Stephen lifted his glass in front of the others. "To Olivia. For making an honest man out of Fitz."
"TO OLIVIA" the room said followed by chuckles.
Over at Abby's house the women were just waking up from a restful night. They had gotten into their pajamas and talked for an hour or so before going to bed the night before. They all took showers and had coffee while they waited for each other to get ready. Robin made a phone call to Emma explaining that she would pick the girls up after breakfast. Abby called Stephen and explained that she had left a bottle of Tylenol in his car. Yvonne called Jason just to hear his voice. No one knew where Quinn was, but they knew she could take care of herself, so they didn't worry. Olivia sent Fitz a text.
I can't wait to see you
Fitz replied almost instantly.
I can't wait to give you my last name
Olivia smiled
I love you
'To Olivia'. The words his friend said came back to his mind and made him sentimental.
For the very last time...I love you Miss Pope
Olivia sighed contentedly before she was rounded up by Abby and quickly ushered outside with the other women to go to breakfast. After breakfast it was mani/pedis followed by hair appointments. Olivia, Abby, and Yvonne were first in line so they could leave when they were done to go back to Abby's house to get their dresses and head to the church. The other women were hugged goodbye and the three friends headed back out.
Once the dresses were loaded into Abby's car it was time to go to the church. Before they left, the three women were making a last sweep of the house to make sure nothing had been forgotten or left behind. Abby and Yvonne brought Olivia into the kitchen and sat down with her at the table. "Look. Things are about to get crazy busy. You're going to have people coming in and out of that room once you're in there. And we'll be trying to keep you entertained so you don't go looking for him."
"Him?" Olivia asked innocently.
Abby shot her a look. "Yea. Him. Fitz. I know the two of you can't stay away from each other for very long. But you are not going to see him until you walk down the aisle, even if it kills me. Anyways, before things get crazy, Yvonne and I chipped in together and got you your something blue."
Yvonne passed Olivia a small box wrapped in petty white paper. "You guys shouldn't have done that."
"Shut up and open it," Yvonne said.
Olivia peeled back the paper carefully as she was prone to and lifted the lid to the box. Inside was a gold charm bracelet with one charm laying inside the circle and unattached. Olivia lifted it out of the box to look at it more closely. The charm was a navy blue ball with today's date stamped on it as well as F & O. It had a gold loop at the top of the charm and Abby explained that it could be attached to her bridal bouquet with a piece of ribbon. "After the wedding you can attach it to the bracelet. We just thought it would be something pretty and different."
"Because you are pretty and different." Yvonne added.
"Please don't make me cry." Olivia said, holding the charm close to her chest. "It's beautiful. And so perfect. I love it. I love both of you. Thank you so much."
Abby shook her head at her friend, stood up, and asked, "Where in the hell is the ribbon? Stephen is always moving stuff around." A few minutes later she found it and snipped a piece off, putting it in her pocket to add to Liv's bouquet at the church. "Let's go get you married, Liv." Olivia chuckled while sniffing to keep the tears back and stood up to hug her friends.
At the church the three women found the bridal room and got themselves settled there. Dresses were hung up, cosmetics were in the bathroom for touch ups that might be needed before the ceremony, and bouquets and shoes were lined up ready to be used as pretty props.
The photographer showed up an hour before the ceremony started and introduced herself to Olivia and the girls. Her name was Lisa and she had a bag full of camera equipment in her hand. She asked if it was alright for her to take photos of Olivia getting ready later on and Olivia agreed. Lisa said she was going to walk around the church grounds to get a better idea of where she wanted to take pictures after the ceremony.
Lila made an appearance in the bridal room a short while later and hugged her daughter tightly. "I can't believe my baby is getting married today."
Olivia smiled at her mother and Abby cleared her throat. "Mrs. Pope? There is no crying before the ceremony. Liv's make-up is done as well as yours. And we don't want it to be ruined. So...this is a cry free zone. Respectfully."
Lila smiled at Abby. "I've always liked you, Abby. You have a great back bone that probably serves you well in the courtroom. I appreciate your friendship with Olivia. You've been there for her through so many things over the years. You are a good person. But if I want to cry, I'm gonna cry. If you think you can stop me, well, I'd love to see you try."
Abby closed her mouth and walked out into the hall to give her friend and her mother some privacy. Maybe she'd throttle back on the tear warnings? Fifteen minutes later, Abby heard loud laughter coming from the other side of the door. She smiled in response even though she had no idea what they were laughing about.
While she stood in the hall, the men came her way. Abby grinned at Fitz and he hugged her neck affectionately. "How's she doing, SuperGirl?" He asked nervously.
"She's great. Her mom is in there with her." Abby replied. "How are you? Are you ready for this?"
"I've been waiting a long time for her, Abs. It can't get here fast enough. Can you give her a few things for me please?" He asked. When Abby nodded her head, Fitz handed her a penny. "It was the oldest one in the register at the bakery. I figure it's a traditional gift now. And it happens to be the same year my parents got married. I thought that was significant." Abby held the penny in her hand and Fitz said," And give her this." He hugged her warmly and grinned at her.
"I swear, if this makes her cry I will personally kick your ass, Fitz!"
"This isn't the bowling alley, Abby. And you don't scare me." He said with a grin and a wink. "Take care of my girl until she gets to the alter. I've got it from there."
"I can do that. If you need anything text me and I'll take care of it. We don't need a stressed out groom today."
"I just need that little, beautiful, crazy, everything-to-me woman to be my wife. The rest doesn't matter. But thank you. We'd be lost without your friendship. We're gonna go get ready. It's a big day!" Fitz hugged her once again and the three men started walking away, toward their own changing room.
Abby slowly opened the door and both Olivia and Lila turned their heads to her. "Liv? Fitz and the guys are here. He wanted me to give you some things." She rolled her eyes and grabbed her best friend in a hug. "He's so corny."
"He's gonna be my corny husband." Olivia said smiling. Abby gave Olivia the ancient looking penny and told her what Fitz had said about the year printed on it. Olivia took it as a good omen and dropped it into her white heeled shoe.
Lila stood up and said, "Well, I'm going to go and see what's what. Make sure everything is set up the way you want it. I'll be back later, baby."
"Bye, momma." Olivia said. Once her mother was gone, Olivia looked at Abby and Yvonne and said, "Why don't the two of you go put your dresses on and then you can help me with mine?"
A few minutes later the two of them came out of the changing room in their navy gowns. "The two of you look absolutely beautiful. I'm so glad I went with navy." Liv gushed as she walked around them. "Wearing our hair down was definitely a great idea. You look perfect!"
"Hell yes! We are going to rock these wedding pictures!" Yvonne said as she struck a pose.
Abby chuckled and asked Liv, "Ok. I think it's time to get you into that gorgeous dress. Are you ready?"
"Let's do this." Olivia said enthusiastically.
As soon as she had her dress on, Abby was fastening the buttons at her back and Olivia could hear a clicking sound. She looked over her shoulder and saw that Lisa was taking pictures of the two of them. "Just act naturally. Pretend I'm not even here." Lisa instructed.
Olivia turned back around and waited until Abby was done. "I don't think I missed any," Abby said as she re-checked the buttons. Satisfied that she had them all done correctly, Olivia turned around to face her and Yvonne.
"Wow, Liv. The pictures you showed us were beautiful, but seeing the dress on you in person is a whole other experience. You look..." Abby stuttered.
"Perfect." Yvonne supplied. "Absolutely flawless. And I'm not kissing your ass because you're my boss. That dress looks like it was tailor made for you."
"Thank you. My mother picked it out. It was exactly what I was looking for." Olivia said with a smile. She checked the time and saw that they had thirty minutes until show time. "Does my make-up look ok?"
"You are a lovely bride." Emma said from the doorway.
The three women looked over at Fitz's mother and Olivia said. "Thank you, Emma. Is everything ok?"
"I just came by to see you before Thad escorts me down the aisle. I'll only take a moment of your time but I have something for you."
"You're fine. Take all the time you need." Olivia said kindly. She followed Emma into the bigger room and saw a garment bag hanging up on the back of the door. "What is that?"
"It's a bridal cape. It's nothing fancy mind you." Emma said as she unzipped the front of the bag and pulled it out.
Olivia touched the white satin material lovingly. "It's beautiful."
"It was mine." Emma said. She watched Olivia pull her hand from the garment and give her a questioning look. "Thomas and I got married in the winter as well. We didn't have much money when we started out. But thankfully my mother was a seamstress. She made this for me to wear over my wedding gown to keep warm. I've had it cleaned last month. I'd like to loan it to you to wear today. If you'd like? If you don't want to it won't hurt my..."
"Yes," Olivia breathed. "I would be so honored to wear it, Emma. It would be my something borrowed." She gave her soon to be mother in law a watery smile and said, "It's the only thing I didn't have." The two women hugged each other warmly. Emma already loved Olivia like the daughter she never had. She knew her son was a lucky fool.
"Let's see how it looks on you, Liv," Abby offered.
Emma draped the floor length cape over Olivia's dress and tied it loosely under her chin as Lisa captured the moment on film. "It's breathtaking on you." Emma looked at Olivia and felt a touch of nostalgia from her own wedding day. It brought a smile to her lips. "This never would have worked for Robin. They got married in the summer for one. And she is a good foot taller than I am. Us petite girls have to stick together," she said with a wink.
"Thank you so much for letting me wear this, Emma. I promise to take care of it today." Olivia said, still misty eyed. She felt like a winter princess and looked like one too.
Just then the door flung open. "Did someone order a couple of beautiful flower girls?" Robin asked. Both of her daughters were wearing A line gold dresses with lots of tulle and a navy blue band at the waist. Their hair was curled and hung down their backs. They looked like beautiful little princesses.
"Don't you two look beautiful!" Emma declared proudly. She looked at the photographer and made her request. "I'm would like to have a few pictures of the girls together and separately please." The photographer nodded politely.
"Are we going on your wall of fame, Nana?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes ma'am!" Her grandmother stated.
Abby handed Olivia the girls white baskets that were filled with rose petals. Olivia squatted down in front of the girls and said, "These are yours. Do you remember what to do with them?" The girls nodded their heads in unison. "Let me show you something. It's a secret though." She whispered. The girls leaned closer to her. "Do you see what's on the side of your baskets?"
Elizabeth and Megan looked closer and both of their faces lit up when they saw the familiar red and black thing there for all to see. "A ladybug!" They exclaimed excitedly.
"And do you know who put that on there for you?" She asked.
"Did you do it?" Megan asked.
Olivia shook her head sadly. "I wish I had thought of it, but it wasn't me. Any more guesses?"
"Uncle Fitz?" Elizabeth asked.
"That's right. Your uncle Fitz glued those lady bugs on your baskets all by himself. He said his ladybugs needed ladybug baskets." Olivia explained.
"He's the bestest uncle ever." Megan sang.
"I've got to go get seated. I'll see you in a few minutes." Emma winked at Olivia. "I'll be watching you girls. Give your Nana a smile if you see me in there." She kissed the tops of their heads and walked out the door, bumping into Olivia's father on the way. "Excuse me, Nathaniel."
"You look wonderful, Emma," he said before walking into the bridal room. The sight before him took his breath away. The two little girls were adorable in their gold dresses. Abby and Yvonne were stunning in their navy gowns. But the bride! His baby! She was...
There wasn't a word for how she looked. Beautiful was too much of an understatement.
He just stared at her and a tear ran down his cheek.
"Ok girls." Robin said softly. "It's time for you to go to the big door. The wedding will be starting in just a few minutes and you want to be where you're supposed to be standing. Remember?" The two girls nodded happily at their mother. They picked up their baskets, hugged Olivia goodbye, and followed their mom out the door.
"We're gonna go too, Liv." Abby said. "The girls will feel better if we are standing in our places too. Besides, I think your dad needs a minute alone with you." Abby and Yvonne grabbed their bouquets and left the room.
The photographer took a few pictures of Nathaniel's face, still transfixed at his daughter and then quietly left the room also.
"Dad. You must not have gotten the memo. Abby says this is a cry free zone. And if you don't stop I'll start." Her voice waivered. "And the wedding is about to start and I don't have time to fix my make-up so please don't cry."
Nathaniel shook his head a few times and wiped his cheek. "You're right. I'm sorry. You just look so...beautiful. That word isn't really big enough, but it'll have to do." He smiled at his daughter and she stepped to him, hugging him close. "You know, if you don't want to do this, we will leave. I mean it. We will get the hell out of here and..."
Olivia giggled at him and straightened his tie. "No, dad. Fitz is the one for me. I want my happily ever after with him."
He sighed dramatically and gave her his best smile. "Well then. Are you ready to go get married, Munchkin? I can still call you that, right?"
"Dad. I'd be heartbroken if you didn't." Olivia admitted.
"Well then. Let's go get this wedding started." Olivia looped her arm through his and they walked down the hall that led to the large wooden door to the church sanctuary. They stood to the right of the big door so they wouldn't be seen when it opened for the rest of the wedding party.
Elizabeth and Megan were at the front of the line, standing beside the pastor's wife, who was having a lively conversation with them and giving them last minute reminders. Yvonne was just behind the girls and was holding onto Charlie's arm. Abby was behind Yvonne and had her arm looped through Thad's. They all looked amazing.
Organ music could be heard playing from inside.
The doors opened and the girls started walking slowly down the aisle tossing rose petals on the floor as they went.
Thad looked over at Olivia and whispered, "You look gorgeous, Olivia."
"I second that. Fitzy is a lucky guy." Charlie chimed in.
"Thank you both." Olivia said smiling at them.
The pastor's wife signaled Yvonne and Charlie and they slowly made their way toward the alter. A minute later she signaled Abby and Thad and they followed suit. Once they were through the door, the pastor's wife closed it and Olivia and Nathaniel moved to stand in front of it. The pastor's wife fluffed out the bride's dress and train and made sure both father and daughter looked perfect.
Olivia gripped her father's arm a little tighter, the butterflies in her stomach finally making themselves known. He looked over at his daughter and said in a quiet voice, "Are you ready?"
She closed her eyes, took a deep calming breath, and smiled at her father. "That word really isn't big enough, but it'll have to do."
The big door opened and the swell of the wedding march began to play from the organ at the front of the church. Everyone stood up and looked at the two of them. Nathaniel patted her hand and said, "Let's go get my baby her happily ever after."
To be continued and concluded...
