CHAPTER SIXTY
(BPOV)
Renee was over joyed from the moment she laid eyes on the varying dresses at Emily's. All of them were lovely and all uniquely different, but the truth was, I couldn't decide which one I liked more.
"Okay so they are all remarkably beautiful but which one do you see yourself in the most? Which one can you envision yourself walking down the aisle to Jacob in?" Emily hopefully asked with her cheeky grin in place.
"Well...-I like the second one more than the first, but the third one a bit more than the second." I admitted.
"...-and the fourth one with the lace back?" Renee commented.
"Honestly, I'm not sold on that one or the first. Not at all. Neither one of them feel like the right choices for me."
"Okay so those are both out." Emily sighed, as she pushed the two puffy dresses aside, and then proceeded to hold up the former choices in front of me with an expectant gaze. "That leaves these two."
I stared between the dresses, eyeing them both closely in reserved silence as I tried to envision Jacobs sunny smile when he would first lay eyes on me at First Beach.
The one in Emily's right hand was a dress that could have easily been made for royalty and to my surprise, I found it's look to be breathtaking instead of overwhelming. Despite it's prominent elegance, it also held a sense of simplistic charm that I couldn't seem to dismiss or look away from. It was the perfect Cinderella-Princess gown that any little girl, including even myself on more than one occasion, had secretly dreamed of wearing one day when she married her forever prince charming.
I chuckled to myself at the once child like idea and fantasy while I pondered what a long journey it had been for Jacob and I to arrive here at this very day. What a whirlwind we'd been through already.
Emily smiled at Renee from the sound of my humor, and my mother soon gestured to the second dress in her left hand.
"Well, I personally like this one a bit more. What do you think Emily?"
"I do too, but I think Bella needs a bit more time and that's okay cause there's no rush. This day is only yours once in a lifetime and it's okay to take a deep breath. No one is pushing you." Emily sweetly reminded me then.
The dress Renee spoke of was easy to fall in love with. The vintage wedding gown was breathtaking to behold in it's timeless beauty and effortless grace. It called attention all on it's own, and I had never felt happier then when I'd been perfectly fitted within it's seams mere moments before. It held a soft and satiny fabric, with long and slim fitting details that was almost sensual when it touched my bare skin.
I closed my eyes briefly and thought of the fire behind Jacobs kiss whenever his lips would meet mine. I drew in a quavering breath and pictured his awe struck expression when his rich brown gaze would come to land on me, as I walked toward him in the white sand with Charlie at my side.
"Bella?" Emily softly hedged, as I slowly opened my eyes and met her inquisitive gaze ahead of me. "What do you see?"
"This one." I solidly told her.
Emily and Renee exchanged a warm and heartfelt glance when I reached for the timeless silk vintage dress. I ran my fingertips gingerly over the material again, as I thought of what the next few hours would hold. I knew deep down this dress was perfect. It was simple yet beautiful and it demonstrated what Jacob and I both wanted this wedding to represent, and that was our love. We wanted to honour what God had graciously given us rather than the world of money and bling. Our wedding would be a celebration of our love for each other, and of all of those who had graciously come to share it with us. We both knew the importance of traditions, of dresses, suits and rings, but we also knew the importance of not getting so caught up and focused on those things that it overshadowed the rest.
I had never told anyone this, including Jacob himself yet, but I'd always felt deep in my heart that our future together was written in our eyes from the very first time we'd made mud pies and all throughout our memories together growing up. The bike rebuilds, the reckless danger he'd pulled me from, the adventure, the fear, the heartache and even the loss. It was always there- written somewhere within us- something profound that the naked human eye couldn't see or behold. It wasn't a simple thing of human-kind nor of laws, but yet, still it existed, as if the universe had brought us together in the most unexpected way. Like two souls that were already betrothed.
They say the best kind of love is that of a friendship set on fire. To me, that's exactly what Jacob and I had. A fire that couldn't be contained. Something that was formed from a deep and loving friendship that was stronger, and more true than anything I had ever known in this lifetime. He was my very best friend and I would love him and only him for the rest of my life.
Emily nudged me with a wink then, as she handed me a large bouquet she'd retrieved from the other room.
"I ordered it especially for you." Renee tearfully sighed. "I wanted to be able to gift you this for your special day, Bella. I tried to choose the right colors-"
"It's absolutely perfect, mom. Thank you." I told her, as I placed a kiss to her cheek and admired the arrangement before me in utter awe. It held a floral chorus of brilliant hues and when I looked at it, all I could see was a story of hope and the divine braveness of love. The petals within the large bouquet sung of the vibrancy of living, of a brand new adventure looming on the horizon that held both the sweetest aromas and most memorable blooms .
"Here, this was your grandmothers. It was one of her most favorite pieces. She wore it all the time." Renee softly added, while she swept my hair behind my shoulders and delicately began to brush it in the same way she did when I was only a little girl. "There's no finer thing in life then having ones hair brushed."
Tears filled my gaze with my barely audible answer to her endearing sentiment.
"You've always said that." I managed. "Since I was a little girl."
"You'll always be my little girl." She thoughtfully countered.
I watched on in the mirror above Emily's vanity, as my mother twirled and pinned my hair up in a beautiful French twist that was adorned with the cherished blue bird gemmed hair pin my grandmother had so often adorned herself when she was young. It was a timeless heirloom in the Swan family and it meant the world to me to wear it today.
"Something borrowed and something blue."
Emily soon began to brush the soft pink blush across my pale cheeks with a teary smile and we all nervously paused at the sound of the light knocking on her bedroom door.
"Who is it?"
"Charlie." My father huffed out. "I have a special delivery for the bride and I gotta' say she is pretty darn cute."
I grinned and rushed to open the door upon hearing the bubbly giggle that came from sweet Clarissa on the other side.
Charlie looked me over with a teary gaze and swiftly handed her to me.
"Bella, you look- wonderful- beautiful, but you know you still need to put your wedding dress on? That pink robe is cute and all but-"
I playfully pushed his arm and laughed at his teasing as I held Clarissa close.
"Thanks, dad. We shouldn't be too much longer."
Emily hurriedly helped to dress Clarissa in her white laced dress and I carefully gathered her dark curly locks into a matching bow on top of her head.
She looked too cute for words, and I did little to hide my emotion when I kissed her forehead, before I gazed toward the dress now laying across Emily's bed.
"I think it's just about time for you to slip into this here beauty." Renee chuckled. "What do you say? Ready to get married?"
"Almost...-" I admitted, turning to face Emily as she took the garment bag off the dress and held the top of it out to me. "I'm just missing my maid of honor. Emily, would you please be the person who stands beside me while I marry my best friend today? I know you have a dress for it. You'll look beautiful in anything you choose and it would make me so happy."
Emily gasped at my offer and hugged me tight with her immediate response.
"Oh, Bella! I would love nothing more!" She beamed.
Within minutes, Emily had chosen her dress, and the blush pink lace complimented her already beautiful frame with a touch of elegance I so rarely got to see her in. She was gorgeous and my next request was just as equally heartfelt to her.
"...-and there's one more thing? Is Leah coming to join us soon? I hope?"
Emily smoothed out her dress one more time and looked to me with a knowing grin.
"Yes, she's on her way here now. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I can't just have a maid of honor without a bridesmaid beside her, right?"
"You want Leah to be your bridesmaid?" Emily tearfully questioned.
"I do. If she'll agree that is. I love you both like my own family. Nothing less would feel right."
As if on cue to this, we heard Leahs voice calling to us from the front of the house.
"Bella? Em?"
"We're back here." Emily called back to her.
Leah timidly creaked open the door and her tired look soon changed when she saw us all there.
"Sorry, I'm late. Gentry needed a hand with something so-" She regretfully offered.
"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're here." I replied.
"You look stunning already, Bella. Is this the dress?" She asked.
"Thank you and yes it is. That's the one I chose. What do you think?"
"Very fitting. Looks like you." She admitted. "So, tell me what I can do to help things along?"
Emily darted for her closet then and quickly returned in no time with a dress in her hand, as she approached Leah with a hopeful gaze.
"This is for you." She told her.
"Really?" Leah hedged. "-but I already have my dress picked out at moms. It's not much, but-"
I wrapped an arm around Leahs shoulders then and she stilled at this while eyeing the dress further.
"I was hoping that maybe you might do me the honor of being my one and only bridesmaid? Please, Leah?"
Her dark eyes met mine and soon went glossy from my request.
"You want me to be in the wedding? Your wedding?"
"If you would?"
Leah looked to Emily and the two of them shared the kind of heartfelt, meaningful glance that only that of childhood best friends/cousins would know the true meaning of.
"I'd be honored to be part of your special day." Leah soon quietly replied.
I hugged her and motioned for my dress again.
"Okay, now I'm ready."
"We're really doing this...- you're really getting married." Renee half cried.
"Yeah, mom. I really am."
A/N: Thanks for reading this update and please review. More to come this week.
