Couples
Chapter 77
Even after gazing at it every day since Ginny Wygard finished it, Alexis still can't believe how beautiful her wedding dress is. And the addition of the emerald from Kate is stunning. She's just not sure she matches their beauty. When she'd insisted on a trip to the Hamptons a few days before to triple-check on the wedding arrangements, she and Dana took a walk on the beach. She slathered on SPF 35, but it wasn't enough. The tip of her nose is red.
After employing her years of make-up expertise, Gram declared the problem solved. But if she stares hard enough in the mirror, Alexis can still see a little pink. Dad insists that she couldn't be more beautiful, but he's hardly an objective observer. She's more inclined to believe Kate, who says she can't see a sunburn. At least Kate's description isn't gushing hyperbole.
Ginny was more concerned with inspecting the dress for any last-minute adjustments it might need, before declaring it still a perfect fit. That, Alexis can believe. She hasn't been near ice cream in a week.
Maid of honor, Paige, returns from scoping out the wedding terrain. "Most of the guests are here. One more van is due in from the city. Holly is ready to do the music, and it looks like the caterers have everything set up in the tent."
Alexis stares into the newly-acquired full-length mirror in her bedroom at the beach house. "How does my nose look?"
"The same way it looked ten minutes ago, Alexis, perfect. Your Gram knows what she's doing. Anyway, the only one who matters is Dana, and he wouldn't care if you looked like a lobster."
Mercifully muffled voices rise from below.
"Rick, I want to see Alexis. A mother should be with her daughter before her wedding."
"Meredith, she didn't even know you were coming," Rick protests. "You never RSVP'd. In fact, she said she hadn't heard a word from you in months."
"I was playing cruise ships," Meredith explains.
"They have wi-fi on cruise ships," Rick points out. "Alexis sent out paper and electronic invitations. Showing up without warning like this is totally irresponsible. It's one thing to blow into town for a surprise shopping trip, but this is the most important event in Alexis's life. You can't treat it like a casual lunch. The caterers won't even have a spot for you at the family table."
"I'll pull up a chair," Meredith retorts. "And I don't need to eat. I have an audition tomorrow. I don't want to be bloated."
"The truth emerges," Rick declares. "You came to New York to try to snag a role, so you thought you might as well make a grand appearance at your daughter's wedding. Well, understand this, Meredith. You are not taking center stage here. You're not even going to be on the stage. The day belongs to Alexis and Dana. Dana's father is doing double duty as best man and providing security. He's very good at it. If you try to steal the limelight, I'll have him make sure you remain in the shadows. Is that clear?"
"Rick, this is why I left you," Meredith claims. "You were totally about Alexis. I always took second place."
"Someone had to be a parent," Rick throws back. "And you weren't around enough to take a second or any other place. Go upstairs. Wish our daughter good luck, then pretend you're an extra. Fade into the background."
"I was checking in with Bart Wygard," Kate explains, joining Rick as he watches Meredith make her exit up the stairs. "I just caught the end of that. You think that Meredith will knock Alexis off her game?"
"I hope not. She drives Alexis almost as crazy as she does me. But aside from abandonment issues, the girl still loves her mother. If Meredith behaves herself, it should be all right. And if she doesn't, I'll deal with her. I always have."
Kate snuggles against Rick's arm. "A lot more times than Alexis knows, I bet."
Rick grabs a quick kiss. "She was entitled to her innocence – and a great wedding. It's about time to get this party started."
A tall white-haired man watches from a grassy hill as Alexis takes her place behind Paige on Rick's arm. Accompanied by one of her students on keyboard, Holly begins to play "Jesus, Joy of Man's Desiring." Alexis glides down a satin-covered walkway to stand next to Dana beneath a shell-covered arch looking over the ocean.
Chaplain Fosse of Hudson University faces the couple as officiant. "Friends, family, loved ones, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of Alexis and Dana in marriage. While these two people are young, they have accomplishments greater than many twice or even three times their age. They have both shown a dedication to delivering truth and justice through science and plain hard work. They are extraordinary. That two people of their talents should wish to find love together is miraculous. With the murmurs of God's sea and under the brilliance of His sky, we celebrate that love with them. Now, I understand that Alexis and Dana have written their own vows. Dana, you may begin whenever you're ready."
Dana takes both of his bride's hands in his. "Alexis, I've never met anyone like you before. I never knew there could be someone like you. You know my thoughts before I speak them. We are two halves of the same whole. You understand my joy in discovery and share it. You have an unrelenting drive to make things better, not just for yourself but for everyone you know and those you've never met. I want to live with you, love you, respect you, and honor you for all the days of my life. I want to laugh with you, cry with you, grieve with you, and celebrate with you. I want to be your partner in all things, as your husband, your lover, and your friend, until the universe scatters our atoms to the stars."
Fosse turns to Bart. "Do you have the ring?"
Bart hands a finely wrought gold band to his son, who slips it on Alexis's finger.
Fosse smiles at her. "Go ahead."
Alexis takes her fiancé's hands as he had hers. "Dana, I used to think that no one could see the world as I see it – until I met you. We look out as through the same eyes at the joy of discovery and the pain of injustice. You've already devoted your mind, heart, and hands to making the world a safer and more just place. You're a warrior in my chosen fight. But you are also a partner, a friend, and the love of my life. And I will be with you until the universe scatters our atoms to the stars."
Paige hands Alexis a heavier version of her ring, and the bride binds her promise to Dana with the golden band.
"As Dana and Alexis are bonded to one another through the exchange of vows and rings, in the spirit of a loving God, by the powers entrusted to me by the State of New York, I now pronounce them husband and wife." Fosse nods at Dana. "You may kiss the bride." With Alex and Dana still entwined, Fosse addresses the gathering. "Honored guests, I now present to you Mr. and Ms. Castle-Wygard."
In a roar of applause, Holly begins to play Verdi's Spring. Hand in hand, Alexis and Dana greet the crowd in wedded bliss.
On the grassy hill, the tall white-haired man tucks his sound amplifier into his pocket and collapses his scope. Dana better treat his granddaughter right.