CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
(BPOV)
Charlie appeared still as a statue when I stepped out of Emily's packed car and nervously stumbled forward. His hands reached out to steady me and he chuckled lightly, as I gathered the short train of my vintage dress and peered up at him.
"Am I really going to make it all the way down the sand in one piece? As it is, I opted for no shoes, so barefoot and pregnant seems to be the theme right about now."
This was my attempt at terrible humor in order to make him crack another grin, and lighten some of the nervous tension surrounding us. As always, Charlie picked up on it and timidly nodded in return, his words gruff with emotion and all running together when he voiced them.
"You might be barefoot and pregnant, but truthfully, I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful than you do right now, Bella."
His eyes shimmered with the gloss of his welling emotions, and I reached for him in a tight embrace just as Renee stepped out around the back of Emily's car and made her presence known.
"Charlie, don't start now. You'll have us all crying before the ceremony even starts and this makeup took Emily a good bit of time to do."
My father silently grimaced at her remark, but his look of utter disdain was soon replaced with a forced smile.
All for my benefit, I could only assume.
"Still, what I said stands true. You look radiant. I couldn't be more happier for you."
With those choked up sentiments, Charlie kissed me on the cheek and lovingly touched my chin, before backing away and letting Renee fix my dress.
Within a few short minutes, Leah, Emily with Clarissa, my mother, and myself were all headed toward the large tent ahead on the white sand. It was adorned with dozens of glimmering lights of an amber hue, and when we reached it's swayed opening, Shawn and Martha were both waiting patiently there for us with wide and eager smiles already in place.
"Oh Bella, you look just wonderful. So beautiful." Martha gushed, as she gestured toward the quant rowes of seating straight ahead. Most of them were already filled with our closest friends and family, some of them, like Angela and Ben, of whom I hadn't seen in far too long.
I drew in a deep breath and felt Charlie loop his arm through mine with a solid huff.
"Almost time, kiddo. Time for me to give you away. Where did the years go?"
"Time flies...-so they say." My mother then added while tentatively reaching for Charlie's tie, and adjusting it for him without his need to ask her.
Charlie caught swift hold of her hand, and the two of them shared a long look that made my own tears form.
"Yeah, it sure does. Thanks, Renee. You know me and ties."
"That I do. Not much has changed there, huh?" My mother chuckled to him in teasing fashion and for the first time since I could remember , they actually looked happy to be in each others company.
I smiled and dabbed at the brimming emotion, as Emily smoothed out my dress and hurriedly fixed my makeup with a loving gaze.
"You look perfect. You'll take his breath away." She sighed, while handing me my bouquet and getting in line with the others.
"She already did...-years ago." Leah softly added, as she arranged the flowers so the ones with the most vibrant colors shown first in the front. "Jacob's heart has always been yours. I think somewhere deep down, a part of you has known this? Despite the miles and the way life went?"
I could only nod as the wave of nerves took hold, as the sound of a familiar and soft melody began to play from somewhere close by.
Emily chuckled when she saw my perplexed look of confusion from the piano music I had no idea would be part of our ceremony today.
"How-..." I curiously began.
"My mom." Leah clarified. "Among other talents of hers, she plays too. Hasn't since Seth and I were just kids, but she's not bad."
Charlie's grin was wide and infectious at this while he peered ahead, and caught sight of Sue delicately playing the melody as if she'd done so for years.
"She's amazing." He sighed in awe of her, and it made my heart warm to see the look of true enchantment now plaguing his often unreadable features.
Seth soon came barging in through the small opening of the tent with wide eyes of urgency as he looked us all over.
"H-Hey-...w-wow, Bella, you l-look gorgeous!" He blurted out with a blush touching his russet skin. "Man, Jacob won't know what hit him. It's t-time. We're all in place and the minister just arrived. So-... whenever you guys are ready, give mom the signal from back here and she'll start playing the sheet music Jacob gave her this morning."
"You mean it's not the traditional march?" I nervously questioned.
"No, it's something else." Seth stated, ducking his head in timid fashion as he admitted the rest. "I guess it's something Rachel passed onto him a few days ago. It was a piece Sarah used to play a long time ago."
My eyes stung at this and I looked to Renee who was hurriedly wiping her tears away, as she met my puzzled and touched gaze.
"It's true that Sarah played a little herself when she was much younger. She always said music spoke to her. I remember that like it was yesterday." Renee cried. "How wonderful he added that piece of her to your special day. Sarah would be moved beyond words if she were here. I just know it."
Seth darted back out of the tent then, and I tried to keep it together as I thought of what Sarah would have been like today. How her mere presence alone would have helped make this wedding even more special.
I wished more than anything that I had the power to give that to Jacob. If I could, I would have.
"Are we ready?" Charlie soon hedged, while he fidgeted with his suit for the tenth time and looked my way for affirmation.
"As ready as I'll ever be." I slowly told him. "Just- please, dad- don't let me fall, okay?"
"Never would. No way." Charlie gruffly replied, as I secured my arm through his, and motioned for Leah to give her mother the long awaited signal.
A rush of emotions I couldn't even begin to put words to steadily flooded through me as the seconds passed by.
"Deep breath, kiddo. One step at a time." Charlie pointedly reminded me, while I tried to push down the swirling nausea and focus solely on the scene before me.
Sue's piano ballad began and it was purely beautiful. Slowly but surely, Emily made her way down the sandy aisle with a giggling Clarissa in her arms. She tossed handfuls of rose petals with her all along the way, and there wasn't a single dry eye amongst the crowd looking on. Leah went next and I saw the way Gentry looked her over with a shuddering inhale as he straightened his shoulders and mouthed, "I love you", to her.
"We can still make a run for it, you know." Charlie whispered. "You know I might be old now but I can still run with the best of them. We could take my cruiser and put the lights on."
I chuckled and he winked my way.
"You don't mean that."
"No, I don't." He mused, in a hushed tone. "But I do mean this, I wouldn't want to give you away to any other man. I wouldn't be so willing to put your tender hand in anyone's but Jakes. I know he'll take care of you long after I'm gone, Bella. That's all a father could ever truly hope for in this fleeting life."
He wiped the single tear that fell away and tightened his hold on me then. My feet felt weightless as my glossy gaze soon settled on the most handsome man I'd ever seen waiting for me just up ahead.
Jacobs eyes lit up before the beaming smile had even touched his face, and in the next second, I was practically ready to run to him, as all my fears and all my worries melted into those rich brown eyes of his.
It was with just that one look that I knew everything would be okay.
My steps felt too slow and I had to remind myself several times not to drag Charlie behind me as we neared the flowered filled arch. Soon enough, Jacob was before me and when Charlie placed my hand in his, the first of many tears began to fall for the both of us.
When it came time for us to exchange our vows, he went first and his hands shook as they tightly held my own.
"Bells, I've loved you since the first time I saw you. On this beach, in the sand when we were far too young to know what love was or to anticipate what the future held for us. When life tore us apart- pulled us in wildly different directions, you still had my heart. It still beat for you. My mother used to tell me when I was young that real love, if it was meant to be, it would always find you in life. That it could heal you when you were broken. That's what you did for me, Bells. You put me back together, when I didn't know how. When my whole world felt like it was collapsing, you were there and you made me see the good in life again. You gave me the courage to believe in the future. I thank God that He gave you to me and I promise you, with all that I am, I will love you forever. With every breath I have left and not a moment less. I'm yours till the end of time."
I couldn't speak or put words together, as he held my teary gaze and slid the wedding ring on my trembling left hand.
I stared into those rich eyes, the very same ones that had held me captive for as long as I could remember, and it was enough to push me forward.
My voice shook as I nervously started with my returning heartfelt vows to him.
"I left this place ten years ago, but you never really left me. You stayed in my heart, and I'll never pretend to know what I did to deserve this chance again at loving you, but I thank God for it, too. You and Clarissa have brought such joy in my life and for the longest time, I wasn't sure I would ever feel that again. I don't know what the future will bring our way, what obstacles we may have to face, but I know this much. I know that with you by my side, we can conquer it all. You make me wanna be a better person, Jacob. You've always believed in me. My love for you is written in the very fabric of who I am. So today, I stand here, in front of our friends and family, promising to love you for the rest of my life and for whatever time comes after that, cause it's you, Jacob. It's always been you. You're my soul mate. My very best friend and I can't wait to grow old with you."
I slid the ring on his finger and swept away the tears that streamed down his cheeks as the minister proudly pronounced us husband and wife.
"You may kiss the bride."
Jacobs lips were on mine long before the words left the minister and a rowdy applause lifted high above us in the sun lit sky as we held each other close.
The reception lasted well into the late evening and it was filled with laughter, love and memories we would cherish forever. Callie and Tina were there and they, along with many other staff from Pen Bay, passed along their heartfelt and sincere congratulations. I hugged them all and told them how much I missed them.
Thanks to the pack, we were able to have most of the traditional dances on the wooden dance floor they'd nailed together just days prior. I had to hand it to them, everything looked so beautiful and I had no complaints on the decor. Leah and Sue had worked tirelessly to make sure we had a memorable wedding reception and that we did. Every table was filled with rose pedals and pillar candles and every chair had silk bows wrapped in the back.
There wasn't a thing that I would change. Not a single thing.
Charlie and I both cried during the father/daughter dance, and when it came time for Jacob and I to share ours, I gave up on trying to stem my emotion.
Jacob reached for me with a tenderness that made me weak in the knees as we swayed to the music that I hadn't heard since our first real dinner we shared back in my Maine home. The song was "From the Ground Up," by country artist Dane and Shay. The song had since become one of my most favorites to listen to, and I could only stare up at Jacob in disbelieving awe as he drew me in closer.
"You knew about this song? I didn't think you even noticed what was playing on the radio that night in my old kitchen."
"I noticed everything, Bells. Everything." He whispered.
"Today was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything more."
"You took my breath away. All over again." He huskily admitted.
"That was the hope."
"You're so beautiful."
I blushed and pressed my cheek against his firm chest as the music carried on.
"I'll never forget this day and all you did for me."
"I love you, Mrs. Black."
I smiled against his chest and peered up at him with his warm words.
"I love you more, Mr. Black. Here's to New Beginnings, right?" I tearfully offered.
Jacob nodded and kissed me softly before whispering his sweet reply.
"Yeah, honey. To New Beginnings that never end."
THE END
A/N: Thank you very much for reading and please review! The final installment to this storyline will be posted before the weekend so look for it! Till then! xoxoxo xoxoxo