Chapter 66
The sun broke through the few cottony clouds that floated in the azure blue sky early the morning of Nathan and Sarah's wedding day. It bode well for a stunning day. Sarah woke early but was too excited to sleep though she did indulge in a few more minutes under the covers. In less than twelve hours she would be Mrs. Nathan Grant. Her heart fluttered at the thought and she offered up a prayer of thanks for Nathan and Allie and the life they would build together. Once she was up she moved around the apartment quietly making a pot of tea to share with Nathan's mother and Allie who also spent the night. Sarah was regretting her decision to uphold tradition and not see Nathan until the ceremony. Right now all she wanted was to be in his arms where she felt safe and comforted. Reminding herself not to wish away the day, which was sure to be full of memorable moments, Sarah focused on the preparations ahead. She had arranged for Fiona to do their hair at Nichol's and Dimes before going to Rosemary's house for makeup and dressing. Rachel was going to take the babies to Elizabeth's while they got ready since Lillian was also at the Coulter's and it would be a full house. Sarah made some eggs and toast for the three of them though her nerves didn't allow for much of an appetite this morning. She heard Caroline and Allie moving around in the bedroom and they both appeared with big smiles on their faces.
Allie couldn't contain her excitement. "Finally the day is here! I feel like we've been waiting for it forever."
Sarah laughed. "I don't think forever but it certainly has been a long time coming."
Nathan's mother gave her a warm embrace and told her to enjoy every minute of the day and not worry about anything. Smiling at her soon to be daughter-in-law, she told Sarah she was confident Nathan had everything under control up at the house and it was going to be beautiful. Caroline had been staying with Sarah for two weeks and during that time the seeds of friendship between the two women had been planted. There was a mutual respect between them and a love for both Nathan and Allie. Sarah admired Caroline for withstanding difficult trials in her life but not letting it make her bitter and, in turn, Caroline respected how Sarah had rebuilt her life in a new place following the loss of her father.
Nathan, Archie, and Gabe, along with several friends, who had offered their help, were busy at the Grant homestead getting everything ready for the ceremony and reception. Sarah had entrusted him with the set up and Nathan did not want to disappoint her. He and Allie had spent quite a few evenings discussing how it should look and he was anxious to see it all take shape. He'd bought out the mercantile of several supplies and Ned special ordered some things he didn't usually carry in the store. Nathan called in the favor Lee said he owed him after he helped build the baby cradle. He thought he may have taken advantage of Lee's offer so in return Nathan planned to build a second cradle since the babies were growing fast and wouldn't both fit in one for much longer. Anna and Betsy had the hardest task as he needed them to order some things through the dress shop without Sarah finding out. Fortunately Sarah had started turning some responsibilities of the shop over to Anna so she was able to obtain what Nathan needed with Sarah being none the wiser. The volunteers were working from a detailed plan for the space Nathan had drawn up. Even though they had decided to keep it small and simple he still wanted it to take Sarah's breath away as she stood waiting to walk down the aisle to him.
Bill and Minnie came early in the morning and set up everything for the dinner they were preparing. Minnie brought the cake in layers and assembled and decorated it at the house. She had been practicing and Bill was impressed with what she created. Bill was excited to cook in the Grant's new kitchen which was much more modern than the one at the café. Nathan came into the kitchen to check on them and Bill needled him about hovering over everyone. Nathan ran his fingers through his hair and apologized to Bill if he was being overbearing. "It's okay Nathan. It's your wedding day. I know you're nervous. That's to be expected. Don't worry about Minnie and me. We do this all the time and, if I do say so myself, we're pretty good at it." Bill winked at Minnie who laughed at Nathan but sympathized with him remembering how nervous Joseph had been on their wedding day.
"Thank you both….for everything…you can't know how much Sarah and I appreciate what you're doing for us." Bill walked over to Nathan and with a tremor in his voice hugged him and said "Nathan, you're family and I'll do whatever I can to make today special for you and Sarah."
Sarah, Allie and Caroline were finishing up with Fiona who had worked her magic creating beautiful hairstyles for each of them. Allie couldn't stop looking at herself in the mirror turning her head every which way to see her hair and feeling very grown up. Fiona was just finishing with Sarah and placing the beautiful hair comb Caroline had given her. Caroline was admiring her hair and told Fiona she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so pampered. When they were finished Sarah thanked Fiona and told her they would see her later at the wedding. "Will you be there with Steven?"
Fiona blushed. "As a matter of fact, I am. Since we had dinner with you and Nathan we've been seeing each other quite regularly."
Sarah gave her a hug and told her she fully approved and that Steven was a good man. The three of them got in the car and headed to Rosemary's with a quick stop at the shop to pick up their dresses and other necessities. Sarah drove slower than usual not wanting to get wind-blown on the drive. Several people on the boardwalk waved as the car went by knowing it was a special day for Nathan and Sarah.
Lillian was at the house when they arrived as were Rachel and the babies. Sarah, Caroline and Allie took advantage of the opportunity to hold the sweet bundles before they started getting ready. Allie was especially enamored with the two babies. "Miss Rosemary, can I just come over and hold them since I'm on summer break?"
Rosemary laughed and told her she certainly could and she was welcome any time. She and Rachel collected the babies from reluctant arms and carried them over to Elizabeth's along with the necessary baby paraphernalia. Before leaving Elizabeth's Rosemary promised to stop over before she left for the wedding to check on the babies. She saw the rather forlorn look on her friend's face and gave her a hug knowing this was a difficult day for her. Rosemary had been in a challenging position balancing her compassion for Elizabeth and her joy for Nathan and Sarah. In the end she knew it wasn't fair to stifle her enthusiasm for the happy couple so, while she didn't dwell on it in Elizabeth's presence, she didn't try to hide it either.
Returning home Rosemary and Lillian went about making a light lunch knowing they would all need some nourishment to get through the day. Sarah noticed Lillian's face was a little flushed and asked her if she was feeling okay. Lillian and Rosemary stole a glance at each other before Lillian admitted to Sarah that she was feeling fine now but first thing in the morning was not a good time for her. Sarah didn't pick up on Lillian's hint right away but then it dawned on her. "Oh my goodness! Are you expecting?" Lillian nodded and Sarah embraced her, so happy for her and Gabe. She wondered if Nathan knew yet. She knew he would be excited for his best friend.
The ladies ate lunch while reviewing the schedule for the rest of the day. Lillian and Rosemary helped with their makeup and Sarah agreed to let Allie wear just a bit on her eyes and cheeks and a touch of shine on her lips knowing that Nathan wouldn't want to see any more than that on his little girl.
Sarah helped Allie get her dress on. Allie stood in front of the mirror admiring her dress. "Oh Mom, it's the most beautiful thing I think I've ever seen!"
Sarah wasn't expecting to hear Allie call her Mom today. It caught her by surprise and for the first time on her wedding day she felt warm tears streaming down her cheeks. She knew Rosemary was going to fuss at her about needing to fix her makeup but she didn't care. She stood up and took Allie in her arms. "It is only as beautiful as the girl wearing it" she told Allie.
Allie saw Sarah's tears and worried she said something wrong. "Is it okay if I start calling you mom since it is the wedding day?"
Holding Allie in her arms Sarah whispered to her, "it is absolutely okay for you to call me mom. It makes me very happy that you think of me like that."
Allie went downstairs to show the others how she looked and Caroline got emotional when she saw Allie in her dress. She realized how quickly Allie was growing up and how much of her life she had missed. Allie stood in the middle of the room twirling around over and over again as her dress floated around her. "Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" Lillian and Rosemary joined Caroline in laughing at the joy Allie exuded.
Caroline got dressed next and, though she'd tried on her dress earlier in the week, wearing the dress combined with her hair and makeup, she barely recognized herself in the mirror. Her dress had an underlay of deep rose colored silk. The fitted bodice had a square neckline and elbow length sleeves all edged in matching scalloped lace. The empire waist gave way to layers of embroidered tulle that made up the floor length skirt. She felt like Allie must have in her dress…it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever worn.
Sarah and Rosemary went upstairs so she could put on her wedding gown. The dress hung on its hangar and for a moment Sarah stood and admired what her friends had created for her. Rosemary carefully slipped the dress over Sarah's head not wanting to disturb her hair. The dress was a simple design but the material they'd chosen made it feel chic and classic. Sarah was thankful she'd done one final fitting last week as she'd lost some weight in the weeks leading up to the wedding and the last minute alterations insured that the dress fit perfectly. Rosemary helped with her pearl necklace and Sarah added the pearl bracelet Nathan had given her for Christmas. She looked in the mirror and she felt a surge of excitement run through her as she realized her dream of becoming Mrs. Nathan Grant was soon to be a reality. Rosemary approached her from behind and resting her hands gently on her shoulders told her she looked absolutely perfect. "Nathan will not be able to take his eyes off of you." Sarah turned and thanked Rosemary for her friendship and that she was the closest thing she'd ever had to a sister.
Sarah came downstairs to the awaiting eyes of Allie, Caroline and Lillian. Her eyes connected with Allie's and Caroline's and she knew she wanted to remember the moment forever. Not only was Nathan going to be her husband but these women were now her family, something she had wanted for so long. Caroline reached for a note and small box in her purse and gave it to Sarah. "What's this?" Caroline urged her to open it. Inside the box was a smaller velvet box. Sarah opened it and inside was a pair of pearl earrings each with a tiny diamond at the base of the gem. Sarah opened the note and read it to herself.
My beautiful Sarah, Today we will be married and I can't believe I'm the lucky man who gets to spend the rest of his life with you. I chose these earrings to go with the pearls from your mother. Beautiful gems for a beautiful woman. I love you and will see you at the end of the aisle. Love, Nathan.
She took the earrings out of the box and put them on admiring how beautiful they looked with her mother's necklace. Finally, she felt ready to get married.
Nathan did a final walk around the grounds making sure everything was ready and once satisfied went inside to check on things there. Bill had made him and Gabe some lunch but Nathan was so nervous he could barely eat. Gabe noticed his friend's jitters and tried to reassure him that everything was going to be fine. Nathan smiled weakly trying to compose himself. "I know, I didn't think I would be this nervous."
"It's perfectly normal; I was the same way when I married Lillian." Gabe empathized with Nathan. "Trust me, everything will fall into place and at the end of the day Sarah will be your wife and that's what is important."
Nathan was thankful for Gabe's calming presence. He went upstairs to get dressed and looked around the room that was to be his and Sarah's together and felt a peacefulness come over him. He knew in his heart they were meant for each other and today it would be made official. He was ready for it to be so.
Waiting downstairs Bill handed Nathan a card and box. Opening the box he found a handsome wrist watch. Turning it over he saw an inscription that read 'For my husband, I will love you forever'
Nathan opened the note and read 'Nathan, This watch was my father's. It was given to him by my mother on their wedding day and today I give it to you on our wedding day. I know he would be so happy that I have found the love of my life. I can't wait to be Mrs. Nathan Grant! Love, Sarah.'
Nathan tucked the note in his pocket and took off the watch he'd been wearing and replaced it with his gift from Sarah. Looking at the time he realized he had a few minutes before guests were to arrive. He took the opportunity to take a quick walk and clear his mind and focus on what was ahead. He ended up by the creek contemplating all that he'd experienced in his life that brought him to this day. Nathan realized that had he not weathered the storms in his life he wouldn't have such a great appreciation for the joy that was about to be his. He felt Colleen's presence with him and he knew she would have loved Sarah. Nathan heard guests starting to arrive and made his way back up to the house more than ready to make the biggest commitment of his life.