Chapter 1
As the carriage got closer to the church, Gia became more nervous. The event she had dreamed about for months was only moments away. She reached her hand out to Marcus. He took it and gave it a gentle squeeze, which helped to calm her down.
Gia gave him a nervous smile. She could see the church up ahead of them. The butterflies in her stomach started again.
Marcus noticed the scared look on her face. "Are you all right?" he asked.
She swallowed hard and nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just… just a little nervous. It's not everyday that a girl gets married."
"You know, it's not too late to back out of this."
"Marcus, you're not helping. I love Nikolas and I am going to marry him. There is nothing you can say that will talk me out of it. If you want to help, you can give me some encouragement."
Marcus smiled at her. "Ok," he said. "I think you're going to be a beautiful bride."
"Thanks," Gia said returning his smile.
The driver stopped the carriage outside the church. Marcus got out and offered Gia his hand to help her out. He escorted her into the church.
Laura and Elizabeth met her inside and helped her to make some last minute adjustments to her wedding dress.
"Are you excited?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes. I'm really nervous," Gia told her. She smiled at Elizabeth. "I'm glad we made up. My wedding wouldn't be the same without you here."
"Thanks. It means a lot to me that you asked me to be your Maid of Honor."
"There's no one else that I would rather have," Gia said giving her a hug as the rest of her bridesmaids arrived. They were all Gia's cousins.
Florence Campbell arrived a few minutes later. She gave Gia a big hug. "Good luck, honey," she said.
Lesley came in the room and whispered something to Laura. Laura smiled at her and nodded. Gia watched Lesley leave.
"Is something wrong?" Gia asked walking over to Laura.
"No. My mother wanted to let us know that they are ready for us. Are you ready?"
Gia took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I'm ready," she said nervously.
She stood in the doorway and watched as an usher escorted Laura to her seat. Then she watched as her mother was escorted down the aisle.
The music changed. Elizabeth got Lesley Lu started down the aisle with her basket of rose petals. Gia's cousins followed her. Finally Elizabeth walked down the aisle.
Marcus stepped up beside Gia and offered her his arm. "Are you ready?" he whispered.
Gia nodded and gave him a nervous smile. "Yes," she said as the wedding march began.