Chapter 8

When Claire woke up on her wedding day, the first seconds she didn't even realise it was her wedding day. Until she stretched out her arm to Alex like she used to when she woke up, and found out he wasn't there. Then she remembered he had stayed with Nick that night. She opened her eyes and found out it was only five am. She sighted, because she didn't feel like go to sleep again. She stood up and went to Charlotte's room, where she stood at her bed, watching her sleeping baby silently for a few minutes. She realised this day was gonna change everything. She remembered the last time she had wore a wedding dress and realised this was such a different feeling. That time, she had tried on her mother's dress before her wedding was even planned, but she knew she was getting married. Or she expected to. But that time had not been her time to get married, and the one she had loved that time, had not been her one. The One. She remembered how she usually hated people talk about The One, and than giving her hints all the time. Like it was an obligation to get married.

She had loved Peter with all of her heart, and it had been a great time in her life, but what she was feeling now was so much different. Maybe that was because it was another person, and another time. But probably because she was loving the right person this time.

After finding out the truth about Peter, she had broken down, and for a couple of months she hadn't believed in The One anymore. Not for her. She had started to open up her heart again after Charlotte was born. After she had realised she had begun to love again… And she had found out it was the right one this time. And the right moment. She looked at the calendar and saw it was already the seventh of September. The accident had happened in July. She had been in hospital for a much too long time. But, she realised she was lucky. September was a good month to get married. The trees had started to get very colourful and the sun was shining. The past weeks she had prayed to God so he wouldn't make it rain. So he wouldn't make her catch a cold… Cause this wasn't gonna be a classic wedding. She wanted it to be like a fairy tale, but not too much fairy tale. She was gonna make it special. And she was sure Alex would do something to make it special, too.

'Claire! You're already up!'

She looked at the door and saw Tess standing there in her PJ's.

'Yeah… couldn't sleep anymore.' She smiled. 'But, where are the other's?'

'Not here,' Tess said mysteriously. 'So we'll start dress you up.'

'What time is it?'

'It's six fifteen. But I don't think you could sleep now, could you?'

'No I couldn't. But I do want to have breakfast first.'

She took Charlotte out of her bed and took her downstairs. 'She seems to be hungry.' She paused, thinking of herself saying she wanted to have breakfast.

'But I'm not, actually.'

She felt Tess' hand on her shoulder. 'Just like I thought.' She took a chair and made Claire sit down.

'But don't worry, this is gonna be the best day of your life.'

Claire smiled. She took her sister's hand and pinched it.

'Yeah. It's supposed to.'

While Claire was thinking she had got up early, Alex hadn't slept at all. He just couldn't bring himself to go to bed, and even when Nick did, he kept walking around the room over and over again, thinking of his wedding day. Thinking of his bride. He knew she had got hurt when she found out the truth about Peter so violently. He knew she had been preparing herself to a wedding, to a life with Peter. He had seen her breaking down with her dreams, and it had hurt him as much as it had hurt Claire. That moment, he had only wished to see her getting married to Peter, if she'd been happy. But she didn't. It had been one of the rare moments of his life he had seen Claire having no plans for the future. Having no idea which way to go. When he thought about it, he had never had any clear plans for the future. He had always waited for life to take him wherever it wanted to take him. But the last weeks, with Claire, he had seen his future painting itself on his mind. And he knew it had painted itself on Claire's mind, too, and maybe that was the thing that was making him happy the most: sharing his future with Claire. Sharing his life with Claire. Sharing his everything with Claire. It was like a dream coming true, a dream he had never known of, until, after Peter getting out of the picture, his real feelings had broken out. After he had realised he had always lived next to the one he had loved for all of his life, without realising he did.

He'd had a couple of heavy fights with her, that had made him think he'd never be together with her. But now, she was gonna be his wife. Tonight she'd be. And it was still hard to him to realise.

Charlotte had always been a happy, cheerful child. But today, she was in such a good mood even Claire was surprised. She ate her breakfast without any protest, but she did smear it in Claire's face.

'Charlotte, groce,' she shouted laughing.

Charlotte started laughing and covered her mouth with her little hands. It was such a sweet thing Claire took her out of her seat and hugged her though she was covered in porridge.

'Well, I think you should go take a shower now, Claire,' Tess said smiling when Charlotte had finally finished her breakfast. She started cleaning up the mess mother and child had left when Claire went upstairs. She couldn't be happier today. She recalled the moment Claire and Alex had told the other's they were 'getting married next week', like they used to get married every day, and smiled when she thought of their faces. Of Meg sending Jodi to town to do shopping immediately. Of Nick's reply 'bloody hell'. She felt her thoughts taking wrong direction again, but she had given up trying to stop herself. Every time she thought of Nick, a picture of herself in a wedding dress passed her mind. But that wasn't the thing that was the most important. The most important was the man waiting for her at the altar…

She shook her head like she wanted to shake that thought out of her mind. How happy she was they'd finally come together, today she wasn't supposed to think of her own stupid fantasies about what was supposed to be her future with Nick. Today it was Claire and Alex who deserved everyone's attention. But there was no need to worry about that; the couple would force every eye to look at them, and she knew it. It just didn't feel right to think of herself today. She decided to check the list of invited people again(like that was of her business, but she needed something to think of). She had "helped" Claire with that, because she thought she was better in such things than Claire was. So she had invited 'half of the world population' like Claire called it, which contained lots of people they hadn't seen for years. But though she had laughed at her, Tess knew that Claire was happy with it, somewhere deep in her heart.

She heard Claire getting out of shower and went upstairs immediately. She really loved to help Claire getting dressed, but she didn't interfere in her look to much, because she wanted it to be a Claire's creation, and not a 'Claire's creation with a little help from my sister Tess because she's better in such things than I am'.

A couple of hours later Claire looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Tess put her arms around her and held her for a long time. This day was gonna be the most important day of Claire's life, and she wanted everything to be perfect.

Alex stood a couple of meters from the house, with everyone around him talking and laughing and he felt the adrenaline rushing trough his veins. He didn't know for how long he had been standing here now, or how long it would take, but it felt like hours to him. He didn't even realise Nick was talking to him.

'Nervous, Ryan?'

He smiled a very nervous smile. 'Oh, shut up, Nick.'

He looked around one more time. Drover's didn't seem like Drover's anymore. White ribbons and flower's were dispersed everywhere and the he didn't look at the 'altar' that was made behind him, because he knew that would not do any good to his overloaded brain.

Over the past years Alex had seen Claire in very many outfits, but even in his wildest dreams he hadn't seen her in a wedding dress.

He got a punch in his back from Nick, before he stepped back. 'Attention, Ryan. Your bride.'

Everyone stepped back while the band they had rented started playing the traditional wedding mars, and he couldn't remember he had ever felt like this.

Neither did Claire. When she started walking out of the house, she felt every eye looking at her. She reached the door and saw Alex. Suddenly she hated it she had to walk so slowly. She'd prefer to run out of the house and throw herself in his arms.

Alex felt all of his dreams and expectations of this day come true when he saw Claire. She was even more beautiful than he could ever dream of. She seemed to be shining like the sun. Her hair was very special without being very different than usual. She hadn't used any hairpins; it was just dancing around her face. But he knew everyone would remember this wedding only for the dress she was wearing. It wasn't white. It was ice blue. It was ice blue and strapless and having a few little blue roses at the front side. Her bridal bouquet was blue, too, and she was wearing a rose like one of the roses on her dress in her hair.

It seemed to last forever before she finally reached him. He took her arm and felt her body shaking while they walked to the priest waiting for them.

'Nervous?' he whispered without looking at her.

'Yeah.'

'Welcome to this beautiful place, all of you,' the priest started. Claire looked around. Everyone she knew seemed to be here today.

'We have come together here, because these two people will enter into matrimony today.'

Claire shivered. It was still a bit strange to hear that from another person. She tried to listen to the priests short talk about what he knew of them from the conversations he'd had with them, but it was very hard to her not to let her thoughts drift to other things. He got back her attention after he had finished that.

'Will you give each other your right hand, please?'

She took Alex' hand and felt herself calming down a bit. It was all so exciting today. She hoped he'd forgive her for breaking his bones.

'First I want to ask the best men to come forward and seat oneself to the right hand of the bride couple.'

She smiled when Tess took her place next to her and smiled at her reassuring, and saw Nick doing the same on Alex' side.

'I'll start with Alex' best man, Nick. Will you be a witness of this marriage, and assist this couple in beautiful and dark times, by your love and friendship? What is then your answer?'

'I do.'

'And Tess, will you be a witness of this marriage, and assist this couple in beautiful and dark times, by your love and friendship? What is then your answer?'

'I do.'

The best men stepped back again and took their seats. They didn't have a long job to do.

'Alex Ryan, will you take Claire Louise McLeod to your wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do you part? What is then your answer?'

She looked at his face and found everything she had ever needed in his eyes at that moment. He looked her in the eye, smiled at her.

'I do.'

'Claire Louise McLeod, will you take Alex Ryan to your wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do you part? What is then your answer?'

A silence covered the place for a short moment before she found back her voice and spoke out the words that made her promise, and with that all of her desires.

'I do.'

He smiled at her as he put the ring on her finger, and she smiled back as she did the same.

'Then you can now kiss the bride.'

She felt his hand on her cheek as he kissed her. She had found all her yearning in his eyes, and she realised she had nothing to wish for.