Reaching for Love
Chapter 12: Wedding
BELLA
At the center of every wedding day is love story, or so I've read. Waking on the day I would wed was like any other day. I had expected to be giddy but I was anything but. Placing my finger on why was easy. It was the whirlwind of events of the past few days bringing about my marriage to Edward, not love. It was a marriage a necessity.
With my lip between my teeth, I slipped from the bed and into the bathroom. The shower did nothing to improve my happiness. I wrapped a towel around my hair and donned the fluffy white robe.
My eyes landed on the bedside clock as I reentered the room. Alice and Rosalie would be here in fifteen minutes. Groaning, I walked over to armoire and pulled out the lingerie bought especially for today. Silk and lace were far better than my cotton, but foreign.
I was drawing back on the robe when a knock came out the door. Turning, I saw Alice popping her head in. With a smile, I beckoned her into the room.
She came in with a couple of bags and with Rosalie following.
"Good you've showered," Rosalie said. "We have a lot to do."
"Edward has ordered room service. Once it's here, he'll send one of the guys with a plate for you," Alice remarked as she pulled hair products out of one bag.
~~~ Reaching for Love ~~~
Hours of laughter had me more than ready. A smile was on my face. And when I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. Miniature white roses were woven through my hair. A few delicate tendrils of brushed my temples.
"Oh, wow!" I whispered.
I spun in a slow circle. The giddiness I was hoping for when I woke overcame me.
A camera flashes went off left and right. When I was facing Alice and Rosalie, I noticed both of them had their phones aimed at me. I didn't care.
EDWARD
With forty-five minutes until the start of the ceremony, I left the suite with Emmett and Jasper.
The Eiffel Tower restaurant was beautifully decorated. Four chairs were setup near where the officiant would marry Bella and I. It should be more, at least three more attendees. My efforts to contact my parents were for naught. Getting Bella to call her father seemed to fall on deaf ears time and time again.
I tried video calling my parents, and the call didn't connect. The moment I slipped my phone in my pocket, the music began. Turning, I saw Alice and Rosalie had joined their boyfriends.
Taking my place next to the officiant, I waited for Bella to appear. My breath let me the moment she entered the room. She was gorgeous. I held out my hand when she was near. The same electricity as the day we met coursed through me the moment her small, delicate hand was encased in mine.
I took a breath and released it as we face the officiant.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Edward and Isabella matrimony."
"Edward, do you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?
"I do."
"Isabella, do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do."
"Repeat after me."
Free a hand I cupped her cheek and repeated the words the officiant feed me. "I, Edward, take you Isabella, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."
Bella repeated the same words.
We exchanged rings.
"By virtue of the authority vested in me by the State of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Edward, you may kiss the bride."
Leaning forward, I brushed my lips gently against Bella's and lingered a minute. I had hoped she would return this one kiss, but there was nothing from her. It was a blessing she didn't stiffen.
My friends clapped as a drew away. I bumped my forehead against Bella's and smiled. She returned it.
~~~ Reaching for Love ~~~
After a wonderful French cuisine lunch, where both the waiting staff and other patrons congratulated us, Bella and I along with my friends returned Paris suite.
Following Bella back to the room we would share the next couple of nights, I unzipped her gown before slipping into the ensuite bathroom to change.
