Jessica woke up bright and early and began reassembling her mother's dress. She used the leftover lace to cover the bodice. She tossed the crinoline petticoat and left the bottom to be flowy and billowy. For the final touch, she paired it with a beaded and pearled belt; she also picked out her jewelry. Her mother's pearls and her matching vintage teardrop earrings. She finished zipping the garment bag back up just in time before Ivan knocked.
"Come in."
Ivan opened the door with a smile on his face.
"We can move the wedding to Thursday after all. So we're getting married in two days!"
"Fantastic! I'm dying to show you my dress," she said, returning his smile.
"I can't wait to see it. You'll be breathtaking in it, I have no doubt about that."
Jessica felt herself begin to smile.
"Ever the charmer," she said, approaching him and pulling his head down for a light kiss.
"I try," he said with a smug smirk.
"You succeed."
He dove back in to kiss her again. In the distance, a tea kettle began whistling.
They made for the kitchen. Jessica set places for them for an early lunch while Ivan poured them tea. They sat down, Ivan said a quick prayer, and they started eating.
"Trying to set the mood for our honeymoon with French onion soup?," she teased.
"Maybe. Also it's one of the only things besides spaghetti that I know how to make."
"I'll show you some other things that are simple to prepare. How about we continue the French theme tonight and I'll make a ratatouille?"
"That sounds delicious. Will there be any french kissing to go along with our French evening?"
Jessica couldn't help but let out a light laugh.
"If I knew getting engaged made you such a tease, I would've insisted on it long ago," she said with a smirk.
Ivan looked down and tried desperately to hide his cocky grin.
"Oh, don't be so modest, Ivan."
"Forgive me. I'm still not used to having a woman be so openly flirtatious with me. Linda wasn't even that way with me the entire time I knew her."
"No offense Ivan, but she sounds like she was a bit of nasty person. Never happy with you, never open and caring… Why did you marry her?"
"I've asked myself that so many times; the only reasonable explanation I can come up with is only beacause I got her pregnant. This was before I took up the priesthood, of course. We tried to make it work, but it just never did. And after her death, I turned to God and focused my attention on positive things."
"That's understandable. I haven't slept with many people, but if I got pregnant, I know I would expect the person who got me that way to marry me. And I would try my hardest to stay around to see ghe kid grow up even if they were disabled."
Ivan was silent for a moment, looking deep in thought. He'd been wanting to ask her what her opinions were on children and getting a house. He figured this would be as good a time as any to ask.
"Jess… Since you bring up the subject, I've been wanting to ask you about your expectations you have about us getting married. Do you want children? A house with a picket fence? I'm perfectly fine with whatever you say, but it would help to know."
At the mention of children, she froze mid-drink. She set her glass down and looked at him for a moment.
"I honestly haven't thought about it. The only thing I know for certain is that I love you. And if children come into the picture, I'll love them too. That being said, if it happens, it happens; if not, I wouldn't turn bitter or be distraught. And as for a house, I'll leave that up to you. As for my opinion though, it would completely depend on the baby situation. If it remains just us, we don't have much need for a house. If we have any, we'll need space."
"Very reasonable answers. But… What do YOU want?"
She thought for a moment before answering.
"Well, one baby wouldn't be bad. And depending on how it goes, I wouldn't object to more. The house thing I don't really mind either way. As long as I'm with you I'll be happy."
"I'll keep all that in mind. I'm glad you're so open-minded."
"And let's face it, our babies would be adorable," she said with a wink.
Ivan smiled.
"Did you have a time in mind when you'd like to try?"
"Maybe a year or two; just so we can get really settled and have time to prepare."
"I agree. It sounds like we have a plan."
"Agreed," she said with a small smile.
Ivan smiled back, and they turned back to their lunch, both getting lost in thoughts about parenthood.
Later that night, they were preparing ratatouille.
"If you chop the vegetables, I'll char the peppers and make the sauce," she said.
"I can do that," Ivan said.
She smiled and handed him a knife.
"As thin as you can, please."
"Will do."
There were a few moments of them being honed in on their tasks, when Jessica broke their concentration.
"I love when we cook together. I hope we can make this a tradition."
"You won't hear me object," Ivan said.
After the sauce was ready, she ladled it into a baking pan and beckoned Ivan over with the sliced vegetables. They started shingling them in the pan over the sauce.
"Now we drizzle olive oil and sprinkle basil leaves on top and bake it for about forty-five minutes. And dinner will be ready."
"Great! I can't wait to try it! What do you want to do until it's ready?"
"Hmm… Snuggle on the couch and talk about our honeymoon?"
Ivan took her hand and led her to the couch. They both sat down and Ivan pulled her into his side, wrapping his arm around her.
"So about the honeymoon…," she began, "is there anything specific you wanted to see or do?"
"Not particularly. I was thinking of just visiting the beach often and taking in the town."
"Sounds relaxing. And I think we can both use some relaxation after the last few weeks. They've been fairly stressful."
"You can say that again. First I had cancer, you had that terrifying experience with Adam, then I almost died from a gunshot to the head, and then I survived both. Then I got engaged to the most beautiful woman I've ever known. At least there's a happy ending," he said, looking at her with fondness.
She smiled back at him, then took his face in her hands and brought his lips to hers. She pulled away after a moment and closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his with a contented smile. She felt her eyelids becoming heavy, and laid her head on his shoulder.
Ivan looked down at her falling asleep on him. She was absolutely angelic looking. So peaceful and at rest. She truly was Sovende Skønhed (Sleeping Beauty) in the flesh; golden hair, rosy lips, smooth and soft alabaster skin, a divine being.
'I'll never understand what she sees in me. I'm not only a middle-aged priest with a handicapped son, now I'm a disfigured middle-aged priest with a handicapped son.'
He couldn't help but let his mind wander to starting a family again. There was no question he would be happy with his wife this time, but could he go through the anxietyof worrying about the health of another child? Christoffer's birth ended up being a traumatic experience for both him and his first wife.But he knew that even if the same scenario were to come about, Jessica was not Linda. Jessica was so full of love and happiness and eager to share it. She would love their children no matter what.
Feeling his heart flutter at that thought, he gently tilted her head back with his finger and pressed a small kiss on her cheek.
The timer on the oven began to beep, letting them know that their dinner was done.
She yawned and gave him a sleepy smile.
"Dinner's ready already? I was out that long?"
"A good half hour probably. I'm sure you needed the rest. Things have moved very quickly."
"True, but I couldn't be happier about it," she replied.
She squeezed his hand and got up off the couch to pull the dish of ratatouille out of the oven. She set it on the table, and they both took their seats. Ivan took a small fork full of the vegetables and sauce, taking his first bite.
"We did good on this! It's delicious!," he exclaimed.
"I'm happy you like it. Add it to the rotation?"
"Yes, certainly."
They ate in quietly until Jessica spoke.
"Isn't it exciting knowing tomorrow will be our last night being single? That come two o'clock tomorrow, we'll be twenty-hour hours away from our wedding? I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," she said, practically bouncing with excitement.
"It is definitely agonizing waiting for the day, but it doesn't hurt to do everything the right way."
"Agreed. So are you doing anything tomorrow to prepare for the wedding?"
"Just admire my future wife and how she'll be mine. How about you?"
"I think we should relax tomorrow to put our minds at ease. It may be just a courthouse wedding and dinner with Adam and Tatianna afterwards, but I'm sure we'll still be somewhat nervous."
"You can say that again. But nervous in the best way."
"Agreed."
They finished their dinner and retired for the evening; both eagerly anticipating the day after tomorrow.
Jessica woke up to Ivan's side of the bed empty. She went to the kitchen, assuming he would be waiting for her. Instead, she found a note.
Good morning, darling.
I went to town to run a couple errands, but I'll be back soon. There's coffee and eggs ready for you.
Love,
Ivan
'So thoughtful.'
She made quick work of downing the eggs, and took her time enjoying her coffee.
She heard a knock at the door. She opened it quickly, and Ivan walked in with a couple of bags.
"What's all that?"
"Dinner tonight. I was thinking we could celebrate, seeing as tomorrow's the big day."
"A wonderful idea! Speaking of which, I have everything picked out and ready, except for my makeup. So you think I should go for more of a natural look or get creative?"
"You're already drop-dead-gorgeous, so I would say natural; but of course, it's entirely up to you."
"You're the one who'll be looking at me, so I'll keep it light. Plus the faster I can get my face done the better, I think. I can't keep you waiting for half an hour or forty-five minutes just formakeup. Right?"
"Thirty or forty-five minutes?"
"You can't rush art," she said cheekily, "and when it comes to makeup, I'm extremely OCD and take my time to try and make sure it's perfect."
"I guess I can understand the feeling. It's similar to when I write my sermons; I try to make them informative but also something you want to listen to."
"Precisely."
"Enough with the perfection talk, though. What would you like to do on our day off?"
"I was thinking we could try to keep it light hearted; so some funny movies, maybe a drink or two, and just enjoy ourselves."
"Sounds wonderful."
"I know it's a bit early, but would you like to pop open some wine? Or I can make you a drink."
"How about mixed drinks with our movies and wine with dinner? I got us salmon, salad, and asparagus."
"Excellent idea. Would you prefer something tropical or with a little bite to it?"
"I have stuff to make Moscow Mules for sure."
"I can do that," she said, running around the kitchen grabbing the ingredients.
She threw everything in a shaker and poured their libations over ice. She walked back to Ivan and handed him his cup. He took a sip and made a pleased sound.
"Delicious. Used a bit more alcohol than it called for, I see."
"Just a little. It'll make our movies more fun," she said with a smile.
They a couple movies, laughing a little harder each time there was a particularly funny part. Once they were ready for Jessica's movie, it was time for lunch. They sat back down with a couple sandwiches and flicked on Princess Diaries.
They finished the movie and soon it was time for dinner. Jessica poured garlic butter over the salmon, wrapped it in parchment paper, and tossed it in the oven, while Ivan made the salad and fried the asparagus.
When they were setting the table, Jessica noticed Ivan set up a third spot.
'Oh… Please don't let it be who I think it is.'
There was a knock on the door. Sure enough, when Ivan answered it, Adam walked in. Jessica immediately started to feel uncomfortable. She knew he was going to stand with Ivan, but she was hoping that would be the only time she would have to see him.
"I invited Adam for dinner. He's going to be part of the wedding, so I figured he could celebrate with us."
Jessica gave them a tight lipped smile, trying to hide the panic attack she was about to have.
'Really? Really, Ivan? How could you possibly think this was a good idea?,' she thought.
"Jessica," Adam said quietly, giving her a nod.
"Adam," she said back nervously.she noticed he grew his hair back and seemed a little more... timid, maybe? He seemed different, that was certain.
"I have something to check on. I'm sure you'll be fine for a minute," Ivan said, and walked down the hall.
Adam and Jessica looked at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Adam chose to speak first.
"Look, Jessica, I know no matter how profusely I apologize, you'll always have a fear of me. But I just want you to know I AM incredibly sorry for acting like a complete jackass. I wasn't in a good place. I was practically brainwashed into thinking I needed to be feared to be respected and that other people were beneath me."
Jessica stared blankly at him, letting his apology sink in. Could she believe him, or was he putting on an act? Ivan seemed to have gotten through to him now, but she couldn't help but have her doubts.
'Maybe if I give him a chance, he'll surprise me.'
"Adam, I accept your apology. I feel much better knowing we're on good terms, but I'll need time for us to become friends. I'll put in the effort if you will."
Adam smiled and held his hand out.
"Deal."
"Good," Jessica said, taking his hand and giving it a small squeeze.
"So, excited to be getting married in less than twenty-four hours?"
"Unimaginably! I get to marry my best friend, what more could I ask for?," she said giddily.
Adam thought it was adorable the way she was so ecstatic, and he envied Ivan. God knows, but maybe someday it would be his turn to have a woman be happy to be with him.
Ivan came back soon after their conversation, looking pleased with himself.
"I wanted to wait until tomorrow to tell you, but I was able to move our honeymoon up as well. So we'll be leaving the day after the wedding for France," Ivan said with an excited smile.
"Splendid!," she exclaimed
"For now though, let's worry about dinner."
Ivan and Jessica took the food out of the oven and set it on the table.
They all made polite small talk while they ate, and Jessica was pleasantly surprised that she was enjoying herself.
An hour later, Adam saw himself out and went back to the church to turn in for the night. Not long after, Ivan and Jessica did the same thing.
"Goodnight, my dear Jess," Ivan said, looking dreamily at her.
"Goodnight, min kære kærlighed (my dearest sweetheart)."
Ivan checked his watch.
"Fourteen hours, and you'll be Mrs. Ivan Fjeldsted. I can barely believe I'm getting married again."
"I'm having a hard time believing this is all real too. In the best way possible. I feel incredibly lucky that we found each other," Jessica said, snuggling into his chest.
"I do too, love. Now, let's sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."
"We certainly do."
They kissed goodnight and drifted off to sleep, subconsciously counting down to their wedding.
