Tris woke up to chubby little toddler toes wiggling in her face. As her eyes fluttered open, Ava giggled.
"Mommy," the little girl whispered loudly, "are we getting married today?"
Tris chuckled at her daughter. She thought Ava might be more excited about the wedding than anyone. The little girl had taken to referring to the event as our wedding, or saying that we were getting married. She was excited to wear her purple flower girl dress and have her hair and nails done, eat the pretty cake, and dance on the wooden dance floor in the ballroom.
"Yes, Sunshine," Tris said, smiling at her daughter. "Today is the day."
"Yay!" the little girl cheered, clapping her hands as she sat up on the bed.
Tris glanced around for the clock in her childhood bedroom-turned-guest room, hoping that it wasn't too early for Ava's less than quiet enthusiasm. She was relieved to see that it was after seven in the morning.
Tris and Ava climbed out of the queen bed they had shared for the night. Aunt Kathy was sleeping in the single bed usually reserved for Ava, and Andrew and Natalie were sleeping in Caleb's room since their bedroom set was in the apartment in DC. Caleb had stayed with Eric at the townhouse. Tris thought it was silly to shuffle everyone around like that, but Natalie insisted that Tris wanted the whole wedding experience in spite of being legally married for the past two years, so she was going to get all of it. Tradition had prevailed and Tris had been separated from Eric so he wouldn't see her on their wedding day until she walked down the aisle.
Ava reached for Tris' hand as they walked downstairs, following the smell of coffee and breakfast coming from Natalie's kitchen.
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The soft background music in the sanctuary changed to something louder and more intentional, and Eric took a deep breath. The minister smiled, and opened the side door. He led Eric into the sanctuary filled with friends and loved ones.
While the pastor positioned himself on the raised platform, Eric carried two roses to the front pew on the groom's side of the aisle. He stopped for a moment to look at the picture of his parents on their wedding day before setting the flowers in front of it. They would have loved Tris, Eric thought to himself. And they would have spoiled Ava. The thought made him smile as he took his place, alone, at the foot of the altar.
The music changed, and Andrew and Natalie walked in from the back of the sanctuary with Ava between them. The jumbled order of the processional had been Tris' idea, because she liked how it told their story without saying a word. The Priors walked the flower girl to Eric, who picked her up. Andrew seated Natalie on the bride's side of the aisle, then went back out. The music changed, and it was time for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to enter in pairs.
First came Tris' friend and Eric's former student, Lynn, wearing her Marine Corps dress uniform. Lynn was thriving in the Marines, and they'd been lucky that she could be there for the wedding. She was escorted by Four, who had remained in contact with Eric over the years. Since his father's conviction, Four had visited Chicago several times, and lately he'd been talking about moving back to the area.
The second pair to walk down the aisle were Tris' friend Marlene, and Eric's friend and former roommate, John. Marlene wore the deep purple bridesmaid's dress that the girls had chosen together. It was long and flowing, with wide, sash-like straps that criss-crossed in the front. John wore a grey tuxedo like Eric and the other groomsmen, with a grey vest and purple tie.
Third came Christina, escorted by Zeke. As they passed his family, Zeke winked at Shauna, who sat near the front on the groom's side with Uriah and Hana. Hana's arms were full holding her grandson, Zeke and Shauna's three-month-old baby boy.
Bud and Tori were the next to enter. Tris hadn't wanted to pick between their best friends and her brother and future sister-in-law, so Bud and Caleb were Eric's co-Best Men, while Tori was Tris' Matron of Honor, and Susan was Maid of Honor. Caleb and Susan were the last couple to enter.
The music changed again, and the minister stepped forward to stand near Eric and Ava. He invited the congregation to stand, and Tris and Andrew stepped through the double doors at the back of the sanctuary.
"Wow," Eric breathed. Tears filled his eyes at the sight of his bride in her soft white strapless dress. The gown had a lace overlay and a full skirt that pooled out behind her. When the first tear trickled down his cheek, Ava wiped at it.
"Don't cry, Daddy," she said, making a few people near the front giggle.
"It's happy tears," he whispered. "Look how beautiful Mommy is."
Ava nodded vigorously. "She's a princess," the little girl said.
Eric smiled widely, then kissed his daughter on the cheek. "She's a Duchess," he said.
Tris and Andrew stopped at the front of the congregation. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" the minister asked.
"Her mother and I do," Andrew replied.
Tris turned to face her father, who lifted the veil off her face before kissing her on the forehead. "I'm with Caleb," Andrew said quietly so only Tris could hear him. "You adopted Ava two years ago, but today I give you to be married. You're a good mom, Sweetpea, and you did what you had to do. But in my mind today is the day my little girl gets married. And you picked a wonderful man to marry."
"Thank you, Daddy," Tris said, choking up.
Eric took a step down from the platform, and set Ava on the floor by his feet. As practiced, Ava took Andrew's hand and the two of them sat in the front row beside Natalie.
"Duchess," Eric said, offering his hand to Tris. "You look absolutely stunning."
Tris blushed, and Eric smirked. After three years together and more than two years of secret marriage, she still blushed at his compliments, and he loved that.
The minister spoke about marriage and family. He had known Tris since she was a little girl and had known Eric since he came into the Priors' lives. He touched on Eric's loss when his parents died, and referenced the Bible story of God providing Adam with Eve as a companion and helper. He brushed briefly and sensitively over Tris' rescue of baby Ava and referred to the verse in Psalms that says that God places the lonely in families. The minister tenderly wove together Tris and Eric's love story with God's provision, and many people at the ceremony shed a tear or two at the beautiful tale.
At the conclusion of his remarks, the minister moved to guiding Eric and Tris through their vows, and then to the giving of rings.
"I've waited a long time to give you this," Eric said after Caleb handed him Tris' ring. The pear-shaped solitaire surrounded by a border of tiny diamonds on a narrow, diamond-encrusted band was finally complete with the wedding ring/wrap added to it. The wrap was two V-shaped sections, one above and one below the engagement ring. Each V was made of tiny round and marquise-shaped diamonds, and created a delicate, lacy, filigree-type look. It was entirely unique and managed to look both delicate and impressive, with a subtle vintage flair.
Eric slipped the ring on Tris' finger. "With this ring," he said at the minister's prompting, "I thee wed. It is a token of my love and devotion. All that I am and all that I have I give to you. This ring is a symbol of that vow."
Tris repeated the process, sliding the solid, heavy ring onto Eric's hand. "With this ring, I thee wed," she said. "It is a token of my love and devotion. All that I am and all that I have I give to you. This ring is a symbol of that vow."
With their vows and rings done, the minister called Ava to join her parents and explained that the couple had some additional vows. Eric picked up his daughter with one arm and put his other hand in Tris'.
"Ava Hope," Tris said, smiling at her daughter as she took her hand. "You didn't grow in my womb, and we don't share DNA. But on the day you were born, my heart knew you. From the first time I held you when you were a tiny baby, I loved you. I named you Ava because you were, and still are, full of life and sunshine. Your middle name is Hope because anything is possible for you. I promise to love you and your daddy with all my heart, and be your mommy for the rest of our lives. You are my daughter. You always have been, and now you always will be."
Tris and Eric smiled at Ava and then each other before Eric spoke. "Ava Hope, thank you. Before you were even old enough to know what you were doing, you picked the very best mommy in the world, and we get to keep her forever. I promise that I will love you both all of my life. I will protect you, provide for you, cheer for you, and care for you no matter what, because that's what families do."
Tris turned to Susan, who handed her a small jewelry box. She turned back to Ava and opened the box, showing the toddler a beautiful necklace. The pendant was white gold in the shape of a flower. A tiny diamond was set in the center and five marquise-shaped amethysts made up the petals.
"This is for you to have when you get older," Tris explained to the toddler. "You can wear it today because a wedding is a very special day. This necklace will always remind you of this wedding and the promises that we made to be a family and love each other."
Ava nodded solemnly and reached out to touch the sparkling pendant.
"Can I put it on you?" Tris asked, and Ava nodded again.
When she got the necklace secured around the little girl's neck, Tris and Eric each gave their daughter a kiss and set her back on the floor.
The minister looked down at Ava. "Are you ready?" he asked. She bounced on her toes and nodded as he handed her a small white sign.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the minister announced, "may I present to you Eric, Tris, and Ava Coulter!"
On cue, as carefully practiced, Ava turned around to face the congregation. She held up the sign which said, "And we lived happily ever after!"
"Eric, you may kiss your bride," the minister said.
Eric didn't have to be told twice. He pulled Tris into his arms and kissed her. When they pulled apart, Tris was blushing bright red. She composed herself and turned to face the cheering crowd of family and friends.
Eric helped Ava down the stairs, then swept Tris into his arms and carried her down the aisle after their daughter. Tris threw her head back and laughed in surprise as the congregation applauded.
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Tris' friends kept an eye on Ava while the bride, groom, and their family greeted their guests. When everyone assembled outside, Eric gathered his daughter in one arm and took Tris' hand with the other. They stepped outside and ran through the crowd to the waiting limousine. Eric opened the sunroof and held Ava so her top half stuck out the opening and she could wave at everyone as they drove off.
.
While their guests made their way to the hotel where the reception was being held, the bridal party had photos taken. Bud's assistant, Raven, took the group photos, just as she had taken pictures during the ceremony.
Bud himself had come in earlier to take some special pictures, including Ava in her mommy's wedding dress, and Tris and Ava smiling at one another under Tris' veil. He had also captured photos of Tris and the bridesmaids, then took Ava for a while so Tris could finish her last-minute preparations and he could capture pictures of Eric and his daughter.
When the photos were all taken, the girls helped Tris remove the detachable train from her dress before they piled in the limos and went to the reception.
Just like everyone warned them, the reception was a blur to Tris and Eric. They smiled until their cheeks hurt, talked to hundreds of people, took more pictures, and got to eat at least some of their dinner between well-wishers.
When it was time to dance their first dance as husband and wife, Eric led Tris onto the dance floor. They expected the live band to play Etta James' classic At Last, but after the bandleader/emcee introduced them, a strange drum line began to play. Tris looked around, thinking there was a problem with the band. When a guitar riff joined the drums, Eric laughed. Tris blushed furiously when she recognized the song coming through the speaker system. Hot for Teacher. Of course.
"Caleb!" Tris exclaimed as more people recognized the song and began to laugh. She buried her face in Eric's shoulder, but he just continued to laugh.
"Let's dance," he said to Tris when the song kept playing. Eric spun her around, and they laughed as Bud cat called from the edge of the dance floor. By the end of the song everyone was laughing together.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the emcee said to the crowd, "for those of you who don't know, Eric was Tris' teacher before they got together. The bride's brother, Caleb, has always called this their song, and he felt like it just wouldn't be right if they didn't dance to it on their wedding day."
"Thank you, Caleb," Tris yelled sarcastically.
"Your wedding is next," Eric added, and several people cheered.
"Now let's get back to our regularly scheduled program," the emcee said.
The band began to play, and Eric and Tris enjoyed their dance. When it ended, the crowd clapped politely, and the bandleader began to speak again.
"Usually at this time we ask the bride's father and the groom's mother to join us. Since Eric's mother is no longer with us, Tris has requested a double father-daughter dance. Let's welcome Senator Andrew Prior and Miss Ava Coulter to the floor."
Eric smiled at Tris as Andrew brought his granddaughter to her parents.
"I love you," Tris whispered in Eric's ear. "Your parents would be so proud of the husband and father you've become. I'm sorry I never got to meet them, but they're with us always."
Tris kissed her husband on the cheek, then turned to Andrew with a smile.
Eric squatted in front of Ava. "Miss Ava," he said to his daughter, "may I have this dance?"
"Yes Daddy," Ava said in her sweet little voice as she attempted a curtsy.
Eric picked Ava up as the band began to play an instrumental version of the Beatles' Here Comes the Sun.
"Duchess," Eric said, turning to Tris as his eyes welled up with tears.
Tris let go of Andrew and took Eric and Ava in her arms as Eric began to cry. Here Comes the Sun was the song his mother sang to him as a little boy, and it always reminded him of her.
"Why are you sad?" Ava asked.
Eric lifted his face from Tris' shoulder. "I miss my mom," he said to his daughter. "She used to sing this to me when I was little."
"You should tell Ava about them while you dance," Tris suggested.
Eric smiled and kissed his wife. She turned back to Andrew as Eric spun Ava on the dance floor.
Tris, Eric, Ava, and their guests enjoyed an evening full of wedding traditions and personalized twists. When Eric and Tris cut the cake, they gently fed one another small bites while Bud snapped pictures. When they moved to feed Ava a slice, Eric smeared frosting on his daughter's face. Ava had dissolved in a giggling fit, causing everyone around them to laugh as well.
Tris threw the bouquet, and it was caught by her very startled Aunt Kathy. Eric tossed Tris' garter, and it was caught by Uriah Pedrad, who squealed like he'd caught a snake, and threw it at someone else.
"I don't want to be the next one to get married!" he exclaimed.
When the dancing was done, the food was eaten, the bar was closed, and all the traditions were fulfilled, Andrew and Natalie took Ava home for the night.
Eric and Tris checked into the bridal suite.
"I love you, Mrs. Coulter," Eric said as he carried Tris across the threshold and into the suite.
"I love you too, Warrior," Tris replied.
.
The end.