"Good God, Lilian."
That was the first thing Lilian heard after she opened the door to the dressing room provided at the church where she and Dave were going to be married. Trish, Lita, and Stephanie were all sitting on a couch, waiting patiently for Lilian to put on her dress and walk out of the dressing room.
"What, do I look fat?" Lilian asked nervously when her three friends simply stared at her.
"God, no, Lil," Trish said. "You just look gorgeous."
"Yeah," Lita said, simply staring at her friend. "Wow… you bring new meaning to the term 'Hot Mama'!"
"Thank you," Lilian said with a blush, holding the veil in her hand… looking a little lost and unsure of exactly how to put the veil in without messing up the curls her hairdresser had spent an hour doing.
"Wow, Lilian… the dress is even more beautiful than before," Stephanie finally chimed in, wiping away a tear. "Maybe it's the fact that you have a little baby belly now and look so… radiating. You look so amazing. I can't believe you're getting married!"
"Oh, please don't make me cry!" Lilian said, sniffling slightly and tucking a piece of her curly hair back into place. "I don't want my makeup to run!"
"Why, Lilian, you know you'll be crying as soon as you see Dave at the alter," Trish told her, laughing when Lilian flipped her off. "Lilian Anne Garcia! That isn't very nice!"
"Yeah, leave her alone," Lita said.
"Thank you, Li," Lilian said, allowing Dahlia to lead her to the mirror.
"I say she makes it to the wedding vows before she starts crying," Lita whispered to Trish.
"Loser buys a shot?"
"Sure," Lita agreed, shaking hands quickly with Trish before walking over to watch and help Lilian put her veil on.
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"God, Dave, you look like you just went through a match with Chris Benoit," Hunter said, settling down next to his friend as he fussed with the tie on his tuxedo yet again. "You need a napkin to mop up all that sweat, Big Man?"
"Fuck off, Hunter," Dave replied. "I seem to remember you pacing like a caged animal on your wedding day."
"Hmmm… shouldn't you be the one pacing like a caged animal?" Hunter asked. "You are, after all, the-"
"Animal. Yeah, I get it, Trips."
"You okay, man?" Hunter asked seriously, taking in his friend's nervous banter.
"Yeah," Dave said quietly. "I just… this is a big moment in my life. I'm about to marry the woman of my dreams. I just can't seem to stop reflecting on the past two and a half years we've spent together. They've been simply amazing… and I can't help but wonder if it can get any better."
He paused, glancing at Hunter, surprised to see his friend looking back at him with a serious look. Dave had expected Hunter to be somewhat teasing of his suddenly serious statement, but…
"Dave… are you wondering if Lilian is going to fall out of love with you?"
Dave took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before replying, "Yeah. I think so."
"Well don't. Dave, I see the way you look at each other. I see the way you look at each other across the ring, I see the way she looks at you when she snuggles under your arm. Lilian Garcia is in love with you, and I don't think anything will ever change that."
Dave nodded slowly, allowing the Game's words to sink in. "Thank you," Dave finally said softly.
"No problem, buddy," Hunter said, wrapping an arm around his friends shoulders as Randy walked into the room, the young man looking somewhat more dashing than the others in his tuxedo.
"They're ready for us to take our places at the alter," Randy said, gesturing with his head to Michael and John, Dave's brothers, the two other groomsmen.
Dave took another deep breath, standing up slowly, brushing out what he thought was wrinkles in his pants. "Are you ready, big Man?" Hunter asked him, and Dave looked back at him with a serious yet calm look.
"I've been ready."
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"Wow." Lilian nearly laughed when Ric saw her, the older man shaking his head as he took in the sight of Lilian in her wedding dress. He took her hand, guiding her in a slow circle so he could see the entire dress. "Lilian, you look stunning," Ric finally said, shaking his head as he fluffed the front of her veil. "Dave's gonna faint at the alter."
Lilian chuckled slightly, rubbing a protective hand over her stomach as she moved her hand to Ric's elbow. "Thank you, Ric," Lilian said softly, accepting the bouquet of lilies and daisies that was offered to her. "For everything." Ric simply nodded, understanding what she was conveying.
She listened as Canon in D, the beautiful violin piece by Johann Pachelbel played, something that she and Dave had requested. Lilian watched as Dave's nephew made his way down the aisle, the guests oohing and aahing at the adorable young man, who seemed to be soaking up the attention as he smiled at the guests before taking his spot in front of Dave, Hunter, Randy, Michael, John, and the priest.
Next up was Dahlia, who made her way slowly down the aisle, meeting the loving gaze of her husband for several long moments. Matthew smiled at Dahlia, his heart fluttering as he looked at his wife in the soft pink bridesmaid dresses that the ladies had agreed on after a month of debate.
Stephanie walked down the aisle behind Dahlia, a wide smile on her face as she made her way through the guests. She saw many of her colleagues looking at her, shocked, for they were not used to seeing the youngest McMahon in a dress; they were accustomed to her traditional trendy business suits. She nearly laughed at this, bringing her eyes up to meet those of Hunter, who winked at her from his spot next to Dave.
Lita was next, walking down the aisle, keeping her attention on the aisle in front of her. As much as she hated to admit it, weddings scared her. She was fine walking down the aisle as thousands of screaming fans called her name, but to the tune of one of the most beautiful violin pieces in the world, she felt nervous. So, instead of scanning the group to meet the gazes of her friends, she merely kept her eyes on the front of the church, walking up the steps to take her place next to Stephanie and Dahlia.
Trish all but skipped down the aisle, her head held high as she looked through the crowd, sharing a special smile with Ivory, a woman who Lilian and Trish was pretty good friends with. After she turned her attention back to the front of the church, she met the gaze of Randy Orton. The young superstar was watching her intensely, the look on his face one of pure desire. However, she merely blushed a little, continuing down the aisle until she was standing behind Lita.
"Go ahead, sweetheart," Lilian said gently to Dave's niece Kayla once Trish look her spot.
"No," Kayla pouted, the shy five year old crossing her arms. "Don't wanna."
Lilian nearly smacked her forehead when his niece did that. That hadn't happened at rehearsal two nights ago. "Sweetie," Lilian said sweetly, trying to keep the annoyed tone out of her voice, kneeling down to meet the eyes on the young girl. "Remember what your Daddy said about all the cookies you can eat at the reception?"
That was all it took for Kayla to turn and walk down the aisle, sprinkling white lily petals with every step. The cameras appeared to be flashing more than before as the young girl walked down the aisle, smiling in a silly manner at everyone, the frequent "Aw!" escaping the voices of the guests.
"Well, that's one disaster averted," Lilian said to Ric, walking with him to the doors as the wedding march began playing, the guests standing and turning as they tried to get a glimpse of Lilian walking down the aisle. However, she was oblivious to all this as she and Ric began walking down the aisle, leading her to Dave.
Dave stared at Lilian, his heart skipping a beat as he watched Lilian walk down the aisle. God. She looked gorgeous. Gorgeous wasn't even that strong of a word, Dave realized, looking at his soon to be wife. He knew she would choose a simple dress, and this one just looked ravishing on her as she walked down the aisle, seemingly gliding with perfect grace, keeping a gentle grip on her flower bouquet as Ric kept a hand on her arm. She didn't even look nervous.
Until she looked into his eyes.
The two locked eyes, the little blonde not faltering as she made her way down the aisle. Still, Dave could tell that she suddenly changed her demeanor, now looking not as calm and collected as before; rather, as if she couldn't wait to make it to the alter to marry him. They kept eye contact for a few more seconds before they broke the gaze at the same time, Dave taking a deep breath to marvel in how beautiful she looked and Lilian to smile at Vince, Linda, and Shane McMahon, who were looking at their two employees with pride in their eyes.
Finally, Lilian and Ric made it to the base of the steps, Ric helping Lilian up the steps so they were standing in front of the priest, Ric keeping a light grip on Lilian's hand as the priest officiating the service smiled at the two.
"Who gives this woman away to this man?" the priest asked, his hands held out in front of him.
"I do," Ric said, his voice loud and clear as he proudly looked between Lilian and Dave, a lump suddenly forming in his throat as he looked between two people he considered to be like his own children. Swallowing, Ric turned to Lilian, lifting her veil up and over her hair, kissing her lightly on the cheek.
"Thank you," she whispered before turning back to Dave, smiling nervously.
Ric nodded, taking Dave's hands in his, giving Dave's hands a squeeze before enjoining them with Lilian's hands, the little blonde stepping next to Dave, smiling up at him as Dahlia took her flowers for the brief ceremony.
"Before Lilian and Dave exchange their wedding vows, they asked that a passage from the first book of Corinthians be read aloud," the priest said, looking among the guests as he turned to his Bible.
"Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and endurance. In a word, there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of them all is love."
The priest allowed the words to sink in for a few long moments, then nodded at Dave, signifying that it was now okay for him to say his wedding vows.
"I, David, take you Lilian to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live until death do us part," he told Lilian, his voice never once wavering.
"David, do you take Lilian to be your wife, to have and to hold, from this moment forward?" the priest asked.
"I do," Dave said, his voice soft yet strong.
"I, Lilian, take you, David, to be my husband, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally," Lilian said, her voice finally cracking slightly as she finished her vows, "To support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."
"Lilian, do you take David to be your husband, to have and to hold, from this moment forward?" the priest asked.
"I do," Lilian said, a tear trailing down her cheek.
The priest turned to Hunter. "May I have the rings?" he asked quietly, Hunter handing him the rings carefully. He looked among the guests before saying, "The ring is a circle. It has no end, much like the love that David and Lilian share." He turned back to Dave and said, "David, take this ring and place it on Lilian's finger and repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands."
"With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands," Dave repeated, his eyes never leaving Lilian's as he slipped the ring on her finger.
"Lilian, take this ring and place it on David's finger, and repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands."
"With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands," Lilian said softly, sliding the ring carefully on Dave's finger, her long fingers gently caressing his hand as she smiled up at him, another tear slipping down her cheeks.
"You so owe me a shot," Lita said softly to Trish, the blonde glaring at her friend slightly as Dave and Lilian turned and faced the audience.
"Ladies and gentleman, please allow me to introduce Mr. and Mrs. David Batista," the priest stated, stepping back for a few moments.
Everyone in the audience clapped as Dave and Lilian smiled among the crowd. Lilian laughed when Ivory and Victoria stood, clapping for the two, sending a ripple affect among the onlookers who gave them a standing ovation. After a few moments of clapping, the noise finally settled down as Lilian and Dave turned back to the priest.
"Congratulations," the priest said warmly, smiling at the couple. "By the power invested in me, I proudly claim you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
Dave grinned down at Lilian, wrapping his arms around her as his lips met hers in a gentle kiss, their first as husband and wife. They were barely aware of the cheers and clapping as they broke apart.
"I love you so much," Dave said softly, kissing her again. "I love you too," Lilian replied as the wedding march began playing. Dahlia handed her back her flowers, and the married couple made their way proudly down the aisle.
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End Part 3.2