Chapter 5
Rachel nervously paced back and forth around the room. A light tapping distracted her for a second as Quinn, Santana, Brittany and Tina made their way inside.
She looked up at her friends, "I can't do this."
Santana rolled her eyes as she took a seat. Brittany held on tightly to her daughter as she sat down on the bed. Quinn and Tina walked over to Rachel, "Whats wrong? Why is Rachel Berry soon to be Mrs. Rachel Hudson getting cold feet?"
Tina ran to the bathroom and grabbed a glass of water for her, "Here drink this."
Rachel took a deep breath as she sipped the cool water. "I don't know. I've never felt this way before. What if something goes wrong? What if its too soon? What if we're not ready for this?"
Quinn sighed as she rubbed her back. Santana stood up making her way over to her, "Alright Berry, look at me." Rachel stopped sipping her water and looked right up at her, a little scared this was like the old Santana.
"You and Finn are meant to be, got it. I'm actually surprised you guys even waited this long... I guess what I'm trying to say here Rachel is that, you have no reason to be nervous okay. Its a beautiful day, everything looks... magical. You look stunning and the best part is that you have a very handsome man out there desperate to make you his wife. Now take a deep breath and lets do this."
Rachel smiled and inhaled. She nodded and looked over at Quinn who smiled.
The girls formed a mini circle around her as they all hugged, "I love you guys. I'm ready."
The music began to play as the crowd turned to face Quinn. As the Maid of Honor, she made her way down the aisle.
Rachel stood with her eyes tightly shut as her dad's came around, linking an arm with her on either side, "Are you ready baby girl?"
"This is it? This is the day we say goodbye."
Rachel clenched her eyes tightly shut, "Just please don't let me fall."
They both smiled, "Never." The music began to fade as a new tune filled the air.
She waited for her cue. "Its time Rachel, open your eyes."
She took a deep breath and as she slowly opened them... everyone disappeared. She looked down the aisle and saw him waiting for her. The look in his face was the reassurance she needed and with that she took her first step.
Finn inhaled deeply as he looked around at all of the people coming into the church. Puck elbowed him, "Relax."
"Yeah I'm fine. I'm good." Just then the music began to play as he watched Quinn make her way down the aisle. He smiled as Puck elbowed him, "Hey man, that one's mine."
Finn laughed as he began to take quick deep breaths once more. Why was he freaking out, sure this was going to be one of the biggest days of his life, but its what he wanted and nothing else mattered. Just then, the sound of people rising to their feet caught his attention as he looked directly towards the back of the church. There she stood. The girl of his dreams. The girl he was ready to spend the rest of his life with. The most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. And at that moment, he was fine. Not a jitter or worry in his bones.
She slowly made her way up to the alter smiling when she saw Finn stick his hand out to her. Her fathers each gave her a kiss and handed their baby girl over to Finn.
"Rachel, when I met you I thought I knew where my life was headed. Who I was and who I wanted to be. I had nothing else to compare it to, then you not only walked your way into my life you sang your way and everything changed. From that moment on, even if we were in High School, I realized how empty my world really was without you in it, and my whole life was no longer capable of making me happy... not without you. I love everything about you, Rachel. I love the way you challenge me like no one ever has. I love the way you look at me like no one ever has, and I love the way you love me like no one ever has. I can't imagine spending my life without you, and if you say "yes" to me in a few minutes, I won't have to... You look beautiful by the way."
Rachel chuckled a little as she held back the tear forming in her eyes.
"Finn before I met you, my world revolved around one thing... me. And I liked it that way, but then I met you and you believed in me, and you made me a better person. You saw me. You've taught me to trust, how to let someone in, and what it truly means to fall in love. I can't possibly describe how much I love you, so I'll tell you why I love you. You see the world in a way that no one else does. You see people for the good in their heart, and you appreciate everything, including me. There's no one in the world like you, and if you say "yes", I'll get to spend the rest of my life trying to see the world through your eyes, appreciating everything including you... the most loving, wonderful, and terribly handsome man I have ever met."
"Finn and Rachel, you came here today to exchange these vows... Finn do you take Rachel to be thy wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer for poorer in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Finn looked at Rachel as the words came out of his mouth, he'd never been so sure about anything than he was about them right there in that moment.
"Rachel do you take this man to be thy wedded husband to have and to hold from this day forward for better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health so long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Rachel had never seen the smile that Finn was giving her now as she said those two simple words.
"The rings please?"
Finn took the ring and gently slid it on to her tiny finger, "Rachel, this ring symbolizes my desire for you to be my wife, from this day forward."
"Finn, this ring symbolized my desire, for you to be my husband from this day forward." She looked into those dark brown eyes and for a moment she felt like she was in High School once more as she completely fell in love with him all over again.
"By the power vested in me, and the state of Ohio, I now pronounce you man and wife."
He looked up at her and he'd never been more proud of either of them, "Can I kiss my wife now?"
Rachel chuckled a bit, "You better."
Applause filled the room as Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel and kissed his new bride.
Everyone was waiting anxiously at the reception.
Quinn looked over at Puck, "Why do the bride and groom always make you wait so long?"
Puck grabbed his wife, and held her close, "They'll be here babe."
Just then the music stopped as the Kurt spoke into the microphone, "Can I please have everyone direct their attention to the dance floor as we introduce for the first time ever as a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Finn Hudson."
Rachel grabbed tightly on to Finn's hand, "That's us."
He looked down at her, "After you, Mrs. Hudson."
They walked together, making their way towards the dance floor as everyone cheered them on, a familiar tune began to play, they both smiled and looked over at Kurt as Faithfully began to play. Finn leaned down and kissed her once, before grabbing her arms and gently swaying her across the dance floor. "We did it babe."
Rachel looked up at Finn and placed a hand on his cheek, "I love you Finn Hudson."
"And I love you, Rachel Hudson."
Rachel rolled over in the bed careful not to wake Lexi who was tightly snuggled next to her. She thought back to that beautiful day. The day when her life changed forever. The day she knew that Finn having a family of her own, it was more important than any Broadway play, and that the two of them together starting their lives, that was her new dream. And then she thought about what her life had become in the last few months. What she had done to her family. What she had done to herself. She'd never been broken in such a way. What the accident did to her, the way she reacted, it wasn't normal was it? She asked herself this a few times, wondering why. She never found an answer, and it made her realize the amount of pain and anguish she had thrown on to the people she loved the most. And with that she began to hurt in a different way, she was hurting for the people who were right there beside her, the ones who had yet to let her go, the ones who had hope. And through the sadness and emptiness, she knew it in her heart that she wasn't gonna be okay tomorrow, but fixing this, fixing the pain that she put on Lexi and Finn, the idea of the fact that she hurt them, well that her more than anything, and she was going to fix it. For the first time since the accident she let her life have hope and meaning again.
Finn sat at the foot of the stairs. He looked around at all of the changes that had been made to the house since he'd been gone, and the things that were exactly the same. He closed his eyes dropping his head into the palms of his hands, what was he doing? How could he have left her saying those awful things and not gone back yet. It took all he had to not jump up right then and there and go. He loved her so much and it was killing him everyday that she was forgetting. He would go back, most likely tomorrow, but tonight, he needed to collect everything. The thoughts running widly through his mind, the heart ache, the physical exhaustion that had been building up for months now in being a single parent. He didn't mean it. He would never leave his girl. But that wasn't his girl, he hardly recognized her, he needed his Rachel. It was his Rachel he made a promise to when he slipped a tiny silver band onto her finger symbolizing his desire for her to be his. He just needed to find her again.
