Nice long chapter... couldn't find a good place to cut it. :)
It was 4:30 in the afternoon and the sun was just starting to blaze across the sky for what promised to be another gorgeous night. There were wispy clouds fanning across the sky waiting for the color wash from the setting sun. The girls had gotten to their tent about half an hour ago to get dressed. We had an hour before the wedding, and the photographer and his assistant were giving us the schedule of pictures.
We managed to get all the pictures taken in an hour save for those with both the bride and groom. We would finish those after the wedding.
Things weren't tense between Emma and me, although I had driven myself crazy the entire day fully expecting them to be so. It was weird but comfortable. We seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement to just make it through the night.
Guests began arriving around 5:30 and Graham and I began seating people. A sound system had been set up that morning, and Disney's greatest love songs were being piped across the field. At 6:00 P.M. the music faded to silence. The small crowed quieted and turned almost as one to watch the processional. Elton's music began piping through the speakers.
David and the minister started down the aisle, followed by Ruby and Graham performing as rehearsed except for Graham's shy smile and Ruby's brilliant grin. The two of them would definitely end up in bed together before the night's end. I would have bet money on it. When it was our turn, Emma walked calmly towards me, taking my arm once again.
"No tripping tonight, love," I whispered to her as we began our walk down the aisle. She jabbed me in the ribs with her rather pointy elbow, her smile never wavering. I chuckled under my breath. We managed to reach the bridge without any further ado as the music faded into Mary Margaret's bridal song, Someday My Prince Will Come.
Mary Margaret walked out from behind the tent as everyone rose in her honor. She beamed at her groom, who was doing everything he could not to laugh outright at her chosen song. The girls were stifling fits of giggles, and Graham and I could only roll our eyes at one another. Snow White had her Prince Charming at last, and she was going to milk her moment for all it was worth.
Mary Margaret literally glowed as she walked down the aisle to her favorite song in the whole world. I don't know why it didn't occur to me, or Ruby, or anyone else for that matter, that she would have chosen the love song from Snow White for this moment. I suppose we all expected her to have a little more decorum. I snorted into my flowers. Fat chance. She was a Snow White junkie if ever there was one.
She reached the front of the aisle with her Prince swooping down and taking her hand to guide her to the bridge. Their eyes never left one another. I glanced over toward Killian and caught him staring at me with stormy eyes. My breath caught in my throat as I forced myself back to the bride and her groom.
The wedding went off without a hitch, the Overture for Snow White playing for the recessional. Everyone was in the girl's tent, waiting for the crowd to disperse to the reception so we could finish up the few pictures we had left. Champagne glasses were passed around by the wedding coordinator as we all toasted Mary Margaret and David, who couldn't stop kissing.
Killian snuck up behind me, his hand gently touching the small of my back. "You look beautiful this evening, Swan," he said softly into my ear. I turned to face him and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.
"You don't look so bad yourself, Jones," I said, my voice airy and calm. In fact, he looked downright sinful. The tuxedo hugged every well-muscled inch of him in all the right places. He gave me his devilish grin.
Leaning forward, he whispered against my ear, "If you need help getting out of that lovely dress later, I would be more than pleased to assist." His eyes, when he pulled back to look at me, were filled with longing and something that looked sad.
I gave him a quelling look, hoping to avoid what was certain to be a tangled situation. Fortunately, the wedding coordinator broke in, announcing that the crowd had dispersed, and we could finish the pictures. Apparently, during the wedding, the photographer had decided he wanted some additional pictures of the bridal party in our "pairs." Ruby and Graham were practically glued to one another in theirs. It was almost obscene, especially when Mary Margaret and David started whooping at them. They ended up lip-locked after that.
I groaned, knowing that after the night before, everyone would expect Killian and I to be equally amorous. Killian had apparently snuck up behind me and heard my displeasure.
"Not to worry, love. I prefer to keep our more passionate activities a bit more private and have no intention of providing photographic fodder for the masses." He placed his hand on my back, guiding me to the foot of the bridge for our own, personal photoshoot. "Relax," he instructed. "I've got you, Swan."
I leaned into him, and he pressed a kiss against the side of my head. The flashbulb went off. He slipped his arms around my waist and looked towards the camera. My smile was hesitant at first, but the warmth of his body slowly loosened me up. I suppose the champagne from a few moments before helped a little.
"Come on guys. You can do better than that," Ruby called out to us. I brought an arm up to link around Killian's neck, suddenly feeling a little more daring. I could feel him stiffen against me. I looked up at his face as he looked down. His arms tightened around me as he pressed his lips to my temple. The flash went off over and over. I started to shake.
"Ok, it's our turn now," Mary Margaret cried out. There were poses of the two of them, poses with the girls, poses with the boys, and poses with all of us. It seemed to be over quickly, but I think it was more my mind playing tricks on me. I was leaving the next day and didn't want the night to end.
We all walked over to the large tent that had been set up for the reception. We could hear the DJ announcing our impending arrival over the speakers. Ruby and Graham went first, followed by Killian and me. There was scattered applause as we entered the tent. When the DJ introduced Mr. and Mrs. Nolan, everyone went wild.
The requisite dances were all finished, the bouquet had been thrown, the garter tossed, the cake smashed into grinning faces. The evening was fast grinding into an all-night party as the alcohol flowed. It was time for the bridge and groom to leave, and the guests all lined up to form a path towards the bridal cottage. Bird seed and bubbles went flying as the two lovebirds trotted down the lane to their wedding night.
The guests started dwindling fairly quickly after the bride and groom left. The wedding party and a few other close friends remained, dancing and drinking. Killian walked up to me as I stood at the bar awaiting yet another drink.
"Dance with me, Swan?"
"I did dance with you," I said to him, fear pooling in my stomach, knowing we both wanted more than a dance.
"One dance, before you go, please?" He held out his hand, hope and uncertainty swirling across his face.
I took my drink from the bartender and took a large swig before nodding and taking his hand. The DJ had drifted into playing slower songs as the night had wound down. Killian walked us toward the dance floor, confiscating my glass and putting it on a table. The song changed to one I hadn't heard in a long time as he wrapped an arm around me, pressing my hand to his chest. Howie Day's "Collide" echoed through the tent as he held me tight, swaying to the music. I heard him softly singing the words as he held me.
She pressed her face against my neck, and I could feel her deep breaths against my skin. Her hair smelled like coconut and ginger, and it was all I could do not to drag her off the dance floor. The words to the song fit us to a "T," and I sang softly to her as I pulled her tighter, fully expecting her to pull away, but she melted into my body. The heat between us was palpable. Her nose nuzzled at my neck, her teeth captured my earlobe.
"I'm leaving tomorrow, Killian," she said, not pulling away. "I need to go before this ends up being yet another mess we both have to live with. I know I'm taking the coward route, but…"
I pressed another kiss to her face, shushing her. I let go of her waist, keeping her hand to pull her with me back to the cottage. "Killian…" She said, trying to pull at me, to stop me. I stopped short, hauling her against me with one hand as the other threaded through her hair, pins flying loose as I crushed her to me. My mouth went down on hers painfully. When I felt I had made my point, I pulled back a little.
"If this is the last night I get, I don't intend to waste it, Swan. If you don't want me, if you want to run, you need to go. Now." I released her, and she stumbled in the grass. I wanted nothing more than to reach out to her, to steady her, to drag her back to the cottage, to my bed. Her chest was heaving from our kiss. She took a step away from me, fear etched on her face in the moonlight.
"Killian…" Her voice was ragged and felt like a knife as it sliced through the air. She closed her eyes and, drawing in a deep breath, she held her hand out to me. My fingers gently grasped her hand, and turning it over, I pressed a gentle kiss into her palm. Winding my fingers through hers, I pulled her gently through the garden to the waiting bed. I got to help her out of her dress after all.
Someone was laughing in the kitchen, and it broke through my hazy brain, waking me from a deep sleep. As I rolled over to pull Emma back into my arms, I realized she was gone, the sheets not even slightly warm. There was, however, an envelope on the pillow:
Killian,
I'm sorry, but I had to go. My flight leaves at noon, and I can't miss it. I know you think you love me, and maybe you do. I don't know. I do know that I need some time, some space, to figure things out. I care about you more than anyone, and I'll miss you more than you could ever imagine.
Be happy, Killian. Don't wait for me. Just, please, be happy…
- Emma
I looked at the clock; it was after noon. I'd missed her. She was gone, and that was pretty much the end of that.