Chapter Fifty Two

We married in the same church that I'd married Ace in. It was the same place we held his funeral and my Mom's funeral, and it was as if we had both agreed without discussion this was where it would happen. The church was our hometown church. We were hometown kids. It just felt right.

I bought a dress- lacy but understated, no full skirt but falling respectfully below my knee. I'd found it in a thrift store but when Fran was done altering it, I felt like it was the perfect look.

This time, there was no knot in my stomach. This time I wasn't trembling as I slipped into my shoes. This time I was marrying the man of my dreams.

"You look damn more excited this time round,"Fran said, as she helped to place my veil in my hair.

"I was pregnant," I told her. "I wanted to puke every 30 seconds."

"I'm not sure it was the kiddo that was making you want to puke", Fran said, finally stepping away and fluffing out my veil behind my shoulders.

"Don't," I told her gently. "He was good to me."

"Not good enough, Nina, and I don't mean to upset you at such a happy time but I don't know how I didn't rugby tackle you down the aisle that day."

"What do you know? Me too." Gordie was standing in the doorway with Mikey who looked adorable in his suit.

"Well, look at you, you handsome boy!" Fran gushed.

Gordie brushed his suit down and sighed.

"I'm a taken man, Fran, but feel free to gaze longingly my way." Gordie winked audaciously.

"You wouldn't know what to do with me, pip squeak," Fran retorted.

I chuckled at Gordie's awkward smile. I didn't think there was a male on earth that Fran couldn't put in their place.

"So whats the deal?" Fran demanded. "Have you decided?"

"We did rock paper scissors, winner gives Mama away. I won!" Mikey said triumphantly. I opened my arms and he rushed towards me, hugging me tight,

"So Chris got his way after all," Gordie said. "Which is a damn shame, because I've been trying to give you away for years,"

I stuck my tongue out at him while Fran waved Gordie away dismissively. "Hey Best Man, your man's out there, so scram"

Gordie winked at me just as he stepped away from the door.

"You scrub up pretty good, Willis"

"Out!" was Fran's last warning.

The church was almost empty and I was glad of that. The congregation consisted of Sarah, Mr and Mrs Chambers, Becky, Joey ,Lily, Vern, Teddy and I had also invited Mr and

Mrs Lachance who had always welcomed Mikey as a grandson and Tim, the Blue Diner chef who looked mighty smart in a tweed suit. I always found it hard to picture him

without his chef hat on. Mr Chambers seemed to be glowering at us. I knew I'd pretty much sealed his dislike of me for all time, but Chris' reassuring words rang in my ears.

We were family and if he didn't approve of that then so be it.

I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as the organ player began the wedding march and I remembered that last time I'd been here marrying Ace. His red eyed wolfish grin

as I stepped out into the centre aisle. Gordie's mournful expression when we locked eyes.

As soon as I stepped into the top of the aisle and saw Chris' face, those feelings melted away. The day I'd married Ace, I had been dreaming that it was Chris at the altar,

not Ace, and now I had gotten my dream.

I had waited so long to be with him, to be his wife, to wake up to him every day but in my mind I'd always thought of him as the one that got away, a love and a life that

could never be recaptured. And yet here we were, our son tightly clutching my hand as we walked towards him.

Chris' eyes were glistening as much as mine and I had to swallow the swell of emotion as we approached.

He was beautiful to me. When I thought about it, he'd been just as handsome as a grubby 12 year old than he was a grown man in a wedding suit. I just hadn't wanted to

admit it.

"Who brings this woman?"

"I do," Mikey piped up.

He did just as we rehearsed and took Chris' hand before joining it with mine. I leaned down so he could kiss me on the cheek and I could hear Mrs Chambers sniffling from

behind us.

"You're stunning," Chris whispered.

We said our vows and exchanged rings.

"I now pronounce you as man and wife," Father Maurice said. "You may now kiss the bride."

Chris kissed me a little passionately considering we had an audience but everybody clapped and cheered when I pulled away from him with blushing cheeks.

"Please welcome Mr and Mrs Chambers!"

We had our reception at the Blue Diner. Fran had closed for the day, something she had never done. Tim, although he had been a guest had insisted he would cook.

Mrs Chambers had gently tried to talk us out of it.

"We could use someone's back yard," she suggested kindly. "Set up a beautiful marquee. My niece had something similar."

"But the diner was where we fell in love," I had said.

"Well, I did." Chris backed me up. "She still semi hated me for a good few weeks after."

"Possibly months," I agreed. He didn't want our reception in the diner. He didn't want me to wear a thrift store dress. But he understood that this was my second wedding and

the guilt of marrying him after Ace was heavy enough for my shoulders.

Mr Chambers asked to go home after the church service. Gordie ran him back in his car before rejoining us at the diner.

"How did it go?" Chris asked on his return.

"He still hates my jokes. And me. Or maybe it's just that he hates me. Because I'm pretty sure I'm funny."

"Oh, Gordon!" Mrs Chambers flapped a napkin at him. "You know how he can be but thank you for taking him."

"Any time, " said Gordie. "Well from my end anyway. I don't think he'll be accepting a ride off me again too soon."

The juke box was our music, Tim and Fran made the food before sitting down to eat with us. There seemed nothing more fitting that sitting in a long row of tables eating

burgers and fries with milkshakes or beer and wine bought from the local liquor store.

Fran had made the cake. It was a three tiered iced vanilla sponge, nothing grand, but it tasted great. "So are you two gonna have your first dance or what?" Gordie

demanded.

Having such a low key wedding meant I wasn't expecting all the usual traditions. Sarah had taken some photos at the church and of us cutting the cake, but I was all

traditioned out. I'd had a great day but I was really tired and looking forward to snuggling up with my husband.

"I really don't feel like dancing." I shook my head but Chris brushed his hands free of bread crumbs and stood up.

"We are doing this properly. Mrs Chambers, which will include me carrying you over the threshold later."

I stared up at him as the words Mrs Chambers rang in my ears. "It's strange hearing that," Chris' Mom, the first Mrs Chambers said. "Strange but nice."

Chris pulled me to my feet.

"We only have the one song,"I told Gordie who had neared the juke box.

"What is it?"

We belong together by Richie Valens," we said in unison.

"What are you, siamese twins now?" Gordie made a gagging gesture.

We grinned at each other before making our way towards the juke box.

Gordie slotted a quarter into it before coming to sit back in his seat. Richie Valen's soulful voice echoed off the diner walls.

"You're mine, and we belong together,
yes, we belong together, for eternity…."

It was strange dancing in the middle of the diner- the place where our connection had begun, the location of so much angst and heart ache and anger. But also so much love.

He pulled me in close as the chorus started.

I remembered the first time we had danced to it, at the spring dance, in the beautiful green dress he had secretly bought me. I remembered the touch of his hands on my skin, the way his muscular arms had supported me tightly, and the giddy feeling of just being close to him.

"You know this song used to kill me?" I muttered to Chris under my breath.

"Me and you both," he chuckled."I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to marry you. Today isn't what I wanted for us but as long as I end this day your husband, I don't care."

As the song reached it's end, Mikey appeared next to me and gestured for me to bend down.

"Is it okay to call Chris Daddy now?" He whispered. His voice wasn't quiet enough for Chris not to hear and i saw my new husband gulp down a surge of emotion.

"I think if that's what you want, Chris will be very happy to hear it," I said.

Chris lifted Mikey between us as we swayed to the last of the music.

"I'm tired, Daddy," Mikey mumbled, his eyelids starting to droop. Chris rubbed his back soothingly,

"We'll go home soon, buddy".

I stepped back a little and watched Mikey put his arms around Chris' neck. I was gratified to hear the click of Sarah's camera, capturing the moment forever. We were a

family. We were a team. And the universe had brought Chris back to us.

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