Love by Love - 23
Three days before their big day, Reba was a bit nervous. Sure she was excited about the wedding, but part of her was afraid of the feeling of being confined; like the way she did before. Reba tried on the dress one last time to make sure everything was right. Cheyenne and Kyra were lying on her bed looking at her in her white wedding dress.
"You look so beautiful." The older girl complimented. "I want to wear your dress when I get married."
"It'd be my honor if you do." She smiled at her soon to be stepdaughter.
"I'll go get daddy to come and see!" Kyra jumped off the bed running to the door. Reba had to stop her and explained to her that the groom was not supposed to see the wedding dress until the wedding day. Someone knocked on the door. Reba hid in her bathroom just in case it was Brock. In came Barbra Jean.
"You're trying on the dress?"
"Yes, just one last check to see if anything need to be altered." Reba stated looking at her back via the mirror.
"Are you excited?" Barbra Jean sat on Reba's bed. She had to admit that deep down inside, she still loved Brock. However, she knew she wasn't exactly his type. She also had to admit that she envied Reba, who would get married in less than three days with a man that loved her from the bottom of his heart. Reba loved him too, but Barbra Jean would only marry someone that knocked her up. She could see in his eyes that he regretted his decision, but nothing they could do now.
"Of course I'm excited. This Friday, we'll be husband and wife. I still can't believe this is real."
"This Friday? Oh good, I thought it was Saturday."
"No, it's Friday. Why? You have plans on Saturday?" Reba puzzled.
"Yes, I'm going to Blake's daughter's wedding."
"Pardon me?" Reba had a confused look on her face. Barbra Jean explained to her that his seventeen year-old daughter was getting married this Saturday. She too was pregnant. Reba brought both hands to her chest listening to the story. She really felt bad for the woman; her husband's leaving her, and her teenage daughter was pregnant.
"And she invited you to her daughter's wedding?"
"No… But I think I should go. I'm going to be part of the family too." Barbra Jean determined. Reba just silently shook her head. What a dysfunctional family.
Reba's parents arrived on Thursday. Lori-Ann too arrived in the same day. She congratulated Brock for finally getting what he always longed for. She also gave Reba her blessing and told her that Brock and her might not be a perfect couple, but there were times that they had shared memories. She ensured that Brock would be a great husband to Reba.
JV and Helene got to know Brock for the first time. Helene bluntly asked if Reba was 'with child'. Reba rolled her eyes and said 'not yet'. JV and Brock hit off like long lost father and son. Brock's parent came to the wedding too. Liz and Lori-Ann exchanged snappy remarks. Apparently they didn't get along.
Brock was allowed some alone time with Reba in the evening. After midnight, they weren't allowed to see each other until the wedding. They were sitting in the backyard chatting.
"I hope you're not running off to kiss someone else tonight," quipped Reba nervously.
"It was one time only and you aren't gonna let me live that down?" Chuckling, he continued. "If I would kiss someone tonight, it'd be you. And I won't kiss anyone else but you." With that, he brought her into a passionate kiss. Still counting the hours, Brock told himself that tonight would be the last night of cold showers. Tomorrow, they would spend their wedding night at a five star hotel that Brock had reserved the beautiful honeymoon suite. Then they would go on their little humble honeymoon in Galveston. Brock figured he probably wouldn't let them leave the room much anyway, so he'd rather pay for beautiful honeymoon suite then a flight to some foreign land that they might not get to explore. But he promised he would take her to Italy someday.
Lori-Ann came to get Reba back in the house when it was close to midnight. Brock collected one last kiss from his fiancée and tomorrow he would be kissing his wife. He sighed in pleasure.
Reba was getting ready in one of the rooms in the church in her white wedding dress. Still feeling a bit nervous. Was it too fast? Should she get to know Brock a little more before they tied the knot? She felt butterflies in her stomach. When she married Terry, she didn't feel this way. She felt like it was a commitment, a decision she made and she stood by it. Everything was the way it should be. She didn't feel as emotional as today. She sat in front of the mirror thinking about her late husband. They did have great five years together. She told him she still loved him no matter what. Suddenly, she felt a warm sensation rush through her veins. She took that as his blessing. Terry gave her his blessing and she didn't feel nervous anymore.
When she walked down the aisle on her father's arm, she saw him beaming at the alter. They smiled across the room at each other. She knew this was right. It wasn't too soon. She wasn't about to make a life long commitment, but she was about to follow what her heart desired. At the end of this aisle her groom awaited, and they would take every step of their life together.
"Brock, today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you, and to always hold you in highest regard. I take you to be my lifetime partner, secure in the knowledge that you will be my true friend, and my one true love." Reba spoke her vows with a little tremble in her voice. She swallowed a lump in her throat that formed from being so overwhelmed.
Tears escaped her eyes when Brock said his vows.
"Reba, long ago you were just a dream and a prayer. And you're here this day answering my prayer, making my dream comes true. Thank you for being what you are to me. I promise to wipe away your tears with my laughter, and your pain with my caring and my compassion. I will care for you, honor and protect you. I lay down my life for you, my friend and my love. I give myself to you completely, and I promise to love you always, from this day forth for as long as I shall live."
"I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Brock quietly mumbled 'I love you' against Reba's lips. She whispered, 'I love you, too.' and they held each other tight as the guests stood up and applauded. He walked her down the aisle with a huge grin. Reba still had some teardrops in her eyes, but Barbra Jean was crying like a fountain. It was her hormones that drove her in tears.
In the end, when Reba threw her bouquet of flowers. Barbra Jean was hoping to catch it, but Lori-Ann, despite was being shorter, was quicker. She jumped and caught it mid air.
"You're already married! Twice!" Cried Barbra Jean when she missed it.
"I'm single now, and I'm sure the next man I marry would finally be the right one." Lori-Ann admired the flowers, ignoring Barbra Jean's weeping. Brock was still counting the hours in anticipation, and he couldn't wipe the stupid grin off his face when the reception was finally over. Reba stopped and talked to Kyra to behave when she was away. She was glad that her mother would be staying at Reba's house when they were on their honeymoon. Brock gave his daughter and stepdaughter a hug and a kiss and promised them that when they came back from honeymoon, they would go on a family trip for a weekend to make it up to them. Finally the newlyweds left in a white limo to begin their honeymoon.
Brock checked them into the honeymoon suite of a five star hotel. Reba gasped when she stepped in the room and saw a luxurious king bed with an elegant white linen sheets. On the bed was petals of roses sprinkled to form a giant heart. The bright red color of roses contrasting with the white linen almost brought Reba into tears. This was how she once described to Brock the environment that she wanted their first time to happen.
"I hope you like the room."
"I love it. Very beautiful," commented Reba astonishingly.
At the corner of the beautiful room, Reba spotted an elegant limestone heart shape hot tub with a detachable shower-head. Brock let her inspect the room. He stared at his beautiful bride who slowly sat down at the edge of the tub with a lustful smile spread across his face. He made his way to his wife and brought her into a kiss with fiery passion that build up all these years. They exhaled deeply when they finally broke the kiss. Reba just noticed that Brock had already unzipped the back of her dress when they were kissing.
"So..." He smiled mischievously. "You want to try out the hot tub before we try out the bed?"