Author's note: This is it! Get those tissues ready!

I'll be writing the epilogue tomorrow. Marathon day of writing, guys, about 6,000 words.

Again, thank you for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing. Please look for my one shots in this little world I've made.

Happy reading!

Chapter Thirty-Four

Jill worked on my hair as Carly applied my makeup. Zoe and Mom helped when they could, but they mostly sat back and watched.

Rose and Eddie were in and out of the room to check our progress. The former wore a black and white dress similar to the one she'd worn at the Christmas party last year. The latter was in a tux, his tie askew. Jill fixed it.

"Tell Adrian that I'm almost done in here. I'll be in to check him and then we'll start some of the pictures to get them out of the way. I'll need your help to keep the bride and groom separated until the ceremony."

"No problem, babe. I got this." He leaned in to kiss her.

She held up her hand. "Lipstick." She tapped her cheek.

He groaned and kissed her cheek. "I'll let him know how beautiful you all look." He left the room.

"Okay, let's get you into your dress and we'll do the last of the work." Jill said as she walked over.

When I was deemed perfect by my dresser, Mom walked over and picked up my arm. "This is your something old." She clasped a diamond bracelet around my wrist. "Your grandmother gave this to me on my wedding day. She wore it on hers as did her mother and grandmother." She kissed my cheek.

"I have the something new." Jill handed me a pair of diamond drop earrings. "Your mom and Adrian both helped me pick them out." She helped me put them in and then hugged me.

"The something borrowed is the clip in your hair." Zoe said. "It's my favorite and I asked Jill to use it."

I pulled my little sister close and kissed her cheek. "Thank you." I whispered.

"And now for something blue." Carly said. She took out a bit of fabric from the garment bag. "Garter belt. Let's hike up that dress."

I laughed and sat down to slip the band around my leg just past my knee. I stood again and hugged each of them. "Thank you all so much. You have no idea what this means to me."

"We want your day to be special." Mom said. "If you need anything else, let us handle it. Sit back and relax and know that this is going to be one of the best days in your life. No stress today, okay, baby?"

"None." I hugged her again.

"Okay. I'm going to go get the photographer. Carly and Zoe know where I want your first shots taken, so they will bring you there. I have all the guardians on the lookout. If they start to act oddly and gather a little closer, it's because Adrian is around. I've tried to help choreograph these first photos so you and he don't see each other. I want that moment when the doors open in the back to be magical. I expect a lot of tears." She smiled and left the room.

Carly looked out the door and then opened it and led me outside. For the next hour, I was photographed from several spots around the church in the late afternoon sun. As the first guests started to arrive, I was brought back inside to the bride's room.

I paced uneasily as I heard the sounds of the chapel filling with our guests. Adrian hadn't been able to get his mother to attend after all. He was torn up about it for a while, but we planned on sending her a copy of the ceremony so she could see it at least.

There was a knock on the door. I thought it would be someone telling me we were about to start, but when Carly opened the door, it was Abe Mazur. He was dressed in his signature bright colors.

"Wow, you are stunning, Miss Sage." He said as he looked me over.

"I'm not Miss Sage for much longer."

"No, definitely not." He looked over his shoulder at my sisters mother and then back at me. "Might I have a private word?"

"We'll step outside." Carly said.

As soon as the door was closed, Abe looked at me critically. "I know this is a big day, but I wanted to ask a tough question."

"All right."

"Is your father here?"

I smiled ruefully at him. "What do you think, Mr. Mazur?"

"I didn't figure he'd put aside his prejudice to see you get married."

"No. He almost wouldn't let Zoe come. She convinced him."

He smiled, "I'm glad. But perhaps he should have come to see we all made it in here without incident."

I laughed. "Maybe he should have."

"I have another question and I don't want you to feel obligated."

"What is it?"

"I would be honored…That is to say…May I escort you down the aisle, Sydney?"

I smiled. "That's very kind of you. But Rose is your daughter. One day she may decide to marry Dimitri and I don't want to steal her thunder."

"That's considerate. Though it may take a while for that. Rose is very much her mother. I can barely even get Janine alone half the time."

I chuckled. "Thank you again. My mother is going to give me away, but I'll walk alone."

He took my hands and kissed them. "Don't let a day go by without reminding him that you love him. And don't let him get away with it either. It took me eighteen years to realize that. Now I feel like I have to work even harder."

"I'll remember that." I wrapped my arms around him, surprising both of us. "Thank you for all your help over the years, even if most of it was illegal."

He laughed and patted my back. "Don't hesitate to ask ever again."

Carly stuck her head in the door. "Rose just came by to say they're ready to start."

"Okay." I looked up at Abe. "You should go find your seat. That'll give the attention you always crave."

He laughed and walked out of the room.

I picked up the bouquet of emerald and amber roses that perfectly matched the dresses my sisters and Jill wore. I walked out the door behind my sisters. I held back as they walked through the doors with a few paces between them. The two men holding the doors opened them wide.

And then the music changed. I looked up and saw Adrian standing at the front of the church. My breath caught and I paused as he stared me down. I saw him swallow. And then he took in a breath that was visibly shaky. Was he about to cry? I could already feel tears in my own throat.

I made myself walk as slowly as possible. I wanted to just run for all I was worth into his arms. But that wasn't how we had practiced. And that wasn't what they were expecting. I kept my eyes locked with Adrian's.

My mother met me at the front pew and walked the last few feet with me. She helped me up the stairs. I handed my bouquet to Carly. And then I was face-to-face with my groom. I reached up and wiped away a tear with my thumb.

"You're so beautiful." He said in a hoarse whisper. He wiped at my cheeks and chuckled.

"So are you." I sniffed. This was it.

The preacher started the ceremony.

"I, Sydney, take you, Adrian, to be my lawfully wedded husband…"

The words blended together. His words and mine became one as we pledged to love and support each other through everything.

And then came the exchange of rings.

Adrian slipped the ring on my hand and repeated, "I give you this ring, as I give you myself, with love and affection. Wear it in peace always." He kissed the ring and mumbled, "Unless you're in the shop."

I chuckled and then repeated the same words.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The preacher said. "You may now share your first kiss."

Adrian placed his hands gently on my face. "I love you. So much."

I put my hands on his waist. "I love you, too."

He kissed me softly, his arms coming around my back. And then he dipped me low, deepening the kiss just a little. I smiled against his lips as he brought me up and the room erupted in applause. I kissed him once more.

We turned to our guests and Adrian lifted our joined hands into the air. I felt myself laughing. Someone gave a shrill whistle and I suspected it was Rose.

I took my bouquet back from Carly. Adrian kissed my hand and led me up the aisle as the cheers seemed to grow louder. The smile on my face hurt. I had never been so happy.

As we made our way out the doors, Adrian stopped me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He lifted me up and spun me around. "We're married, Sydney!" He exclaimed.

I laughed. "We are!" I leaned down and kissed him again. "You are so wonderful."

"You're not so bad yourself." We shared another kiss as the guests started streaming out around us. He put me on my feet, but didn't break the kiss.

"We have to go pose for pictures now." I said against his lips.

"They can just take pictures of us right now." He kissed me again.

"I agree." I slipped my fingers up into his hair and pulled his mouth back to mine again.

"Hey, don't mess up his hair yet." Jill admonished, slapping at my hands. "I know you guys are excited, but can we please stay on schedule?"

"What was all that business about relaxing?" I asked. I wrapped my arms around Adrian's waist and rested my head on his shoulder.

He gently rubbed my back. "Yeah, you said the same thing to me, Jailbait."

"We need pictures of the wedding party together. Eddie has already tried to kiss me three times. I need my lipstick to stay just another hour. And yours needs to be touched up." She pulled a tube out of her purse.

"Wait." I gave Adrian a lingering kiss and then turned to the young woman. "Okay, let's get this over with."

Adrian and I kept sneaking kisses throughout the photo shoot. I'm sure each and every one was captured by the photographer. And any that he didn't get were snapped by someone's phone.

Adrian and I were posing for a photo with my mom when an imposing male figure walked over.

"Dad?" Adrian was just as shocked as I was.

"I'm sorry I missed the ceremony. I debated for a long time whether or not you wanted me there."

"We did." My husband (husband!) said.

"Well, again, I'm sorry. I still don't fully approve. But you've been good for my son. And I want to apologize." He held out his hand to me. "You're now my daughter-in-law and I will try to be better for my son's sake."

I shook his hand. "Thank you, Lord Ivashkov."

He forced a smile.

"We were about to take a picture, Dad. This is Sydney's mom Deborah. Would you like to join us?"

"All right." He stood on the other side of Adrian and rested a hand on his shoulder. He didn't smile.

When we were finally free of the posing, we walked into the fellowship hall behind the church. We had so many kind well-wishers. There were a few where were only slightly warmer than Nathan, but most seemed to approve of our marriage whole-heartedly.

Rose and Dimitri came over. Rose hugged me tightly and whispered, "Congratulations."

Dimitri leaned down and kissed my cheek, but said nothing.

Adrian pulled Rose into a hug and I heard him whisper, "Thank you for breaking my heart."

She whispered back, "Thank you for holding onto mine when I needed it most." She kissed his cheek and then stepped back. "If you hurt her, you'll have me to answer to." She warned.

"You're not the only one. Have you met my new sisters-in-law?" He chuckled.

I kissed his hand and started playing with his ring.

He looked at me and smiled. He pressed a kiss to my temple.

For the rest of the evening, when anyone came up, he said, "Have you met my wife, Sydney?"

We stole kisses and a few quiet moments in the crowd where we simply smiled at each other. We danced to the Cole Porter song and everyone looked on, transfixed. After a few dances, it was time to cut the cake.

"You better not shove that in my face." I warned.

He smirked. "Don't you trust me?"

"Not with this."

He held up his fork. "Open up, honey."

After being fed in a very civil manner, I decided not to be so kind. I picked up my bite and I did shove it in his face. He picked up the last from his plate and returned the gesture. Then I pulled him to me for a kiss, loving the lingering glob of frosting on his mouth.

"How many times can I tell you I love you?" He asked.

I laughed. "As many as you want."

"I love you. I love you. I love you." He kissed me again and then turned to the room and screamed, "I love my wife!"

Everyone cheered.

"Let's dance, baby." He said, pulling me back onto the dance floor as Pat Benatar's Heartbreaker started playing.

I laughed. "I can't believe you sometimes."

"I can't believe myself half the time either."

I kissed him for the thousandth time as we danced close.

Jill stood up at the front of the room a short time later and got everyone's attention. "Hi, everyone. I'd like to take a moment and talk about my best friends. Adrian and Sydney are the perfect couple to anyone that knows them even a little. They are complete opposites. Adrian is pretty fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants. He's artistic, a very talented painter. Sydney, on the other hand, is very much about knowledge and thinking. She has to think about things a long time before she does them.

"Except when it came to Adrian's proposal. Adrian agonized about it for a long time. He loves Sydney in a way that I don't think even he understands. He asked my opinion on how to do it and when to do it and if he should buy the ring or ask and then let her pick one out. He talked about it for weeks, Sydney. I don't know if he ever told you that. It was about to drive me nuts.

"Finally one day he was getting ready to go visit her and he said, 'I'm just going to ask her, Jill. Just see what she says.' Obviously she said yes. She jumped right in. She didn't take a second to think. She knew she wanted to marry Adrian. Just as much as he knew he wanted to marry her.

"So, ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses and congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Ivashkov."

The room exploded in cheers once more.

Then my sister got up and looked out at the crowd. "Okay, my turn. Adrian, thank you for falling in love with my sister. You couldn't have found a more loyal companion in human form. She will pick you up when you are down. She will laugh with you when you are happy. And she will encourage you when you think you can't go any farther.

"I've known Sydney all her life. When she was first born, I was jealous. Of course I was only three, so I got over it pretty quickly. A few years later when Zoe came along, Sydney was ecstatic. She was the complete opposite in her reaction. She always has been.

"I remember once when I was ten I had my heart broken by a boy for the first time. He lived next door. I would sit on our porch every afternoon just so I could wave at him when he got off the bus. I finally got the courage to walk over and speak to him. He told me I was weird because I was homeschooled and that he didn't want me to talk to him ever again. I was devastated. But Sydney, little seven-year-old Sydney, told me it wasn't the end of the world because I wasn't weird at all. I was perfect the way I was. And she loved me, so that was more important than a stinky old boy.

"Adrian, I hope you know what you've got in my sister. She's something very special to us."

He nodded and smiled at me. "She's special to me, too." He kissed me on the tip of my nose.

I pressed my face into his neck and breathed him in.

After Carly's toast, I threw the bouquet. Jill caught it and Eddie looked nervous. Then Adrian sat me down in a chair in the middle of the dance floor and, too slow for my tastes, removed the garter. He spun it around his finger as the group cheered. He looked to Eddie launched it straight at his face.

"You're next." Adrian warned.

The guardian shook his head and smiled at his girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss to his lips. Lissa, standing close by, patted her friend on the back with a large smile on her face.

We danced for several more hours. I was getting tired and so ready to leave. I started to wonder when a good time for us to sneak out would be.

My mom walked over to me as I sat out the latest dance. She sat in an empty seat beside me. "Do we need to have a talk about the birds and the bees?"

I laughed. "I've been reading up on it."

"I'm sure you have."

"We still haven't…not completely."

She gave me a shocked look. "Really? You've been living together all this time and you haven't slept with him?"

"Well, we've done…other things."

It took her a moment, but she got it. "Oh. Well, whatever works."

I laughed. "Oh, it has been." I felt my cheeks burning.

She giggled. "I'm so happy for you, Sydney. You make the smart choice every time."

I wrapped my arms around her. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, too, baby." She hugged me back.

Adrian walked over and leaned over me. "I don't know about you, but this place is getting a little old. You know, all these people congratulating us every time we turn around. What's that about?"

I chuckled and picked up his hand. I kissed the finger where he wore his ring. "Something about us getting married."

"Oh, right, that thing."

"Yeah, that thing."

He laughed. "You ready to leave?"

"Kind of."

"So let's go." He put his mouth against my ear and whispered. "I want to get you out of that dress."

My cheeks heated up again. "I agree."

He pulled me to my feet and immediately to a kiss.

"Still not old, is it?"

"Not for a while." He smiled.