Credit for the song goes to Jewel
Steven should have been pleased with all of the arrangements that had been made in such a short amount of time. He hadn't just found any old fountain: He had found one directly behind the Eiffel Tower and spread daisies up and down an aisle that ran from just beyond the two-foot tall fountain and extended into a bountiful archway of cedar trees that would provide an opportunity for his bride to see him before he could fully see her. A table was pushed to the side of the fountain and decorated in a lacey tablecloth and a three tier white wedding cake with an average looking groom and bride sitting atop smiling. It had been with the help of the film crew and director amazingly enough that he had managed to pull this off at all.
Instead of stuck in the back of his mind where it belonged, the notion that Georgie could very easily start thinking clearly and leave him standing at the aisle made him feel cold all over. He had survived his last love breaking his heart, but he knew he wouldn't recover this time. Neither of them had called their family to tell them the news and he knew it broke Georgie's heart to not be able to share her happiness with them. He felt as if he was cheating her out of what should be the happiest day of her life and he was not okay with that.
It wasn't as though he thought asking her to describe her perfect wedding would be a challenge for her; he could picture her as a child practicing with her stuffed animals and perhaps her older sister or friends from the neighborhood. She might have had more fake ceremonies than tea parties; it was clear to her what she wanted before she made such a massive commitment to the man she loved. He smiled in spite of his despair because he would never grow tired of knowing that she loved him, that she wanted him, and that this was really it!
Ronnie had called him fifteen minutes ago to let him know that they had taken care of Georgie and everything was going to be perfect. He had received a dissimilar message from Lindsey saying that they were having trouble locating the perfect dress and Georgie's hair refused to cooperate. Knowing that he would never fully understand women and their need for crisis, he had thanked them for their help and hung up. He wrung his hands nervously as he watched the minister he had woken up last night to perform a wedding in less than twelve hours stride up the aisle with a Bible under his left arm.
"I appreciate you coming on such short notice." Steven thanked him without preamble and reached out to shake his hand.
"How could I turn down such a willful young man? She must be quite a lady." Reverend Thomas Dahl watched Steven's face light up.
"Yes. There's not a single woman that compares to Georgie." Steven assured him.
"I wish you all the happiness in the world. I understand you've written your own vows?"
Steven nodded. "Yes as a present for my bride."
"So she doesn't have a clue?" Reverend Dahl smiled mischievously.
"Nope. I wanted to do something special for her since she's so far away from her home and family." Steven clarified.
"I'm sure she'll love it." Reverend Dahl watched Steven pick a daisy from the ground in front of him and stick it into the pocket of his black jacket.
Smiling at the groom, the Reverend reached out and patted Steven's arm. "Well I did come down here for a reason. I'm told it is time."
"Yes." Steven agreed and left his post for a few moments to flip the switch on the stereo. After a long discussion, Georgie had left the song choice to him. Even though they were outside, Jewel's voice seemed to echo off the air.
Love be still, love be sweet
Don't you dare change a thing
I want to photograph you with my mind
To feel how I feel now all the time
Lindsey appeared first from the clearing between the trees. Her rainbow-colored sleeveless shift dress was pleated all around, a thin ribbon denoting her waist. Her hair was pulled up, messily falling out of the bun in a way that was truly Lindsay. She smiled at both of the men standing near the fountain as she made her way up, shifting the small bouquet of wildflowers and daisies in her hands. Drawing closer, she took a half a step closer to Steven than was strictly necessary. When she was certain he could hear her, she looked directly in his eyes and whispered, "I'm happy for you guys, but hurt her, and I'll hunt you down."
Steven grinned and nodded in quiet agreement. It was good to know Georgie's friends loved her. "Thank you. I would never hurt Georgie." He whispered back.
"Better not."
"Scout's honor."
Say that you'll stay forever this way
Forever and forever
That we'll never have to change
Don't move, don't breathe
Don't change, don't leave
And promise me
Say you'll stay
Oh, we'll stay
This way
Ronnie started down the aisle, more tranquil than her louder friend. The vibrant green of the shift dress was simple until the lace hemline. Keeping herself straight down the aisle, she smiled at Steven and mouthed out the words "Good luck" before taking her place next to Lindsey.
The CD started to skip, the noise unpleasant enough to distract the wedding party from the fact that the bride hadn't emerged yet. Steven took a step to his left and readjusted it.
I get afraid
I don't think ahead
Let's just stay this way in bed
Feels so good inside your arms
Home is everywhere that you are
Georgie took a step back and tried to take a deep breath. Butterflies had started to take up residence in her stomach ever since she spotted the area Steven had told her friends to bring her to. His cinematic eye had more than paid off, she had thought. This spot surpassed all her childhood imaginings of her wedding. And her groom, standing there in his black suit, with his white shirt slightly unbuttoned, no tie, and a daisy sticking out of his breast pocket was enough to make her want to pinch herself just to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
This is it Georgie, she told herself. Just take a few short steps and you'll be his forever. You love him and the only way you're going to feel calm is to go out there and touch him. So what exactly are you waiting for? Taking one more breath, she gripped the small bouquet Lindsay had arranged for her hurriedly on the walk through the park and stepped out of the safety of the trees and towards her Steven.
Steven wondered if his eyes were round and wide as he watched the woman he loved fidget with her conscience, her morals, and her heart. The silver dress was decorated in dark gray leaves with the top half emphasized by an almost wrinkled style and the bottom long and flowing. Her golden hair was pinned to her head in a swirly bun and her eyes were so sharp they picked up every detail. He wondered if she liked it or if she had wished for more on her wedding day. This was it, he told himself. After today, he was no longer a bachelor, not a handsome feat as it might be. They would have to figure out how their lives were going to intertwine, where they were going to live, and how they were going to handle the last year of Georgie's schooling. There was no point in making her move across the country when she was so close to finishing.
She wasn't walking down the aisle, she was gliding. In that moment, he knew he had made the right decision in asking her, knew he probably would have asked the exact same way even if it hadn't been for the pregnancy scare. He wanted to stay up late with her watching movies and reading books, debating over which ones were awful and which ones were noteworthy and he wanted to fall asleep with her nestled in his arms. He wanted to glance across the bed and see her warm, smooth skin peeking out from underneath the covers, knowing she wore nothing underneath because she wasn't one who preferred pajamas as he had recently found out. Not the best thoughts to be having with his present company, Steven mused to himself.
She was sure she couldn't smile any brighter or wider as she made her way down the daisy-covered path. How had he managed to do this in such a short period of time, she marveled. It was almost as if he had snuck a peek inside her dreams and recreated them. Meeting his blue eyes, she could feel tears starting to well up in her own. The butterflies from seconds earlier started to dissipate and calm began to radiate through Georgie's entire body. This was right. Her entire life had been about leading up to this exact moment and she just now figured it out.
Floating to her spot, her place next to him, she took his hand in her own and mouthed out three small words. I love you.
Steven let out a breath he hadn't meant to hold as she joined him at the altar. If she was nervous, it didn't show in her expression or in the way she held herself. Their hands bound together, he traced his thumb over her knuckles and brought her hand to his lips. I love you more. Lindsey was already brushed back tears while Ronnie was leaning closer as if she expected their heads to explode. Steven closed his eyes for a brief second when he heard the Reverend clear his throat and begin.
"Dear friends, we are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of two wonderful people who came together in life and love. I had a chance to speak with Steven a few minutes ago and he assured me that there wasn't anyone else like his Georgie." He paused to watch the young couple's reaction. "It is my understanding that the groom has prepared a set of original vows for his bride."
Blinking in shock, Georgie couldn't help but let the only coherent thought fly from her lips. "You did what?"
"I kind of sprung this on you," Steven said by way of explanation. "So I thought I'd try to make it up to you." He pulled a crinkled piece of paper from his right breast pocket.
Clearing his throat, Steven moved his other hand up to Georgie's wrist and closed his fingers carefully around it, pulling her slightly closer. "When I was a little boy, I thought love was a superficial and financial expression for the outside world. With only my parents as examples, I saw how cold and awful two people could be toward each other and I thought, for a long time, that that's how love was supposed to be. I've never wanted to trust my heart to anyone, because that's an easy way to get it broken."
"And yet, you had it from that first day. Before you even spoke to me, I knew I wanted to know you." Steven remembered how he had fumbled desperately for the translation book in hopes of speaking with her. "I just had to get you to talk to me. I was terrified when you actually did."
Steven took a shaky breath and reached up to catch a tear falling from his bride's eye. He cradled her face and continued his heart in his eyes, "Not even your terrible taste in books could dissuade me and that's saying a lot." His light and teasing voice was a major contradiction to the tears in his eyes.
Georgie managed to stick her tongue out him.
It was his wedding too, after all, so Steven didn't feel obligated to pay attention to certain traditions. When he got his mind set on something, there was no stopping him. He leaned forward and captured her lips in a possessive kiss. "Where was I?" He asked jokingly, stroking her cheek. He focused on the sheet of paper even as the words started to blur.
"My fabulous taste in everything."
"Oh yes," Steven snapped his fingers together. "When you smiled at me, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to wake up to that smile." He blushed slightly. "And that was way before you kissed me. It's hard to understand how I could function, let alone breathe, without you right beside me. I don't know what kind of husband I'll make so you should expect a lot of trial and error with that one, okay?" Steven forced between quivering lips.
"Okay." She managed to whisper.
"You're worth it though. You're everything. I'm going to work every single day for the next sixty years to make sure that you never doubt how important you are. I want to go to sleep with you every night and I want to wake up with you every morning, but it's more than that." Frustrated that his hand had started to shake, he stuffed the paper into his pocket and proceeded without it. "I want to have babies with you." He laughed to himself, "And I'm afraid that falls on you my love. I'm not going to promise that I won't mess up, because we've always been honest with each other, and I don't want that to ever change. I don't want you to feel like you can't come to me. I love you, now and forever."
Georgie took in a shaky breath and squeezed Steven's hand. "I tried to think of something really profound to say to you all last night. And I couldn't. All I kept thinking about was when I was about fourteen and I checked out this book of love letters from great men in history. I remember wondering if anyone would love me that much and just how wonderful that must feel. And then I met you, in front of the Romeo and Juliet fountain. And I fell so hard that first second I saw you, the first time I heard you completely butcher Italian." She smiled at the memory of trying to figure out just what the heck he was asking in his horrific Italian accent. "I don't know when exactly I fell in love with you, but I know the moment I realized it: When you held me after I found out about Alexis' diagnosis. I might have denied it to everyone." Georgie acknowledged, hearing the muffled laughter of Ronnie and Lindsay behind her. "But I knew it then."
"Being with you, I think I finally understand what all those love letters I read were about. And last night, the only words I could think of to tell you just how much I love you, how much I will always love you, is the thoughts in those letters. Or one person really, Beethoven." Georgie paused and closed her eyes, willing the long memorized words to come back to her. Unlocking them from her memory, she opened her eyes and met his with a smile.
"I can only live wholly with you or not at all. No one else can ever possess my heart, never, never. Be calm–love me—only by a calm consideration can we achieve our purpose to live together. Oh continue to love me—never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved. Ever mine. Ever thine. Ever ours."
As the young couple brushed away each other's tears, Reverend Dahl glanced down at his Bible even though he knew it by heart. "Do you have the rings?" He asked them and Lindsey nodded, handing him two simple gold rings. "Steven, do you—"
"Oh crap." Steven muttered, fishing into the back pocket of his dress pants.
"What?" Georgie managed to get out. "What?"
"Just a second Reverend, just a second." Steven pleaded, finally finding what he was looking for and fishing it out. "Your engagement ring."
"Steven. I'm already at the altar." Georgie laughed. "I kinda said yes."
"You're not getting married without an engagement ring." Steven argued, showing it to her. It was a silver ring with a three-karat diamond in the center and three smaller diamonds on each side. "There. Perfect." He exclaimed as he slid it onto her finger. "Okay, we're good to go."
"Are you certain? No hot air balloons or skywriting?" The Reverend teased.
"There wasn't enough time." Steven snapped his fingers again, this time in defeat.
"There is always when you go back home." Lindsay whispered to Ronnie's giggles.
"Steven, place this ring on Georgie's left hand and repeat after me. I, Steven,"
"I, Steven."
"Take this woman to be my lawfully wedded wife."
"Take this woman to be my lawfully wedded wife."
"I promise to honor and keep her."
"I promise to honor and keep her."
"For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live."
"For richer or poorer in sickness and in health for as long as we both shall live."
"Georgie, take Steven's hand and repeat after me. I, Georgie."
"I, Georgie."
"Do take this man to be my lawfully wedded husband."
Georgie's hands shook as she pushed the ring onto Steven's hand. "Do take this man to be my lawfully wedded husband."
"I promise to honor and keep him."
"I promise to honor and keep him."
"For richer or poor, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live."
"For richer or poor, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live."
Reverend Dahl smiled and addressed Lindsey and Ronnie since there were no other guests attending this unusual ceremony. "It is my great honor to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Steven Webber."