Zed.
I stood at the front of the church, waiting nervously. What if she didn't turn up? What if she had changed her mind? Had we rushed into things? I adjusted my tie again and my mum gave me an anxious look. Was it hot in there? I looked around and the beautifully decorated barn with fairylights, white and blue flowers, and blue ribbons decorating the aisle. Most of our guests had already arrived and were in their seats waiting.
'Dude calm down.' Rob said, walking over to me. I was glad I'd chosen him to be my best man. He adjusted the blue flower in my pocket. 'Wipe your forehead. There's tissues over there.'
I did as he instructed, desperate not to be a sweaty mess. Nina and Marty crept into the room and took their seats, followed by Sally. She hadn't changed her mind. Yet. The music started and Yves and Rob moved to the side to join me at the altar. The registrar took his position at the front of the room and the music started.
xx-xx-xx
Sky.
Everyone stood in their seats and turned as Phee walked up the aisle first, holding Luna in her arms. The guests 'awh'ed as she passed, Jenni closely behind. And then it was my turn. I suddenly wondered what would happen if I was to fall up the aisle. I hoped I wouldn't. I took a deep breath and clutched my bouquet tightly, walking up the aisle, with Simon at my side. Guests smiled at me as I passed and Yves and Rob turned to face me, smiles on their face. Then the one person whose opinion I really cared about turned my way. His eyes widened and he grinned a smile so wide it reached his eyes and gave them a sparkle.
I am the luckiest man in the world.
I smiled at our own private conversation as we reached the front of the barn. I kissed Simon on the cheek, noticing it was damp from tears, and then he sat down in the front row between Sally and Saul. Zed took my hands gently in his, rubbing his thumbs against their backs.
Thirty minutes later, I was the new Mrs Benedict and I was sure I had make-up down my face.
'I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.'
Our first kiss as a married couple was a proper fairytale swoop kiss. It was perfect.
When Zed led me outside, the sun was still shining. Our guest showered us in confetti and the quiet morning became an afternoon of celebration.
'Congratulations!' Phee and Jenni cooed, pulling me into a hug.
'You look gorgeous, Sky.' Taylor smiled from behind them, Ed at her side. 'I love your necklace.'
'Thank you.' I smiled, looking over at Ed.
'I'll be right back Mrs Benedict.' Zed whispered, kissing my cheek and then disappearing.
Phee and Jenni headed off to find their partners and Nina called Taylor over from the other side of the crowd.
'You look really beautiful, Sky.' Ed said, and from his face I knew he meant it.
'Thank you.' I said, gratefully. 'And thank you again for the necklace. It's beautiful although you shouldn't have got me anything.'
'I wanted to.' He replied with a small smile. 'Besides, it's release day at midnight. Busy weekend, huh?'
I'd completely forgotten. 'Everything has changed' was going to be released at midnight. I was hoping it was going to do well. It seemed a bit ironic releasing it the day after my wedding, really.
'Absolutely!' I replied. It certainly was a busy weekend.
'Sky, baby, they want to take some photographs down by the lake!' Zed called out, making his way back to me. 'We need to get everyone down there.'
'Okay.'
I liked the photographer's style when it came to the photographs. We took some traditional ones, but also some fun ones with guests making silly faces. I posed with my bridal party, then just the bridesmaids, then my family with the Benedicts and so on. The photographs took about half an hour, and then Zed and I were taken off for our own photographs. We walked hand-in-hand as the photographer led us away from the others.
After some photographs in the wilderness, we were led to the small dock I had been sat at with Ed that morning.
'If you two just sit down with your feet over the edge.' The photographer directed. We did what she said. 'And I just want this to be natural.'
A breeze came along and Zed caught one of my loose strands of hair gently, tucking it behind my ear. He smiled as he looked into my eyes and moved his face towards mine, kissing me softly as he cupped my face. He pulled back and rested his forehead against mine, a smile on his face.
'How are you feeling Mrs Benedict?'
'I feel good.' I replied, returning the smile.
'I can't believe that you're my wife. I meant what I said. I'm the luckiest man in the world. I didn't think you could get anymore beautiful, but today you proved me wrong.'
I blushed and his hand fell, taking my hands in his. He ran his thumb over the beautiful silver wedding band, which had been encrusted with tiny diamonds and sapphires. 'It's so beautiful.' I whispered.
'It had to be if it was going to be on your finger for the rest of our lives.'
xx-xx-xx
Zed.
The day was going perfectly. The ceremony had run smoothly, without any interruptions. The photographs seemed to look pretty good. Sky was the perfect bride. Everytime I looked at her, my heart melted a little. She looked older, somehow, but still vulnerable and beautiful, especially the eyes that I loved so much. The vintage dress hugged her figure and I was looking forward to taking advantage of that again later; finally! The barn was well-decorated and I knew it was just how Sky had wanted it to be. It was lit by fairylights across the beams and falling down the pillars. The centerpieces Sky had chosen were on each table, each table lined with a white tablecloth and decorated with the little placecards. A few shabby chic signs were scattered about, my favourite saying 'And they lived happily ever after.' Too many times I had worried we never we get to this part. Too many times I thought I had lost her. I looked down at the silver wedding band on my finger. I'd never been one for jewellery, but I wanted people to know I was married. And married to the most beautiful girl in the world.
Sky walked back in the room with Marty, having carefully removed her veil. I bit my lip. Now the scoop back of her dress was even more distinctive. You could see her bare back and I just wanted to run my fingers along it. I was in trouble, but for all the right reasons.
xx-xx-xx
Sky.
Zed stood up beside me after we had eaten, hitting his spoon carefully against his champagne flute. I looked up at my husband and smiled. He looked handsome and sexy in his suite; the trousers and jacket were navy blue and his pale blue waistcoat, tie and flower brought the colour-scheme together. He had shaved, I'd noticed, and he had cut his hair, but not enough to take away that rugged look I loved so much. A few of the female guests, some of which I'd worked with, had been admiring the Benedict brothers and I didn't blame them. They were a very good-looking family.
'I'd like to make a toast.' Zed announced from beside me. He smiled down at me. 'A few years ago, I was a complete jerk as many of you might know. I was grumpy and I ignored people. And then the weirdest thing happened. This bright, bubbly blonde walked into my life having moved her from England. I'm sure she hated me at first. I hardly blame her. But somehow, I managed to win her around.' The guests and I laughed and he continued. 'I quickly realised that I was never going to survive without her. That she was my missing puzzle piece, my other half. We have been through a lot together, which couple hasn't, but I'm glad that Sky has forgiven my mistakes. That she's always given me another chance. I won't make a single mistake again, because I couldn't risk losing her. Here's to a long and happy future together, a new beginning. Please join me in toasting to my beautiful wife, Sky Benedict.'
'To Sky.'
My eyes watered, but I raised my glass with the rest of the guests.
Zed sat back down beside me and kissed me on the cheek. 'Here's to the rest of our lives.'
An hour later, Ed was on the stage. I shot him a confused look and he shrugged, picking up his guitar. He started strumming a song I knew too well. Zed appeared on the dancefloor and held his hands out for me. Our first dance, of course.
'When your legs don't work like they used to before
And I can't sweep you off of your feet
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love?
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?'
I carefully walked over to join Zed. He placed one hand on my waist and took one of my hands in his other. I placed my hand on his chest and we began to move to the music.
'And, darling, I will be loving you 'til we're 70
And, baby, my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Well, me - I fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am
So honey now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are.
When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades
And the crowds don't remember my name
When my hands don't play the strings the same way
I know you will still love me the same
'Cause honey your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen
And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory
I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe it's all part of a plan
Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes
Hoping that you'll understand.'
Sally and Simon and Karla and Saul joined us on the dancefloor and I noticed that Sally and Karla had watery eyes. I smiled.
'That, baby, now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
Thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are.'
The other guests moved to the dancefloor to dance with their loved ones. I smiled when I saw Nina dancing with Marty, although she looked disappointed she hadn't found someone straight to dance with.
'So, baby, now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Oh, darling, place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are
Oh, baby, we found love right where we are
And we found love right where we are.'
The guests applauded Ed and Zed bent down and kissed me softly.
Just before midnight, Zed interrupted the DJ with an announcement. With champagne and wine in me, I was starting to feel a little tipsy and I was hoping that Zed wasn't going to do anything crazy; he had had a few beers.
'I'd like to make an announcement.' He said, holding the microphone carefully.
'Oh lord.' Yves groaned from beside me as he rocked baby Luna back and forth, trying to get her back to sleep. 'I hope this isn't anything inappropriate.'
'I hope so too!' Xav said, putting his arm around Crystal's waist.
'Okay, it's nearly midnight.' Zed said into the microphone. 'And there's something I need to say.'
'Spit it out!' Will shouted from behind us.
I fiddled with the lace on my dress.
'My beautiful wife has got a record deal now, as you know.'
'What is he doing?' Ed asked, appearing beside me.
'I have no idea.' I replied.
'And her manager is here tonight, give it up for Ed Sheeran.' Zed continued. The audience applauded and Ed gave an awkward nod.
xx-xx-xx
Ed.
I was beginning to think seeing Zed drunk was going to be a common occurance. Not that being drunk was a big deal; I'd drank plenty of whiskey to get me through the evening. Which is why I felt even more confused to see Zed onstage.
'Ed is a great guy, he really is.' Zed continued and I raised an eyebrow. 'He's given Sky a chance to do something she loves and for that I'm so grateful. He's looking out for her and man, I really appreciate that. Dude, you've become a great friend to both of us.'
I felt like the ground was swallowing me up. A great friend? Mate, I'm falling for your wife. I looked over at Sky, who had a confused look on her face.
'Anyway! Oh my god, it's midnight. So erm, please buy Sky and Ed's single on iTunes. It's just been realeased! Thank you all for coming and goodnight!' He raised his beer bottle in the air and got off the stage.
And I left the barn.
xx-xx-xx
Sky.
I looked at myself in the mirror, feeling nervous. It was 2am and Zed and I had moved into our honeymoon villa. The party was over and thankfully, Zed and I had sobered up after a midnight raid of the leftover buffet. Now I was stood in the bathroom in new lingerie on my wedding night. I was wearing a white lace basque with matching thong. It had been a while since I had done this and I felt somewhat exposed and nervous. I pulled out the pins in my hair so that it fell in its natural curls over my shoulders. Then I took a deep breath and walked out into the bedroom.
Zed's jaw fell. 'Wow.' He managed to say, his voice sounding hoarse. 'Come here, Mrs Benedict.'
I walked over to him and straddled him, making his eyes widen in surprise. I kissed his lips hard and passionately. He let out a small moan as I deepened the kiss, unbuttoning his waistcoat and undoing his tie. Zed ran his fingers over my body, his breath quickening. And then he took over.
I woke up the next morning to the sound of the birds singing outside. Zed's naked body was still wrapped around my bare skin and I thought back to the day before. We were married. He was my husband. He pulled me closer and placed kisses along my shoulder.
'Good morning beautiful wife.' He whispered.
'Good morning my naked husband.'
'Mmm I like that 'h' word.' He pulled me on top of him and kissed me softly. 'Have we got time before breakfast?'
'I certainly hope so.'
We were a few minutes late to breakfast, but it wasn't too late. I was wearing my outfit from the 'Everything has changed' photoshoot and Zed had thrown on some jeans and a shirt. We'd nearly not made it out of the villa. We walked into the breakfast room hand-in-hand and our guests applauded. Zed kissed my forehead and we sat down at the end of the table.
'Well Sky, you're glowing this morning.' Jenni winked from across the table.
I blushed and gave Ed and Taylor a small smile, as they were sat diagonally to me.
'So your song is doing pretty well.' Taylor said, changing the subject.
'Is it?'
'We're number 10 in the Billboard Top 100 at the moment.' Ed said, quietly.
My heart sank; had I done something wrong? Why was he acting weird with me? We'd been joking around and laughing the day before. 'Oh that's good...' I replied, half-heartedly.
Jenni and Phee noticed my change of mood and looked at me concerned, as did Zed.
He's probably just hungover. Zed said into my head.
I hope you're right.
After breakfast, the wedding weekend was officially over. Everyone returned to their villas to collect their luggage and they headed home.
It was seven o'clock exactly when we arrived at the apartment and my phone buzzed as we got through the door.
YOU'RE NUMBER ONE! TURN ON THE RADIO! J xx
I raced into the kitchen and turned on the radio to catch the end of 'Everything has changed.'
'And that was your new number one, Everything Has Changed by Ed Sheeran and Sky Bright.' The radio presenter said. 'Thank you for listening to the Billboard Top 100, join us again at the same time next week.'
'Wow, you got it!' Zed smiled, proudly. He walked over to me and kissed me gently on the lips. 'My wife the superstar, huh?'
'Maybe not quite superstar yet.' I said as he wrapped his arms around my waist.
'Sky, you're number 1 in the USA and Canada. That's a pretty big deal.' He beamed. 'You don't always have to be so modest. Oh and I saw your photos in Cosmopolitan. You looked gorgeous.'
I blushed. 'Since when did you read Cosmopolitan?'
'Since my wife had a spread in it. Wow, I'm not going to get bored of that word anytime soon.' He grinned. 'My wife.'
I smiled up at him and he bent down to kiss me again. 'Now come on, we've got a honeymoon to pack for.'
