Wedding day
Elizabeth stood in the master at Lucas'(soon to be hers) house, staring at herself in the mirror in her wedding dress. She felt elegant, peaceful, and beautiful. Her dress was perfectly white, flowing to the floor with a vintagey grace that felt perfect for their vows. The bodice was lace with three quarter length sleeves and the floral detail of the lace felt just right as it whispered over her back and down the sleeves.
"Mom?" Ivy said from the doorway. "Oh wow. You look perfect."
"Thanks, honey."
"Ready to do your hair?"
"Of course."
Elizabeth sat down in the chair by the window and let Ivy work her magic. Before she knew it, her curls were pulled back, except for a few face framing pieces, into a low knot at the nape of her neck and secured by a sparkly comb.
"I can't believe its finally time," she said quietly.
"I'm so happy for you, Mom."
"Thanks, sweets."
She was too. Truly happy. She had a beautiful life with Nathan but Lucas was her future. They were going to build one together and it would even include adopting an older child or two to help complete their family.
Marley, Vannah and Allie walked in and hugged them, jumping and squealing.
"I love you, girls. Thank you for your support in this."
"Mom, you are there for us and have always been," Allie told her. "You are the only mom I know and I consider myself lucky to have had you raise me."
"Oh, honey." Elizabeth hugged her and tried not to cry.
They formed a circle, wrapping their arms around each other's backs.
"When I lost Oliver," Ivy said, proud of herself for not crying. "You didn't judge me. You just loved me and supported me. You are the best Mom and best friend. I love you so much and I am so glad you opened your heart again to Lucas. He's wonderful."
Elizabeth could feel herself losing the battle to keep her tears at bay.
"Mom," Marley began.
"Not too sappy, Mar, or Mom's makeup will be ruined," Ivy teased.
"You got to be sappy, so will I. I was nervous to tell you what I wanted to do for my career. I was worried that you wouldn't be supportive but Ivy set me straight. I found only support and love from you and that meant the world to me. You and Lucas belong together and I can't think of anyone else that would complete you."
"Me either," she admitted, blinking her eyes. "Is my makeup alright?"
"You're good."
"My turn!" Vannah said, kissing her cheek. "Beth, I love that you are going to be my step-mom. You're so sweet and you've always treated me as if I'm a person, not just a kid. I'm grateful Dad is marrying you and I look forward to getting to know you even more."
"Thanks, sweetie. I am too."
Someone knocked on the door. "Beth?"
"Come in, Dad." William Thatcher, at almost seventy years old, walked in, strong and tall, just like he had always been.
"Wow, you are lovely, my dear."
"Thank you, Dad."
William looked at his three granddaughters. "All of you are lovely."
"Thanks, Grandpa."
"Are we ready to go?" he wondered.
"Yes."
As they walked out of the house, she was grateful for beautiful summer weather for their ceremony.
"Dad! What did you do?"
"I dressed up my truck for the occasion."
He gestured to his black Range Rover that had flowers on the hood and a just married sign on the back.
"Its wonderful. Thank you, Dad."
….
The Fire Station
"You ready, Chief?" Flynn asked, patting him on the back.
"Yes. Absolutely. Let's go."
Lucas and his groomsmen, Tim, Jesse, Landon from the station, and Charles, his soon to be brother-in-law, headed out to the bay. "Guys," he said, laughing. Big Red, the oldest of their fire trucks, was all decked out in flowers and signs. "This is great."
"Well, the Chief needs to ride in style," Joe said with a laugh. "Let's get those sirens and lights on, boys."
Lucas felt confined a bit in his navy blue dress uniform. The high collar was making him a bit uneasy but it was worth it. The groomsmen all had navy suits with a white shirt and dusty blue ties that matched the bridesmaids' dresses according to Beth.
"You got the rings?" Lucas asked Jesse.
"In my pocket."
"Okay."
Lucas' nerves were flaring, mostly out of desire to just be married to Beth. He couldn't wait to see her walking down the aisle toward him at their special place. He honestly couldn't imagine marrying her anywhere else.
"Chief, its Beth. Its natural to be nervous but I guarantee the moment you see her walking toward you on her Daddy's arm, those nerves will quiet. It will feel like you and Beth are the only ones in the world."
"She's so beautiful," Lucas told him. "I love her more than I could ever express in words."
"That's good. You make sure you tell her that as often as you can, okay?"
"I will."
…..
About twenty minutes later, Lucas stood with his back to the mountains, under the flowered archway where Joe waited, a Bible in his hand.
Before he knew what was happening, he saw her. His beautiful Beth, on the arm of her father, William, waiting behind their four girls as they walked forward, each with their escort. Elizabeth had not wanted to pick a specific daughter to be her maid of honor, so they all were filling that role. All dressed to the nines in their dusty rose, walking beside one of his groomsmen in their navy suits.
Canon in D started playing and Tim and Allie moved forward, hand in hand, instead of the traditional arm in arm. Next came Jesse and Marley, then Landon and Ivy and finally Charles and Vannah.
Jesse stepped forward and handed the rings to Joe and then stood back in line with the other groomsmen, looking toward the end of the aisle where Beth was.
The music changed to the instrumental version of A Thousand Years as Beth finally started walking toward him. Their eyes locked and he gave her a smile, his tears ready to fall.
She looked like an angel. How was it possible she had said yes to him?
He took her breath away. Wearing his dress uniform he stood tall and proud, his eyes locked with hers. She couldn't look away.
"I love you, dear," William said, kissing her forehead. Then he shook Lucas' hand. "Take care of my Beth."
"I promise." Lucas took her hands and threaded their fingers together, stepping closer to her. She smiled up at him, unable to tear her gaze away from his.
"Welcome, family, friends. Today we gather here on this majestic mountain to witness and bless the marriage of Lucas Anthony Bouchard and Elizabeth Grace Grant. Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
"I do," William said, before sitting down in the front row.
"Thank you, sir. One of Elizabeth's favorite scriptures is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verse 4. There it says, 'Love is patient and kind'. Then verse 7 states, 'It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.' Verse 8 continues, 'Love never fails.'"
"Amen," the audience said, agreeing with the words.
"Indeed. Elizabeth and Lucas are not strangers to adversity. They have had to bear many things, endure many things. But they have learned to move forward, look at the positive side, and rely on God and each other to get through those tough times. I have no doubt that if they continue to do so, their love will only get deeper, stronger and will carry them through anything that may come their way. Lucas and Elizabeth have written their own vows. Lucas?"
Lucas took a deep breath and blew it out through his nose. "Beth, when I met you, you were married to my best friend. We knew each other as friends and I became like an uncle to your children. After my marriage ended and you and I both suffered through losing Nathan, I fought against the feelings I was developing for you. I felt like I was betraying Nathan and we were both grieving so I didn't act. The hardest thing I ever had to do was to give you space. Now, I can hardly believe how deeply I love you. How much I need you. Its overwhelming in the best possible way. Elizabeth, I promise to be your best friend, to support you, to love you for the rest of my days."
"Elizabeth?" Joe prompted.
"Lucas, I want to thank you for your endless patience, the many mint chip shakes you've bought and drank even though I know you don't like them as much as I do." Lucas chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you for loving me, for not giving up when I hesitated to open my heart again, for giving me yet another daughter and for just being you. I love that you are romantic and are serious about important things but still make me laugh. I love that you are an amazing father and I know that you will be a wonderful husband as well. I promise to hold your hand when you need support, hold you when life gets hard and love you with every piece of my soul forever."
Joe held out the rings in his hand, two simple gold bands. "Lucas, take the smaller one. Elizabeth, the larger. Place the rings on each other's left hand and repeat after me. 'This ring is a symbol of my unending love and devotion to you.'"
They repeated the words and placed the rings on the correct fingers. Lucas lifted his eyes to meet hers, mouthing "'I love you.'"
"With the saying of vows and the giving and receiving of rings, I now pronounce that you are husband and wife. What God has yoked together, let no man pull apart. My brother, you may kiss your bride."
Lucas didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms, placing a slow, deep, breathtaking kiss to her sweet mouth. She went with him, sinking into the moment and enjoying every second until the clapping and cheering of the guests started.
"Woohoo!" the girls cheered before rushing up to hug them.
Lucas leaned in to whisper something to Elizabeth.
"Come with me," he told her.
She nodded and took his hand. "We will see you at the hall," Elizabeth told the girls.
He led her to Big Red and opened the passenger side door.
"I get to ride in here?"
"Absolutely. I want to take you somewhere. Just for a bit and then we can go have some cake and dance a bit."
"Dance, hm? Its been a while since we danced."
He leaned over from the driver's seat and kissed her, lingering a bit. "Hi, wife."
"I love that word," she told him, reaching for him again. "Say it again."
They laughed and jolted apart when he accidentally hit the horn.
He grinned and waved to the guests who were laughing before driving down the road and around a few curves to another lookout.
"A second lookout?"
"Yep. I figured we could have a bit of privacy and still not be too far."
He got out of the truck and walked around to assist his bride down.
"Thank you."
He pulled out his phone from his pocket and started the music. "I Choose You" by Forest Blakk began to play as she stepped into his arms.
"I love the way your hair gets in your eyes
And I love the way that you can't tell a lie
You're an angel, and I can't believe you're mine
Nothing ordinary, you're extraordinary
Pretty good at being wrong for my whole life
But with you, I know there's one thing I got right
On days when it's easy, on days when it's hard
You don't have to be nervous, just fall in my arms
My love is a sure thing that you'll never lose
No matter what this life puts us through
I choose you"
Elizabeth loved this song. Her husband had picked a super romantic song for their first private dance as newlyweds.
"I promise to choose you," she told him. "I will put you before everyone else."
He softly moved an errant curl behind her ear, marveling at how soft her skin was. He knew it was but right this moment, he was more aware.
"I will do the same," he vowed. He was going to make a conscious effort to stick to his schedule, to delegate more, to be home with Beth and Vannah. He refused to relive the past and create resentment where there should only be love.
"It's the way you make me wanna say these words
The way that you still want me at my worst (at my worst)
It's the vow that says, "I'll be here darling, for better or for worse"
It ain't momentary (momentary), so (so)
On days when it's easy, on days when it's hard
You don't have to be nervous, just fall in my arms
My love is a sure thing that you'll never lose
No matter what this life puts us through
I choose you
I do, I do, I do
I choose you
I do, I do"
She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms around his waist as they swayed.
"I can't wait to experience everything with you, Beth," he whispered.
"Me too." His lips found hers in a dizzying dance as the song ended.
"Let's go have some cake and food and then go home," he told her. They left at 4am the next day to start their trip to Ireland but before that, they needed to just enjoy quiet and each other. Finally.
"Sounds perfect."