The One Adored (The One Trilogy Book 3) (46 page)

“She’s here, mate.” Gino whispers to me and I take a deep breath, my body beginning to release all its earlier tension.
 

I hear the strains of Elvis’ ‘Can’t help falling in love’ begin and we stand. The guests are silent until the bride begins to make her way into the grand Ballroom. I can hear their gasps, comments of her beauty and I can’t take it another second. I know I’m supposed to wait at the alter and not turn around but fuck this, I’ve never been one to follow convention, I want to watch my woman walk towards me, give herself to me freely and see that sexy walk in all its glory.
 

I make a half-turn, feeling Nathan and Gino at my side do the same and I see Suzie and Abs coming down the aisle, looking stunning in silver grey gowns, with white fur capes, smiling brightly, their eyes only on my two best-men. I notice the long hanging pearls from their tightly packed bouquets of white roses and chrysanthemums, covered in glitter and they make me smile - she’d remembered the pearls.
 

 
Finn dances down after them, happily throwing fake snow across the white carpet, his satin cushion balanced precariously in one hand, with the rings tied to it, to the delight of the guests. I pray to God they stay on, as his body wiggles to the music. As he reaches me, he throws himself at my leg and hugs me tightly and I squeeze him back, emotion welling within.
 

Wow! This was getting heavy!

Colin obviously thinks so too as I hear him blubbing, in James’ arms, blowing his nose loudly, whilst declaring that she looked ‘bluddy gorgeous!’his heavy Yorkshire accent. I grin in his direction - he was on the money. She bloody did. Like some magical Snow Queen, gliding towards me regally

I can see her now, more clearly. Her Dad on her left, she is a vision in an ivory lace fitted gown, which curves in all the right places, tightly across her ample breasts, down over her neat little waist, over her curvaceous hips and then fanning out from the knees, in more layers of lace. A large train follows her and her beautiful face is smiling at me, through the translucency of a long ivory antiqued veil, scalloped with lace. She holds a bouquet of calla lilies in her hands, bound with silver grey diamantes and feathers and the same long, cascading pearls as the bridesmaids, pouring down her body as she walks like a medieval princess.

I can feel a tear begin to form in my eyes and I bite my lips to prevent them falling. Nathan’s grip of support of my shoulder comforting - he understands the moment. She looks so God damned beautiful and finally, we are here, about to get married.

Lu & Seb, best friends, lovers, a family.

I gulp as I inhale her scent as she nears - ‘Mrs. Silver’ was in the building. I’d have to buy that perfume in by the gallon, she smelled good enough to eat. Just as she reaches me, her Dad about to leave her in my capable hands, her lime-green eyes shining with love and sexy full lips begging to be kissed, I look at the back of her dress and die a little within.
Holy fuck!

Just as before, when she strutted around in the black dress with the pearl back, worn to tease me, at my housewarming all those months before - when she had dared to be ‘bold’. This dress was cut in the same style, its back dropping to rest just above her bottom, two large ropes of pearls hanging from each shoulder strap to dangle temptingly and rest within the curve of her spine.
 

You’d ordered her to wear pearls you prick! She’d just done as she was asked
. All I want to do is tug them and pull her to me.

I glance across at my beautiful bride, wondering how long it would take to finish the service and escape with her, via the way she’d just entered, my cock twitches painfully in agreement.

She places an arm on mine and I still, my heart beating. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself.”

“You look very delicious.”

“You look breathtaking, literally.”

Mac pats me on the shoulder and smiles. “Look after her Sebastian.”

“I will. With every breath I have in my body. You can be assured of that.”

Lu and I lock eyes, forgetting everyone in the room for a second and instantly my nerves dissipate. Together we worked. She was my yin to her yang and this witty, beautiful woman standing next to me was now about to make me the happiest man alive. If I did not disgrace myself for the next half an hour.
 

We both look up at the friendly white haired gentleman in his dapper grey suit at the head of the aisle. At the nod of his head, I see that it is time to proceed and inwardly thank God for that. The words which fall from the stranger’s lips are life-changing and legally binding but become a blur within seconds, if I’m honest. The winter wonderland setting is truly magnificent, with candles glowing around the entire room but I only have eyes for my bride. All I wanted to do was put my ring on her finger and kiss her. Then I’d take her in my arms and never let go.

“Welcome, we are here today to witness and celebrate the joining in matrimony of Sebastian and Lucia on this beautiful winter day, with Christmas on its way and a setting which I have to say is outstanding. Many of you have come from far and wide to support these two people and this is a testament of the love and support that this couple have around them. Seb and Lu want to personally thank you all for being here.

 
Their love is a love which has been building for many years, first as friends and later as partners in life. Now they wish to demonstrate their commitment to one another in front of you all. If anyone here knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage, they should declare it now.

I glance around the room, my fears of Leo Peterson, still cloying at my coat tails. I sigh as no one comes forward. Lucia remains transfixed on the registrar.

“Good. Sebastian and Lucia, I have to remind you of the bond of the solemn and binding character of the vows you are about to make. Marriage, in this country means a union of two people, voluntarily entered into for life, to the exclusion of all others. I shall now ask both of you, in turn, to declare that you do not know of any lawful reason as to why you should not be married to each other.” His eyes assess us both individually.

“No.” Lu answers clearly

“Not a chance.” I answer and a ricochet of male laughs boom from the guests.
 
Lu was the only one for me. Finally, we can turn to face one another, taking our hands in each other’s, our eyes searching as we answer the Registrar and then repeat him in succession.

“Ok. Lucia, If you could repeat after me…
 

We go through solemnly declaring that we’re not already married and then the guests are asked to stand.
 

“Do we have the rings?”

Nathan steps forward, as does Gino, to collect them from Finn who is standing in the aisle, holding the silk ring cushion up above his head. They both untie them and hurriedly hand them to us respectively. Lu mouthing ‘thank you’ to Finn. He’d done his duty and his little pigeon chest was out and proud.

I take Lu’s hand and slip the diamond pave wedding band onto her third finger. It fits perfectly. “I give you this ring, as a token of my love and affection. I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, Sebastian Gabriel Silver, do take thee, Lucia Amelia Myers to be my lawful wedded wife.”
 

Her eyes fill, and I take a breath as she repeats the process, sliding my own thick platinum band with its single diamond across my knuckle and comfortably onto my finger, before speaking her own vows. I smile as she says the words ‘to be my lawful wedded husband.’

“I understand you both have your own vows?”

I nod and Nathan passes me mine and I inhale. I’d never struggled with public speaking but this was different - this was wearing my heart on my sleeve.
 

“Lu, you and I met a decade ago, crossing paths as fate intended in a bar that would lead you to later have Finn.” I look up at her and see her tears, knowing she gets me. “The years went by and I struggled to see what was staring me in the face. A beautiful woman, full of love and passion and more guts than anyone I’ve ever known. We’ve had a tough year, but it’s brought us closer, made us stronger and has given us the foundations to begin our marriage. You are quite simply the love of my life. I promise to spend my life supporting you in your dreams and allowing you to have your voice, and speak your mind.” I laugh nervously at this part, as do other guests who know my controlling alpha ways best. “I know! It’ll be hard” I direct to them, before returning to my bride. “I will spend the rest of our lives making sure that you know how loved you are, how loved Finn is - how much of a son he is to me and I can’t wait to raise him with you, as
our own
.” I squeeze her hand at this, watching as she mops at her eye-makeup with a tissue.
 

“Quite simply, I love you, always and forever. You’ve tamed me, are the
only
one for me and will always be my
one
. Today I vow to cherish you for all eternity.”

I can’t wait a second longer, as I lean in and grab her. Her body moving to me like a magnet as we kiss, a soul-wrenching kiss that makes me love her more with each second. Slowly, we pull apart, both so full of emotion and she readies herself. I watch her beautiful green eyes flicker back and forth between me and the paper she is holding as she speaks.

“Seb, today I marry my best friend, my lover, my life. Today I’m truly whole. We’ve spent a decade of dancing around the inevitable and today it ceases - instead, we’ve walked purposely towards our fate. These few spoken words will seal us together legally as ‘one’. Taking that last leap of faith, has shown me that you truly love me. You’re my soulmate, Sebastian. I don’t know why we’ve waited but we’ve finally found one another. Like the engravings on our rings say, ‘You and me, always and forever. I love you’.”

The tears well once again, as I squeeze her hand in recognition of her words. The Registrar begins to speak and I’m rushing him along in my head.
Hurry up mate, pronounce us, come on!

“Now you have both made the declarations……”

Jeez mate come on!

“…from this moment on, I am delighted to pronounce that you are husband and wife! You may kiss your bride.”

At last! The guests erupt in cheers and applause but I cannot hear a thing as I take Lu in my arms and bend her backwards to the crowd’s delight to kiss her thoroughly. The cameras click and we are oblivious to everyone in that one special moment.
 

“Hi, Mrs. Silver.”

“Hello husband.”

“Ooh, I like the sound of that.”

*******

We move up the aisle to the sounds of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’, my face beams, my hand in my new husband’s and the wedding party trailing behind. I’m reminded of Suzie and Gino’s wedding five years earlier
 
- so much has happened since then. Seb and I are about to walk up the aisle together once again, this time as man and wife.

The Narnia style wedding aisle is picturesque and we pose for an age for the photographer before being given a glass of champagne which I ditch the second I can and hope that Seb doesn’t notice. I’d decided to wrap the pregnancy test and give it to him for Christmas so I just needed to fool him for another two weeks and meanwhile book in with my gynaecologist,
 
and get this coil removed.
 

I glance across at my handsome husband, a smile on his face, so that his dimple is on show, his free hand punching the air. This moment would stay etched on my memory forever - the day I took a leap of faith and jumped into his awaiting arms. I look down at my stomach and can’t believe how fortunate we’ve been - the feeling of knowing his child was inside me filled me with such a feeling of overwhelming emotion I have to swallow to coat my thickening throat.
 

We reach the bar area, to cheers and ovations and we kiss to raucous applause.
 

“You wait, Mrs. Silver. Give me 30 minutes of mingling and we’ll get you out of that dress and slip you onto something more comfortable.” His eyes are full of passion and I believe him. He had no intention of pacifying his guests if it meant missing out on time with me. We always came first.