"Good morning, my blushing bride." I hear Lindsey whispering to me, a lazy smile crossing my lips.
"Good morning." I say, opening my eyes slowly, finding him already dressed. "What time is it?"
"Just past 11 am."
"Oh God, Lindsey, you should have woken me up earlier!"
"Now, calm down. Everything is ready for tonight, baby. You know it is. So, there's absolutely no need to worry. You take your time getting up, I'll be waiting for you downstairs with breakfast."
Raising an eyebrow, I give him a look. "You didn't cook, did you? Or is it just a cup of coffee?"
Rolling his eyes, Lindsey shakes his head. "No, Lori made all of us breakfast."
"Oh, then you shouldn't wait for me." I say, moving myself into a sitting position, as I stretch some.
"We didn't." Lindsey replies, smirking. "Come on, gorgeous, get going. Lori is waiting for you, she said, you've asked her to take you somewhere."
"That's right." I nod, yawning, finally swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, then stand up on my feet. "We probably won't see each other until it's time for us to get married, you know." I then tell him, lingering in the doorway to the bathroom.
"And what exactly are you suggesting?" I know I've piqued his interest.
"Nothing. I just wanted to say, I'm going to miss you." With that I lock myself up in the bathroom, but not before Lindsey let's out a frustrated sigh. I love teasing him, what can I say.
Once I've taken a shower, I make my way down the stairs and to the family room, where Alex, Lori, Jessi and her boyfriend, and my brother Chris are. They all arrived yesterday evening and I'm so happy to have them here. Later tonight, I'm also expecting Mick with his girls, John with his wife and Christine, Sharon, Mary, as well as some other of our close friends.
I would love for Jessi to come along with me and Lori, but she's heavily pregnant and I wouldn't want to exhaust her. I know, however, that she will be taken good care of while we're gone. I still can't believe that Jessi is about to have a baby. It seemed like it was just yesterday that she was five years old, coming to my house for a sleepover and she would ask me to let her dress up in my stage clothes. She's blossomed into such a beautiful young woman. Time flies, it really does.
After I've had breakfast, Lori and I got in Lindsey's car, which he was not thrilled about. I joked that I was going to drive and the expression on his face was priceless, but then Lori snatched the keys from him and we left. I'm glad I get to have a little time with Lori on our own. I know I probably shouldn't, but I'm still freaking out a bit inside. I am getting married after all. To Lindsey. I honestly never thought this day would come.
"I have to say, I'm surprised you're having a small wedding." Lori says, while we're on the way to Margi's, who of course has made a fabulous gown for me.
"Well, I'm sure it's not just you. Lindsey didn't believe it either. I just don't see what's the point in having a completely over the top wedding. I'm sure if this was happening thirty years ago, it would be different, because that's when I wanted to show off; to let people know, I'm successful, beautiful, I have money and also - look at my man!"
Lori laughs, shaking her head. "That's never really been you, Stevie."
"I hope not." Laughing as well, I reply.
About two or so hours later, we're back home. Wanting to have at least a tiny bit of tradition, I ask Lori to make sure Lindsey's not in our way, before she and I hurry to our bedroom. It might be silly, but I don't care. I don't want him to see me. Lori also asks Jessi to join us, as they help me to get ready.
"Did you think, like a year or two ago, that this was still possible for you two?" Jessi asks, having made herself comfortable on the bed.
"Are you joking? Of course not! I thought, I was going to marry Christian if I still had a chance to marry anyone. No. Lindsey and I weren't at a good place. It's... it's not pleasant to think about, but maybe it's the realization that we don't have that much time left. There was no question if the feelings were still alive. So, we could either spend the rest of our days fighting or finally having a talk, like two adults, which we really needed badly, and get together once again, hopefully for real this time."
"I've not always liked Lindsey." Lori says and I give her a sort of 'oh really?' look. "But I must say, that man worships the ground you walk on. It's just the way he looks at you..." I listen, smiling at what she just said. "The most beautiful part of it is that you look at him the very same way."
It's just before 7 pm and I hear more voices downstairs, clearly more guests have arrived and my heart starts beating faster. Soon, I'm going to become Mrs. Buckingham. That's... Well, that's just crazy! After everything we've been through, Lindsey still loved me enough to ask me to be his wife.
Staring at myself in the mirror, I feel happy about my appearance. Margi, as always, has done a wonderful job with the dress, which I believe is just right for this kind of ceremony. My makeup was applied with precision and Lori helped me with my hair, taking a strand at each side, as she then braided them together at the back, leaving the rest of it loose.
A knock on the door echoes across the room and my brother comes in. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." I nod, taking a deep breath, before I stand up and go to Chris.
Slowly, he helps me climb the stairs down, then we enter the biggest room of the whole house, which is decorated with great care. It's beautiful and it's exactly how I wanted it to be. It's subtle, but it's still set for the occasion. A few rows of chairs are occupied by our guests, in front of whom stands Lindsey, to my surprise wearing a suit. We smile at each other, once I approach him and he takes me by the hand, allowing Chris to take his seat.
The officiant, who we managed to find rather quickly, speaks up and the ceremony begins, but honestly, what he's saying, I don't really hear. I'm standing with the love and light of my life, with the father of my only child, with my heart and soul and in this moment, I couldn't ask for more.
I swore I wouldn't cry, but I can't fight back the tears any longer, as one finally escapes and Lindsey catches it, wiping it off my cheek, giving my hand a squeeze. Then we exchange the wedding rings and I freeze a little, just staring at our clasped hands. It happened. Did it really? I hope this is our dream, that's just become a reality and it's not just a dream.
It can't be. When Lindsey closes the gap between us, despite how small it was already, when he cups the side of my cheek and gives me the most beautiful smile, before he tilts his head more to one side and leans in to kiss me, the feeling surging through me can't be only my wild imagination. I refuse to let go of him, wrapping his arms around me, as mine go up and around his neck. I hear people laugh, clap and cheer for us, as I finally break our lips apart.
"I'm your wife." I say, as if I just realized that.
"You have just made me the absolute happiest man in the world." Lindsey tells me, pressing his forehead against mine, as we linger for a moment, just looking at each other.
It has taken us decades of love as well as heartbreak to get to where we are today at last. There had been moments, when I screamed at him that I hated him, that I never wanted to see him again, that I wished I had never met him and received all of that in return, but here we are now, in each other's arms. Married.
That's the power of unconditional love.
THE END
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Well, that was fun! I don't know about you, but this was one of my favorite stories to write. I hope you enjoyed it and I thank your for your wonderful feedback.