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“That’s better,” he said and smiled widely, leaning over me as I tried to get away from his hands. “I want a happy bride, not one with tears on her face. I want you smiling, thinking of our life together. Our night at the Ritz, and our honeymoon in Nassau.”
I took in a deep breath and let him embrace me once more. “I’ll be smiling.”
He kissed me once more, warmly, deeply, his arms circling my waist and pulling me against him.
“Now, we better go to our appointed corners so we can be on time,” Drake said and let go of me. He adjusted his suit jacket and tie and then smiled. “I love you, Ms. Bennet.”
“I love you Doctor Delish,” I said and waved my hand at him. “See you in five minutes.”
He slipped out the door and his face was the last thing I saw, his blue eyes and smile making my heart flip.
I felt he was already mine, but the ceremony would cement it.
I turned to the mirror, adjusted my new necklace and then I went to get married.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Drake
Everything went off without a hitch.
Ken turned to me and checked his watch. “Time to walk the plank,”
he said with a grin. “At the end, you gotta jump in. Any last minute reservations, get it over now.”
I shook my head. “Not a chance,” I said and laid my hand on his shoulder. “More determined than ever.”
I turned to Dave. “You’re not going to offer any objections on the basis that you wanted Kate for yourself?”
Dave laughed and shook his head. “Wouldn’t work, and besides, I like my job.”
Joking over with, the three of us left the spare bedroom and made our way to the living room for the ceremony. There were about fifteen people in attendance besides those in the ceremony itself. Ethan and Kate were not in the living room yet, but Elaine was already seated in the front row, looking beautiful in a pale blue dress.
Dave sat on the groom’s side of the aisle, and Ken and I went to the front of the room where our officiant, Steve McLean, a man in a sober black suit and tie, waited, his hands folded and a smile on his face.
We stood at the front of the room and waited while the harpist played something light and airy, the few guests we had all smiles. Finally, the music changed to the Here Comes the Bride piece and everyone in the room turned, including Ken and I. Kate was in the entrance with Ethan beside her in his wheelchair.
She looked absolutely perfect. The necklace I gave her only moments earlier sparkled in the light, her eyes were bright, and a smile graced her beautiful mouth. Ethan looked overcome with emotion, his face flushed, but I knew he was happy. I felt incredibly lucky that a man like Ethan wanted me for his beloved daughter. Fathers tend to be overly protective of their baby girls and so winning his trust was a privilege.
I would never do anything to break that trust. Kate was my heart.
“She looks beautiful,” Ken whispered beside me, nudging me with his shoulder when he leaned closer. “Dazzling.”
“She is,” I murmured, my eyes lingering over her as she walked down the aisle with Ethan rolling beside her.
They arrived and Ethan offered Kate’s hand to me, and while it was a symbolic gesture, taken from far earlier when a man actually gave his daughter away as a possession, I knew that for Ethan, it meant he trusted me with his daughter’s heart.
“Here she is, son,” he said softly. “Do me proud.”
“I will, father,” I said, a choke in my throat. I gripped Kate’s hand in mine, squeezing to show her how happy I was. She glanced up in my eyes, and I saw tears there and so I squeezed again, smiling at her tender heart.
I love you, I mouthed. Forever.
I love you, she mouthed back. Always.
Then we turned to the officiant and were married.
Our photographer took us to a familiar spot in Central Park where many wedding parties went for their photographs. An ornate stone bridge crossed a small stream. The trees were covered in leaves of vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. Around us stood the tall apartment buildings in white and red brick, a striking contrast during the bright and sunny day, although the sun was quickly setting so we had to get the photos before the photographer lost the light.
