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He snorted. It didn’t take a genius to realize that her dad had only gone along with this vow renewal because her mother had insisted, and he wanted to be anywhere but standing in the humid Hawaiian air in a penguin suit. His words, not hers.
A handful of her extended family sat in the white folding chairs on either side of the aisle, along with her parents’ closest friends. Palm trees swayed in the distance, and the looming tower of their hotel cast a shadow across the guests.
And then, in the third row back next to his parents, sat Chris, wearing a gray suit and giving her the goofiest smile. His hair was freshly cut, but the sunshine hit his locks, causing a glow atop his head, showcasing the highlights in the short strands. His blue eyes perfectly matched his tie; she knew that because she’d picked it out last week and slipped it into his suitcase.
The bridal processional started, and everyone stood.
Kelly watched as her mother came out of the sliding glass door of her parents’ hotel suite and walked slowly down the stairs. As she made her way across the sand, Kelly noted the high-necked white dress that gathered under her mother’s breasts and flowed down to the sand. Her mother held up the skirt of her dress with one hand and her gorgeous bridal bouquet in the other. Her dark hair framed her face in a straight A-line cut, and a wreath of white roses and baby’s breath sat atop her head.
From a distance, her mother appeared younger, but as she drew nearer, Kelly could make out every line around her eyes and mouth. She’d earned them through years of smiles and tears, laughter and heartache.
In Kelly’s eyes, she was the most beautiful bride she’d ever seen.
Kelly shot a glance at her dad. Her eyes grew misty at the transfixed expression on his face as he stared at her mother coming down the white fabric aisle runner. There was so much love there that Kelly was almost envious.
Then she looked at Chris again and his lips moved. After a moment, she realized he was mouthing something.
I love you.
Kelly wanted to say it back, but they hadn’t told their parents yet. After two weeks of blissfully tearing each other’s clothes off every chance they got, they’d spent the last two nights apart. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to tell their families, but she hadn’t wanted to draw attention away from her parents’ happiness and Chris had been worried his mother wouldn’t be able to resist meddling if they told them too soon. They still had three days left in Hawaii; plenty of time to let the cat out of the bag.
Her mother held her hand out to her father, and before turning her back on Kelly, her mom gave her the brightest smile she’d ever seen.
The non-denominational minister her mother had hired was a robust man named Hani. He’d told them all that his mother had named him Hani, which meant happy, because she swore he came out of her laughing. It was either funny or disturbing, depending on how you looked at it.
“Family and friends,” Hani said loudly. “We are here to celebrate the recommitment ceremony of Leah and Tim Barrow. Forty years ago, these two beautiful souls vowed to love, honor, and cherish each other for the rest of their lives…and in my opinion, they’re well on their way to fulfilling those vows.”
After reciting the same poem that they had used at their wedding, he asked them to say their vows.
Kelly watched her father sweat bullets as he spoke, telling her mother that after all these years, she wasn’t the girl he married. She was even better, because the twists and turns they’d ridden together had made her a stronger version of that girl. And she was even more beautiful now because of all that she’d accomplished.
That got Kelly’s eyes watering, but her mother pushed her over the edge when she told him that he was more than the man of her dreams. He was the one she knew would stick around long after the music faded and she woke up. He was the hand she always wanted to be holding before she closed her eyes at night.
Kelly pulled a tissue she had hidden in her bouquet out, and dabbed at her eyes as her parents exchanged the new, upgraded rings, sliding them onto each other’s fingers. When the ceremony was finally over, Kelly slipped her arm through her Uncle Kenny’s, her dad’s younger brother, and they followed the happy couple back down the aisle to a secluded area of the beach for pictures. Although she smiled and posed and hugged and kissed, she couldn’t wait to find Chris and be in his arms.
An hour later, Kelly snuck up behind Chris while he was getting a drink, and slipped her arms around his waist.
“Hey, handsome.”
“Hi.” He covered her hands on his abdomen with his own. “I missed you. Think we might be able to sneak off for a little while? I wouldn’t mind getting to kiss my girlfriend.”
“That could probably be arranged.” She let him go and came around to face him. “Or, we could just tell our parents we’re together now.”
His brow furrowed. “I thought you wanted to wait so we didn’t take the attention away from your parents.”
“I think the two of us together would pretty much be the best vow renewal present we could get my mom.”
“And your dad?” Chris asked.
Kelly shrugged. “He’ll get used to it.”
“That’s not comforting. At all.”
“Come on, sissy. Let’s get this over with.” Kelly laced her fingers with his and asked, “Unless you aren’t ready, in which case, I will back away slowly before either of our mothers notice anything suspicious.”
Chris brought her hand up to his mouth, brushing her knuckles with his lips. “Ready when you are.”
Kelly’s heart practically took flight out of her chest, it was fluttering so hard. Together, they made their way over to her parents, who were standing next to the buffet.
