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I turned around and let her clasp the pearls around my neck.
I walked over to the window and stared at the scenery below.
"Goldie sure knows how to throw a party," I mused, staring at the massive amounts of flowers, balloons, and other scenery in the courtyard below.
"Tell me about it," Sage said. "I called every florist in town to find all the purple roses."
I laughed. "At least I know the cake will be good."
She nudged me. "It better. If you sabotaged your wedding cake, that would not be a good start to your marriage."
There was a knock on the door. Sage opened it and invited our father and Robin in.
"Dad, you look marvelous," I exclaimed.
Dad had been sober for six months and had just obtained his chip from Alcoholics Anonymous. He had started to put on the weight he needed to be healthy, was cleanly shaven, and looked quite handsome.
"Thanks. I do look pretty good, if I say so myself," Dad said with a huge smile. "You look gorgeous."
I smiled at him. "Thanks, Daddy."
It felt so good to have my father back – the one I remembered from when I was a little girl.
"Unless you have changed your mind, it's time to get this show on the road," he grinned.
"I have not changed my mind," I replied.
As my maid of honor, Sage led the way down the stairs and out into the garden, where she was joined by Michael's best friend and best man, Luke.
The music started, and I was escorted down the aisle by my father on one side and Robin on the other. When Michael saw me, his eyes shone with such love and adoration that it nearly took my breath away.
When the preacher asked Michael to recite his vows, Michael squeezed my hands. "A few of the many reasons I fell in love with you were your fiery spirit, independence, and insistence that you be respected for the woman you are. You never tried to conform to any role. You are Jade – the woman I will love and cherish my entire life."
Out of the corner of my eye, I was sure I glimpsed some tears rolling down Goldie's face.
"I fell in love with you because of your gentleness and caring nature, which you didn't even know you possessed. You taught me to trust and that it was okay to let other people help me – and even take care of me and pamper me. You have opened my heart. I promise to love and cherish you for the rest of my life," I said, my eyes never leaving Michael's face.
The preacher went through the rest of the ceremony, and then Michael slipped a ring on my finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."
I was so nervous I almost dropped his ring, but I managed to slide it onto his finger with the same words. "With this ring, I thee wed."
The preacher pronounced us man and wife, and Michael pulled me into a deep embrace and kissed me so passionately that the rest of the world disappeared.
Then, the preacher cleared his throat a couple of times. Michael lifted his head and grinned that dashing smile that made the butterflies explode inside my stomach.
We turned around to greet our guests as husband and wife. The thought that I was Michael's wife sent a surge of warmth through me, and I couldn't stop smiling.
The reception was held in the same place as the wedding. We stepped off the dais and into the arms of everyone who wanted to hug and congratulate us.
Everyone raved over the red velvet cake that I made. When I first opened my bakery, Michael had told me that red velvet was his favorite. I had made a sugar sculpture that was two swans forming a heart.
The DJ was terrific and played just the right number of slow songs, allowing me to revel in Michael’s arms. That devil spent every song whispering in my ear the delights that would follow for the evening.
Finally, the evening came to a close, and Sage scooped up Robin, who would stay with her and my father while Michael and I went on our honeymoon. Our plane would leave in the morning for Cancun. Meanwhile, we had a room reserved at a fancy hotel.
He carried me across the threshold, set me down gently, and stared into my eyes for a few seconds. Then, he put his hands on both sides of my face and kissed me, first gently and then passionately, which burned with all of the fires of eternal love.
Almost like magic, our clothes disappeared. I took a step back to look at the gorgeous man standing before me. My fingers danced across his chest and down to his waist. He sucked in his breath as I wrapped my hand around him.
