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Chapter 19
I will never forget that dank damp smell of those shaded woods. It was broad daylight, but it was shaded under the canopy of trees. I loved being in the woods, and I missed that feeling since I had always lived where everything was wide open.
I took in the smell of the shade and trees as I walked down the path on my father's arm.
I had changed into a cute sundress that went with my Birks just fine. I had been poked and prodded by Anne the stylist until I was ship shape. She didn't go overboard—she did just enough to make me presentable. She tucked and pinned my hair and put half of it up. She put a light foundation on my face, and she did something to my lips as well, but it wasn't thick. I looked in the mirror and was pleased when I noticed it was all natural looking.
I thanked her and she pushed me into the arms of my father who was standing there, waiting for me.
I started down the path with him.
Was this really happening?
It was a dirt trail, and I could not resist stepping out of my sandals. I stopped for a second, took off my shoes, and then continued on the path barefoot. In that moment, didn't care if I ever saw those sandals again. I smelled the damp forest air, and I walked along the path, loving the feel of the warm earth beneath my feet.
"Why'd you leave your shoes?" my dad asked as we walked.
"I don't know," I said. "The whole thing feels kind of surreal, anyway—like I should have bare feet, don't you think?"
"I think it's fine if it's what you like," my dad said.
"Are you marrying us, Dad?"
"No, Alec asked me if I wanted to be the one to officiate, but I told him I'd just give you away and watch the rest of the ceremony. He had everything worked out with his family. He has people who work for him, too. They have it all planned out. Your mom and I just had to show up.
"Well thank you for that," I said, laughing a little.
"You're welcome. You're our only daughter. We wouldn't miss it for the world," he said, taking me seriously.
We walked down the shaded path. I hadn't been to this park in such a long time that everything felt new. It was new. It was a beautiful life lesson on my impromptu wedding day.
The small clearing was on our right, and I turned the corner to find that it was full of people. I could see some of them through the trees as we walked, but I didn't realize how many there were till we made it to the opening.
There was a huge group of people, all standing up. I looked out at the different faces, feeling overwhelmed but happy. There were parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends. They turned to look at me and all of a sudden, the record screeched to a halt. I didn't even realize there was music playing until there was a sound of an actual record screeching to a halt, after which the music stopped.
The crowd started murmuring and then moved and parted dramatically. They parted down the middle like the splitting of the Red Sea, creating a tunnel of people. I felt like I was in a dream. Alec was at the end of it, playing a keyboard that had been strategically set up on the far side of the clearing.
I tried to move forward to go to him, but my dad stopped me, tugging gently on my arm and holding me in place. I glanced at my dad before looking down the path to Alec, who was on the other side of a hundred people.
He stared at me as he hit notes on the keyboard. It was a gorgeous melody—a slower version of the melody of my song. Grace.
He sang.
He performed one verse of it and a chorus, but then it morphed into a different song—one that had been written for this day. He had an array of sounds programmed on his keyboard, and he started a new beat. He began talk-singing in a section where he gave his vows to me. He sang them in a slow rhythmic rap-type thing that was cooler than anything I had ever seen or heard.
Alec was smiling and confident, and his song told me that he loved me, he'd hold me, and keep me for every single day of his life.
I was still processing my surroundings. Alec stared at me and told me that he was mine forever, and then he slowed the music and finished with the last chorus of the song called Grace.
Alec was a talented musician and performer, and this was a thought-out routine that was polished and perfect. I was utterly speechless.
I just stood there and watched him in awe. His voice was soulful and his dark brown eyes pierced through my soul when he sang. I gave him a broad grin for pulling off such a thing.
I had no idea this would happen today. My heart was in a perpetual state of pounding. A pounding heart was my new normal today. Alec hit one last note and all at once, like an explosion, the people who were lining the path all reached out and threw petals.
The song ended, and white rose petals filled the air in front of me before falling to the ground like snow. Alec came around his piano as guitar music took over. I could tell he was headed for me, and I let go of my dad's arm and went to Alec as fast as my bare feet could take me.
We met in the center of that impromptu aisle, and everyone cheered when we converged. He kissed me. He kissed me so unapologetically that for a few seconds, I couldn't see or pay attention to anything else.
