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“You’re misunderstanding me, Talia. There is one part of this wedding that’s truly important, and that’s you and Zac standing together at the end of the aisle and committing yourselves to one another in front of your family and friends. There won’t be anything that goes wrong with that. But this is a wedding, and as someone who has planned tons of them and other events, not one goes off without a hitch. There’s always some small random detail that’s a problem. It’s to be expected, but the truth is that you’ll probably never know about it.”
No sooner had I gotten those words out when Saylor approached and asked, “What’s going on?”
Margot and Thea walked up at the same time as Saylor, and it was Margot who spoke. “Yeah, why do you look like you’re about to throw up, Talia?”
Before Talia could formulate a response, I explained, “She’s nervous, because she wants this day to be perfect.”
“It will be,” Thea assured her.
“But Kiera just said it won’t be,” Talia announced, her voice panicked.
The rest of my friends shot me a horrified look, so I had no choice but to offer some clarification. “I told her that some mundane detail will likely be a problem that she never even learns about. I also told her that the most important part of the wedding, which is her getting married to the love of her life, will all go off without a hitch.”
Relief moved through them, then Margot shared, “Oh, yeah. Definitely. After Simon and I got back from our honeymoon, I was talking to my mom about the actual wedding. As it turned out, there was a miscalculation at my wedding about the meals for the kids. We were supposed to have sixteen meals for children who were attending, but for some reason, we only ordered twelve. So, a couple of kids got adult meals instead of chicken fingers and smiley fries. Things happen.”
“Don’t worry about anything, Talia,” Thea said. “Nothing is going to ruin your day today, because it’s just not possible. Even if something crazy happened at the reception, like in my case, where someone bumped into the dessert table and half of the desserts landed on the floor, it won’t matter to you.”
“The only thing that matters is that you and Zac get married,” Saylor added. “And that man is not going to not get married to you today. So, as long as you walk down that aisle to him, you’ll have nothing to worry about.”
“Are you sure?” she asked the four of us.
We all nodded.
Everyone’s reassurances seemed to alleviate most of Talia’s nerves. She loosened her hold on my hand as she took in a deep breath. “Okay. I’m ready to get married.”
With that, all of us got ourselves into position, and not more than a minute later, the music started. Thea started the procession, followed by Margot and Saylor. I gave Talia one last glance and a smile before I stepped out at the end of the aisle and started walking.
Once I took that first step, the whole world melted away for me.
Because I saw my husband standing at the end of the aisle.
My husband.
I wasn’t sure there were words that would give me any greater joy than those. It was finally starting to settle in my mind. Johnny and I came into this week, separated and on the brink of divorce, and we were going to be leaving tomorrow as a happily married couple.
It broke my heart to think of all the time we’d lost, but Johnny was right. This bump in our road only gave the both of us a deeper appreciation for each other. I wanted the very best life had to offer for Johnny, and there wasn’t a question in my mind that he wanted the same for me.
We were going to make it, and if nothing else, I believed we were stronger now than we ever were before.
He had a level of patience and determination in his demeanor now, and the moment I opened that door to reconciliation, he walked right through it without hesitation. I didn’t doubt that he’d do everything in his power to make certain that we never again found ourselves in the place we’d been in over the course of the last six months.
It was the same for me.
Because I didn’t just blame Johnny. I knew I was responsible for my part in the rough patch in our marriage. There were plenty of things I could have done differently.
But in the end, all that mattered was that we had worked it out, and our marriage was going to survive.
I had the sneaking suspicion that there were similar thoughts running through Johnny’s mind as I walked down the aisle. The look on his face spoke volumes, and I wanted to say that it seemed as though he was falling in love with me all over again. I never took my eyes off of him, and it was the same for him with me.
Only when I made it to the end of the aisle and had to shift to the side to join the bridesmaids did I tear my gaze away from him. And for the next several minutes, I kept my focus on my best friend as she made her way down the aisle to the man of her dreams.
My heart was feeling the fullest it had in months.
Before I knew it, the ceremony was over, and the bridal party was heading back down the aisle. Only this time, I didn’t walk alone.
This time, I had my arm linked through my husband’s.
And the moment we got to the end, he said, “You look stunning today, Mrs. Barlow.”
