Mr. Big(62)

Down the center aisle of the rows was a long white carpet that ended at a pulpit, bedecked with flowers and fronted by an archway that was covered in blooms and ribbons. Alexander Daniels stood at one side of the arch, looking as he always did in a tuxedo, like a James Bond hero.

Beside him was a slightly smaller thinner man; Liam wore a tuxedo as well, and was beaming blissfully as the two of them looked around at the guests who had come for the fall wedding.

The music changed, and every head turned to the end of the aisle to watch as three women began to walk up the carpet toward Alexander and Liam.

The first woman was Emily; elegant and refined with her brunette hair pulled up in a chignon at the nape of her neck and a bouquet of flowers in her hand. Her burgundy colored dress gently brushed the carpet as she walked over it. She came to a stop at the other side of the arch, looking over at her brother and giving him a wink.

Next came a voluptuous blonde. Ava grinned happily as she strode down the aisle, catching a few men’s eyes as she passed them, coming to stand beside Emily. Then it was Maddie, her red hair pulled into a French twist on her head, her chin held high, and her smile broad as she stepped down the aisle and came to the edge of the carpet nearest Alexander. She smiled at him and winked at Liam who shared a tender grin with her.

All of them turned to see Mia as she stepped from the tent beneath the tree where she and Alexander had shared their picnic one sunny spring day. She was dressed in her wedding gown; white and flowing, covered in lacy blossoms and pearls, her veil frosting her dark hair and skin. She walked toward her friends and her lover, wondering in amazement that the day was even happening, grateful for it that it had finally come, and excited that she was going to spend the rest of her life with Alexander, always to be his.

She reached the end of the carpet and he took her veil and lifted it from her face, staring at her and shaking his head slightly at her breathtaking beauty. They turned then, facing the minister who spoke of their love and asked them to repeat the vows that he said.

They promised to love one another all of their days, to cherish and strengthen each other, to remain faithful and true no matter the circumstance, and to keep their promises until the day they parted the earth.

Both of them vowed to love much longer than that. The minister pronounced them man and wife, and Alexander took Mia into his arms and kissed her softly and tenderly for a long while before he finally let her go and grinned down at her.

She knew that all of her dreams had come true, and that every single day that was coming to them would each be one part of the best of their lives. As they turned to face their family and friends, he leaned close to her and whispered, “You are my happily ever after.”





THE END