Only in Dreams(66)
THE GUESTS ARE seated, the music is playing, my dress is gathered and draped in all the right ways, and most importantly, Christian is nowhere to be found. Scooping up my bouquet of flowers, I make my way through the door where Emmie is beckoning me.
“You ready?” she asks me.
I nod and smile as she takes my arm and leads me over to Colin, who is waiting near the entrance of the sanctuary. Suddenly, I am struck with a terrible case of deja vu, my dream still haunting me from months ago.
I look into Colin’s eyes, then wish I hadn’t. I can tell he’s not happy, but I don’t expect him to be. I’m sure if he had his choice, I would be marrying his brother. But it’s not his choice, it’s mine, and I am confident this is exactly where I should be.
Colin feigns a smile. I know he won’t say anything to upset me, not this close to me walking down the aisle. Giving Emmie a hug, I reach out and take Colin’s arm, and we both watch as Emmie steps through the doors.
Colin looks down at me. “You look beautiful,” he says softly.
“Thank you,” I mutter.
“Paige,” he hesitates. I peer up at him.
“What is it?”
“Are you sure about this?”
I smile, press up on my tiptoes, and kissing Colin’s cheek, I say, “More than anything.” He doesn’t know about Henry, and he can’t know. I know he won’t be able to keep it a secret from Christian.
He doesn’t say anything else, only nods, and as the doors open the rest of the way, revealing us to the crowd that is waiting, we begin walking down the aisle, the guests rising to their feet.
I’m only a few steps down the ivory runner when I see Henry. He is standing at the end waiting for me. The moment his eyes connect with mine, I see an expression on his face that tells me I’m his perfect match and he’s mine.
Our eyes never shift from one another, I don’t see our guests, or notice the faces of my friends. It’s Henry and I, here in this moment, together. When we reach the end of the path and Colin hands me off to my soon-to-be-husband, I realize how intense my smile is. My face is hurting.
I watch his eyes shimmer, revealing the emotion flooding over him. It’s touching how moving this is for him, and I feel a flutter in my chest. My arm links with his as we turn and face the minister, who first greets the guests, then moves right into the ceremony. He speaks of timeless love and an unbroken circle. I try my best to concentrate on his words, but all I can think about is that I’m about to be Mrs. Henry Wallace.
Though I’m lost in the moment, the memory of that dream from months ago nags my thoughts. I swallow hard as the minister approaches the portion of the ceremony where he asks if anyone has any objections. Closing my eyes, I hold my breath and I wait. Each ticking second feels like an eternity.
And then it happens—the announcement is made, and it is official, Henry and I are husband and wife. I open my eyes wide, greeted by his smile. He leans in, first kissing me slowly, and softly, then suddenly without warning he grips my back, and dips me down low, pressing his lips firmly against mine. The crowd erupts with laughter and applause.
As he shifts me upright, I laugh, trying to make sure my appearance is not as disheveled as I feel. I’m pleasantly surprised by the sudden burst of energy and strength. “I love you.” He mouths the words over the noise of the crowd. I smile, gripping his hand with mine and pull it up to my mouth, planting a kiss on his fingertips.
Here we go, I think as we make our way down the aisle, so much uncertainty awaiting us.
WHEN WE ORIGINALLY planned our honeymoon we’d dreamt of taking weeks off to travel around the world together. It was supposed to be a time for us to celebrate our marriage, focus on one another, and enjoy the newfound intimacy and security of being a married couple. The cancer changed our plans. Plane tickets were exchanged, and we shortened our trip to a quick five days up to Henry’s family home in the Hamptons.
The doctors want to get him in for chemotherapy treatments as soon as possible, which means by next Friday we need to be back in New York, prepared to fight the battle of our lives. Even though Henry continually apologizes for the inconvenience, I actually am enjoying the last minute change in venue. Long walks on the beach, the sound of the ocean through our open windows at night, the cool breeze as it rolls in off the icy water. For him, these surroundings have always been a normal part of his life, but I rarely saw places like their summer home.
I open my eyes, deciding I had lain around in bed, pretending to be asleep, long enough. Much to my surprise, Henry is leaning over me, watching. “Good morning beautiful,” he sighs.