“With your own father not here, I wanted you to know I’d be more than honored if you would allow me to walk you down the aisle,” he said with tears in his eyes.
Amy’s eyes were burning as she replied to his kind offer. “It would be my honor to have you escort me. You’re the kind of father I always dreamed of having.” She couldn’t say anything further because she got entirely too choked up, as she looked into his kind eyes. He pulled her close for a hug and she clung to him, hoping he’d never let her go. She’d been so careful in her years to not get too attached to people, yet in a few short months, she loved Lucas’s entire family.
“Now, now, you don’t want to get all teary eyed and ruin your makeup. I don’t think my son could handle any delays. He’s already pacing up and down the hallway. The preacher just led him to his spot at the altar,” Joseph chuckled.
Amy took one final look in the mirror and then took a deep breath, “I’m ready,” she said. She took Joseph’s arm as he led her out of the room. Music filled the air as they stepped through the doorway.
She gasped and the only thing that kept her from running was Joseph gripping her arm. “I thought only a few people would be here,” she whispered.
“Now, Amy, don’t be frightened. My oldest son’s finally getting married and we couldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings by not including them in the affair,” he said, making her feel guilty about not wanting all the strangers staring at her.
Amy took a deep breath and felt nerves running through her entire body as they took the first steps down the beautifully decorated aisle. She looked straight ahead, because she feared if she faced the strangers’ faces, she’d turn around and run.
She spotted Lucas at the end of the aisle, just a short distance from her. He took her breath away with how beautiful of a man he was. Their eyes met and held. He gave her a smile that seemed to tell her everything would be okay.
Amy felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She stopped to catch her breath. Joseph looked at her quizzically, but she didn’t notice. She didn’t notice anything but the way her body quivered.
She was in love with him and she realized she could no longer imagine her life without him. He was going to be her husband, but he didn’t love her. She didn’t know how she was going to get through the wedding. How she could be with him every day, making love and raising a child and knowing he didn’t love her? She was barely holding herself together.
Joseph prompted her and she finally began to walk forward. She had to fight to keep the tears away. Maybe he’ll eventually fall in love with me, she tried to comfort herself. If he thought she’d somehow trapped him into the marriage, how would he ever trust her, much less love her? He knew she hadn’t planned the pregnancy, but he was honorable in doing what was right for his child and therefore would always feel like he was trapped.
There was nothing she could do at the moment, so she would continue down the aisle and get the wedding over with. She was a strong person. She would have to store away her love and try to survive the whole event.
Lucas felt a moment of panic as Amy stopped halfway down the aisle. Was she going to turn and run? He wouldn’t let her get far. He knew how badly she wanted her baby, and as much as it hurt him to trap her, he couldn’t let them go. In the months he’d known her, she’d invaded his every sense and he couldn’t picture his future without her in it.
He breathed a sigh of relief as they began walking toward him again. When his father placed her hand in his and she stepped up to stand beside him, a quiet calm washed over him. He had her in his arms and he wasn’t going to let her go.
He barely heard the preacher speaking. He focused just enough to repeat the words he needed to say, but otherwise his mind was consumed by his beautiful bride.
She was a vision. He’d dated models and heiresses - he’d been with far more women than he should’ve, but none of them had been able to cause the tightening in his gut that Amy did. She had a natural beauty that outshone the brightest stars of Hollywood.
He’d move heaven and earth to have her as his wife forever. He was falling in love with her. He was shocked to the depths of his soul by that revelation. He couldn’t let her know of his feelings because then she’d know she had the power to drop him to his knees and beg her for mercy.
He wouldn’t let her destroy him. He’d be a good husband and she’d learn to love him and not his name or his money. Please God, let her love me and not what I can give her, he secretly added to his vows of love, honor and obey.