They finished the ceremony and the preacher told him to kiss his new bride. Lucas gave a full-fledged smile. “Gladly.” then he bent her slightly backwards and consumed her mouth. They both forgot they were standing in a room full of people.
Neither of them had any idea how long the kiss lasted. They may as well have been alone in their bedroom. It had been so long since he’d held her and tasted the sweet nectar of her lips.
“Ah, son, you have plenty of time for that during the honeymoon,” Joseph interrupted the pair and slapped his son on the back. The crowd laughed at Lucas’s enthusiasm. Amy turned scarlet and Lucas looked like a very proud husband.
To all those witnessing the wedding, the marriage looked like a union of love, which was going to last forever. The way each of them looked at one another could only be described as besotted.
They walked down the aisle as Joseph led the vast group of people to the backyard. Amy was once again in awe of the Anderson family. She couldn’t believe they’d planned the wedding in less than a week.
The yard had glamorous tents set up, filled with linen covered tables. There was soft lighting, a dance floor and an entire band playing music. Caterers carried around trays of champagne and food, attending to the guests.
On each table sat crystal, china and the most fragrant and colorful floral arrangements. She decided to enjoy the day that was all about her. She’d imagine it was a real wedding, with a loving groom by her side.
Lucas had wanted all the silly little traditional things. He didn’t even know why. God knew it wasn’t a traditional wedding. Amy probably thought it more appropriate to have guards with guns ushering her from station to station since he’d strong-armed her into the entire marriage.
He was surprised to see she seemed to be enjoying herself. She appeared to be in slight awe and genuinely happy. His bride was full of surprises, or she was one phenomenal actress.
“You know, you’re absolutely stunning tonight,” Tom said to Amy when he finally managed to get a moment with her. She threw her arms around him, grateful her best friend was among the sea of strangers.
“Thank you for being here, Tom. This is all overwhelming,” she told him with a sniffle.
“Just don’t forget about me now that you’re married and prego,” he said with a teasing smile. She could see the insecurity beneath the teasing, though.
“I haven’t had any true friends my entire life. You’re the first one and I promise you’ll always be the first person I call when I need a shoulder to cry on. You know you can also call me anytime. We’ll always be best friends,” she said. She gave him one more hug before she was called over to cut the cake.
Lucas and Amy cut the cake and fed each other. They toasted their union and shared dances with family members. Lucas was surprised by the intense jealousy he felt as each of his brothers pulled Amy too close, for a married woman, and whisked her around the dance floor.
When she was dancing with Alex, she let out a delighted laugh at something he said. Lucas walked away from his partner without a word and reclaimed his bride. His brother laughed harder and kissed Amy on the cheek before releasing her to her husband.
“What were the two of you laughing about?” he questioned her with jealousy as he spun her around the dance floor.
“He told me if I came to my senses I could call him and he’d whisk me away from his boring older brother,” she said smiling, still in delight, from his brother.
“You’re mine, and only mine, and the only one who will be whisking you anywhere will be me,” he stated and pulled her even tighter so she’d have room for only him in her mind.
He kissed her until he could hardly stand anymore, and then decided they’d spent enough time with people. It was past time to start the honeymoon portion of the wedding.
“It’s time to go. Let’s say goodnight to my parents and run away from here,” he spoke as he took her hand and led her in the direction of his mom and dad. Amy became incredibly scared as he led her toward his parents. This was it. They were going to be alone very soon and she was terrified. She didn’t know how to act as a married woman.
She wasn’t worried about sex. They definitely had chemistry, but she was worried about the before and after sex. Did she kiss him if she felt like it? Did she take his hand in hers? Did she tell him when the baby was kicking so they could share the moment? Were those things too intimate?
In a regular marriage, she wouldn’t need to ask herself those kinds of questions, but this wasn’t a regular marriage, and she didn’t know what was expected of her. It was terrifying.