Knight in Shining Suit (70 page)

“
I love you, beautiful.”
He whispered.

I smiled back at him. “I
love you, too.”

My father took my hand and
placed it in his. Then they shook hands and then Ryder guided me
towards the altar.

Ryder and I intertwined
our hands all throughout the ceremony. Even until now, I couldn’t
believe that I’m standing here beside him. For years, I never knew
happiness and love like this would exist in my life. I was content
with what I had with Bryan and when my heart was shattered to
pieces, I didn’t know that I could be fixed again… that I could be
as good and as strong as I am now… that I could be with a man like
Ryder, who I thought existed only in dreams and fairy tale
novels.

“
Ryder… a little over a
year ago, I was heartbroken and I thought I was unfixable beyond
belief. I was in the dark and I didn’t know how to find my way out.
At the lowest point of my life, when I thought I had nothing left
to lose, nothing left to hope for, I ran into you, and you offered
me kindness… enveloped me in warmth... hugged me in comfort and
gave me hope the very first second that I met you. I didn’t even
know your name… didn’t even see your face and yet you already saved
me in many ways. That very second was the start of my real ‘ever
after’.

Now, I understand why I
had to go through everything that I went through… and I wouldn’t
change a thing. Because without all those… I wouldn’t be standing
here… happier than I could ever imagine… and about to spend the
rest of my ‘ever after’ in love and bliss with you. I will forever
thank you, for loving me, for fixing me and for patiently waiting
for me to love you back. You are my rock, my best friend, my
savior, my knight in shining armor. I love you so much, Ryder Van
Woodsen… and I promise to love you forever… more than anything in
this world… more than myself and more than life
itself
.”

Tears were glistening in
my eyes, as I said the words that are in my heart and the promise
that I intend to keep until the rest of my days.

Tears brimmed Ryder’s eyes
too as he squeezed my hand in his.

“
Astrid… the day you
walked into my life, you changed it instantly. I knew I was in a
dream… a dream that I didn’t want to wake up from. You made me feel
needed. You have given me a whole new purpose and my life a whole
new meaning. You are everything I didn’t know I needed. Our love
was everything I was afraid to hope for because I thought it
existed only in dreams and fairy tales. But when I realized that it
was happening to me for real… I knew I would never let you
go.

You taught me how to
believe in forever… you saved me from my old self… you led me out
of the dark and drew me into your world and I never ever want to
come out of it.

You showed me that love
can withstand a million storms… and that happiness can be
limitless. You are my princess, my best friend, my perfect match.
You needed me, and loved me for who I really am inside. Because of
your faith in me… I am no longer afraid to be weak… and because of
that I am stronger than I have ever been. I love you very, very
much, Astrid Van Woodsen. I promise to always be the man you fell
in love with… I promise to make all your dreams a reality… I
promise to take care of you… and to never stop making your ‘ever
after’ come true… now… forever and beyond
.”

Ryder’s vow went out to my
heart and engraved itself there, where it would remain for
eternity. I know that he meant every word, and I felt the intensity
of his love for me in every promise he made.

Finally, we put our
platinum bands on each other’s fingers. We opted for a simple band,
no stones, no corners… only a circle that symbolizes our love…
smooth sailing, strong, valuable, and never-ending. Inside the
rings, my name was engraved on Ryder’s, and his name was engraved
on mine, along with the words
‘Ever
After’
.

“
I pronounce you husband
and wife… you may now kiss the bride.”

Ryder lifted my veil. His
eyes were brimming with tears and there was so much love and
tenderness on his face. I couldn’t stop crying too, but I know that
from now on, with Ryder… I will only be crying happy
tears.

He leaned forward and then
he gave me a gentle kiss on the lips. One kiss… but it lasted for a
long time. Because that single perfect kiss contains so much love,
so much passion… so many promises that we couldn’t even put into
words… vows that only our hearts could understand. We were
breathing together, and our hearts were beating as one.

When the kiss ended, Ryder
leaned his forehead against mine breathing in the scent of me. Then
he pulled away gently and said, “Astrid Van Woodsen… my love… my
life… my wife.”

I smiled at him and then
he leaned forward again and this time, he gave me a more passionate
kiss.

It seemed like we were in
our own world. During those moments, there was only Ryder and me…
in each other’s arms, lost in the passion of our kisses.

Then we heard everybody
clapping and cheering around us. We reluctantly pulled away from
each other. Ryder smiled at me and kissed me on the forehead before
pulling me to him into a tight hug.

We were joined by our
friends and relatives who congratulated us and gave us their best
wishes.

My new father and mother
in-law hugged me.

“
Welcome to our family,
sweetheart.” Mr. Van Woodsen said.

Ryder’s mom hugged me.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks too. “I’m so happy, Astrid.
Thank you for your love and patience for my son.”

“
Thank you… for bringing a
wonderful man into this world.” I said to her.

After taking pictures with
everyone, we headed out towards the arch of oak trees again and
into where the coach was waiting for us. Our bridesmaids and
groomsmen were already there, along with most of our guests. They
were all holding white balloons.

Just as we are about to go
into the coach, confetti popped and flew all over us. Our guests
clapped their hands and they released hundreds of white balloons
into the sky.

Inside the coach, Ryder
looked down at me and smiled. “I love you… wife.”

I laughed. “I love you
too… husband.” And then we lost ourselves again in another
world-spinning kiss.

First, we went for a photo
shoot along with our bridesmaids and groomsmen. Some shots we took
by the lake, some we took inside the labyrinth, and others inside
the mansion.

We transformed almost the
whole estate into a fairyland. We decided to hold the reception in
one of the huge gardens beside the labyrinth. It started in the
evening and the guests were just amazed about how we created an
enchanting world for them.

The sun finally set, the
evening fell and the whole place lit up. The entire reception area
was covered in a high-ceiling transparent dome. Again, one of
Ryder’s many brilliant suggestions. The purpose of that was because
the ceiling was filled with tiny LED lights that lit up in the
evening, making it look like a million bright stars across the
sky.

To build the dome took
time and, doubtless, a lot of money. So I told Nicole that I’d
rather have my stars and constellations instead of the fireworks.
I’ve always dreamed of having fireworks in my wedding. But I had to
compromise. I don’t want to spend more than I should, particularly
since Ryder insisted on paying for
everything
. Even my father could not
convince him to share some of the expenses.

Tables and chairs were
covered in white linen and decorated with elaborate white rose
centerpieces, tall white candles and white torches. Gems and
crystal pieces were also scattered around the tables to add to the
sparkle when hit by light and camera flashes.

A huge lighted dance floor
was built in the center, and it too was covered in white rose
petals. Again bubble machines were installed in every
corner.

The trees all around were
also covered in flowers and mini LED lights were installed in
almost every branch to make the trees light up as if fireflies
infested them. Swans swam on the lake and at night real fireflies
really did fly around the bushes, which made the whole place look
even more enchanting.

We served a buffet with
more than a dozen main courses, a huge selection of desserts, and
free-flowing drinks from juices to liquor. The catering gave me the
least worries, since it’s practically what Ryder’s family does.
Ryder’s mother made most of the arrangements for the food and
beverages.

The guests were given a
Swarovski crystal coach figurine, which were custom-made and
engraved with our names. The coach opens up on top to reveal the
finest Godiva truffles inside them.

The finest wine was served
during the ceremonial toast. We had an eight-tier wedding cake that
had cream-colored flowers and roses cascading on it from the topper
down to the base. A miniature version of “Princess Astrid and
Prince Ryder” adorned the very top of our tall cake.

I tossed my beautiful rose
bouquet and I was so happy it landed in Nicole’s arms. She didn’t
even try to catch it. She was the farthest at the back, but I gave
a little bit more force when I threw it, and her reflexes made her
catch it.

When I sat down in the
chair for Ryder to get the garter on my thigh, he couldn’t resist
going under my heavy skirt using his teeth. I giggled lovingly at
him, reminiscing the memory from Geena’s wedding when he first did
that.

John was among the
bachelors lined up, eager to catch the garter and possibly get a
chance to dance and kiss Nicole… without having to ask her
himself.

Ryder looked at the
hopeful bachelors and then he turned around. He tossed it high and
with force. The guys jumped and trampled on each other when they
landed on the ground.

I watched, eager to see
who finally caught my garter. But the guys stood up, laughing and
fixing their suits. No one seemed to have caught it. My heart sank
when John emerged empty-handed. The guys looked at each other
blankly.

Finally a figure stood up.
He was sitting behind the pool of guys. He didn’t seem interested
to join them, but somehow, the garter landed perfectly in front of
him.

I bit my lip as Adam
approached me. I saw John shake his head and retreat to his seat.
Adam turned to give Ryder a secret scowl before he turned to
Nicole, a crooked smile now planted on his face.

Nicole raised a brow at
him. Then she gave Ryder and me a look that seemed to say
You-two-are-so-dead!
Ryder just smiled innocently at the three of us.

“
What? Maybe it’s fate.”
Ryder whispered to me.

“
Or… maybe it’s your
perfect aim.” I whispered to my husband.

I giggled to put on a show
in front of all the guests while Adam knelt down to put the garter
on Nicole’s leg.

“
Higher!
Higher!”

The crowd cheered, and I
swear I could hear Dannie and Garrie’s voices on top of everybody
else’s.

Adam pushed the garter
higher up Nicole’s thigh, while she blushed all shades of red. John
was sitting at the bar now, ordering drinks, not even slightly
interested with what’s going on in the dance floor.

When he had pushed the
garter far enough, Adam stood up and took Nicole’s hand in his in a
very gentlemanly way.

“
Kiss!” We heard everybody
cheer.

Ryder took me in his arms,
his eyes glittering. “Come on, love. Let’s show them how it’s
done.” He teased. My laughter died on my lips when he covered them
with his and gave me a passionate kiss.

When we pulled away, Adam
and Nicole were watching us with disbelief on their faces. Adam
took Nicole in his arms. Everybody clapped their arms and cheered,
including us.

I was nervous. What was
Adam going to do?

He leaned his face
forward, and for a while, I thought he was really going to kiss
Nicole. But his lips landed an inch from her lips. And then he
pulled her closer to him, bent towards her neck and planted a soft
kiss on her shoulder.

When he pulled away, he
looked down at her and laughed. Nicole pinched his arm as she
giggled in relief.

The music played and Adam
pulled Nicole into his arms again and danced with her. Ryder took
me into his arms, too. He had a wide grin on his face.

I cannot describe how I
felt for Adam and Nicole. I was nervous at first, but after that,
my heart sort of melted. I haven’t seen Adam so affectionate for a
woman. Usually he was cold and heartless. But he seemed comfortable
and warm with Nicole… like they’ve been friends for a very long
time.

“
You did that on purpose.”
I whispered to Ryder.

“
No.” He denied. “I threw
with a purpose. The rest was up to fate,” he said, placing a kiss
on my neck. “Just like us, love. Fate brought us here. I didn’t
like that it played with us first, but then I’m happy it brought us
back together again. Well, I got Bryan to thank for punching the
life out of me, causing my memories to go back. But just the same…
fate got us back together… so we could be here today.
Happy.”