Wounded But Not Scarred (New Adult Rockers 2) (24 page)

“Now look at my gorgeous fiancé.”

I turn around at Blake’s voice and
I plant a big kiss on him.

“You look pretty hot yourself,” I
murmur, stepping back to admire Blake in his dark suit.

He grins. “Wait until you see me in
a tux.”

“Oh, I
cannot
wait.”

We hold hands as we walk inside and
we find everyone else waiting on the back patio. The pastor is talking with the
event planner, and once they see Blake and I, they call for everyone’s
attention.

The pastor explains how the
ceremony will work, and I’m glad that Blake and I have decided to keep it short
and simple. We’re going to have a couple short readings, a song, and then we’re
going to say our own vows before the more traditional ones. All in all, it
shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes.

The pastor motions for the guys to
follow him, and Blake gives me a quick kiss before he, Ben and Ryan go out
under the trees where we’ll be married. The guests that aren’t involved in the
actual ceremony mill around the patio, while the few who are reading or singing
hang out by the trees.

The girls and I, along with my
father, mimic walking down the aisle. Then the pastor walks us all through the
ceremony.

The rehearsal is over quickly and
everyone makes their way across the lawn laughing. Daddy has directions for
anyone who needs them. My mother branches off to ride with Jackson, and Blake
walks over with me to my car since he got a ride with Ben earlier.

“Any second thoughts?” he teases,
as we drive to dinner.

“None whatsoever. And I’m not even
going to ask you because it’s too late now!”

“I don’t want out,” he says
truthfully. “I want to be stuck with you forever.”

“Good!”

I’m in a state of shock when we
pull up to the house for the dinner. It’s much larger than I had imagined, and
there are beautiful candles lining a stone path that wraps around to the back
of the house.

“I guess we follow the path,” Blake
says, helping me out of the car.

We follow the path around the
house, and I’m shocked to see that the large patio out back has been
transformed with flowering arches and candlelit tables. The best part is that
the patio extends almost all the way to the very edge of the lake. We will be
overlooking the water as we eat.

“Daddy!” I exclaim, hurrying over
to my father.

“Do you like it?” he asks. “Jeb
said we could do whatever we wanted out here. Blake’s mother really outdid
herself with decorating.”

She certainly had.

“The bathrooms are inside,” he
says, pointing back to the house, “and anything else we might need in here.”

I shake my head in amazement and
join Blake who is talking to his parents.

“This is really too much,” I say,
shaking my head.

“Oh, don’t be silly!” Mrs. Evans
laughs. “We wanted to make this beautiful.”

I notice a bar set up on the far
end, closest to the water, and I’m happy to see that some people are already
getting their drinks. There’s also music playing in the background.

Blake hands me a drink and then I’m
swept up in the evening. We spend the evening holding hands and talking with
our friends and family and then eating a delicious meal of seafood and fried
chicken. It all goes by way too quickly and before I know it, people are
kissing us goodnight and saying goodbye until tomorrow.

“It just went by so fast,” I
protest, as Blake leads me out. Everyone is almost gone now except for our own
family, and the clean up crew has swooped in and are busy clearing the tables.

He pulls me into the shadows of the
house and kisses me hard and deep. I forget all about the dinner coming to an
end, and instead I groan softly, kissing him back as I wind my hands around the
back of his neck. He kisses me passionately, and my body feels like it’s on
fire as I feel my need for him blossom. Just as I’m about to lose my mind,
Blake pulls away.

“No fair,” I whisper, unable to
hide my panting.

He chuckles softly. “Just a little
something to get you by until tomorrow evening.”

I pout, even though he can’t see me
in the dark. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too. But after
tomorrow, there won’t be any more living apart.”

“I can’t wait.”

He pulls me back out into the
candlelit path and walks me to my car. He gives me one more kiss.

“See you tomorrow,” he says
huskily.

“Can’t wait.”

He laughs and then meets up with
his parents to ride home with them. I give my father and Daisy a hug, before
going over to my mom and Jackson. My mother says good-bye to Jackson, and then
we get into my car.

I can’t believe it’s my last night
as Paige Lawson.

I manage to sleep some at my
mother’s, though I spend a lot of the night tossing and turning with
excitement. My mom and I have a quiet breakfast on her deck, and she can sense
my nerves.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” she says
kindly.

“It’s not that I’m scared-nervous,”
I explain, “I’m just excited. I’m anxious. I just want everything to go right!”

My mother laughs. “Of course you do
– it’s your wedding day. Things will run smoothly. And the little hiccups that
might occur along the way, won’t even be remembered.”

I nod and see that we only have a
half hour before we need to head over to the salon where we’re going to meet up
with Becky, Jami, Daisy and Mrs. Evans. I also notice a text from Blake.

I can’t wait until you’re my
wife. I love you.

I smile to myself, and hurry to
change my clothes and grab my things. The salon is open early just for us, and
I see that they’ve set up a mimosa bar and have a few breakfast foods out.

“This is so nice!” I gush, as Jami
hands me a mimosa.

She winks and we all spend a few minutes
chatting, until we’re each pulled off into chairs for hair and makeup. Time is
flying by, and as much as I want things to slow down so I can savor and enjoy
every minute, I find myself being spun in front of the mirror once the
finishing touches have been put on my hair and makeup.

“Oh my gosh,” I gasp.

I look like a fairy tale princess.
Becky grabs my veil and gently slides it into my updo.

“There,” she says, “perfect.”

“Alright, it’s time to go,” Jami
says quietly, pulling me from my reflection. I look outside and see the limo
that is taking us to Cedarwood.

“Holy crap, this is happening.”

My mother laughs, and we all pile
into the limo, making sure not to mess up our hair or makeup. We arrive at
Cedarwood before the guests or any of the guys, and we’re quickly whisked
upstairs.

We have an entire dressing room to
ourselves and we start spreading out our clothes and shoes. The photographer
arrives and begins snapping photos and a quick peek out the window lets me know
that Blake has arrived; his truck is parked to the side.

I begin to hear strains of the
string quartet playing on the patio and I feel like I’m living in a dream as I
gingerly step into my wedding dress with the help of my friends and family.

“Oh my goodness, Paige.” My mother
quickly blots at her eyes with a tissue. I slowly turn towards the mirror and I
have to admit that I look perfect.

At first I was going to choose a
dress off the rack, but Becky had convinced me to have one custom made, and I’m
glad that I listened. The dress has just enough of a country vibe, but also an
ethereal look. The lace-covered gown is sleeveless, with a tasteful v-neck and
tiny buttons down the back. The empire waist gives away to an a-line
silhouette, and there's a small train that adds just enough glamour. The dress is
romantic, which was my ultimate goal, and my softly pulled back hair and makeup
complete the entire look beautifully.

“This is really happening,” I
whisper to myself. The photographer grins and snaps some more photos, and soon
we’re summoned to take our places downstairs. For some reason, I feel strangely
calm now. This is what I was always meant to do; Blake and I were always meant
to be together.

Daddy is waiting at the bottom of
the steps, and I watch as my mother and Daisy are led out to their seats. The
strings begin to play
Can’t Help Falling in Love
and the girls begin to
walk across the lawn.

“Ready?” Daddy asks, holding out
his arm.

“Ready.” I whisper, linking my arm
through his.

As I stand under the trees where
Paige and I will marry, I turn my head to watch as Becky and Jami begin to walk
across the rose-petal strewn lawn. The strings sound great, and I glance over
at Ben and Ryan who are both grinning. Ben gives me the thumbs up sign.

Becky and Jami take their place
along the opposite side, and I watch my cousin’s young daughter, Maddie, our
flower girl, bring up the rear of the procession.

The music changes to
She
by
Elvis Costello, a song that Paige and I both love. The doors to the back of the
mansion open, and Paige steps out, looking radiant on Kenny’s arm. They begin
to walk across the lawn, and the closer they become, the more beautiful Paige
appears.

Her lace-covered gown skims along
the ground, and she mesmerizes me as she walks. I’ve never loved her more than
I do in this moment, and I feel my eyes begin to water as I watch her walk down
the aisle to join me. Forcing myself not to cry, I smile at her and see Paige
laugh and cry at the same time as we lock eyes.

Kenny and Paige arrive next to me,
with Kenny in the middle and then he gives Paige over to me at the request of
the pastor. Paige steps towards me, taking my hand and I know that we're meant
to be together forever.

The pastor speaks, and our family
reads, but I can’t recall much of what was said. We’re asked to say our own
vows, and I pull out the wadded piece of paper from my tux.

“Paige,” I start, feeling all eyes
on me, but only caring about Paige. “The first thing I remember about you is
your long blonde hair and blue eyes. You were the first friendly face I saw
when I moved here, and I knew right away that you were special.”

A tear slides down her cheek.

“I’ve loved you since we were
twelve years old, and I thank God every day that he sent you back to me. I
promise to love you and cherish you for the rest of our lives, and I’m a better
man because of you.”

She sniffles and squeezes my hand
before she reaches over to Becky who slips a tiny pink index card into Paige’s
outstretched hand.

“Blake,” she begins, taking a deep
breath, and from the way her voice shakes, I know that she’s nervous. “Saying
that you’re my everything is an understatement. I’ve also loved you since we
were twelve, and we’ve been through more than most people I know. Finding my
way back to you was the greatest blessing of my life and I’m so thankful every
day that my dream of spending my life with you is actually happening.” She
pauses for a minute, her hands trembling. “I didn’t think this was possible for
me, and I have you to thank for giving me back my life. I love you.”

Well, there’s not a dry eye in the
house now and I can hear the sniffling all around us. The pastor says the
traditional vows, which we repeat and then we slip the rings onto each other's fingers.
I look down at the simple silver band on my finger, and marvel at how much it
symbolizes.

I gingerly slide the
diamond-encrusted band on Paige’s hand, which is also engraved with
Paige
and Blake Forever
, and I love how it looks.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Those are the words that I’ve been
waiting for. I take Paige into my arms, and kiss her like I’ve never kissed her
before. Our guests hoot and holler, and Paige doesn’t hold back as she kisses
me.

“Get a room,” Ryan calls out and I
finally force myself to pull away as the crowd chuckles, slightly embarrassed.