Love in Cold Blood

Chapter 33: I give you this ring…

I slowly got out of my car thankful that I had escaped the madness; if only for the few minutes it took me to drive to the Cullen’s’. Today was my wedding day, the most important day in any girl’s life, and it was absolutely crazy!

***
I was woken up this morning at six-thirty and shoved into a car by Alice and taken off to this big white building. I was huge and smelled of expensive incense and perfume. Alice ran over to the reception desk, pulling me along, and gave her name.
“Cullen.” She smiled her little pixie face uplifting into a heart-stopping smile. The lady behind the desk smiled back helplessly as she found the name on the list.
“Wedding special?” the blonde asked and Alice nodded.
“Right this way…” she began as Alice laughed.
“It’s not for me!” she shoved me in front of her (I was trying to sleep on her shoulder; not an east task) and into the lady’s welcoming arms.
“So it’s your wedding day?” asked the lady leading me into another room right after Alice ran out the door.
“Uhhh.. Yes.” I conceded
“You don’t seem excited.”
“I am. I’m just too tired for you to tell.”
The blonde reception lady showed me to a door and handed me a soft white robe and instructed me to go inside the locker room and change. Then, I should go out the next door and my masseuse will be waiting.
I followed her instruction, peeling of the jeans and t-shirt I had managed to pull on while completely unaware before Alice shoved me into her car, and put it into a little locker with my name on it in curly hand writing.
I walked out the door as I pulled my black hair into a pony tail and was instantly greeted my yet another peppy blonde woman. This girl and the widest smile on her face as she helped me onto the table and pulled down my robe.
“My name is Jennifer and I’ll be your masseuse today!” She introduced herself as she began to rub my back. It did feel good and I was instantly grateful for Alice giving me a spa day. She rubbed my back and neck for about an hour; I wasn’t quite sure of the time because I know for sure I fell asleep at one point and was told to go into the next door on my right for the sauna. She handed me a towel and walked out.
I pulled on my towel and hung up my robe outside of the room on the hook with my name on it in the same girly handwriting. I entered to find two other women in there, sweating away. I sat down.
“Hello!” The one woman greeted me “Are you getting married today?”
“Yes, are you?” I responded and both women nodded
“I’m just so excited!” exclaimed the one woman, a brunette “I’ve been waiting six months for this day!”
The other woman, a red head nodded “My josh and I have been engaged nearly six months; I thought this day would never come.
I couldn’t help but snort.
“What?” she asked “Has your engagement been only a few weeks or what?”
“Try for years.” I wiped the sweat off my brow. I slowly opened my eyes, I had them closed as I said my comment, and were stunned by their gazes. “What?” I asked uncomfortable.
“When did you get enga…” she rephrased “How old were you?”
Both the women in the sauna seemed to be in their thirties, they both probably have jobs and houses already. I thought
“I was eighteen.” I said “First year in college.”
“How long did you know your fiancé?”
“A year by then.”
Both of them ‘awwwwed’ “High school sweethearts.”
“Was it love at first sight?” One asked and I thought back to the first day, over four, almost five years ago, in art class when I first looked at Jasper’s face.
“I guess it was.” I replied blushing
“What’s his name?” the red head asked
“Jasper.”
“Awww.. That’s a sweet name; can I see your ring?” her green eyes glittered
“Sure.” I mumbled and walked to the other side of the sauna where the women parted to let me sit between them. I stuck out my hand and gazed at the ring Jasper gave me. The one woman gasped.
“Oh, my!” she cried “That ring is huge!”
“Probably worth more that my first and second car combined!” the other commented
“Uhh-huh.” I said feeling slightly awkward with two pair of eyes on me, when the first lady I met called me.
“Miss. Winifred, your facial is ready.”
I nodded and walked out of the sauna where I was given a new towel and sat in yet another chair where a woman was waiting. The spread this green gooey stuff on my face and set on my eyes two slices of cucumber.
I waited for the girl to wash it off and when she did I was ushered to a lady who sat me down in a chair and my feet in a soak. She started doing my nails.
After all my nails were done in a perfect French manicure and I got dressed I was brought into the final room where my future sister-in-law waited.

“How was it?” Alice asked and she opened the door out into the lobby.
“Very relaxing, you really do know what’s good for me.” I complimented and she laughed.
“Now all I got to do is get you make-up and hair done, but I’ll do that myself at the house. You now can have time with your parents.”
She dropped me off at my little house and was instantly mobbed my parents and brought into the living room where they all started commenting out how beautiful I looked already and how they were going to miss me.
“I’ll miss you too.” I whispered knowing that I’ll see even less of them than they could even ever imagine.

At three o clock, the wedding is at five, I set out to the Cullen house where the final things would be done to me to get me ready for my wedding.

***

I was grabbed by Alice once gain and picked up to be run into the house, but not before she put a blind fold on me.
“Alice!!” I complained “Is this really necessary?”
“Completely!” her high voice called “You cannot see any of the decorations!”
Bu this time I was already in her familiar bathroom and my blind fold was taken off to reveal Esme and Rosalie.
“Hello Esme, Rosalie.” I greeted me and hugged them both in tern.
“I’m so happy!” exclaimed Esme and she clapped her hands, I smiled. Esme just couldn’t wait to see her son married off and she never stopped reminding everyone. If it was from anyone else but Esme we would all be annoyed, but with her she just made us smile.
“We need to get down to business.” Commanded Rosalie as she picked up a curing iron.
“Okay.” I whispered and slouched down in the plush, beauty-salon style chair ready for the iron. “I’m ready.”
Esme laughed and Alice rolled her eyes as all three got to work on my head and face.

“Really?” I asked as I stared at the mirror “So much?” I was looking at my reflection in the mirror, my own face framed by the reflexions of Rosalie, Esme Alice and even Bella had walked in part of the way through. My face, of course, was what I was talking about.
I was covered in a fine pale powder; “so you won’t look shiny in the pictures” was Alice’s excuse and my eyes were shaded with grey and silver eye shadow and they were lined perfectly in black eyeliner like how I had always seen on the covers of Vogue but had never been able to copy. My lips were “stained” with cherry lip color and my lashes seemed five inches long.
My hair was even more astonishing. At first I had been a bit smug, my hair never curled, but that hope had died out soon when they brought out all these weird products with foreign labels and started covering my hair from root to tips and then forcing them in rollers to dry with blow driers and then they used the irons to finish but of course was topped with loads of hair spray. The whole hair do was fairly simple (it seemed). My bangs were side swept and the hair in front of my ears was braided behind my head with a sapphire clasp. The rest of my hair went down my back, at my request; everyone seemed to want some type of bun or up do but I held firm, in curls until it reached the middle of my back. I had first though they had sprayed glitter in my hair when I first looked in the mirror but, upon closer inspection I noticed dozens of small crystals attached and weaved into my locks.

“It looks wonderful.” Smiled Esme
“It does.” Agreed Rosalie and Bella. Alice simply beamed.
“Dress time!” she called in her sing-song voice and hurriedly rushed me into her room were a long white garment bag hung, fresh from the hillsides, well city sides, of Paris.
Alice hurried over, already in her sapphire bride’s maids dress, and in one swift motion unzippered the bag letting the white dress overflow.
“Ready?” she asked and I nodded. She showed everyone else out of the room and helped me out of my robe and into the white gown. She pulled tightly on the corset bodice until it was tight enough to be slightly uncomfortable but not so tight I’ll faint. At least she hoped not.
She smiled up at me and called to her family “Bring them in!”
I turned toward the door to see both of my parents come in, my father already in tears. Seeing his daughter in her wedding dress brought a new round of tears. My mom sniffled.
“I’m so proud of you.” She sniffled and came over to me to carefully give me a hug.
“I love you.” I whispered and she was given a box by Esme who smiled so kindly at her. My mother opened the bow to reveal the veil. She quickly dabbed at her eyes and carefully unfolded the piece of gauze and lace attached to a small silver studded with sapphire tiara-like hair piece. She lifted it up and slid it into my hair with only a little instruction by Alice. My father took his place and pulled down one layer of the veil to cover my face. My heart swelled and I began to tear up.
“You should get to your places.” Whispered Alice “The ceremony will start soon.” My parents nodded and walked slowly out of the door. I took a deep breath and looked into the mirror again.
“I am a bride, huh.” I smiled
“Yes you are.” Agreed Alice as she brought me out into the hall, I heard the soft sound of a piano from down the stairs and the buzzing of voices that I never really paid any attention to before stopped. “I’m going to go before you.” Reminded Alice “Then you follow me.” I quickly nodded as my pulse pounded through my veins. Surely every vampire down there could hear it. I tried to calm down; I didn’t want Jasper’s non-vegetarian friends to get antsy.
I took a big breath and slowly made my way down the large white stair case to the sounds of the wedding march. I had gone down these very same steps many times. The first visit; step, after Jasper said he loved me; step, all the visits; step, step step. I had finished the staircase and had entered the hall cluttered with people in white chairs, many careening back to get a glance at me. The day after he told my parents he was going to marry me; step. I saw his face at the end of the isle, the pale face with golden hair caressing it; I found the two glowing golden orbs of his eyes staring back at me, a smile turning up his lips. Jasper. I felt tears welling up. My Jasper. I was going to marry my Jasper. I could remember every moment I had spent with him from my very first rainy day at Forks High with all the mean kinds and their gossips and whispers and the most wonderful sight ever, the sight that made all my life have meaning. The face of my love, Jasper, on that first day. His laugh when I told him my name. “Fred. A most unusual name.” I saw every moment, ever day, every moment; every glance he gave me filled my mind, making my dizzy. I barely even noticed when my father lifted the gauze and lace and officially handed me over to Jasper. I looked into Jasper’s eyes and though of our fist kiss, the though didn’t even cross my mind that Edward could hear me. I had only the ability to hear the pastor say our vows and repeated them; I had memorized them so well I could say them in my sleep:
“I, Jasper Whitlock, take you, Winifred Maxwell, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward for all of eternity, Forever.” Said Jasper, looking me straight in the eye as he said them, his eyes holding me firm as he said his name in a beautiful accent. He slid a silver band onto my finger. I noticed a small gasp from the crowd but nothing major; I knew we would have to make something up later. I repeated the vows to him and it was my turn to slip the ring on Jasper’s finger and when the pastor said “You may now kiss the bride.” I knew to turn my head up at the moment when Jasper kissed me.

The crowd erupted in cheers, finally breaking me completely from my reverie and I smiled at all the flashes going off. I looked up at Jasper, no, my husband and smiled and was so very pleased when he smiled back and leaned down to plant a small kiss on my lips.
“I promise to love him for Eternity, forever.” The words rang through my head and I added “and ever and ever and ever and ever…”