Beyond the Sun

“Okay, just one more, and…” I could feel the dress tightening on my chest almost instantly, and Gina fastened the last clasp as quickly as she could. “There. Now you can turn around.” She wrung her hands for a moment, working out the kinks, and I turned around to see my reflection in the mirror. “Well?”

“Wow.”

“Wow? That’s it? It took me three weeks to update that dress, Miss Byrd.” She cracked a smile. “You look really great, though,” she added, and she smoothed my veil, pulling it over my face. “Brian’s going to love it, but man is he gonna get frustrated later on.”

I raised an eyebrow, twisting and turning so that I could see all angles of my dress. “Why’s that?”

She laughed shortly. “Because. This thing is not coming off in any less than five minutes tonight.” I sighed. “You’re the one that wanted all this shit on it,” she said with a coy smile, and I knew she was just teasing me. “Alright. Lift that leg, hot stuff. If anyone’s putting that fricking garter on you, it’s gonna be your maid of honor.”

I lifted my leg, perching my foot on the stool, and she shimmied the garter up my leg. “Don’t get too comfortable,” I told her, and she slid it up just a bit more, her way of telling me to shut up and deal with it.

When she was standing again and both of my feet were back on solid ground, there was an affectionate smile on her face, and she pulled me into a hug. “Now I’m not going to make you cry,” she said, “but you just…Brian won’t know what hit him.”

“Thanks, Gina. I love you too.” She laughed, hugging me tighter for a minute, and then she pulled back. “Alright, damn it, we have to get in line. I will not be late for my own wedding, okay?” She nodded, and then she took my hand, leading me out of the room and toward the line. My father came to my side, offering his arm, and I took it gladly, using him as a source of balance as the nerves set in. Gina took her place beside Vengeance, casually kissing his cheek as she took his arm, and I smiled as I saw the look in his eyes as he turned his head to look at her, smile, and tell her that he loved her.

He looked back at me and smiled. I smiled back, and I clasped my father’s hand, my heart fluttering nervously as the doors opened.

You can do this. He’s already your husband…he’s just helping you give your family closure.

I just have to breathe.

Then breathe. Draw one in and let it out slowly…one foot, then the other.

The first of the bridesmaids began their walk down the aisle, and one by one, the line began to dissipate. It wasn’t long before my father and I were the only ones standing around the corner. My heart was pounding, and my father gave my hand a supportive squeeze.

“Jut breathe,” he said, and I nodded, letting him lead me forward.

The music for my walk down the aisle began, and the moment I was within sight of him, I kept my eyes on Brian. There he was, waiting for me, his hands folded in front of him, at the altar, ready to promise love and eternity all over again.

Every few seconds, he would flex his left hand slightly, and that made me smile, which kept me walking toward him. I wasn’t doing any of that step-touch-step crap. That was too systematic and much too traditional for me to handle.

He smiled as I came closer to him, and I could see the desire to hold out his hands and grab me from my father hiding in his eyes. But he clenched his hands tighter together, and the second I was in front of him, he tilted his fedora, flashed a small smile, and locked gazes with me.

I was still looking at him as my father whispered that he loved me and pulled my veil back, kissing my cheeks and smiling before placing my hand in Brian’s.

Brian helped me up the steps of the altar, and then I folded my other hand into his as the priest opened the ceremony.

((Vengeance’s POV))

She was gorgeous. There was no way of getting around that. She was absolutely fucking gorgeous. Her hair was curled and half of it was pinned back, and the makeup on her face was a cool blue shade, the lipstick on her lips a soft pink. She was smiling so much that it made my heart hurt, and even though I was behind him and I couldn’t see his face, I knew that Brian was smiling too, otherwise their firmly interlocked hands would have been busy wiping each other’s tears away.

I had never heard so much depth in Brian’s voice as he said his vows. “I am always going to love you,” he said softly, and he paused, probably so that he could smile at her. “You are always going to be my everything, and there is nothing in this world that will change exactly how much I love and value you.” He paused again, this time to make sure he hadn’t made her cry, and then he finished, “So many people have held the clouds out of my sky, but man…no one has ever lit up my world like you do.” She was looking down at their interlocked hands now. “I love you, and a lifetime as your husband is all I’ll ever want.”

I bit my lip for a second- that was more profound than he’d ever been, and I’d seen the vows that he’d written for the wedding to Michelle that had never happened. These were so simple, but the value and emotion behind them was so obvious that it was almost heartbreaking. Heather smiled up at him, and she used one hand to quickly dab at her eyes before placing it back in Brian’s.

“Music has always inspired me,” she began, “and for five years, your music kept me out of the darkness. I always dreamed of you, and…and when I met you all those months ago, I knew that the man you were matched the emotion behind your music, and that made me love you so much that it scared me.” She sniffed, and then she continued. “You’re all I’ll ever want, Brian, even though you’re much more than I deserve, and I will love you forever. That’s a promise.”

She smiled at him, and he gave her hands a squeeze. I glanced over at Gina, and she tried a smile for me, her eyes red, and she bit her lip, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue she’d hidden in her bouquet.

“If I could ask for the rings,” the priest said, and Jimmy stepped forward, producing their wedding rings from his pocket and holding them out to them.

Brian took Heather’s, and she took his.

A few moments later, she was sliding his ring back onto his finger, and he was slipping hers back onto her finger.

And then, “Brian, do you promise to love, cherish, and take care of Heather, no matter what life brings you, until death do you part?”

He nodded, and Heather bit her lip. “I do,” he said softly.

“And do you, Heather, swear that you will love, nurture, support, and take care of Brian, no matter what life brings you, until death do you part?”

She offered him a smile. “I do,” she whispered.

A few moments passed, the two of them staring into each other’s eyes all the while, and then the priest said fondly, “Brian, you may kiss your bride.” And, much like he had at the Vegas wedding, Brian touched his fingertips to her chin, bending down slightly so that he could press his lips to hers.

I lie to you not, this was the most beautiful fucking thing I had ever seen, and I wasn’t even the best man.

Her arms slid around his neck, and he set both of his hands on her waist, dipping her before sliding his arms around her, grinning as she broke the kiss.

Mr. and Mrs. Haner.