I'll Be Right Beside You

Evelyn’s eyes were wide as she stared down at the black ring box in the palm of her hand. Had Ben really just asked her what she thought he had? She looked up at Ben, who only smiled and urged her to open the box. She nodded slightly, taking a deep breath before lifting the lid of the box, her eyes falling onto a modestly sized (but definitely on the bigger side) white princess cut diamond in a platinum setting. She couldn’t stop the tears that immediately spilled silently from her eyes as her breath caught in the throat.

Maybe to some girls getting proposed to in the way Ben had just done it (in the parking lot of an airport right after he told her they should run to Vegas to get hitched) was not ideal, but Evelyn was a simple girl, who hated the idea of a big wedding. It was the most romantic thing Ben had ever done for her, in her opinion; and the ‘quickie’ wedding in Vegas? She couldn’t imagine anything better, honestly.

Ben knew this, too. So, really by offering her a different and simple proposal, telling her he wanted to make her his wife as soon as possible, and then dangling her dream wedding in front of her face, it was like he knew she couldn’t say no. And she didn’t. Evelyn pulled the ring out of the box and put it on her finger, before throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his. Ben grinned into the kiss and brought his hands to her hips, letting his fingers slip under the hem of her tee shirt.

“So, you’ll marry me?” He asked, pulling away from her.

Evelyn laughed and wiped at the tears on her cheeks, nodding her head, “I would want nothing more than to marry you.”

“And the way we’re going to do it?”

“You mean, running off to Vegas with no one there but me and you?” He nodded. “Ben, call me silly, but that’s been my dream wedding since I was a little girl, you know that.”

He nodded, “I guess I was afraid that when it really came down to it, you’d want to do it the traditional way.”

She shook her head, “Never. Ben, a wedding is supposed to be the joining of two people, not the joining of all their friends and family like it’s become. Me and you; that’s all that matters to me.”

“Okay,” He said with finality, extending a hand to help Evelyn out of his truck. “Let’s do this, then, fiancé.” Evelyn grinned and grabbed the bag he had packed for her, just a small overnight duffle, laced her hand (the left hand, newly adorned with a diamond ring), and walked into the airport.

Both of them were jittery the whole time they stood in the security line. Luckily, since they only had their carry-on bags, they didn’t take long. Getting to their gate just as they were called to board, they quickly found their seats. Ben held her hand the entire flight, partly because he was just so excited and partly because he knew she hated flying.

By the time their plane landed at McCarren International Airport in Las Vegas, Ben and Evelyn were both balls of nerves. They were the first out of their seats, carrying their bags, and headed toward security. As they waited in line again, Ben kept glancing at Evelyn as they waited for their turn. She cocked her head to the side, a small smile on her face, “What?”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Are you?”

Ben was quick to respond, “Of course I am; I just want to make sure you are!”

“I told you, Ben,” Evelyn started as a security guard ran her bag through the machine and she walked through the censor. “I want nothing more than to be your wife. And I already told you that this is my perfect wedding, Ben. Me and you, and Elvis.”

He couldn’t stop the roaring laughter that burst out of this mouth, grabbing the attention of people around them. He knew Evelyn was serious, too, and that’s what made him laugh even more. Out of all the girls he could have fallen in love with, he got Evelyn. Probably the simplest girl, most laidback girl he had ever known. Yeah, he was pretty damn lucky he decided. He walked through the security censor and grabbed her, bringing her in for a kiss.

“Okay, let’s go get married,” He said, grabbing their bags from the conveyer belt. Evelyn grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him from the airport and out to the main gate where she quickly caught a taxi for them. Ben gave the man directions, telling him they were headed to the Venetian Hotel. Evelyn nearly choked on the water she was sipping as she looked at him with wide eyes.

“It’s only for two nights, since we have a Tuesday morning flight back to Chicago, but, uh,” He paused, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I know Italy’s always been a dream vacation for you, and since we can’t have a honeymoon until the season’s over, I thought I’d give you the next best thing.”

Evelyn closed her water bottle and set it on the floor by her feet. Turning to Ben, she practically lunged at him across the back seat of the taxi, crushing his lips with hers. Ben laughed into the kiss, but pressed his lips back on hers. The taxi driver, an older gentleman, cleared his throat and sent them a smile through the rearview mirror.

“We’re getting married,” Evelyn felt the need to say, to have someone besides themselves know. The taxi driver grinned, “Congratulations. How long have you been together?”

“About a year, and what? Three months?” Evelyn asked, turning to Ben, who nodded.

“Wow,” the driver commented. “That’s the longest answer I’ve ever heard. The shortest was a couple who told me they met on the plane ride out here.”

Evelyn laughed, lacing her fingers with Ben’s again as they pulled up to the entrance to the Venetian. She didn’t say anything, but she pressed a kiss to his cheek and hopped out of the cab, grabbing her duffle bag out of the trunk as Ben did the same. After paying the driver and bidding him a good night, the couple walked into the lobby and immediately checked into the hotel.

After all the technicalities were taken care of, they ran up to their room and put their bags on the king size bed in the bedroom of their honeymoon suite. Evelyn looked around the place, decorated as if it were Italy itself before she decided she wanted to freshen up and change. Ben agreed with her and sent her into the bathroom with her makeup bag and a dry cleaner’s bag, telling her not to worry about what was inside, but to just put it on.

Evelyn shook her head and closed the bathroom door behind her, hanging the bag on the back of it and putting her makeup on the counter. Pulling her long and curly brown hair out of the ponytail holder it was in, she shook it out before brushing it out. She splashed some cool water on her face, and shimmied out of her clothes. Opening the makeup bag, she silently thanked Ben for packing all of her necessities, including her favorite perfume.

Giving herself a spray, she quickly fixed her makeup. About to open the bag to see what was inside, she heard Ben knock, telling her he had forgotten something. Shoving a shoe box at her, he quickly closed the door again before she could say anything. Shaking her head, she unzipped the bag to reveal an off-white strapless dress. Evelyn put a hand over her mouth as she looked at it, running her other hand along the smooth fabric.

Wasting no time, she slipped it on and looked in the mirror, willing herself not to cry. The dress hugged her body from her bust to her waist, where it flowed out in an a-line, stopping just above her knees. It was simple, but it was gorgeous, and she couldn’t see herself wearing anything else to marry the man she loved.

Fanning her face with her hands in order to stop the tears that threatened to fall, Evelyn picked up the shoe box and set it on the counter. Pulling the lid off, she was met with a pair of peep-toed stiletto sandals that matched the dress perfectly. Shaking her head, she slid them on and gave herself a once over in the mirror before stepping back into the bedroom.

She saw Ben sitting on the bed waiting for her in his best and nicest pair of dark wash jeans, black shoes, and a white dress shirt. He was holding something in his hand she could tell as she walked up to him and smiled. Ben immediately stood up and put his hands on her shoulders, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

“You look so beautiful.”

“Thank you,” She told him. “You look very handsome, as well.”

He grinned, “I have something for you.”

“Oh?” She asked, staring down at his hands.

“Yeah, a couple things actually,” He grinned. “First is a pair of pearl earrings that match your dress.” Evelyn shook her head as he handed them to her, mumbling that he needed to stop spoiling her. “Shut up, tonight, you’re my bride, okay?” She nodded. “And a bracelet to match.” She grinned and put it on. “Finally, I want to show you the wedding bands I bought.”

“Ben…”

“I’ve been planning on asking you to marry me for a while. Evelyn, I’ve had that engagement ring for six months.”

“Really?” She asked, staring up at him.

“Yes, really, and once I knew how I was going to propose and the proposition I was going to make as well, I got these rings made for us.”

Evelyn looked down at the bands Ben held in his palm. His was just a simple platinum band, but hers had tiny diamonds encrusted all around it. It was lavish, she knew, but she supposed she had to be okay with it. Their wedding wasn’t going to cost them next to anything at the end of the day. Putting them into his pocket along with the room key, he grabbed her hand and led her from the room.

When they got outside, Ben motioned to their right. Evelyn wasn’t sure if he had actually planned which place they would get married at (unsurprisingly, Elvis was at more than one chapel performing ceremonies), but he had. They walked about two blocks before Ben stopped in front of a little white wedding chapel, holding the door open for her. Evelyn grinned and stepped inside, seeing an elderly couple behind a counter, an Elvis impersonator next to them. There were only a few other people in the chapel, some of which, Evelyn assumed were their witnesses.

“You must be Ben,” The elderly woman said, coming out from behind the counter.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” He said back, as she wrapped him in a hug. Evelyn watched in amusement at the scene, and laughed further when the old lady turned to her, telling her she was lucky to have such a loving man as her soon-to-be husband. She grinned in agreement and kissed Ben on the cheek.

“You look beautiful, Evelyn,” The lady, who’s name was Beverly, Evelyn had found out, said. “Let’s get you kids started. Ben, if you’ll follow Elvis and the others into the chapel, he’ll explain how things will work while I tend to Evelyn.”

Ben gave his bride another kiss before following the fake Elvis into the actual chapel, slightly laughing to himself as he did so. Evelyn turned back to Beverly, who was holding out a few bouquets for Evelyn to pick from. Grabbing the pink roses, Evelyn took a deep breath as Beverly put her into position at the doors before clipping a simple veil in her hair.

“The wedding march will play, you’ll walk the short walk to your groom, the vows will be read, and you two will pose for a few pictures. After that, Elvis will sing to you as you share your first dance. It’s pretty simple… Are you ready, dear?” Evelyn could only nod, and Beverly signaled for the doors to be open as the wedding march started.

Looking into the chapel, Evelyn saw two people sitting in seats as witnesses, the Elvis impersonator that would do their wedding, a girl next to him dressed like Elvis’s ex wife, Priscilla, and then she saw Ben. He was the only one that really mattered. He smiled at her as she walked up the isle toward him, and Evelyn already felt like bursting into tears. Taking his hand when she reached him, they turned to Elvis as he began the ceremony.

After only ten minutes and somewhat tradition vows, with a few lyrics and song titles of the Elvis thrown in, Ben and Evelyn waited for the impersonator to say the thing they had been waiting for.

“By the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Taking a deep breath, Evelyn grinned up at Ben as he grabbed her face in his hands. “I love you,” He told her quietly, before pressing his lips to hers and sealing the deal. The man who had been taking pictures throughout the whole ceremony asked them to pose a few times for him, making sure they got enough pictures to take back home with them.

They moved to the middle of the chapel, where Elvis started singing one of his most well-known (and in Evelyn’s opinion, one of the greatest love songs), Love Me Tender. The whole thing was a little cheesy, but it was perfect. Ben wrapped his arms around Evelyn’s waist as she kept her hands on his chest. They swayed back and forth to the music, just enjoying the moment with each other.

“I love you, Mrs. Eager,” Ben whispered. Evelyn could only smile widely, realizing that she was indeed Ben’s wife then, and she’d be able to go by Mrs. Eager from that moment on. Pressing her lips against his, she told him she loved him, too. At that moment, it was just them and nothing else mattered. And it was the only thing she’d ever wanted.