Whatever It Takes

She literally takes my breath away. I try to take her in all at once, but what I’m instantly drawn to is her face. She looks around at all of the people in the chapel and instantly blushes at all the attention she’s getting. Finally her eyes find mine and a relaxed, maybe even relieved, smile graces her lips. I smile back and take in more of her appearance.

Her gown is strapless, all lace, and A-line with a gold bow adorning her waist. Her hair is pulled back and she has a simple lace veil and tiara covering the rest of her blonde locks. She is stunning in every sense of the word and I feel myself starting to get emotional.

When she reaches me, she pauses to kiss her dad on the cheek. He places her hand in mine and moves to take his seat in the front pew. Rosalyn looks me in the eye and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. I notice she’s wearing the necklace and it makes me smile.

“Hi,” she whispers, giving me shy smile.

“You look beautiful,” I whisper back.

“Thank you. You do too.”

“Je t’aime,” I say as I rub my thumb against hers.

Her smile is dazzling. “I love you.”

The priest clears his throat to get our attention and I suddenly realize Rosalyn and I were in our own little world there for a second.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the presence of God, in the face of this congregation, and these witnesses, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony…”

~*~*~

The priest reads the invocation, followed by the reading from the Book of Psalms, and address. Danny’s hand is warm and comforting in mine and I can feel him stealing glances at me out of the corner of his eye.

He really does look handsome in his tuxedo and with his hair slicked back. I can tell he shaved this morning because his goatee is meticulously groomed. He very much so fits the part of the dashing prince I’ve been dreaming of since I was a little girl. I peek behind Danny and smile at the three boys looking quite debonair in their tuxes, too.

A few seconds later, the priest is finished the Declaration of Intent. We both reply with a “yes,” and I realize it’s time for us to exchange our vows. Danny and I turn towards one another and he gives my hand a firm and encouraging squeeze. He smiles at me and my heart literally melts.

“Daniel Briere, do you take Rosalyn Marie Porter whom you hold by the hand to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you covenant to be true to her, to love, cherish, and protect her, in sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, until death do you part?”

Danny looks into my eyes as he says “I do.”

“Rosalyn Marie Porter, do you take Daniel Briere whom you hold by the hand to be your lawfully wedded husband, covenanting to be true to him, to love, cherish, and honor him, in sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, until death do you part?”

“I do,” I say, and give Danny’s hand a gentle squeeze.

Caelan was in charge of keeping the rings in his possession. He proudly steps next to Danny and gives them to the priest so he can bless them.

Danny slips the platinum wedding band with tiny diamonds wrapping halfway around it onto my finger.

“With this ring I thee wed, and pledge thee my troth,” he recites.

It’s my turn. I push the platinum wedding band that matches my own onto Danny’s finger, thankful I don’t have much trouble.

“With this ring I thee wed, and pledge thee my troth,” I recite.

Danny smiles at me again and I return it tenfold. The hard part is over.

~*~*~

The rest of the ceremony goes by in a blur. I recited the vows without messing up and I got the ring on Rosalyn’s finger easily. The priest reads the final benediction and I hear the word “amen.” The next part is probably my favorite part of the entire ceremony.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Rosalyn and I exchange a quick smile before I wrap my arms around her and kiss her. It’s not the type of kiss we would share in private, but it’s also not the typical demure kiss most people share on their wedding day. When we pull apart Rosalyn is smiling brightly.

We turn around and are greeted by all of our family and friends’ smiling faces and a round of applause. Rosalyn’s cheeks blush as we make our way down from the alter. We stop and hug our parents before continuing down the aisle and into the back of the church.

Rosalyn is still holding my hand when she lets out a big sigh.

“Can you believe we’re married?” she says, with a huge grin.

“Oui, I can. It just happened.”

She leans in and gives me a quick peck. “I love you, husband.”

“I love you, too, ma belle mariée.”

Our privacy is cut short when the rest of the wedding party joins us and we’re swallowed up in several congratulatory hugs and handshakes. The weather is nice, so we stand outside the church and greet each of our guests.

We still have pictures to take and the reception. It’s going to be a while before I have my new wife all to myself, but I’m a patient man, and I know the wait will definitely be worth it.

~*~*~

It feels like we’ve taken a million pictures. I know someday I’ll look back and be glad we did, but right now my feet are starting to kill me and I just want to kick off my heels and have a glass of champagne. Danny is being perfectly patient with all the pictures, but the boys have definitely had enough.

“It looks like we just need a few more shots of you two alone, if you want to send everyone else to the reception hall,” the photographer says.

“That would be great. We have three limos. We can have the wedding party go in one, our families in the other, and we’ll take the last one when we’re done here,” Danny replies.

I’m a little jealous as I watch everyone else pile into the limos. I hope they’ve started serving the appetizers because I’m sure everyone is starving. I know I am.

“OK, I promise we’re almost done here,” the photographer says.

Danny and I take several more photos. One of us holding hands, one of us kissing, one of him kissing my neck, one of me kissing his cheek. The list is endless. Finally, after what feels like hours, the photographer calls it a wrap.

Danny and I climb into the last limo. There’s a bottle of champagne chilling inside just waiting for us.

“Let’s pop that bad boy,” I exclaim.

“Is being married to me already stressing you out?” Danny teases with a smirk.

“No, but taking those pictures was. Aren’t you pooped?”

“I am. Mostly I just want to relax for ten minutes,” he says, as he pops the champagne.

He pours us both a glass and hands me one. I take a generous sip and I’m already feeling more relaxed.

“The ceremony was beautiful, Danny. Really perfect.”

Danny looks at me sincerely with his chocolate brown eyes. “Not as beautiful as you, chérie. You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen.”

Again, my heart melts and I am amazed at the amount of love I feel for this man.

“And you, Mr. Briere, are the most handsome groom I have ever seen,” I smile at him. “Thank you for the necklace, by the way. I told you I didn’t need anything extravagant.”

“I know, but you deserve it. I love you, Mrs. Briere,” he says, and leans in to kiss me.

I close my eyes. I will never get tired of hearing him say those words to me, in French or English.

~*~*~

We make our grand entrance at the reception hall. The decorations are beautiful. There are candles everywhere and each table has a tall center piece with daises and pink roses. Every chair is covered in white with gold bows tied around them. Rosalyn’s eyes light up when she sees it and I’m happy she’s happy with the way everything turned out.

We eat the meal and it’s delicious, although I’m so hungry I probably would’ve thought anything sat in front of me was gourmet. Four toasts are made. One from Rosalyn’s sister, Tara, and one from each of my sons. Rosalyn’s eyes tear up as Caelan, Carson, and Cameron each say how excited and happy they are to have her join our family. My own eyes feel a little misty when Cameron says he’s just happy to see me smiling all the time again. It’s funny how perceptive kids can be.

We share our first dance to the song “Belongs to You” by Emerson Drive. It’s a song that has a deep felt meaning for us and our relationship. After that, the fun stuff begins. Rosalyn and I cut the cake, she tosses the bouquet, and I throw her garter, which is ironically caught by G. He seems a little embarrassed, but the smile on his girlfriend’s face is priceless.

Now Rosalyn and I are dancing again as the evening starts to wind down.

“Was it everything you’ve ever dreamed of?” I ask.

Her head is resting on my shoulder and I feel her nod her head.

“Everything and more. Today was perfect,” she says before lifting her head and looking into my eyes. “But the flowers and decorations and cake aren’t what was really important to me today.” Her big blues eyes are sparkling as she smiles at me.

“And what was the most important part?”

“Just the part about you becoming my husband.”

“That was one of my favorite parts, too.”

“What was your favorite part?”

“The part when I got to do this to my new wife for the first time,” I say, pulling her tightly against me and kiss her.

~*~*~

It’s been a long, but blissful day. The reception is over. Danny and I said goodbye to everyone before making our escape to the Rittenhouse Hotel in downtown Philly for the night. I have to say I’m feeling pretty relieved now that everything’s said and done and we’re officially married.

I’m still in my dress and Danny has on his tux pants and dress shirt, but the jacket’s been gone a long time ago. We check in and take the elevator up to one of the top floors. Our room is only one of a handful of rooms on the floor. I have no idea what we’ll be walking into because Danny made all the reservations and wouldn’t tell me a thing.

We walk to the end of the hallway to a door that is quite secluded from the others. Danny takes the key and opens the door, but he pauses before entering.

“Would it be totally cliché for me to carry you across the threshold?” he asks.

I grin. “Definitely, but I would love it.”

I slip off my heels and Danny picks me up and carries me over the threshold. It’s really cheesy, but I absolutely love it.

When Danny puts me down, my eyes finally take in the room, only it’s not a room. We’re standing in the living room area of a huge suite and there are candles lit everywhere.

“Oh my God. Did you plan all this?”

Danny smiles at me sheepishly. “Yes. Do you like it?”

“It’s amazing.”

I grab Danny’s hand and I see there is a sliding door that could only lead one place. The bedroom. I open the doors and gasp when I see what’s on the other side. A huge four poster king sized bed sits in the middle of the room with pink rose petals covering it. There’s a Jacuzzi tub in the corner. More candles are lit around the room, giving it a romantic glow.

“Danny. This is beautiful,” I tell him, turning around to face him.

He smiles at me and lifts my hand to kiss my knuckles. I might as well be a puddle of mush on the floor.

“I’m glad you like it. I wanted everything to be perfect for you.”

“It already is. I don’t need anything except for you,” I say, and it’s true. I would be just as happy at Danny’s house, which is now our house, in Haddonfield, as long as I’m with him.

Danny kisses me and I feel so much contentment.

“There’s one more surprise. Sit on the bed and close your eyes,” he instructs.

I do as I’m told. “I’m not going to open my eyes to find you in some frilly thong am I? I thought I was the one who was supposed to wear lingerie on our wedding night,” I tease.

I hear Danny laugh lightly. “Not tonight. Maybe on our honeymoon.”

“Promises, promises.”

A few seconds later, I feel Danny sit down on the bed next to me. “OK, open your eyes.” I open them and find Danny holding something behind his back. “So, remember when you told me you would let me make all the arrangements for the honeymoon and surprise you?” he starts. I nod my head. “Well, I will now reveal to you where we’re going.” He takes a folder out from behind his back and hands it to me.

I tentatively open the folder and let out a shriek of delight when I see what’s inside. A brochure for Greece is tucked inside one of the pockets and our passports and two plane tickets are on the other side.

“Oh my God! We’re going to Greece?” I exclaim.

Danny grins at me. “Yes.”

I throw myself into his arms and cover his face with kisses, causing him to chuckle. He knows it’s always been my dream to visit Greece. I can’t believe it’s actually going to happen.

“When do we leave? I ask, excitedly.

“Monday afternoon, and before you start to fret, we have all day tomorrow to get packed. The kids are staying with my parents tonight and then my parents are taking them back to Quebec to meet their mom. We have three full weeks of no kids. Two weeks in Greece and one week back here alone,” he says with a smirk.

My head is spinning, but in a good way. “Daniel Briere, you are spoiling me. But I’m not complaining. You’d be getting lucky tonight even it wasn’t our wedding,” I grin, before I standing up and grabbing Danny’s hand. “I think I’m ready to get out of this dress. Will you help me unlace my corset?”

He licks his lips in anticipation and I feel my panties dampen just a little. “Absolutely.” I turn around and he kisses my bare right shoulder. “Je t’aime, Rosalyn. Always,” he says against my skin.

Tiny butterflies flutter in my stomach and I’m more excited than ever to start this new journey in my life with Danny. “I love you, too. Jamais.”