Making a heart shape with her fingers, she winks at me.
When all the guests are seated, a pianist plays the opening notes to Kiss the rain composed by Yurima. My mother went through so much trouble to make it special for Lee and me.
Layla opens the doors and then comes to sit up front next to Falcon.
When my mother appears with Lee on her arm, emotions swamp me from all sides. They walk toward us as the light piano notes fill the air, and once again, Lee is the most beautiful bride.
She’s wearing a white lace dress my mother had made for her, and it makes her look like an angel as she glides toward me.
“How lucky am I that I get to marry her twice?” I whisper to my father.
“You deserve this and so much more, my son. It’s been an absolute honor to watch you grow into a man.”
I glance up at the ceiling and take deep breaths, so I won't start crying like a baby in front of Lee.
When my mom and Lee reach us, the minister asks, “Who gives this woman away?”
Mom smiles as she takes hold of Lee’s hand in a tight grip. “On behalf of her mother, Park Soo-jin, I do.”
“Thank you,” I whisper to Mom. If she didn’t ask Park Je-ha for this favor, then he would be the one saying, I do.
Mom takes a step back, and Lee and I turn to face the minister. I take hold of her hand and pull it through the crook of my arm.
The minister reads a short passage, and then we turn to face each other.
Dad gives me Lee’s ring while Mom gives Lee the ring that’s meant for me. I had the set made so we would have unique rings to represent our once-in-a-lifetime love for each other.
I clear my throat, and as I hold the ring in front of Lee’s third finger, I say, “With this ring, I Lake Cutler, take you, Park Lee-ann, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
A happy smile shines on Lee’s face when I push the ring onto her finger.
She takes hold of my left hand, and says, “I, Park Lee-ann, take you, Lake Cutler, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
She takes a deep breath, and a chuckle escapes from me while she pushes the ring onto my finger.
Soon after, the minister announces, “Therefore, in accordance with the law of Califonia, it is truly my pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife. Lake, you may kiss your beautiful wife.”
I turn to Lee, and for a moment, I just look at the woman who has become my every heartbeat. I bring a hand to her jaw and brush my thumb over her cheek. “I love you, Lee-ann Cutler.”
Tears fill her eyes, and each one sparkles with happiness. I press a soft kiss to her mouth, and as I pull back, she whispers, “I love you, my husband.”
Taking her hand, I link our fingers, and we walk over to the table, I help her sit down, and I take the seat next to her. When Mr. Park joins us, the minister shows Lee where to sign. I sign my signature next to hers.
Dad signs as my witness, and then I hold my breath until Mr. Park has signed as Lee’s witness.
When his signature is complete, a dizzying wave of relief flows through me, and I squeeze Lee’s hand beneath the table.
The minister takes the marriage license, and I wait until he’s out of the hall, before I rise to my feet.LeeLake helps me up from the chair and immediately places an arm around me as we turn to face Park Je-ha.
Mr. Reyes walks toward us with his eldest son, and says, “Je-ha, I forgot to tell you the good news.” He turns and places an arm around his son’s shoulders. “I retired at the end of last year. My eldest was inaugurated in November.”
My eyes dart to Park Je-ha, and I watch as he glances down at the papers on the table.
Lake picks up the papers and smiling he holds it out to Park Je-ha, and says, “CRC Holdings will not be doing any business with you. Your business has been blacklisted with all of our partners. Take your money and shove it up your ass.”
He slams the papers against Park Je-ha’s chest. “You should’ve listened to me when I told you, I might be the quiet one, but that doesn’t make me the weakest.”
Park Je-ha looks through the document, and only the top couple of pages have words printed on them, after that the pages are all blank.