Todayismyweddingday.
I'm excited to marry Bennett, but a small part of me has been dreading today too. My dad isn't here to walk me down the aisle. He isn't here to give Bennett his blessing. Of course, if my dad was here, I never would have met Bennett, so there is that.
In the end, we decided to have a small, simple courthouse wedding. Nothing even half as fancy than what Cash and Hope had even though theirs was very casual as well. Jana and Cole are having a wedding much like Hope and Cash.
Even though it's a small simple wedding, all the couples are there. The girls have helped me get ready, even sharing a bit of their makeup since I didn't have any.
I found a vintage lace dress at the thrift store in town that's serving as my wedding dress. After having an argument about why I was kicking Bennett out of the house for a few hours the other day, I was able to alter it slightly to fit me. Though he didn't venture far. The entire time he was outside doing stuff right around the house. I may not have said it to him, but I'm glad that he stayed really close.
I may feel protected on the mountain, but I feel even safer when he's still around. Something about him, especially at night in his arms, it's like nothing could touch me.
"Okay. Your hair has the perfect curls in it, so now we just need to hairspray the shit out of it," Jana says and the other girls start giggling.
Jack has been nice enough to allow us to use a room in his shop to get ready. He even promised Bennett, who is waiting at the courthouse that Axel and he would walk us over to the courthouse. That way, all of us ladies would not be alone. The rest of the guys are with Bennett at the courthouse. But I can only imagine how much he hates being away from me because I'm really hating being away from him, too.
A moment later the room erupts in a huge cloud of hairspray.
"There, that should hold your hair for at least a few hours," Jana says.
"Look at me," Emelie says. When I turn my head to the left to look at her, she does a quick makeup check before applying my lipstick and lip gloss.
"You ready, little one?" Axel peeks his head into check on us. Not once since we got here has he left the doorway.
"Are you ready, Willow?" Emelie asks and when I nod, everyone grabs their stuff and we get our stuff and head out.
The walk to the courthouse is not far. It’s just across the street and a few buildings down from Jack's shop. But the walk seems to take forever. Maybe it's because I know Bennett is inside, or maybe it's because I'm trying to remember this moment. Someday I might want to look back and remember exactly what I felt.
As we walk, I’m enjoying the weather. It’s nice and calm, almost quiet. The serenity along with the fresh mountain air and the sun on my face feels amazing, but the moment we step into the courthouse it's like full-on chaos. There's noise and people moving all around, and I'm ushered right to the room where we're having the wedding ceremony.
I go through all the moves and motions and before I know it, I'm standing at the end of the aisle with Bennett staring back at me. Both of us have huge smiles on our faces. He's made it very clear how much he wants this, and he doesn't even try to hide it amongst his friends.
Standing here on our wedding day, he's looking at me just like every bride hopes their groom would look at them. In that instant, a very small part of me wishes we had done the big traditional wedding with the long walk down the aisle, so I could soak up that look even more. But then I know I wouldn't have wanted to wait to get married, so this is perfect for us.
The officiant keeps the wedding short, sweet, and to the point. Once we say our vows, in the blink of an eye, he's kissing me as we are pronounced husband and wife.
Bennett has always been a good kisser, but this kiss just feels different. Maybe it's because he's officially my husband, or maybe it's because this is the kiss with everyone watching, but it's definitely a hell of a lot sexier than any kiss before it.
While I don't know how long he kisses me, eventually his friends start whistling and the girls are giggling. Only then do we pull apart and turn to face everyone. My face feels like it's on fire and I bet I'm as red as a tomato, but everyone else is smiling and cheering.
Jana who used to manage the cafe was able to pull some strings and got us a spot to have a small wedding reception and lunch before we all go back up the mountain.
Once all the paperwork is completed at the courthouse, we meet everybody at the cafe, and have a great afternoon with our friends talking and laughing. Though it isn't a fancy wedding reception with a DJ, a catered meal, and dancing, I don't think I could imagine anything more perfect. I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard. It’s been a long time, but this is exactly the day that I needed to have today.
Finally, everyone starts leaving and saying their goodbyes. Bennett tells me we have a little bit of a drive because he’s booked us a hotel a few towns over for a little honeymoon, as he calls it. When Bennett says he hasn't spent a night off the mountain in over six years, I know this is a big deal for him. Not only does it mean a lot that he’s so thoughtful, but I’m touched as well. It will make another nice memory for our honeymoon weekend.
Bennett's truck is parked in Jack's parking lot, so we walk hand-in-hand down the street. Before we get there, we run into the last person I expected to see today. Emma.
"Bennett! Wow, this is an unexpected surprise. I've never run into you in town before”
It makes me gag how her voice is so flirty and sweet.
Almost like Bennett can read my mind, the hand that's holding mine tightens like he's afraid I'm going to try to run off. Though he's not wrong, I'd rather leave than stand here and deal with her. But it doesn't look like Bennett's going to allow me to escape.
"Emma." he nods, barely acknowledging her before trying to walk away.
But of course, she's not going to let it go that easy.
"What are you doing in town? Usually you just go to Jack's shop."