Her bridesmaids made their way into the vestibule and waited their turn as the head usher led Vivien down the aisle to her seat. Bella watched them take their turns and then stepped out of the dressing room as the doors closed. She took the arm Steven offered not sure if she’d be able to make it had he not been there to lean on.
“My son is a very lucky man,” he said kissing her cheek as Toby adjusted the back of the dress.
“I’m the lucky one,” she stated honestly, “lucky that you and Ty have always been there for me and that you’ve all supported me no matter what.”
“We’ll always be here for you,” he replied as the doors opened and the music changed. The aisle was longer than any runway she’d ever traipsed down, but it seemed like the shortest walk of her life as her gaze caught Tyler’s the instant she stepped over the threshold and into the chapel.
His reaction told her that her dress choice was approved, but it was the look in his eyes as she walked up the aisle that soothed away the fears and butterflies telling her to run. It wasn’t the look he usually wore when he saw her in full Arabella mode but so much like the one, he’d give her whenever she appeared for a dinner party mixed with something she couldn’t place. He stepped forward as she and his father neared and took her hand as she kissed Steven’s cheek.
“You look—there aren’t words for it, Bella,” he whispered as they stepped up in front of the priest. She grinned her reply as the priest welcomed everyone.
The first part of the ceremony flew by without her hearing a word but as the priest asked if there were any objections the possibility of someone ruining their ceremony crashed in on her. She held her breath for the moments of silence that followed until he went on and felt Tyler’s supportive gaze on her as she relaxed.
“Do you Tyler Matthew Reed take Arabella Spencer Remsen to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?” the priest asked.
“I do,” Tyler replied clearly with a smile.
“And do you, Arabella Spencer Remsen, take Tyler Matthew Reed to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”
“I do,” she stated with enough strength to be heard in the back of the chapel but with a musical lit that sent smiles through the crowd gathered.
“Arabella and Tyler have prepared their own vows for today, Tyler…”
“Bella, I promise to support you in everything you do, stand beside you through every storm, and love you forever. I have never broken a promise to you and am certainly not going to start with these. You have been the only woman I could never let go, no matter how many times I swore I should, I couldn’t because without you my life isn’t the same. You are the joy that fills my day and the peace that gets me through the night. I love you Bella, always have, and always will. No matter how much you try you’re stuck with me, and I can gladly say that I have my own angel…”
Bella laughed ducking her head to control the tears that his words brought to her. What she wouldn’t give to have them be true.
“Arabella…” the priest said as their guests quieted.
“Ty…for the longest time I had no idea what a home was but with you I never have to wonder. You have been my rock, my landing place, my shoulder to cry on, my best friend for as long as I can remember and you are the one thing that kept me grounded in this crazy world, and in my fears, I denied what everyone else could see…that we were meant to be together and that I love you more than I ever imagined I could love someone. I didn’t want to push our relationship because I was so afraid of losing you, but I now know that will never happen,” she paused to catch her breath before continuing on with the absolute truth.
“You have managed to do what no one else could, convince me that love was worth taking a risk. When I left the world of modeling because it had become something foreign to me and started working in your PR department you never told me I couldn’t do it and when the time came, and I rediscovered my passion you never tried to stand in my way of returning to that world. You didn’t caution me but let me go even with the risk that I could crash and because of that I knew I could take the biggest leap I possibly could and admit my true feelings for you. I love you with all my heart Ty, and I promise that no matter where I am, if we’re together or apart, you will always be right beside me. You’ve sheltered my heart from the storms that cropped up and have shown me what a family is, what a real home is, and I can never thank you enough for that. I promise you will always get the first photo from the Angels’ Christmas shoot until they get tired of me, and even then, I’ll make sure your Christmas card has a surprise inside it.”
Their guests laughed at her statement and as Tyler reached out and placed a kiss on her forehead, they heard several sighs of envy. The priest smiled sure the two he was marrying would be one of the lasting couples.
“Marriage is a special blessing to all who choose to enter it,” he stated. “I would encourage all in attendance who have shared in getting Arabella and Tyler here today as well as those who wish to reconfirm their own vows to take the hands of the special person in your life as we bless their union. The rings…”
“Tyler, repeat after me,” he said nodding at them, “with this ring, I thee wed.”
Tyler picked up the wedding band and slipped it onto her finger stating, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“Arabella, repeat after me,” the priest said, “with this ring, I thee wed.”
Bella took the ring and repeated his line with a bright smile, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
She locked gazes with Tyler as the priest began to speak again saying a prayer and missed most of his last line, “I now pronounce you man and wife; you may now kiss your bride.”
Bella couldn’t look away as panic filled her, and Tyler caught off guard by the reaction that hearing that created stood rooted to his spot as the moments trickled by without them moving.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, kiss her already,” Casey, the best man and friend of them both, stated with a laugh that swept through the chapel.
Bella was finally able to blink, and it spurred Tyler into moving. He closed the space between them and kissed her gently, briefly, much to the dismay of their guests.
“Aw come on man that cannot be all you’ve got,” Casey tossed out.
“You just married the gorgeous Arabella Angel, Tyler; I think you can do a bit better than that,” one of the guests called out from somewhere in the church.
Tyler shot her a veiled glance asking for permission and she grinned telling him, “Kiss me Ty…”