“Thank you,” I smiled.
“You don’t mind?” I asked.
“It would be an absolute honor,” he crooned in his charming English accent.
“Thanks, Charlie,” I said hugging him.
“Your Callum is a nervous wreck,” he said, his eyes crinkling in laughter.
“What?” I said, holding him at a distance to see his face.
“He is. He’s beside himself. Pacing back and forth downstairs. I’ve just left him. I made him take a shot of whiskey to calm his nerves. I don’t think it worked. He’s too geared up.”
Oh no! He’s having second thoughts! Charlie noticed my beginning panic and put a stop to it.
“Not you too!” He laughed. “Stop worrying, miss. This is meant to be.” He said it with such conviction I almost fainted. Were we? I was starting to believe we were.
Tom started to play Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring softly on his guitar and I could hear the crowd settle down. I began to hyperventilate a little but Charlie just grabbed my hand firmly and squeezed, wrapping it around his left arm.
“Enjoy this, Harper,” he told me and I felt my heart rate calm to a normal level at his words.
Someone knocked lightly on the door and that was our cue. The door opened and I grabbed my bouquet as we began to walk out. Cherry was there and kissed my cheek before fixing my slight train then walking up the sides to sit up front next to the other girls. Charlie and I walked to the middle of the rooftop and turned right to head down the makeshift aisle.
And it hit me all at once.
Fifty white garden chairs flanked the middle of the aisle. Along the row of chairs at the center were incredible swooping garlands of peonies, ranunculus, miniature roses, and antique roses. The garland was fastened to the top corners of the chairs with exquisite bands of feathered butterflies. Scattered on the dark stonework, were thousands of antique rose petals. Balls of white pomanders seemed to float at different heights around the outside of the chairs, held up by iron stakes.
Charlie gently lead me down the aisle, the fragrance of the flowers assaulting me with euphoria. I couldn’t help but smile as my eyes followed to the judge, standing beneath a simple chuppah. Hundreds of thin branches were tied to four large wooden posts. Woven within the thin branches were bunched, beautiful light pink flower bouquets. The canopy was a thin draping satin tied at the four corners, a foot beneath the tops of the posts. It dipped slightly in the middle almost reaching the judge’s head and swayed lightly in the wind. It looked sweet and intimate, like a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tom had outdone himself. One of the girls must have gone to Chinatown and bought every white paper umbrella they had because each woman there held one to shield themselves from the sun. It was a feast for the eyes. A picture of elegance. A delicate piece of art.
Every chair was filled and many had to stand to the side. I was surprised to know that I knew most of these people. They were people who touched my life every day. I had no idea Callum and I were so loved.
I quickly moved my gaze to drink in Callum, standing strong and sure by the judge. He wore black, a suit similar to Tom’s, vintage nineteen-sixties, a thin black tie. He looked astonishingly handsome. I tried to tell myself that he wasn’t really mine but, for the moment, I just wanted to pretend.
When he saw me, his eyes widened, sending a private charge through my entire body. I locked eyes with him and he became the only one on that entire rooftop and I knew, despite the fact it was probably the dumbest thing I’d ever do, that I would be making a promise to a God I didn’t think really existed until that moment. It was a private arrangement between Him and I.
Callum
Watching Harper come down the aisle left me gasping for air. She was devastating. I never imagined a woman could look as beautiful as she did in that moment. I had to stop myself from wanting to tear down the aisle and grab her just to be that much closer to her that much sooner. I wanted to beg her to be mine in the most real sense. I wanted her as my wife. No more pretending, no more deception. I wanted honesty and she was it.
I knew I would be promising my God to love and honor her regardless of what she wanted. I vowed to make her fall in love with me like I loved her or die trying. It was extreme. I knew it but I didn’t care. I knew what I wanted and I wanted her.
Charlie brought Harper to me, unwrapped her arm from his and gave me her hand. I felt an instant calming relief when her warm hand fit inside mine. I gathered her hand and wrapped it around my own arm before turning us towards the judge. I never took my eyes from her nor did she take hers from mine. We stood at each other’s mercy but we refused to turn away. We simply couldn’t.
The judge began to speak and though I listened, nothing quite absorbed until he spoke my name and asked me to repeat after him.
With my eyes still on hers, I vowed myself to Harper. “I, Callum Philip Tate, take you, Harper Lily Bailey, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, from this day forward until death do us part.” I promise this in God’s name. Then, I placed Harper’s gifted ring on her slender finger.
Harper sucked in a sharp breath, overcome and swayed slightly. I held her tightly to me and waited for her to repeat the words.
Harper
“I, Harper Lily Bailey, take you, Callum Philip Tate, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do us part.” I promise this in God’s name. Then, I placed Callum’s ring on his strong hand.
Callum