Joseph prompted her and she finally began to walk forward again. She had to fight to keep the tears away. Maybe he would fall in love with me, she tried to comfort herself. But if he thought she’d somehow trapped him into the marriage, how would he ever trust her, much less love her?
He knew she hadn’t planned the pregnancy but he was honorable in doing what was right for his child and therefore would always feel like he was trapped.
There was nothing she could do at the moment, so she would continue on down the aisle and get the wedding over with. She was a strong person. She would have to store away her love and try to survive the whole thing.
Lucas felt a moment of panic as Amy stopped halfway down the aisle. Was she going to turn and run? He wouldn’t let her get far. He knew how badly she wanted her baby and as much as it hurt him to trap her he couldn’t let them go. In the months he’d known her she’d invaded his every sense and he couldn’t picture a future any longer without her in it.
He breathed a sigh of relief as they began walking towards him, again. When his father placed her hand in his and then stepped up to stand beside him, he felt a feeling of calmness wash over him. He had her in his arms and he wasn’t going to let her go.
He barely heard the preacher saying the vows. He focused just enough to repeat the words he needed to say but other than that his mind was consumed by his beautiful bride.
She was a vision, unlike anything he’d ever seen before. He’d dated models and heiresses. He’d been with far more women than he should’ve been with but none of them had been able to cause the tightening in his gut like Amy could. She had a natural beauty that outshone the brightest stars of Hollywood.
He would move heaven and earth to have her be his wife forever. He was falling in love with her, he realized. He was shocked to the depths of his soul by that revelation. He couldn’t let her know of his feelings because then she would know she had the power to drop him to his knees and beg her for mercy.
He wouldn’t let her destroy him. He would be a good husband and she would learn to love him and not his name and not his money. Please God, let her love me and not what I can give her, he secretly added to his vows of love, honor and obey.
They finished the ceremony and the preacher told him to kiss his new bride. Lucas gave a full-fledged smile. “Gladly.” then he bent her slightly backwards and consumed her mouth. They both forgot they were standing in a room full of people.
Neither of them had any idea how long the kiss continued. They may as well have been alone in their bedroom. It had been so long since he’d held her and tasted the sweet nectar of her lips.
“Ah son, you have plenty of time for that during the honeymoon,” Joseph interrupted the pair and slapped his son on the back. The crowd laughed at Lucas’s enthusiasm. Amy turned scarlet and Lucas looked like a very proud husband.
To all those witnessing the wedding that afternoon, the marriage looked like a union of love, which was going to last forever. The way each of them looked at one another could only be described as besotted.
They walked down the aisle as Joseph led the vast group of people to the backyard. Amy was once again in awe of the Anderson family. She couldn’t believe they’d planned the wedding in less than a week.
The yard had glamorous tents set up, with linen covered tables filling them. There was soft lighting, a dance floor and an entire band playing music. Caterers carried around trays of champagne and food, attending to the guests.
On each table sat crystal, china and the most beautiful flower arrangements she could’ve ever wished for. She decided to enjoy the day that was all about her. She would imagine it was a real wedding, with a loving groom at her side.
Lucas had wanted all the silly little traditional things. He didn’t even know why. God knew it wasn’t a traditional wedding. Amy probably thought it more appropriate to have guards with guns ushering her from station to station.
He was surprised to see she seemed to be enjoying herself. She wasn’t gloating or acting like she’d won a game. She appeared to be in slight awe and genuinely happy. His bride was full of surprises or she was one phenomenal actress.
“You know you’re absolutely stunning tonight,” Tom said to her when he finally managed to get a moment with her. She threw her arms around him grateful her best friend was there in a sea of strangers.
“Thank you for being here Tom. This is all so overwhelming,” she told him with a sniffle.
“Just don’t forget about me now that you’re married and prego,” he said with a teasing smile.
She could see the insecurity underneath the teasing though.
“I haven’t had any true friends my entire life. You’re the first one and I promise you you’ll always be the first person I call when I need a shoulder to cry on. You know that you can also call me anytime. We will always be best friends,” she said. She gave him one more hug before she was called over to cut the cake.
Lucas and her cut the cake and fed each other. They toasted their union and they shared dances with family members. Lucas was surprised a little by the intense jealousy he felt as each of his brothers pulled Amy far too close for a married woman and whisked her around the dance floor.
When she was dancing with Alex she let out a delighted laugh at something he said. Lucas walked away from his partner without a word and reclaimed his bride. His brother laughed harder and kissed Amy on the cheek before releasing her to her husband.
“What were the two of you laughing about?” he questioned her with jealousy, as he spun her around the dance floor.
“He told me if I came to my senses I could call him and he would whisk me away from his boring older brother,” she said smiling, still in delight, from his brother.
“You’re mine and only mine and the only one that will be whisking you anywhere will be me from now on,” he stated and pulled her into his arms even tighter so she would have room for only him in her mind.
He kissed her until he couldn’t stand anymore and then decided they’d spent enough time with people. It was far past time to start the honeymoon portion of the wedding.
“It’s time to go. Let’s say goodnight to my parents and run away from here,” he spoke as he took her hand and led her in the direction of his mom and dad. Amy became incredibly scared as he led her towards his parents. This was it. They were going to be alone very soon and she was terrified. She didn’t know how to act as a married woman.