The Day to Remember (17 page)

I grabbed the guitar and began to strum a melody as I saw her walking towards me.

Emma

“Where is he?” I thought as I walked back to the living room in the villa. There was a warm fire crackling in the fireplace in the far corner and the heat from the fire caressed my cool cheeks. Brandon had asked me to grab the two bottles of wine that we had accidentally left in the car from today’s wine tasting. When I left a few minutes ago, he was sitting in the living room. But now, he was gone.

“Brandon?” I called out.

Nothing.

“Brandon? Where are you?”

Again nothing.

Then, something on the coffee table in front of the fireplace caught my eye. It was a small white cue card that said, “Follow the
lights.”

I looked around, trying to figure out what the note is talking
about. And then I saw it, about 10 feet away, on a side table was another small white cue card. I walked over and saw an arrow drawn on the card, pointing towards patio.

When I got to the patio, I saw a trail of small lanterns on the floor
leading out into the vineyard, each lantern two feet from the last.

I followed the trail and
found myself behind the house walking next to the grape vineyard. I pulled my shawl wrap around my body as the brisk wind blew through the rows of grapevines. It was dusk and besides the departing crimson sun peeking through the horizon, the sky was entirely dark. A gentle, grey half-moon was making its ascent into the night sky.

As I walked, I
heard a soft melody playing. I looked around, searching for the source. Then I found it. On the edge of the vineyard, there was a group of three leafless trees surrounding a picnic table. Two dozen lanterns hung from the various branches of the trees, lighting up the area with soft light. Next to the picnic table was a few logs burning in a small fire.

Standing next to the table was Brandon, playing “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri on a guitar. He was looking at me, and I sa
w the love and emotion in eyes as he took my breath away.

I walked to him as he serenaded me.
By the time I got to his side, I was in tears. “What is all this?” I asked softly.

He put the guita
r down and held out his hands. Our fingers weaved into one and I felt the electric connection pulse between us. “Well, you mentioned once that you loved a guy who can serenade you with a guitar.” He smiled at me, and I melted into his gaze. Even after this much time, I was still affected by his presence.

“But I thought you didn’t know how
to play?”

“I didn’
t. But I took some lessons,” he said as he beamed at me.

“Why?”
I asked. But I knew I didn’t need him to say it out loud. I already knew, and tears filled my eyes.

Then, Brandon knelt down on
one knee, and tears began to blind me as I knew what was coming. “Because I love you, Emma. Because I want to be the man you will love more and more each day. Because every day I’m with you, I fall in love with you more and more. I could never have imagined having this much love for anyone. I couldn’t until I met you.”

I saw him draw a nervous breath, and I beamed down at him.

“Emma,” he said as he held my hands, “I loved you the second you walked into my life. Not too many people can experience this kind of love. Would you make my dreams come true, and marry me?”

He opened a small boxed, and I gasped. Inside the box was a vintage emerald cut diamond ring.

“Yes! Yes! A million times yes!” I exclaimed, my eyes full of tears. I pulled Brandon up and our lips met in a tender and passionate kiss.

“Brandon, I loved you the second you walked into my dreams. I cannot imagine marrying anyone else,” I whispered.

We looked into each other’s eyes and I knew that we were meant to spend forever together. There was an unspoken understanding in his eyes, and I knew that he loved me—that he has always loved me, and will always love me.

Brandon

I inhaled deeply, trying to
steady the nervous energy that ran through me. The air smelled sweet of an intoxicating mixture of deep pink peonies, white gardenias, and blush pink tea roses—Emma’s favorites. A crisp, spring breeze blew through the air, bellowing through the delicate layers of fabric and ribbons that danced around me, bringing soothing rhythmic sounds to my ears. I glanced up and saw the golden sun beginning its decent over the clear blue sky. Today was perfect.

Today was
finally
here. The day that I’ve been waiting a long time for. The day that I would finally marry my soul mate. The day that I could finally call Emma my wife. I smiled broadly, unable to contain the all-consuming happiness that radiated through me.

I looked out at the crowd of family and friends seated in rows of gold Chiavari chairs, all waiting with me for the love of my life to
walk down the rose petal-covered aisle.

Emma’s mom caught my eye
. She beamed at me with tears in her eyes. She held her hands to her chest and gave me a warm, reassuring smile. Her approval meant the world to me, just as much as my own mother’s approval would have meant to me if she were here. I was then filled with a warm sense of calm, as if I was being hugged from the inside. I smiled as tears welled up in my eyes. She
was
here, and she knew how happy I was.

T
he string quartet began to softly play Pachelbel’s
Canon in D
and everyone turned their attention to the other end of the aisle. I exhaled deeply to calm my nerves, anxiously brushing my palms along my side, and watched as the wedding procession started.

Then
, walking out of the French doors and into the courtyard came Emma in the arms of my father. The vision of her, in the winter white Vera Wang strapless gown that cascaded to the floor in waves of organza, took my breath away. She was radiant.

S
he met my gaze and beamed at me, her cheeks flushed and her eyes twinkled with excitement. She was absolutely beautiful, and at that moment, she was all that existed in my world. Everything else blurred into the background, and she was the only person I saw. It was just Emma and me. Us and our future.

I watched
with bated breath as she walk slowly towards me. I could tell that she was nervous as she held onto my father’s arm. I quickly glanced at my father, the amazing man who has always been there for me, even when I hadn’t always wanted him to. And now, he was the amazing man who would always be there for Emma—the father that she never had. I felt another wave of emotions as I remembered the moment when Emma asked my father to walk her down the aisle.

When she finally got to my side,
she whispered, “How did I do?”

I chuckled lightly, knowing that I was
probably the only that would know what she meant. “As elegant as ever,” I whispered as I gave her a wink. She smiled sweetly at me and we held hands and looked towards the officiant.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” said
Gary, Jill’s father, who we had asked to be the one to marry us. “We are gathered here to celebrate a special union of love between Brandon Jonathan Fisher and Emma Sue Anderson.” As Gary introduced us, my eyes never left Emma’s and hers never left mine. She squeezed my hands and I felt the intensity of pure love flow through us.

“Do you, Brandon, take Emma to be your lawful wedded wife?”

“I do,” I said.

“And do you, Emma, take Brandon to be your lawful wedded husband?”

“I do,” she said as she beamed at me with tears in her eyes.

“Brandon and Emma have each prepared their own vows that they would like to say before they exchange rings.” Gary gestured towards me
.

I held Emma’s left hand in one hand and the ring in the other and smiled at her.
“Emma. For the longest time, I felt empty and incomplete, like something was missing in my life. But when I met you and then got to know you, I realized that you were the missing piece to my puzzle. You are what makes me whole, and I can’t imagine a life without you. There are many endearing qualities about you that I
love
.
You are one of the sweetest people I’ve ever meet. You care, and I mean,
really
care about those around you, and you feel with all of your heart and soul. You are also one of the most accident-prone people I’ve ever met. I will always remember and cherish our first coffee moment,” I chuckled and winked at her. She flushed and smiled at me.

“
Please accept this ring as a token of my love and commitment to you. May its presence on your finger remind you of my eternal love for you. There may be times when I fail you, when I upset you, and when I hurt you. But when those times come, please remember that I will love you until my last dying breath, and
please forgive me for those failures. I cannot image my life without you in it.”

I slid the ring into Emma’s finger with tears in my eyes.

Emma gently brushed the tears from her own eyes and looked up at me. “Brandon, I’ve always heard of that all-consuming type of love that can change you as a person. I thought that this type of love was just a fairy tale. I never thought that I, of all people, would find that love myself—not until I met you. You are strong when I am weak, patient when I am hasty, determined when I have given up. You never lost sight of what we could be, and no matter how much I pushed you away, you were always there to catch me. And for that, I am eternally grateful.”

Tears streamed down
her face, and my chest tightened as I thought about the days when I thought I had lost her.
I love you
, I mouthed to her.

“Please accept this ring as a token of my love and pledge to you. May its pr
esence on your finger remind you of my eternal love for you. I know there will be times in the future where tears will be shed from our eyes. Whether they are tears of sorrow or, like today, tears of joy, please know that I will always be by your side to embrace those tears with you.”

“Brandon and Emma.” Gary smiled at us warmly. “May you live happily ever after. May all your days be blessed with l
ove, friendship, and laughter. And may all of your dreams come true as you journey through life together, because in dreams and in love, there are no impossibilities. By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Before Gary’s last sentence wa
s spoken, I pulled Emma towards me and our lips locked in an all-consuming, passionate kiss. And for just a moment, I felt like time stopped and the world stood still to celebrate the magic of our union.

***

Emma

Today was perfect
—more perfect than I could have ever imagined it to be. I was now officially Mrs. Brandon Fisher. I squealed inside at this thought. I never thought this moment would happen—the moment where all my dreams came true.

“
Are you ready, Mrs. Fisher?” whispered Brandon as he leaned down and kissed my forehead.

I beamed at him. “
As ready as I’ll ever be, Mr. Fisher. You know dancing and being a klutz don’t really go hand and hand. Just make sure I don’t trip over my dress,” I joked nervously.

“I’
ll try. But honestly, with your track record, I’m not sure that’s humanly possible,” he teased.

“Hey, be nice to your wife!” I hit his chest playfully,
and he used this opportunity to pull me towards him. “Don’t worry. If you trip, your husband will be there to catch you. He’ll
always
be there to catch you.” He leaned down and kissed me, and I felt all my worries and nerves melt away.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Brandon and Emma onto the dance floor for their first dance together as husband and wife.”

“Ready?” asked Brandon.

I nodded and smiled nervously.

Brandon led me onto the dance floor, which sat in the middle of the transparent canopy tents that covered the entire reception area.

As
soft music started playing and Nat King Cole began to sing “L-O-V-E” over the speakers, we started swirling effortlessly around the dance floor, getting lost into the music.

The reception area felt magical.
Antiqued votive holders were scattered throughout the canopy tent, string lights covered every inch of the tent’s ceiling, and pendant lights hung from the rafters. As we moved around the dance floor, it felt like we were dancing among the stars.

I looked into
Brandon’s eyes, and my heart was filled with a delirious joy that brought tears to my eyes. He leaned down and kissed a tear on my cheek, and I sighed contently. He held me tighter around him and I felt my body mold perfectly with his.

“I love you
, Brandon Fisher, the man of my dreams.”

We laughed at our inside joke.

“I love you, Emma Fisher. I will
always
love you. Forever and always.”