To Mend a Broken Heart (31 page)

“Remember our story. I’ll be reading it tonight and remembering you.”

He places one last sweet kiss on my lips before I get into my car and pull off the drive way. The next time I see our house, I will be Mrs Lambert. I’ll be walking in the door with Daniel’s rings on my finger and he’ll have mine. I suddenly can’t wait for tomorrow.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I can’t believe today is the day I am getting married. Today is the day, the man who has been by my side through everything, the man who has been my best friend, my saviour, my life line is going to become my husband. He is going to place his ring on my finger, I’m going to place my ring on his and when our lips touch, we will be husband and wife, we will be Mr and Mrs Lambert. The whole world will know that we choose each other, that we are stronger together than apart. That the reason my heart beats is because I have Daniel by my side.

I can hear Ginny downstairs getting breakfast things ready. I can hear her singing along to a song on the radio and it makes me smile. In twenty minutes the make up artist and hairdresser will be arriving and my transformation from tired Bride to what I hope will be breathtaking Bride will begin. I get up and stretch my aching muscles. I walk over to the chest where the bag of presents Daniel left me with last night is sitting and take them back to my bed. Without knowing, we’d both got each other presents for today. I’d given him strict instructions not to open them till this morning and he did the same. Sitting on the bed, I pull out the card first. It is simple and to the point and it is perfect. The front simply reads;
You are my happily ever after
. Where the front is plain, the words inside in Daniel’s perfect handwriting are anything but.

Katie

I want you to know, that today is one of the happiest days of my life, I've waited my whole life for you, to share everything I am and everything I have with the other half of me. Today, I become yours officially and you become mine. The ring on my finger will symbolise that, but the mark you have left on my heart confirms it. You are my light, Katie. You are the warmth and the comfort. The joy and the love I feel in my heart. I wake up today just me, but I go to sleep tonight your husband. I don't think there has ever been a prouder man alive than I am today. And everyday I have you with me. Know that whatever happens, whatever life has in store for us, we will face it together. That I will always be there to make you a mocha, that I will always be there to help you on the ice rink even though you know how to skate now. That I will always have fancy ice for your summertime Pimm’s and I will always cherish every moment we are together, for each one is a gift. I love you more than anyone has ever loved somebody in the history of the world. I'll be waiting for you, waiting to marry the love of my life, my soul mate, my best friend. If you're late, I'll wait. Because I would wait a thousand years for you.

I love you

Daniel x

I wipe away the tears that are falling and reach inside the bag, pulling out a box that is so beautifully wrapped it seems a shame to rip the paper and bow off. I do though and I gasp when I see what it is. Inside the box is a charm bracelet and the charms on it are the most perfect charms in the world. They are all
Cinderella
related charms. There is one that says;
believing is just the beginning.
Another says;
A dream is a wish
and another says;
Dreams really do come true.
There is also
Cinderella’s
carriage and best of all her glass slipper. It’s perfect and so thoughtful. It must also have cost him a fortune. I reach inside the bag and pull out the last present.

I unwrap it and lift the lid of the box. Inside is a perfectly white pillow and on it is a silhouette of Prince Charming and Cinderella dancing. Incorporated in her dress is todays date and right at the top of the cushion are the words;
So this is love.
Seeing as the theme for our wedding is Cinderella, this isn't such a surprise, but there is no way Daniel knows what song I have chosen to walk down the aisle to I’ve kept it a secret, yet he has brought me a present with the words from that very song on it. I can’t stop myself, I reach for my phone and dial his number. It’s bad luck to see him, no one said I can't speak to him.

Just as the phone begins to ring, Ginny bounds in to my room. Spotting the phone pressed against my ear, she reaches over the bed and takes it, bringing it up to her ear she speaks to the one person I so desperately want to speak to right now.

“Hello Daniel,” she scowls at me, “Yes, she
did
try to call you. No, she is absolutely fine, she just opened your presents. Yes, by the looks of it, she loves them. Well no, you can ask her when you see her in a few hours. Behave yourself Mr Lambert! See you soon.”

“Ginny!”
I growl, flipping back onto the bed, “Why?”

“It’s bad luck!” she smiles.

“To talk to him?”

“Yes. The first time you see him, speak to him, smell him will be when you get to the spot he stands waiting for you, looking like your very own Prince Charming.” she grins, holding out her hand, “Now, please come downstairs, everything is ready and there are more things from Daniel.”

I smile and take her hand, following her slowly downstairs. Ginny is heavily pregnant now and is ready to have their little girl in her arms. But today, she is being the best friend anyone can ask for and putting me ahead of herself. I adore and love my best friend. When we reach the kitchen I see coffee and a pile of pastries, I know immediately they are Daniel’s pastries. Sitting next to the breakfast things is another box and it has my name on it. I sit down and open the lid before taking out what looks like a book wrapped in tissue paper. When I slip the paper off tears fill my eyes.

“What is it?” Ginny asks, sitting next to me and reaching to brush a tear off my cheek.

“It’s us.” I smile.

“You and Daniel?”

“Yes.” I flip open the cover and there we are, sitting together in Ginny’s garden playing with Aidan in the sunshine.

As I turn each page, there are more photos of us, some from our trip to Brighton when we were just friends, others from New York. Each page has little memories written in Daniel’s handwriting. It is the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received and of course, it would be Daniel who got it for me. I hand it over to Ginny to look at while I sneakily send Daniel a text message.

Me:
It’s gorgeous. Almost as gorgeous as you, but not quite. These hours had best hurry. I miss you and I want you next to me. I’ve never loved you more than I do today, Mr Lambert. See you soon, I’ll be the one in a dress ;) I love you. X

Daniel:
The book? Or the bracelet? Or you? I miss you too, but the wait will be worth it, the next time I see you, you’ll be walking down the aisle to marry me, you’ll be walking back up the aisle my wife. I can wait. I think. I love you more than anything. I need you more than anything. Come to me, I’ll be waiting. I love you. X

“I know what you just did, Katie.” Ginny’s voice makes me laugh.

“It’s a text message, I haven’t seen or spoken to him.” I grin at her.

“Okay. No more. Have something to eat the make up—” her words are cut off when the doorbell goes. She gets up and goes to the door and two minutes later, she comes back with the make-up artist I’ve chosen for today.

“Good morning Bride!” Sophie grins at me, wheeling her case of magic tricks behind her, “How are you feeling?”

“Morning, Sophie,” I smile back, “I’m rested, I’m about to have something to eat, then your magic transformation can begin.”

“You do not need transforming!” she shakes her head and looks at Ginny, “I keep telling her this.”

“Oh, I know. I’ve told her too,” she smiles, “Help yourself to a pastries or three and I’ll make you a coffee, what would you like?”

“Anything with caramel in,” Sophie sighs, “I’m exhausted today,! My babies are teething, sleepless night and grumpy days. Daddy will have his hands full today!” she laughs, taking a seat and helping herself to a pastry. As she bites into it, she groans, “Oh my God! Where did you get these from?”

“Her soon to be husband made them.” Ginny laughs.

“He made them? Like, from scratch?” Sophie eyes me.

“Yes.” I nod rather proud of Daniel.

“I’d marry him for these alone,” she grins, taking another bite, “I think my husband might have something to say about it though.”

“I think he just might, mine would too,” Ginny says starting the coffee machine, “It is tempting though, right?”

We sit and devour the pastries Daniel made and then it’s time to start getting ready. I have my hair done first, the hairdresser turning my waves into a sophisticated loose bun at the back of my head, there are a few loose locks framing my face and my side fringe is sitting perfectly for a change. It’s simple and perfect with a small hairpin made from crystals slipped into place. I watch as Sophie works to transform my face from ordinary to beautiful. I’ve had a trial, I know how good she is, but when she has finished, I’m still as floored as I was the first time. Looking in the mirror, I can’t believe the woman staring back at me is actually me.

With my hair and make up finished, I say goodbye to Sophie and thank her for all her help today. She squeezes me and wishes me the happiest wedding day ever, that I’m going to be the most beautiful Bride and Daniel really is a lucky man to be marrying me. I smile and thank her, it isn’t Daniel who is lucky, it’s me. When Ginny is dressed, looking beautiful in her poppy red dress that skims over her bump and makes her looks absolutely gorgeous she helps me get into my dress and twenty minutes later as I slip my feet into my shoes, I’m ready. I’m ready to get into the car, I’m ready to drive to the venue and I’m so ready to marry Daniel.

I’ve gone for a wedding dress covered in lace. I love lace and the moment I stepped into it in the shop, I knew it was the one. From the front I am mostly covered, but there is a diamond shape cut out of the back leaving my back exposed. Daniel loves my back so he will adore this dress. I’ve bought a new set of the most beautiful cream lace lingerie to wear. My dress doesn’t allow for a bra, so I’ll be slipping into that part later.

“How long?” I ask, impatiently.

“Five minutes, the car will be here in five minutes if they are on time. Will you relax?”

“They
will
be on time.”

I’m sitting looking out of the window when I see them. Two white horses coming down Ginny’s road and trailing behind them is a carriage. The most beautiful carriage I have ever seen and it looks exactly like
Cinderella’s.
I turn to Ginny who has a sly smile on her face as she watches me. She knew. I stand, pick up my bouquet of the reddest poppies I’ve ever seen and turn to walk to the front door, so ready to get to Daniel already.

“You must be Katie.” the guy smiles as he steps down from his seat.

“I am.” I smile tearily, wiping under my eyes a little.

“And you had no idea this was happening did you?” he grins.

“No. I certainly did not…The carriage I mean, I knew I was getting married.” I laugh.

“Glad to hear it,” he holds his hand out for me and helps me in. When I’m seated he hands me an envelope, my name written on the front, “This is from the palace.” he winks before helping Ginny in too.

I open the envelope and pull out an invite, this one is different to the ones we sent out to our guests. Where those simply had
Cinderella’s
castle on with the wording;
And they lived happily ever after
, this invite has the caste, along with the history of us, like it is part of the very story our wedding is based upon. We begin to move as I read through the wording on the invite, everything was there, how we met, how we healed and grew together, everything. I am suddenly realising that Daniel is full of more surprises than I first thought. His attention to detail, the effort he has put in to today is phenomenal. I hand the invite to Ginny, who slips it safely into the overnight bag I have packed.

The journey to our wedding venue goes quicker than I thought it would. We get looks and waves and hoots from passing cars, I smile the whole way and I’m still beaming when the door of the carriage is opened and I’m helped out once again. The driver tells me, he’ll be waiting around for photos of the happy couple and I head in. I speak to the registrar and tell them, yes, I am ready to marry the love of my life.

I’m standing with Ginny, waiting to get the nod to say I can make my way into the room. It feels like a lifetime of waiting but finally, I get the nod, I step up to the open doors just as the song I’d chosen to walk in to begins. As
Ilene Woods
begins to sing I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. Ginny squeezes my hand and we walk in. I meet the smiling faces of our guests and smile back. It doesn’t take long for me to become impatient and desperate to see him and then it happens.

There he is.

Everything slows down, everyone disappears and the only person in the whole room is Daniel. And he is waiting for me. I wait, just a second more before I continue to walk down the aisle towards him. He must hear my heels click on the floor, or maybe he just senses I’m there, because he turns around and spots me, and the look I see in his eyes almost sends me tumbling to the floor. He truly is the most breathtaking man in the whole world. His face breaks into that smile that stops me in my tracks every single time I see it and his eyes sparkle like the ocean on a summers day. One eyebrow shoots up and he mouths three little words to me. Three little words that cause the earth to move beneath my feet.

I love you.

With those three words, any doubts I might have had that I don’t deserve this, don’t deserve him are gone. I feel, with my whole being that he is who I’m supposed to be with. That he is who I’m supposed to spend my life with, and I am certain of one thing.
Richard had sent him to me.
There is no other way to explain it. Why I was drawn to the hospital? Why I wanted, more than anything in the very depth of my despair, to volunteer there? Why the moment I met Daniel, I began to heal little piece by little piece? He is my angel on earth and Richard is my angel in
Heaven.