BOOK #3--LIVING THE LEGACY
The path to the chapel was lined with overflowing white petunias planted a few days ago especially for Beth and Collin's wedding. Their delicate scent wafted around Beth as the full skirt of her wedding gown gently brushed against the blossoms. Fluffy clouds drifted behind the tall spire, accenting the coppery roof glistening in the sunshine.
As the wedding party assembled inside the double arched doors, Beth closed her eyes and struggled to draw a deep breath through a throat nearly choked off with emotion.
A gallant knight in a dark grey tuxedo waited at the altar for her. A childhood fantasy she wished for with all her heart but never quite believed would come true.
Her friends smiled at her: Marly and Layla and Claudia and Rochelle and Phoenix. Their whispered words of encouragement carried her down the aisle, clinging to her father's arm.
But when she stood next to Collin at the front of the white clapboard chapel, her doubts returned. How could this handsome man want her for a wife? Her nose was too big. Her chin receded. One front tooth overlapped the other slightly.
Her father often said her face had character. She hadn't thought much about that before meeting Collin. People said she was pleasant and had a good head on her shoulders, so Beth focused on those attributes.
Now she wanted to be pretty. For Collin.
Was her dress too simple? Tallie had tailored it to fit like a lover's hand and Claudia had beaded swirls and loops on the sleeveless, scoop-necked bodice. However, the skirt was simply a full sweep of white satin. No frills and gathers and bows and lacy inserts.
And should she have done something more elaborate with her hair than sweep it back from her face into a chignon placed high on her head?
Marly and her bridesmaids insisted the simple elegance fit Beth perfectly. But what if Collin was disappointed? Maybe she should have defied tradition and shown him the dress to watch the reaction in his eyes.
Under her lashes, Beth glanced at Collin, who squeezed her hand and smiled. A smile so dazzling it made her dizzy--as if she needed anything else to make her knees weak. She clung to his hand and let herself be drawn into the love shining in his eyes.
Collin looked squarely at her and spoke his vows clearly.
When it came Beth's turn, she had to swallow several times to make her voice work at all. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but Collin continued to smile at her; his hands encouraging as they cradled her own.
Her fingers still trembled as they exchanged rings.
Then he kissed her with gentle certainty, and her nervousness dissolved under the reassurance of his lips. She relaxed against his firm, strong body, and he traced her jaw with his fingertips as he whispered, "I love you."
Her eyes misted with wonder. This man had chosen her to spend the rest of their lives together. And she would do everything she could to make him happy. "I love you too."
With Collin's arm around her shoulders, Beth turned to face those who had assembled to witness their marriage. Most of the women dabbed at their eyes while the men were uncharacteristically silent.
Beth's feet hardly touched the carpet as they swept past family and friends to the back of the chapel. They paused briefly on the steps before Collin lifted Beth in his arms and carried her to the waiting limousine.
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