Forgive Me Father For I Have Loved (43 page)

Melody kept running around, barking at everyone and telling them who was supposed to be where and how it wasn’t too late for a few of the bridesmaids to be cut out of the wedding. And she meant it. She’d given the photographer a few choice words as well once she discovered him outside the church taking a drag off his cigarette, loitering a bit too long while everyone waited to take preliminary photos. Her voice carried, too, but sounded so comical, causing Rhapsody to chuckle versus become annoyed.

Rhapsody tapped her foot; the satin light blue slipper shined under the light as she waited anxiously for the whole ordeal to be over with. She was looking forward to the marriage, not the ceremony, although she didn’t mind the big party that was soon to follow. But most of all, she just wanted Dane in her arms, forever. They’d played an emotional cat and mouse game, and though it was necessary and unavoidable, she was simply happy to finally have her prize. The night beforehand, she could barely sleep as the butterflies multiplied in her stomach. She hadn’t felt that giddy since she had sung the first time in front of a huge audience, garnering standing ovations. The exhilaration and momentum of the day could barely be captured. It felt like a blur, and she wobbled a bit, feeling restless and a little nauseous as she wrung her hands and twisted and turned with anxiety.

This was it. She was getting married. Her sister’s voice boomed in the background as she stood by a side door of the church dining hall entrance, desperately needing a moment alone and some fresh air. The days got shorter as the weeks migrated further into the season; Autumn was waving her goodbyes while the winter knocked on the proverbial door. They’d been lucky that day to get a high in the 50s, and for Michigan, that was considered a real treat.

She startled when she heard his voice. It was faint, a distance away, but she knew that laugh, and it instantly calmed her. Soon, Melody was standing beside her, her chest heaving and hoing as she gripped her clipboard. Rhapsody looked at her and burst out laughing.

“Girl, I should have never agreed to let you plan my wedding!” Rhapsody shook her head in disbelief. “I fired the other lady because you insisted on doing it, and now look at you? About to hyperventilate and fall the hell apart...blood pressure probably sky high.”

Melody punched her sister affectionately in the shoulder and burst out laughing.

“These women don’t know who they are dealin’ with!” She puffed, putting her hand on her hip. “Your little friend Tyra decided she needed to eat some chicken wings before she walks down the damn aisle...in a light blue dress with a plunging neckline! Really?!”

Rhapsody laughed and watched the
trees sway from the light wind. “I heard Dane speaking. Is he around here still?”

“He was, I sent him away. He tried to act brand new, like he didn’t know you were in the vicinity. It has been a hell of a task keeping you two out of each other’s vantage point.” Suddenly, Melody’s head snapped to the right. “Hey!” She clapped her hands loudly. “That table doesn’t belong there!”

She stormed off, her bouncy curls swinging with each stomp as she made her way toward two men with a look of total fear on their faces. Rhapsody grinned and turned back out the doorway.

Sighing, she slipped into a daydream, one filled with warm kisses from Dane’s lips all over her body...

~***~

“Come on, man!” Anthony barked from the full parking lot, almost no spaces left. Boasting arched ceilings and stained glass, the St. Genevieve and
St. Maurice Church was a gorgeous setting for such an occasion. Members of their family from all over the country, even their Great Aunt who was ailing, came to celebrate the special day. Regardless, Dane kept close to his brothers. For once, he needed their support instead of the other way around...

“I am! Shut your pie hole! I had to get Dane’s cufflinks. He left them in the car.”

“Fine, hurry up.” Anthony twisted his lips as he adjusted his necktie. “Stop wasting time, we need to get back to him before he passes out,” he said, laughing.

“He did look kind of out of it, didn’t he?” Joseph smiled as the two brothers approached Dane, who stood in the near distance.

“I can hear you two, you know!” Dane called out with a sheepish grin. He danced around and jumped on the spot, as if needing to go the restroom.

Joseph tapped his shoulder and handed him the cufflinks. “You got ants in your pants? What’s going on?”

“It’s a nervous habit...to burn off extra energy.”

“Well, stop it, it looks weird!” Anthony teased as he eyed himself in a nearby window. “So, we’re just going to stand out here, huh? This is stupid. I’m thirsty. Why can’t we go back inside?”

“Because my crazy sister-in-law said I almost ran into Rhapsody too many times, and she wants to make sure I don’t see her before the wedding. So I was forced to come out here.”

“Oh, who cares! It is getting a little cold out here, let’s go in.” Anthony pushed past his two brothers and reached for the double doors.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Melody hollered as she stood there like a linebacker, the trusty clipboard in hand and a look so heinous and menacing, it would cause a rabid dog to gallop away and hide.

Anthony stared back at his brothers, disbelief on his face. Dane smirked while Joseph snickered.

“...I guess nothing...” Dane caught a quick glimpse of Margie and the children walking between the back pews through the stingy slice of open door.

Wow. She came.

“That’s
right
. Now stand back. I will come get you when it’s time.” And with that, Melody snatched the doors closed in his face with a loud thud.

“Are you sure she and Rhapsody are related?” Anthony snarled as he walked back up to the duo. “What a bi—”

“Don’t say it!” Dane cackled. “Come on, I know she is hard to deal with, but I don’t want anything disparaging said about her, just be cool, okay?”

“What? What kinda cockamamie bullshit is
this?!
You’re not a priest anymore, so why do you care if I call her what she is?” Anthony smirked. “Rhapsody is fun, laid-back and sweet...this woman right here is...”

“Just your type!” Joseph ribbed. “You need someone like her, someone that could keep you in your place! Keep you in line. Make you grow up.”

“There are too many people milling about out here.” Dane looked around at all the parked cars of their friends and relatives who were already seated inside, minus a few stragglers who came intermittently and tapped him on his back on their way inside. “I just don’t want anyone overhearing you call her that. We are all family now, so we just need to accept the good, the bad, and the—”

“Bitchy!” Anthony spat as he lifted his eye toward Dane, then back at Joseph, “And it would be a cold day in hell when I’d get down with a woman like Melody.”

“Ahhh, you protest too much,” Joseph teased, tapping Anthony on the shoulder.

Just then, the doors slowly opened back up. Melody stood there in her form-fitting gown, her hand on her hip. “Alright gentlemen, I have everyone lined up. You’re on!”

“Oh my God.” Dane’s eyes glossed. A woman with a golden voice sung the ‘Ave Maria.’

He contemplated wiping the darn wet things away before they dripped down his face, ruining the calm he’d worked so hard to obtain in the last ten minutes, but he lost his cool. She practically floated down the aisle, hanging on to her uncle’s arm. The flash of cameras continued and the sniffling from Rhapsody’s mother made his heart thump. All so heartfelt, emotional, and it blended in with Daisy’s tears of joy on their behalf.

“Thank you, God,” he whispered, his lips trembling. He felt himself fall apart, wanting to kneel down at her feet as soon as she stepped onto the platform. Fr. Jones stood there proudly, holding the Bible in front of him and waiting for everyone to take their seats.

After a few words, two short prayers and the candle lighting took place, their vows were exchanged. The ceremony was quiet and seriousness loomed in the air. No one said a peep as the two gathered on their knees in prayer before the priest. Dane so appreciated this. He was certain that Rhapsody had no idea how much this meant to him. During their counseling, not only was she respectful, she remained open-minded and discovered that Fr. Jones was able to speak to her about their faith in a way that he hadn’t. He wasn’t convinced she’d be baptized in the Catholic Church, and he was fine with that, but he knew she had an even greater respect for his beliefs than she had previously. She was now prone to ask even more profound questions. 

Shortly, they gathered to their feet to recite their vows.

“I, Dane Caruso, take you, Rhapsody Thomason, for my wedded wife, I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.”

“I, Rhapsody Thomason, take you, Dane Caruso, for my wedded husband, I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.”

He wanted to kiss her so badly, but he resisted as the priest began to speak again. Soon, the wedding drew to a close. He was so proud of her. His wife had done everything as if she’d been raised in the Catholic Church as well, and it touched him in the deepest part of him that she’d done all of this for him, stating it was a small sacrifice. He’d
never
forget this, not simply the day, but everything up until this point and what it signified. He knew in his heart, without a shadow of a doubt, that this woman was brought into his life to be with him at this very moment—in holy matrimony.

Suddenly, the lights flickered on and off. People looked around murmuring amongst themselves.

Hmmm, maybe a storm is coming. The weather had promised to be clear though.

In a matter of moments, Dane was instructed to kiss his bride. He turned to her and carefully lifted her veil from her face, exposing the features he coveted.

My God, she is so beautiful...

He placed his hand at the side of her face, slightly bent to reach her lips, closed his eyes and placed a delicate, soft, sweet kiss on her lips. When he stepped slightly away from her, he could see the tears rimming the bottom of her eyes. He quickly turned away, trying to avoid being choked up as well. But he couldn’t stay away from her glance long for he looked back at her, showing his joy with a bright smile, and before anything could be said, he whispered,
“We did it, baby...we made it!”

~***~

The wedding reception...

Rhapsody looked out into the crowd, smiled and waved, her grin probably as large as her mother’s, who had a beam on her face that would light up a whole planet. It was time she unwrap a little surprise she had in store for her new husband. As the people mulled about, drinks in hand, chatter high under the large, sparkling chandelier and children flocking close to the chocolate fountain, she decided now was as good a time as any.

“Attention, everyone!” called out the D.J. as he spoke into the microphone, and a semi-inebriated Melody clanked her fork against her glass to help usher attention toward her sister. “We have a special treat for you, tonight. The bride, Rhapsody Caruso, would like to sing a song for her new husband, Dane, so let’s give her a round of applause!”

Their friends and family clapped loudly as she took front stage and center, leaving a look of surprise on Dane’s face. He stood close by his brothers, the three in a small football type huddle, his broad shoulders bumping into Joseph’s while he held a wine glass filled with water in his hand.

Rhapsody cleared her throat, and then the music began to play...

~***~

He had no idea what she had planned. Rhapsody kept the reception plans a secret for the most part. She’d allowed him to have the wedding he so needed, and he, in turn, allowed her to have the reception party that she desired. He looked forward to see what she’d had up her sleeve and now, his curiosity was getting the best of him. His eyes focused on two women, both dressed similarly in blue pants suits with silver accents, who headed toward the platform with microphones, along with three musicians.

“Dane.” Rhapsody breathed in and out, nervous, emotional. “When I speak, you know sometimes the words come out jumbled. Occasionally I find it hard to express myself to you.”

“No, you pretty much say exactly what you think, each and every time, and your feelings are quite clear.” And he was serious. This caused an uproar of laughter. Rhapsody smirked and rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, smarty.” More laughter came through from the seated family and friends. “When I sing though, everything, at least for me, feels crystal clear.”

Dane nodded in understanding.

“So...I want to sing you a song that I love, that reminds me of how I feel about you. The lyrics are simple, but...they sum it up so well.”

On the floor near the D.J.’s set-up, white petals strewn about with light blue ribbons made a tapestry of beauty across the platform. He looked at her, catching the first notes from the instruments playing, clean and pure.