Loving A Firefighter (Loving Series) (16 page)

She went back inside, closing the self-locking door behind her.  “Mom, is it bad luck to talk to your fiancé on the day of the wedding?”

“I don’t know but I don’t believe in that.  If you want to talk to him, then do it.”

“I am.”  She hit the speed dial number for Chip.  He answered, she said, “Good morning darling.  Are you ready for today?  Do you still want to go through with this?”

“Hello honey.  I’m still alive aren’t I?  Then I still want to get married.  Did you sleep well?  Are you getting cold feet?  The jitters?”

“No, I have none of those.  I just wanted to hear your voice.  I’ll see you at four or a little after.  Bye, I love you.”

“Love you the most,” he said as he hung up the phone.”

She sat at the table with a bowl of honey roasted Cheerios as her brother, his hair all tousled, mouth agape with a yawn, walked in. 
“Why is everyone one up so early?”

“You’re back among the working people now.  We’re
up and about early.  Besides, we have a wedding to get to this afternoon.  I’ve got to get my hair and nails done,” said Carrie.

“So do
I,” said his mother.

“Well, I have to pick up a tux.  I can’t walk my sister down the aisle in a baseball uniform.”

“You got that right,” Carrie said.

* * *

At the Reynolds home people were also stirring.  Chip and his Dad were going to get a haircut; Mrs. Reynolds had her hair done the previous day.  She pronounced, “I’m good to go.”

Laurie and her son, Josh came by, Laurie was going to meet Carrie and her mother at 2:30.  She was going to help Carrie get dressed while Mrs. Evans checked on the floral arrangements and Carrie’s bridal bouquet.  The bridesmaids would be at the church at three.
  Chip was going to ride with his best man, a fellow firefighter, to the church.  His Dad was going to drive his truck, freshly washed and shined to the church and then to the rehearsal.  The plans were all set.

There had been a rehearsal the night before so everyone knew their role and their places.

Promptly at 4:00,
after the parents of the bride and groom were seated, the singer, a friend of Carrie’s from college, stood off to the side and sang “I Love You Truly”.  At the end, she sat down.  Carrie and her brother, he resplendent in his white tuxedo, she breathtakingly beautiful in the lacy white wedding gown featuring a long train, and wearing a veil appeared at the back of the sanctuary.  The organist stroked the keyboard and the first three notes of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March rang out.  The audience turned and an audible gasp was heard as they spotted the bride.  Carrie was smiling and it appeared as if there was a golden glow emanating from the gown.  She was on the arm of Jonny as they slowly proceeded down the aisle.

When Chip got his first glimpse of her in her gown and veil, he was stunned.  He knew she was beautiful, but she looked almost ethereal as she made her way down the aisle
with a smile as big as an inverted rainbow and stopped in front of the altar.

The minister looked out over the congregants and intoned:

"Dearly Beloved: We are gathered here, in the presence of God and of this company, that Charles Reynolds and Carrie Evans may be united in holy matrimony. We are here to celebrate and share in the glorious act that God is about to perform, the act by which He converts their love for one another into the holy and sacred estate of marriage.

This relationship is an honorable and sacred one, established by our Creator for the welfare and happiness of mankind, and approved by the Apostle Paul as honorable among all men. It is designed to unite two sympathies and hopes into one; and it rests upon the mutual confidence and devotion of husband and wife.

May it be in extreme thoughtfulness and reverence, and in dependence upon divine guidance, that you enter now into this holy relationship." 

"Being assured that your love and your choice of each other as lifelong companions are in God's will and that you have your families'
blessings. I now ask. Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Jonathan replied
"Her mother and I do."

Jonathan placed Carrie’s hand in Chip’s and then sat down.
 

"
Charles, are you ready to enter into this marriage with Carrie, believing the love you share and your faith in each other will endure all things?"

"I am."

"Carrie, are you ready to enter into this marriage with Charles, believing the love you share and your faith in each other will endure all things?"

"I am."
 

"
Charles do you take Carrie to be your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in holy matrimony? Do you promise to love her, to honor and cherish her, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to be to her in all things a good and faithful husband as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Carrie, do you take Charles to be your wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in holy matrimony? Do you promise to love him, to honor and cherish him, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to be to him in all things a good and faithful wife as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

“Charles, Please repeat after me:”

"I,
Charles, take thee, Carrie, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. According to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge thee my faith."

“Carrie, Please repeat after me:”

"I, Carrie, take thee, Charles, to be my wedded husband. to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. According to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge thee my faith." 

"
Charles, what token to you give that you will perform your vows?"

“I offer this ring.”

"
Carrie, do you receive this ring in token of the same?"

"I do."

"Carrie, this ring I give to you in token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love."

"
Carrie, what token to you give that you will perform your vows?"

“I offer this ring.”

"
Charles, do you receive this ring in token of the same?"

"I do."

"Charles, this ring I give to you in token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love."

"Let us pray: O thou eternal God, who art our Father and our Friend, as you have heard these words of promise just spoken, may the Holy Spirit deepen in the mind of this man and this woman the sense of the sacred and binding power of their vows.
And as in Thy Name these words were spoken to make these lives one, may your rich blessing be added. Give them Your grace and guidance that they may loyally fulfill the vows they have taken. May Your joy abide with them always, that thus they may be a blessing to each other, and to those about them, finding in the blessedness of the home life on earth a sample of the happiness of Thine eternal home. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

“
Carrie and Charles, please join hands.”

"What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Forasmuch as
Charles and Carrie have consented together in holy matrimony, and have witnessed the same before God and this company and have pledged their love and loyalty to each other, and have declared the same by the joining and the giving of rings, I, therefore, by the authority of the state of Texas, pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

"
Charles, you may now kiss the Bride."

Chip lifted the veil and kissed Carrie on the lips.

Turning to the congregation, the minister said, "I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Charles Thomas Reynolds."

The recessional music started, hand in hand, a glowing bride and a beaming groom made their way to the doors of the sanctuary.  The congregation followed and met outside where they were showered with rice and the congratulations of the fire department, the TV personalities and other members of the congregation.
  At the foot of the steps to the church, Carrie tossed her bouquet, not knowing who caught it.

Her mother hugged her, and kissed Chip on the cheek.  “You need to go back into the sanctuary and sign the license and pose for the photographer.  They turned and followed her back into the church and took care of the legal formalities.

Back out front, they climbed onto the sparkling, bright red fire truck and rode to the reception at the Wildwood Inn.  At the Inn, Carrie changed into her travel clothes and joined the crowd.

The time came for them to cut the cake.  They had previously talked and both decided they
did not want to press the cake into each other’s face.  They cut a small slice and each fed the other a bite of the cake.

After an hour, Ch
ip came to Carrie and whispered in her ear, “Let’s get out of here.  Dad has our bags in the truck and parked it in back. I have the keys.  We can go out the back.  Maybe no one will notice and we can just slip away.”

“I’m with you.  Lead the way.”

They were totally successful in slipping out the back way unnoticed and into the truck.  As they drove towards I35, Carrie
said, “I hate bucket seats.”  She settled for laying a hand on his thigh as they drove toward Dallas on I35. 

Chip
exited the freeway before they got to the business district and pulled up in front of the Anatole Hotel.  A liveried doorman met them and asked, “Will you be staying with us, sir?”

“Yes we will,” answered Chip.  The doorman turned and tooted on the small whistle he had in his hand.  A bellhop came and got their bags.  Chip took Carrie’s hand, led her to the desk, where he said, “Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds
checking in please.”  The desk clerk handed them a registration card which Chip signed as Mr. and Mrs. Chip Reynolds.

Carrie said,
“Wait, I want to get a picture of that please.”   She snapped a picture of the registration with her iPhone.

“Bellman, would you please show Mr.
and Mrs. Reynolds to the Bridal Suite.”

The bellman led the way to the elevator, inserted a key in the panel, turned it and the elevator began to ascend to the top floor.  He opened the door to the Bridal Suite, made a show of closing the curtains and checking everything.  He turned to Chip, handed him the key card and said, “We are pleased to have you with us at the Anatole.”

Chip tipped him, and he left closing the door behind him.

Chip turned to Carrie and said, “May I kiss the bride again?”

“Please do sir.”

The kiss was a long and passionate one.  It left Carrie breathless
and eager for more. 

She looked around at the
beautiful surroundings.  The suite was comprised of two rooms, one a sitting room with a large sofa, two chairs, and a coffee table.  Sitting on the coffee table was a champagne bucket with champagne on ice.  On the far side of the room was a wet bar.  “This is really elegant isn’t it?”

Chip said, “You outshine everything darling.  When I first saw you and Jonathan at the back of the church, you took my breath away.  You are truly beautiful, almost angelic.”

“I don’t feel angelic right now.  Do you want champagne tonight?”

“Not really.”

“I don’t either.  I want my husband."

“That sounded really good.  Say it again.”

“I want my husband.”

“And your husband wants you also.”

“Shall we?”

“Let’s.”

Chip checked the latch on the door, took his bride’s arm and led her to the bedroom.  “I wish I could have carried you across the threshold but I believe you weigh a bit more than my 25 pound limit.”

“That’s okay.  I’ll walk.”

Carrie picked up her luggage and went into the bathroom.  “Don’t start without me,” she said over her shoulder.

“I wouldn’t think of it,” Chip said.  He sat in one of the chairs and removed his shoes and socks
, next came his shirt.  He removed his trousers and hung them alongside his suit coat in the closet.  Clad only in his boxers, he turned back the covers and slipped between the sheets.  He fluffed the pillows and leaned into them in a semi sitting position.

The light in the bath room went
out; the door opened and out floated a dream.  The only light in the room was a small chair side lamp.  Carrie came out wearing a light diaphanous negligee over a shorty top.  Nothing was left to the imagination.  “Dance with me, Chip, please.”  He got out of the bed, and tuned the small bedside radio to an oldies station.  The music was slow and soft as she came into his arms, and nestled her head in the corner of his neck and shoulder.  She molded her body to his as they swayed to the soft slow music.  A slow hum came from her throat, as she began to rub his neck.  The skin was smooth to her touch because of his fresh haircut.  The light smell of his cologne mixed with the Halston aftershave was intoxicating.  “The lady would like to be kissed,” she said and tilted her head back.  Their lips came together, hers smooth and soft, his slightly rough.  Their tongues met and each caressed the other.  He tasted the sweetness of her mouth, traced the outline of her cheeks.