35. Meg: Here Comes the Sun

Chapter thirty-five

Meg – Here Comes the Sun

"And one last touch," Mia, my maid of honor, says, as she finishes twisting and pinning my hair away from my face, letting the rest cascade down my back in flowy beachy waves. She returns with Mom's veil and I have to force myself not to cry.

"Don't you dare ruin your makeup," she warns. "Wait until after the honeymoon for Drew to see your makeup in a mess," she teases.

"You know, even though I'm the one wearing Mom's veil, you've never looked more like her than you do right now," I say, taking in the sight of Mia in a pastel pink dress that meets the floor.

Her golden locks are pinned up in a delicate updo that lets a few select strands fall away to frame her heart-shaped face. Just like Mom, her smile allows dimples to appear just under her cheeks, and her eyes soften to match Mom's delicate baby blues.

"I only notice it when you wear your hair up," I realize.

She swallows back a few tears. "I guess I'll have to wear it up more often then."

"I'm inclined to agree," Grandpa says, from the dressing room door.

In true Florida fashion, his wedding attire is a loose linen shirt with light khaki pants, paired with sandals rather than dress shoes.

"You both look stunning," he smiles, then looks at me. "You ready, kiddo?"

"Let's do it."

Mia takes off ahead of us to meet up with the rest of the wedding party, which consists of Troy, Drew's best man, and Lillian, my bridesmaid. The boys are dressed in white collar linen shirts but Drew wears a sunflower pinned to his pocket.

Of course, the girls hold singular sunflowers, while I carry a whole bouquet of them. Mom and Dad's handkerchief has been fastened around the stems, so Mom and Dad can take the walk down the aisle with me.

Despite being tucked around the corner from the ceremony setup, I can hear friends and flown-in family talking and laughing with each other as it's announced that they should take their seats.

I feel surprisingly calm for my wedding day. That is, until I start to hear the soundtrack of melodic piano music playing, setting off the start of the ceremony.

I suck in a breath and hold tight to my grandfather's arm. Butterflies fill my stomach and it hits me that this is it: my big day. Drew is waiting for me at the altar, and we're going to spend the rest of our lives here in Seaside together.

"It's okay, sweet girl," Grandpa whispers. "I won't let you fall. And he won't either."

"I didn't think I'd ever get this," I sniffle, gently drying the tears that still want to pour out.

"Marriage is all about one rule. Be there for each other. Just be there. It's just one rule. You guys can't mess it up," he smiles, knowing he's helping put me at ease.

It's only when I hear the sweet melody of the piano shift at the announcement of my arrival, it changes to the melody of "Here Comes the Sun," and I can breathe again. I smile, knowing Drew insisted on picking the music, but wanted to surprise me on the big day itself.

With my grandfather on my arm, I turn down the stone steps down the path that leads to the ceremony, and there, I see my prince charming. Sun-kissed and golden, his hair is neatly combed back but it can't hide how much he's let it grow. A singular curl falls in front of his forehead, making him appear like an island version of Superman.

Each step I take, another butterfly leaves me and I feel more at ease, knowing my forever is getting closer and closer and closer.

I finally lose it when I see Drew wiping tears from his own eyes when he sees me. Troy puts a supportive hand on his shoulder as I make my way down. He whispers something to Drew, who nods and smiles.

When we finally reach the end and I'm just inches from Drew, all I want to do is kiss his adorable face. But of course, that has to wait until after the "I dos."

"You look stunning," he whispers, then sniffles.

"I never took you for such a softie," I tease, still dabbing my face, careful not to ruin my makeup.

The officiant, our local pastor, begins the ceremony, and my grandfather gives me away to Drew with a hug for us both before taking his seat. Under the arch of sunflowers and the sound of the waves just beside us, I can't help but wish I could live in this moment forever.

I'm lost in Drew's eyes as the beautiful words of the preacher go unheard. All I can picture is all the fantasies I've had that I've only seen play out in romance novels.

I get to wake up and enjoy my morning coffee with the man I love. We get to spend time in our garden, nurturing daisies and sunflowers, and anything else we could want to grow. We get to build a home where our children can live right on the beach, where they can have adventures and explore all day before coming back home to Drew and me.

We'll all share family meals and movie nights cuddled up together on the couch. Of course, the little ones will fall asleep and Drew and I will get to carry them and tuck them into bed before falling into our own. I can't help but feel so lucky that I finally get to see these dreams become reality.

But just before we take our vows, Drew stops the ceremony. "I'll be right back," is all he says before taking off in a light jog down the aisle.

I look at Troy who mouths "It's okay" as people start looking at each other, then back up at me, trying to figure out what's going on. A few moments start to feel like an eternity.

Is he leaving me at the altar? Would he do that, after everything? He said he'd be right back. He's making me so nervous.