What Should Have Been From The Beginning

Effortlessly Elegant

MEREDITH'S POV
Before hanging up the phone Derek alerted me of his excitement about what was to come very soon. Seen as though a wedding is about two people, madly in love with one another, celebrating their love and promising to spend the rest of the days married, happy and with each other, these days weddings seem more for the party and less for the love. These days a wedding rarely evolves around two people and their love but more focuses on other things like the dress, or the cake, the venue or the vows. Derek and I, arranged a moment for just the two of us, alone. Without a photographer, or family or friends, without the running thought in the back of both of our minds about saying our private vows in front of many people, a time during the day was set for us both to be speak our real vows to only each other.

Half an hour passed, the news of the baby was broken to only my entourage, who were both over the moon and utterly shocked at the same time, and I was minutes away from the venue, where everyone was to arrive in 30 minutes and Derek was already waiting for me in the private gardens. Butterflies were taking over my stomach just like the first time I met my fiancé, that day in the ER. It was like we'd been together since the beginning, and nothing had ever happened. The feeling of excitement, and having my breath taken away by the amount of love I was feeling, didn't arise any feeling of cold feet or wanting to back out. All I wanted to do now, was see my man looking dapper and marry him, then begin our lives as husband and wife.

DEREK'S POV
Already at the venue, seen as though we woke up at and then travelled to get ready and make sure any final touches to the venue and reception were immaculate, I ended the phone call with Meredith, surrounded by my most loyal friends who were still completely oblivious to the fact we were having a baby and that they would most likely find out in less than an hour.

Alone, I walked down to the private gardens of the 'The Glass Garden'. I skimmed over the view and basked in the glorious day we were blessed with for a wedding outside. The sky was the same hue and the oceans in Barbados. The greenery was as green as the eyes I looked into every morning. Butterflies were landing gracefully on the flowers that was paved a walkway down the land and mother nature bled through the Sun's rays. I had my clammy hands in my pants pockets and my suit was buttoned up, my tie perfectly knotted under my chin, cuff links fastened on my sleeves and polished shoes that the Sun reflected on. The only thing that could possibly make this view and feeling better was to see a woman in a white gown walking towards me down the path of neatly placed stones. As if someone could read my mind, I pivoted around and there she was. My fiancé, my soon to be wife and mother, the woman that I couldn't imagine my life without, walking towards me, in a white gown and effortlessly looking elegant and ethereal.

Her dress complemented her petite, pregnant figure. It hugged every inch of her body and rested peacefully on the ground with a long train following behind her steps. Her hair was straightened, parted in the centre and tucked perfectly behind her ears allowing the porcelain features of her face to be revealed and her big green eyes that were imprinted in my mind forever, were there for the world to see. A sheen glazed her memorable lips from the clear gloss, and her eyes were highlighted by the sheer pink eyeshadow across her lid. I began to choke up and a slight tear filled my waterline as I watched her take a step down the walkway,  reminiscing and recollecting on each and every event that had occurred, good and bad, which eventually brought us to this day. I remembered how the last time I was doing this thing, stood in front of a bride, I was so carelessly willing to marry a woman that wasn't the woman I dreamt of being with. How the moment Meredith said she needed space, I so foolishly walked away. But then I recalled the event where I kissed her in the elevator at the hospital and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her closer and close to me, whilst her lips were pressed against mine and her heartbeat could be detected on my chest. I could so vividly picture her walking into the room in Italy, naked and with only a silk sheet covering her astonishing body. Before Meredith reached my touch, I thought about when I asked her to marry me and the time she told me she was pregnant again.

Now, I could feel the satin of her dress on my fingers and as my hand moved further around her body, I touched the small of her back, as her dress was backless and buttoned from the train up to her lower back. Her bump made contact with my body as we stood so close and I kissed her softly on the cheek, saving our first kiss as husband and wife.

'Are you crying?' She giggled as I pulled back from her cheek and our eyes met, between the blare of the sun.

'Can you blame me? Meredith, you're incredible.' She smiled as wide as I had ever seen her.

A short pause was welcomed as we enjoyed the peace and intimacy that moment was allowing us. I had no vows prepared except the ones for in front of everyone because I knew that everything would come effortlessly as soon as I saw her, and that it did.