Heart of Gold | L.N. - Part One

LIV

"Leah," There was a light knock on the door. Cassidy leaned in and saw her in her dress. She was standing in front of the mirror with her phone in her hands. "You look gorgeous." She put her hands over her mouth and paused. She was in utter shock. Leah looked stunning. She looked gorgeous on a normal day, but she was perfect.

"Thanks," Leah smiled a little and looked at her phone.

"What's wrong?" Cassidy asked as she shut the door behind her. Cassidy was Leah's Maid of Honor. Leah had asked her shortly after she got back from getting her brother's headstone situated.

"None of my family is here," Leah explained. She wasn't crying, she felt kind of numb. She knew that wasn't normal on her wedding day.

"So is this cold feet?" Cassidy asked as she stood in the mirror with her best friend. Leah shrugged as she looked down at her phone. She had George's contact pulled up. She had paid for his phone line so she could call him and hear his voice. She still wanted something from him. She loved her older brother Charles, but he was the first one to leave her behind with her mother. George did his best. He tried to stay around and even helped Leah a bit, but she knew he couldn't stay. She decided to help him escape their family. So she helped him get into the military. She loved her brothers even though they never said it to each other. They only recently went back to hugging one another.

"I feel like I'm cursed," Leah explained as she tossed her phone to the side.

"No," Cassidy turned Leah so that they were facing one another. "You are not cursed. Your family just has horrible luck, Leah, but you are not cursed. You are in no way responsible for any of your family's deaths. They were all unfortunate incidences, but you did not cause any of them."

"But I always feel something, like in the pit of my stomach, I feel like it will never stop," Leah explained as her voice broke. Cassidy took Leah's hands in her own.

"Leah Ann Guessey," Cassidy smiled at her friend. "You are the last of your family it is true, but you are the strongest person I know. Leah you have been through so so much in your life and it's been a short amount of time when everything happened, but you are still trying to make a life for yourself. You still take care of people, you still smile, you still laugh, you still love." Leah smiled at the ring on her right hand. She had moved it making are that it would go on top of her wedding band. "Yes you have tragedy in your past, I'm not saying to forget that, but just remember that you've grown from it. You learn new things from your past every day and you will continue to do so. I know your family wouldn't want you to put your life on hold for them." Leah gave her a look.

"Well your mother might have, but that's beside the point," They both laughed as Leah's eyes watered. Cassidy was her best friend.

"Promise that you won't ever leave me?" Leah whispered as she tried not to cry. The lady had just finished up her makeup. Cassidy fanned Leah's eyes.

"You wouldn't be able to get rid of me even if you tried," Cassidy laughed as she kissed Leah's cheek. There was a knock on the door and Max looked in a little.

"You all decent?" He asked and stepped in giving both of them a big smile as he adjusted his suit. "Hey, you can look nice?" He pointed at Leah. She looked beautiful, but he wouldn't tell her that. Leah rolled her eyes at him as she laughed a little.

"I will see you out there," Cassidy said as she walked back out. Max stared at her and Leah did a little twirl.

"Do you like the dress?" She asked and cracked her knuckles nervously.

"It's perfect for you, Lando will probably cry," Max chuckled as he leaned over and fixed his hair a little. Leah rolled her eyes and grabbed her small lint roller getting the small specks off his coat. "Thanks." He told her as she threw it to the side. "Are you nervous?"