Meet Ya at the Altar

4. The First Wedding

4. The First Wedding

For Alice, it was a disadvantage that Bella was not allowed to be part of her wedding. That was the one thing they'd had to agree upon - that their experiences as brides had to remain unique and fresh. The cameras were counting on it, and because of that she'd had to call upon her younger sister, Cynthia, with whom she'd only kept in touch with because she had to, and Serena, a friend from work to serve as her bridesmaids. Alice's 7-year-old niece, Casey, made an adorable flower girl, looking up at her, holding a basket full of golden rose petals, though Alice had not spent much time with the child. It had been years since Alice moved with her father to Arizona. Having taken her mother's side after the divorce, Cynthia had stayed in Biloxi with their mother, and tension remained between the sisters. Now, not having Bella as her maid of honor was like being in a nicely decorated room with no window. However, Alice couldn't worry about her friend or not having her moral support at the moment. She would have to catch up with her later...even if it was just at a designated time.

The wedding march played and her gaze fell upon the mixture of flowers she'd chosen - the colors lemon yellow and dusty blue gracing the aisles and the altar, the scent of freesia filling the air.

It should have been her dad at her side, but here was her mother, who held no ill will against her oldest and took Alice's arm in hers. Her mother had been Alice's rock for so long, despite the distance. Without her encouragement for Alice to follow her heart she couldn't have gone through something as crazy as this. Mother and daughter followed behind Casey as the 7 year old scattered the rose petals, blessing the path before them. Alice felt the comfort of her mother's arm in hers, the firm pressure that told her she would be there for her no matter what. Through the veil, her gaze stayed trained on the altar, searching for any peek of how her groom looked.

Jesus, she thought. Who does this? Here she was, getting ready to literally meet him... at the altar. It was going to be okay, though. Alice had known it from the time her alarm went off that morning.

For effect, she had to agree not to "see" him until she actually reached the altar, though the curiosity was killing her. Alice focused instead on the family members and friends who gathered there on such short notice- her boss, and even one of her former clients that she'd formed a long-standing relationship after a difficult job. Family - not much to speak of since it was just her mother, sister, and Casey. Her dad had died from lung cancer a few years before, and it still stung that he wasn't there to walk her down the aisle.

When she reached the altar, Alice held her breath in anticipation. Cynthia and Casey smiled at her, and Serena even gave a thumbs up. Alice kissed her mother on the cheek and proceeded to the marked spot where she should stand and worked to ignore the way the cameras followed her and the microphones dangling from overhead. Staged. Of course, it was staged, dummy, she thought. This was a TV show. But, for her, it was real life also. She'd tried real life for almost 28 years, and now, she was finally going with her guidance. It hadn't steered her wrong when she chose to follow it.

The sound of the violins had faded, and she caught a hint of citrus and spice as she approached her groom. The first thing she saw was the blond hair that framed his face, curls that paved their way above his shoulders. Yes! I knew it!

Then the next thing was the way his lips curved as he set eyes on Alice then took her mom's hand in his and kissed her knuckles. Alice's heart melted right then and there.

Citrus and spice drifted closer as his fingers lifted her veil, and as the tulle was removed from her vision, she noticed how handsome he was - the hazel color of his eyes, the way his smile broadened as they inspected one another. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," he whispered.

Her heart thumped in her chest, like it beat for the first time, which to Alice sounded corny and ridiculous. Because she wanted to believe in fairy tales but never had witnessed one she found she was overcome now by a force bigger than herself, encountering this man, the other half of her soul.