The First Summer of Forever

Chapter 2 - Stay

Belly
It took all of two minutes to make it to the drive of the summer house, which was basically ours. No one ever went there except for us these days. His dad never wanted to visit,  it was too painful of a reminder for him. A reminder of all of the mistakes that he regretted. But, he bought it for the boys- to keep Susannah alive- for them. Everything about this house screamed Susannah. Jere hadn't been in ages, since he started working with his dad's company. He was always gone to one place or another, just like Mr. Fisher.

We pulled into the drive and raced inside. Should I go upstairs and get ready? Or does Conrad want to spend some alone time together before we go to the reception? To test that idea, I said, "Okay, Im gonna go make some hot chocolate real quick, if we have some in the cupboard" in my flirtatious voice, but my teeth were chattering.  Conrad laughed, grabbed my hand and said "No, no, no, I was joking, I just wanted to see the look on your face, and get you all worked up." He told me once that he loves to see me all worked up. He gave me a peck on the lips and said, "Let's save it for tonight." His lips were warm, and his kiss gave my chattering mouth a break from their coldness.  He smiled a mischievous grin. Then he spun me around, smacked my bottom and almost pushed me up the stairs. "Let's go get ready. We need to hurry." he said, hastily.

We both showered in seperate bathrooms- so we wouldn't get distracted- and I dried my hair. I quickly used my curling iron to make some soft beach waves in my hair. I put on a little makeup (nothing like Taylor's work) and started to get dressed. Taylor had thoughtfully hung my silky satin reception dress up on a hanger that was placed on a wall hook. It flowed down from the hanger so gracefully.  She had laid out everything so thoughtfully. My shoes, and Susannah's opal earrings and ring were on the vanity next to the dress. Susannah's sapphire blue tennis bracelet and diamond necklace were now laying beside it from where I had just removed it. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Yep, I think I had covered everything today.

I quickly slipped my dress and shoes on, and started on the opal jewelry when I heard the door knob twist. Conrad stepped into my room. "Hey, babe, are you ready?" He said, eyeing me in my dress. He did a little twirl with his fingers for me to spin, and gave me a whistle. "You look gooood, Mrs. Fisher." He came up behind me and his hand brushed my back. I felt  him grip my zipper with his fingers and pull it. My heart skipped a beat, and felt like it was about to launch right out of my chest, when I realized he was just zipping me up. "Now, you look perfect." I turned to him and he appraised me one more time. He saw Susannah's jewelry, and reached out to softly caress it with his fingers. He touched one of  my earrings first, rubbing it gently between his thumb and forefinger. Then he lifted my hand, and ever so softly ran his fingers over the ring. I wish my mom could see you in these, Belly.", he trailed off.  We both stayed silent for just a moment, waiting for the other to speak, when he thoughtfully said "at least she got to see you in white that last summer at your deb ball, wearing her pearls."
"AND she got to see YOU leading me around the dance floor. Do you think that's why she pushed us to both do the deb ball that year? She knew it would be her only chance?"
"Yeah. I think so. I've thought about it a lot before. I think she knew she wouldn't get the chance to see us both on our wedding day."

I leaned over to him and placed my forehead on his chin. Then he kissed it, and whispered "We need to go." And the moment was over. I knew this was hard for him. It had to be. It was really hard for me, and although she was like a second mom to me, she wasn't MY mom. 

We both darted out of the door one right after another and sprinted down the hall, as quickly as I could in my heels, that is. A quick thought flashed through my mind. Last night was the last night I would spend  in my room in the summer house. As of tonight, I won't be sleeping in my room anymore. We will have the same room, the master bedroom. Susannah's room.  I shivered with goosebumps, a little nervous. Conrad didn't notice, thank God.

We dashed to the car and were on the way to the beach club for the reception. At this point, our guests had been waiting a while, but Conrad's dad had paid for an open bar. He told my mom the upgrade was a necessity, and that he would pay for it. My mom just shrugged her shoulders and gave him a little eye roll. "Typical Adam." She had said.  Now, I am glad he did. Our guests are surely entertained by now and fully relaxed, hopefully not even noticing how long we have been absent.

Thankfully, it doesn't take long to get anywhere in Cousins. In less than 5 minutes we were there. The Seychelles Beach Club. The perfect reception spot for Conrad and me. It has this timeless Americana style with a touch of nautical elegance, much of the same feel as the summer house, but in a more elegant way. Our Reception was in the 'Ocean Room', which we got to quickly.

We stopped at the door, holding hands when Conrad handed me my bouquet.  We could see inside, and it took my breath away. I usually don't get into stuff like this, but this was gorgeous. Everything a little girl could dream of when it comes to a wedding day. Susannah would have loved everything about this. It was an expansive space that even overflowed to a romantic balcony outside with those cool fire table tops and cozy outdoor furniture. Inside, there were dramatic vaulted ceilings, and grandiose chandeliers—set against a breathtaking backdrop of the shimmering Atlantic Ocean. It didn't need much decorating. There were draperies of sheer white pulled back on all of the windows, which were wall to wall, and floor to ceiling. The tables were covered with white linens and set with china, each table complete with floral centerpieces in shades of white and blue hydrangeas, and light pink peonies, the same colors I've seen so many times painted in the sky at sunset on Cousins Beach. They were paired with lanterns radiating a soft, warm candle light.

Our family and friends were waiting for us patiently. We both took a deep breath as the DJ noticed our arrival. "And... welcome to the dance floor, Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Fisher!" Everyone clapped and cheered as the opening tune of "Stay" by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs started to play. Conrad squeezed my hand, and led me in, while I held my bouquet up in the air in a way that says "Woo hoo! We did it!" Conrad led  me to the middle of the dance floor. He placed his hand on the small of my back and pulled me close before leading me into the dance steps he had taught me so long ago in the living room at the summer house.  He led me around the dance floor, his eyes never straying from mine. He had that classic conrad smile plastered on his face. That smirky one that just drives me crazy.

Our dance steps soon turned to swaying. He held me tight as we swayed around on the floor. We were pressed even closer now.  He kissed me sweetly and then said,  "You look so beautiful today. You're always beautiful, but today, you're glowing. You light up the whole room." He paused.  He leaned over to get closer to me, so only the two of us could hear."You don't know how long I have dreamed of this moment." He whispered in my ear. "Really? I said, pulling my head back to look into his eyes, doubtfully amazed. "I thought I was the only one who ever dreamed of this." "No, you're wrong. There's no way I could ever admit it before, but I have dreamed of this for as long as you have, probably. Belly... I have loved you since we were kids. There was no way I could ever tell anyone, because Jeremiah and Stephen would have given me so much shit about it." "Oh." I said.  Completely at a loss for words. I blinked a few times, trying to hold back the tears that were starting to form."You don't know how happy that makes me", I finally said. To keep the tears at bay, I decided to lighten the moment and said "By the way, who are you and what have you done with Conrad?" I joked and looked at him questionably. He threw his head back and laughed,which only made me shake with laughter too. "Ahh Belly. You're gonna have to get used to the new me. The married man. Now I get to let it all out. Get ready for all the cheese, baby. The old cold hearted, man of few words Conrad is gone. He laughed, sarcastically. "But seriously. Remember that timeI told you my heart may be cold to everyone else, but not for you? I really meant that. You bring out the best in me, Belly. That's one of the reasons I love you so much." Then I reached up to touch his face and kissed him while standing up on my tippy toes, squeezing his cheek just enough to kiss him with a gentle force. A need. I wanted to stay in this moment forever. Neither one of us is one to like being the center of attention, so I was surprised when I didn't even notice the song was ending. It felt like we were the only ones in the room. Everyone clapped and cheered for us, the newlyweds, and it snapped me back from my thoughts.