PATIENT LOVE

Chapter twenty

The weekend slips by fast and then it's Monday, the day of the Peterson's Wedding. I have been looking forward to this wedding for a while. Bright and early the team and I head over to the venue to set up.

"How's everything looking?" I ask Lana.

"Great, everything arrived on time and is perfect."

"Good, good. Anything I'm forgetting?" I say frantically. This wedding has to go absolutely perfect.

"Relax, Maddie. Everything is fine just as Jolene wanted." She smiles at me, resting her arms on my tense shoulders.

"You're right, you're right," I have to say twice and I take in a solid breath before calming down slightly.

"Let me just go check on Jolene about her dress," I say, not able to relax completely and Lana rolls her eyes playfully at me.

I make my way down the hall where her dressing room is and I knock twice before saying my name. "Come in, come in!" she says.

I step inside to find Jolene, the makeup artists/hairdresser and Tiffany, the Maid of Honor, all helping with Jolene's dress.

"The dress fits perfectly!" she gushes excitedly.

I step closer to the scene and a huge grin splits on my face. "You're the perfect bride," I admire her short brunette hair that's curled into a bun of curls and her simple brown eyes that are so soft and warm.

"I can't afford to cry right now Madelyn," she jokes, fanning her face to stop the tears.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to see how the dress was fitting." I tell her, wiping under my eyes.

"It's exactly how I wanted. Don't stress so much, you're stressing more than I am and I'm the one getting married," she says and we all laugh.

A knock on the wooden door quiets our laughter. "We need the Maid of Honor," I hear Alice's voice say from behind the door.

"It's show time," I say.

The bride's maids and groomsmen all execute their walk fantastically and are now at their respected places up at the front of the alter. Jim is on the right side of the altar, waiting for his wife to walk through. The guests are all standing once the two adorable flower girls walk the carpet. Each of them smiling big with their front teethes missing as they drop the white petals.

I turn over to Jolene to find her looking panicked actually.

"You're okay, Jolene." I reassure her.

"I know, I know. It's the nerves of finally doing it in front of everyone."

Her mother then comes at her side to walk her up the altar in replacement of her father. Jolene visibly calms with the presence of her mother.

"It's go time," I tell her. And with one shakier intake of air, the doors open completely and she and her mother walk side by side. Her mother looks as if she's telling her a joke or something because Jolene laughs. Jim's blue eyes almost fall out of his eye sockets from how wide they stretched.

So much love and adoration is written across his face and I can't help but wish for that same kind of love from someone one day.

The entirety of the wedding, I was in tears; the vows were so beautiful and coming straight from the heart.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now kiss your bride."

Jim wastes no time in cupping Jolene's tear stained face and their lips connect with Jolene's arms around his neck.