I Love Him...And Him?

I Love Him...And Him? Chapter 14

The sun shining through her window woke Riley up on October 15. She sat up and smiled. Today was her wedding day. Today she was getting married to the lover of her life. She quickly texted Cassie. They had appointments to get their hair done at noon. It was only 7 and the wedding was at 5. Everything was done and ready to go. Riley's dress and Cassie's dress were both at the church along with the tuxes. They had met with the pastor at Mike's church several times and she had called the caterer and the photographer to confirm last minute details. She got up and showered and brushed her teeth. When Riley got out of the shower, she got dressed and put the locket that Miles had given her back around her neck. As she ran her fingers over the gold heart, she thought of Miles and wondered again if she was making the right choice.

A few hours later, Riley and Cassie were sitting in a booth at Ruby Tuesday. Riley pushed her salad around her plate until she couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Cass, do you think I'm to young to get married?"

Cassie knew what she meant. She was the only one who knew everything that had happened with Miles. "Well, that depends. If you are totally and completely in love with Mike and you are 150 percent sure that you want to marry him, then no. I don't think that you are to young."

Riley nodded. "Maybe we haven't been dating long enough to get married." She was trying to organize her jumbled thoughts.

Cassie spoke softly and tenderly, like the mother that Riley really needed right now. "Riley, you and Mike have been dating since you were 16. You are now 21. If you dont' want to marry him, I don't think it's because you haven't been dating long enough. Does he even know everything that happened with Miles?"

Riley shook her head. "No, he doesn't. I need to tell him though." She put her face in her hands.

"If you don't want a marriage based on lies then you need to tell him. Do you still want to marry Mike?"

The answer was obvious to Riley. "Of course I still want to marry him. I love him."

Cassie nodded. "Ok, then. Let's do this thing, But Riley, if you are going to tell Mike, it needs to be before you walk down that isle.

The two women went on with their plans for the day. After lunch, they went to the salon to get their hair done. After sitting in the chair for an hour, the woman who was doing her hair finally told her that she was done. When Riley looked in the mirror, a smile instantly spread across her face. Her beautiful curls were piled up on her head and her veil was in place. The detail on the white fabric would match the detail on her dress. It had a small amount of sparkle that caused Riley's hair to shine. The veil didn't cover her face so it wouldn't be in her way. From beside her, she heard Cassie gasp. "You look beautiful!" she practically yelled.

Riley laughed. "Thank you. You do too!" After taking several pictures, they paid and left the salon and headed for the church. Cassie put her dress on and Riley got into her gown. When they had both finished getting ready, Cassie turned to face Riley.

"Are you going to go talk to Mike?" She nodded. Riley turned to face the mirror again. She loved her dress and she was happy with the way she looked. The gold chain that hung from her neck looked beautiful on her. She had lied to Mike about where it had come from. She knew that she couldn't get married to Mike wearing a necklace that Miles had bought her. She had to talk to Mike. Riley knew what she had to do and this time, she wasn't going to chicken out.

Riley walked up to the two large wooden doors that lead to the sanctuary of the church. She pulled open one of the heavy doors and silently slipped inside. Mike was pacing back and forth with his head down. He was walking along the front of the church and then made his way through the pews. He was wearing his tux and it looked great on him. She watched him pace back and forth until he almost ran into her. Mike looked up, startled. "Riley! Oh my gosh. I didn't even see you there." He stopped talking and looked at her. "Wow, you look beautiful."

She smiled. "Thanks. You look pretty good too. Are you ok? You look like you're training for a marathon in here."

He smiled nervously and ran a hand through his thick dark hair. "No, I just have a lot of built up energy that I'm trying to get rid of. Wait, what are you doing? You said it was bad luck for me to see you before the wedding."

Riley swallowed hard. She grabbed his hand in both of hers. "I know what I said, but that's kind of silly now that I think about it. She lead him over to a pew and sat down so they were facing eachother. "Mike, I need to tell you something and I want you to let me finish before you say anything."

The cool October air caused goosebumps to spread on Riley's arms as she walked through the grass outside of the church. Leaves crunched under her feet as the short train of her wedding dress followed after her. The air was helping to clear her head for her. Her eyes were a little red from crying, but Riley knew that she had made the right decision.  It was 6:00, so it was starting to get dark. Ahead of her, Riley could see the outline of a man pacing back and forth. She recognized that figure anywhere. Semi confused, Riley walked up to see Miles pacing back and forth and walking in circles. "Miles, what are you doing out here?"

For a minute, he didn't say anything. He just stared at her in the beautiful gown. Despite the slight redness around her eyes, she looked beautiful. Seeing her like this only made it more painful for him to know that he couldn't have her. She was married now. "I was just heading inside."

Riley laughed. "Miles, the ceremony started an hour ago." It wasn't until now that she noticed that he was dressed in a suit. He had gotten her invitation, bought a suit, and had shown up for her wedding. Except, instead of going in to see the ceremony, he had paced around her church yard for an hour.

He looked into her beautiful eyes. "Riley, I'm so sorry. I just couldn't stand to watch you marry another man. He looked up at her, confused. "Wait, where is your boy-husband? Shouldn't you be with him? You had better get back in there before he comes looking for you." He stopped forming real sentances after that and began to babble. Riley decided to end his pain and walked up to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, shutting him up.

When she pulled away, his shock filled eyes stared into her own. "It's you. It's always been you." She smiled at him. A huge grin spread across his face as he finally started to understand what she was saying. " I called off the wedding. Miles, you make me laugh and you make me cry. You make me so mad I can't see straight. I'm not afraid to tell you off and all I ever want to do is be with you. You make me feel emotions that I try to bottle up and hide. You make me feel more than I ever thought I could. I want you. I want to be with you. Only if you want to be with me of course."

Miles kissed her for a little while. When he pulled away he looked back into her eyes. "Of course I want to be with you Riley. I lov-" Riley quieted him by placing her finger over his lips.

"Shh. Don't say it. I know what you're going to say. I feel the exact same way as you do, but I don't want to say it yet. What we have had so far has been so rushed. We have the rest of forever to be together and to say those words." As the last bit sunlight faded away, Miles slipped his suit coat around her to keep her from freezing to death. She put her arms in the sleeves and was surrounded by his warmth and his scent.

As she stood in front of him, he could see their future together. He could imagaine her dressed for their own special day. He could see them in the hospital, beaming over a new baby. He could picture them as the old couple with gray hair that held hands as they slowly made their way around town. He knew that they would be together forever. They were meant to be together.

Miles drew Riley back into his arms. Whether they said it or not, they were in love with eachother. They both knew that they would be together for the rest of their lives. For rich or for poor, in sickness and in health, until death would someday force them to part.

Well, there you go. There it is. Thank you so much to everyone who has read my story. Hope you enjoyed it! Love you all!! ♥♥