God & Sinner

11. Beautiful Things

His fingers tripped over themselves as he tried to get the knot right, and he refused to admit defeat so easily. Of course his mind changed after another handful of failed attempts, and he stood back to watch himself in the mirror. He was so young, what was he doing? He had no business getting married yet. Yet he didn't regret it, and he found that he was even excited for the change that it would bring. What had begun as an accident had turned out to be a blessing. Like a flower, hope had grown out of chaos, its eager petals turning towards the sun. There was a bright future ahead of him, and he was ready to rise up and meet it.

"They say it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding," Luke Dalton smiled, catching a glimpse of her reflection as he turned around to see her, but when she was fully in his view he was stricken dumb. The light caught her from behind, and it gave her a warm glow that still paled in comparison to what came from within. Her hair fell in waves from the way she had it pinned, and it framed the lovely smile she wore on her thin face. She was a phantom of youth and beauty as she stood before him, a long gown of white silk clinging tightly to her skin.

"I came to make sure you weren't getting cold feet." Kayla teased, joining him in a laugh as she went to sit.

"Very funny," slowly he took her hand and held it as he joined her, "you can't get rid of me that easy."

"At least I can say I tried." More games, but after a moment she went quiet and looked away from him. It became abundantly clear that something had overtaken her mind, and he grabbed her chin so that she would look at him. In her eyes there was joy, because this day meant everything to her, but there was also sadness. "It's stupid, I just keep thinking about how much I wish my dad could be here."

"I know." Luke Dalton told her softly, releasing her as he kissed her forehead, "and it's not stupid. He would've been proud of you, you know that."

"He would've. That doesn't necessarily make it easier though, there's so much that he's going to miss." Kayla thought fondly on her father as she smiled down at her stomach. She was very pregnant, and she rubbed the bump affectionately with her free hand. "He'd have been a good grandfather. At the very least he would've liked that we named the baby after him."

"We'll make sure Jerry knows all about him, I promise." He put his hand over hers. He hadn't gotten along the greatest with her father, but he understood that their reason for butting heads so often was because they both only wanted what was best for Kayla. Even if they had different ideas of what that meant. They hadn't been planning this pregnancy, and there were many sleepless nights as they worried about it. There weren't many options for people like them. He came from a wealthy and powerful family, one who looked down on the middle class daughter of a military man.

Their love had never been meant to last, and even she knew that she didn't belong in his world. It had started out like any other story when they'd met in detention on a sunny Saturday morning. She'd been quiet and shy, and he was the reckless pretty boy, but somehow they fell into a kind of love that lasted all throughout high school. Maybe it should've ended then, but neither one of them could give it up. Now seven years had passed since that first day when he took her hand, and in one bad stroke of luck she'd become pregnant.

"Thank you. I'm not really worried, we're going to be good parents, right? I know you're going to be an amazing dad." She switched back to being happy, and she trapped his lips as she kissed him deeply. His parents would never accept her, but the thought of killing his baby made him sick, and they'd cried and talked it over a million times. Then they made a decision. Their love that had not been meant to last had lasted, and they decided to give their lives only to one another—no one else would rule them. The people who loved them would grow to accept it or not, but even if they were left out in the cold they would always have each other.