Against The Wall

Epilogue

It's my wedding day.

Impatient me is not a fan of long engagements, and neither is Matty, so just a few months after his amazing and well-planned proposal, we're already getting hitched.

Spring break is always a good time for weddings. We will get married today, and then tomorrow, we're heading to Orlando.

My mother tried to talk us out of it, of course. I mean, how can she possibly plan a wedding fit for a debutante in just two months. When Matty reminded her I'm a far cry from a southern belle, she backed off. My mother loves him, and he
knows exactly how to handle her without her even knowing it. Matty has really taken a liking to my mother, probably because he misses,his own. His mother died when he was in college, and he never knew his dad. So my family has just gobbled him up.

My brother especially. I'm starting to think they're having an internet affair, constantly emailing each other or posting lame videos on each other's Facebook pages. They even connect through their video game consoles, wearing headsets,
speaking into microphones, and blasting each other to pieces.

Mel comes into the dressing room. "Are you ready, Shel?"

"Definitely," I tell her, taking one last look in the full length mirror. My hair has been curled and pulled to the side in a loose ponytail. My makeup is soft as usual. But I really love my dress. I feel like a princess. A heart-shaped strapless dress in satin is fitted past my hips before it spreads out into a full gown with layers of tule underneath. Beads and lace cover the upper part of the dress and the lights will help them to sparkle as I walk down the aisle.

"You look stunning, Shelly," she says, a lone tear rolling down her cheek.

"Shut it," I tell her softly. "You're gonna ruin your makeup."

We both smile.

"You're first." I gesture to the door, and she walks out holding a bouquet made of stems of orange Gerbera daisies. My own bouquet is similar to hers, just a bit bigger with all white daisies. My mom almost had a stroke when I refused roses. Daisies are my thing.

I watch Mel walk out the door, and I'm so grateful I have her as my best friend, my sister. Matty and I are having only two people in our wedding. My maid of honor and his best man. Mel and Tyler. The two most important people in our lives.

But ... our guest list is a bit larger. Like the size of a school. We decided to do something that's never been done before.

When I walk down the aisle to meet Matty, I will be walking down the aisle of our school auditorium. It's time to make some new memories at my school, and the venue couldn't be more beautiful.

We invited the entire staff, and most of our students, including some special ones we had in the past. Neither one of us has a large family so the bulk of our guests are from work. Maybe this is one reason workplace relationships shouldn't
be frowned upon. Because if they weren't, we'd all be invited to a lot more parties.

"It's time, princess," my daddy says. He holds out his hand to me. "I'm very happy for you, Shelly. You have found yourself a good man. I wish you many years of happiness." He kisses my cheek, and wraps my hand around the crook of his arm.

"Thanks, Daddy," I murmur. I release a deep breath and tell him, "Let's do this."

The doors fly open and I can hear the bridal procession begin.

Here I come, Matt Fuller.

I lock eyes with his the whole way, and we smile. I notice the creases in the corners of his eyes are magnified with happiness and his baby blues sparkle in the spotlight. When I reach him, he takes my hands in his and the joy I feel is overwhelming.