Page 53 of Part of Me
Luke is my ending, pure and simple.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
ONE HOUR BEFORE OUR WEDDING
I stand in a room with my nearest and dearest as they frantically get ready for my wedding day. As I look into the full-length mirror in front of me, it strikes me that I have an air of calm about me whilst everyone else has lost their minds. I take a sip from the champagne flute in my hand, and I continue to watch the chaos.
My mother is currently directing the hairdresser to fix her hair, even though there is nothing wrong with it as it is. Tori is panicking about a zit that has showed up on her chin, even though it is miniscule. Maggie is fretting over how she looks in her bridesmaid dress, even though she looks gorgeous. My father is the only one that is as chilled as me. He sits in a chair in the corner, reading the daily paper. I smile at his relaxed attitude, a little ray of sunshine amongst the madness.
I look back to my reflection and am pleased with my hair and make-up. My hair has been styled in a classy up-do, and my make-up accentuates my features. My eyes appear brighter, and my cheekbones look more defined. I didn’t want to go too over the top with my look, that just wouldn’t be me. I bet the hairdresser and make-up artist thought that I would be the nightmare one, but instead, it is the other women in my bridal party.
I bet Luke’s room isn’t this chaotic. I can picture him sat down, toasting our impending nuptials with his best man. I smile to myself. I don’t feel the least bit nervous, and I know that Luke won’t be nervous either. Since he told me the truth about his job, I have felt more at ease. I am so glad that he shared his secret with me, even if it did take him ten years to get there. I have kept my promise to him about keeping his secret safe. I haven’t breathed a word to anybody. I made up some bullshit to Tori about how I was just being paranoid and about how it wasn’t Ricardo and Gavin in that BMW that day. I am unsure whether she believed me or not, but at the end of the day, keeping Luke’s secret is paramount. Everything that he has done has been to keep me safe, and I intend to do the same for him.
Luke assures me that Ricardo and Gavin won’t get near me or Oliver, and I have to believe that. So far, he has been true to his word. I haven’t seen them anywhere. I know that Luke would do absolutely anything for me and Oliver.
My eyes are drawn to the pushchair situated to the right of the room. There sits my gorgeous little boy, dressed in the cutest suit I have ever seen. He is gurgling away and shaking one of his rattles. I feel so proud every time that I look at him. He’s growing up so fast, but I make sure that I cherish every second of it that I can. I am due to return to work in four weeks’ time, so I want to savour as much of my son growing up as I can.
“Charlie?” I hear Tori say as she comes up behind me. My eyes drift to hers in the mirror, and I can see that she looks slightly concerned. “Everything okay?” she asks me. I turn to face her, a smile gracing my face.
“Yeah, it’s more than okay. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“You’re just very quiet. You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“God no!” I exclaim, a little shocked that she has even asked me that. “I have never felt so content. Honestly, Tor,” I say as I grab her hands in mine. “I can’t wait to marry Luke.”
“Good,” she replies, a genuine smile crossing her face.
“I’m just so happy that everyone that I love is here to share the day with me. Watching all of you makes me see how lucky I am.”
“You’re not going to get all mushy on me, are you?” I laugh at her. Tori doesn’t do mushy.
“No, don’t worry. I will probably cry later though, just to give you a heads up,” I say with a wink.
“Later is fine. I shall be too pissed to care about being too affectionate by then,” she replies playfully. She lets go of my hands and takes a look at the clock on the wall behind me. “We haven’t got long left. Shall we get you in your dress?”
“Sure,” I reply, following her through the chaos to a small room at the back so that I can get changed. I follow Tori inside and close the door behind me. My eyes float to my dress which is hung up and looks every bit as beautiful as it did the day that I chose it. The delicate lace that starts at the top and flows to the floor is intricate. The crisp white colour is striking, and the elegant cut of the neckline will allow me to wear the beautiful silver locket that Luke gifted to me last night. The locket contains a picture of him and Oliver. The two of them together are my whole world, and today it becomes official. I will be a Sanders just like my partner and my son.
Today, I get to fulfil a dream that I have been picturing for years.
Today, I marry my soulmate.
Chapter Forty
With my arm linked through my father’s, I am ready. We stand outside the doors, waiting for them to open, so that I can walk down the aisle and marry Luke. I feel no nerves. Tori, Maggie and Oliver have already gone in. I hear the opening lines of the music start to play, and the doors start to open. I take a quick look at my father who is smiling at me, and I return his grin with my own.
“You ready, sweetheart?” he asks me. I just nod at him. If I say anything at this moment in time, then I am likely to cry. His eyes crinkle at the sides as he smiles even wider, and I make myself turn away. I need to keep it together until I have said my vows.
As the room comes into focus, I see rows of smiling faces looking at me. My father leads me forwards and we enter the room. I hear a few gasps as I make my way down the aisle. I hope that the gasps mean that they are blown away by how I look, and not at the fact that I may not look good. My eyes drift, colliding with Luke’s, and I know that the gasps are because of how good I look. I can just tell by the look on his face. His mouth is hanging open slightly and I immediately recognise the heat that is residing in his eyes.
I concentrate on my breathing, keeping it even as I place one foot in front of the other. My eyes never leave Luke’s. He looks so handsome in his black suit, with white shirt and gold waistcoat. I hear Oliver making his cute baby noises at the front and it brings me warmth. A slight smile forms on my lips as I approach Luke, and my father brings me to a stop just in front of him. I look to my father and see that his eyes have welled up. I have never seen my father cry, so this is a big deal. He is just opening his mouth to speak to me when there is an almighty bang. My head whips to the doors behind, and standing there, wearing black balaclavas are five men.
My pulse quickens as the men enter the room. Everything appears to be in slow motion. The guests screaming, the wails of shock and fright ricocheting through the room. The scraping of chairs as people start to get down on the floor. The hard look in the men’s eyes as they walk closer towards us. I can’t move. I can’t speak.
I feel a tug on my arm, and the next thing I know, I am being pulled to the floor by my father. I can make out that he is shouting at me to get down, but I fight against him. My eyes look for Oliver who is with my mother. She is cradling him on the floor, trying to stop him from crying. I want to crawl to him, but my father places his arms around me to stop me from moving off of the floor.
Knowing that my mother has Oliver, I look for Luke. He is crouched low, his eyes trained on me. I try to call out to him, but the words are stuck in my throat when I see that there is a red stain on his waistcoat. The panic that I feel in that moment alone will forever haunt me. People continue to scream around me, but all I can hear is the pounding of my heart. Luke holds my gaze as he sinks to the floor. Two of the men walk past me and go straight for Luke.
It is at the moment that I realise that they are going to take him. They have come for Luke. Adrenaline surges through me as I find my voice.
