Page 72 of Heal Me
A swarm of well-wishers interrupted them and they turned their attention to their guests.
*****
Once the bride and groom were seated at their table, Tyler stood up and got the guests’ attention. He held several index cards, which Ric saw Chase eyeing.
Chase looked up at Tyler. “How long is this speech? Some of us are hungry, you know,” he said loudly.
Ric and Kate muffled laughs as Tyler glared at Chase, who kept glancing questioningly at the index cards. The guests laughed outright and Tyler couldn’t keep a smile off his face. “If you’re that hungry, you know where the food is.”
Chase shrugged and got up. “Okay.”
Tyler’s jaw dropped as Chase walked over to the area where a BBQ had been set up. “I can’t believe he really left before my speech. Get back here!”
Chase already had a plate with a barbequed chicken leg on it. He picked it up and gestured towards Tyler. “Go ahead. You got a big mouth, so I’ll be able to hear you from here.”
Loud laughter followed this announcement, Tyler’s included. Ric had to admit that Tyler was taking Chase’s insults with good humor. Of course, it was hard to be offended by Chase because he was so charming and funny.
About halfway through Tyler’s speech, which was interspersed with insults from Chase, it became apparent to Ric that it was a little skit that the two of them had cooked up. It was hilarious and everyone had tears in their eyes from laughing so hard.
Kate’s instincts about their ceremony and reception had been spot on and Ric knew that he wouldn’t be enjoying himself nearly as much as if they’d had a traditional wedding. The food was delicious and it was amusing to see everyone wearing huge bibs so they didn’t get barbeque sauce all over their clothes.
When the time came for the dancing, Chase hopped up on the temporary band stage and took one of the mics. Ric and Kate had asked him to sing the song for their bride and groom dance. He’d agreed, but only if he was allowed to pick their song. They’d agreed to his terms and had been curious about what Chase was going to sing. However, no amount of pleading had convinced Chase to reveal his choice.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” Chase asked.
One of the band members gave him a stool and his acoustic guitar while the crowd quieted. He situated himself on the stool and said, “My granddaddy was the smartest person I’ve ever met and he used to say that sometimes it takes a while to find true love, but that most people eventually get there if they’re smart enough to pay attention.” He strummed softly on the guitar as he spoke.
“Granddaddy told me that there might be some bumps along the way and maybe you’d get bogged down by troubles and sorrow a couple of times. But he said that the day would come when the sun would come out and light your way to the path you were meant to go down.
He smiled at Ric and Kate. “You two have run into some pretty big bumps in the road and hit a couple of patches of heartache, but it’s my firm belief that on the day y’all met, the skies cleared, the sun came out, and pointed you down the path to everlasting love. Which is why I chose this as your bride and groom dance song.”
His picking turned into the introduction of Rascal Flatt’s,Bless the Broken Road. The hair stood up on Ric’s neck as he realized just how perfect the song was for them. He saw that Kate was thinking the same thing.
In an old-fashioned gesture, Ric bowed to Kate and kissed her hand, before pulling her into his embrace. When Chase started to sing, Ric felt the words pierce him because they so accurately said what he felt for Kate.
His love for Lizzie had blinded him to the possibility of there being someone out there who would want and love him. Someone who would completely give him her heart and heal the wounds in his. Kate was a woman he could build a life with. They were a team. Working together, learning to compromise, and most importantly giving each other unconditional love. He never thought he’d find his soul mate but when he’d least expected it, the love of his life had found him and she’d taken away the pain of his past.
*****
Kate closed her eyes and rested her head on Ric’s shoulder as she listened to Chase sing.
Although she hadn’t been able to see it at the time and she still might not completely understand why, Phil hadn’t been her true path. She’d loved him with all of her heart and she believed that they would’ve been happy.
But, for whatever reason, he hadn’t been the one she was meant to spend her life with. She doubted she’d ever reconcile why he’d had to die, but Ric’s understanding and compassion had helped heal a lot of her anger and had showed her that his love was worth risking another broken heart.
She lifted her gaze to Ric’s and thought about how Robert had thought he’d heard Phil the day she’d fallen. Maybe he really had and Phil was the one who’d led her to Ric. Could he have wanted them to meet because he’d known they would be perfect for each other? Knowing Phil, she wouldn’t put anything past him. She broke into a smile as Ric mouthed the last verse to her.
It amazed her how two people who’d lived through such tragedy had found their way to each other. What had started out as just a casual fling had fast become so much more. In each other, they’d found healing and love, joy and their best friend. They’d found the strength to pull out of the pride-filled rut they’d gotten stuck in and push through their hurt feelings so that they could reach a compromise.
As the song ended and Ric pressed a kiss to Kate’s lips, sunshine flooded her soul, erasing any lingering cracks in her heart. That light stayed with her throughout the rest of the reception and, from the loving looks and smiles he sent her, Ric felt it, too.
It wasn’t long after they’d tried to smear cake into each other’s faces and had eaten their fill of cake that they decided to leave for their honeymoon. Just as they’d gone for a nontraditional wedding, they’d opted for a different kind of honeymoon. They’d rented a cabin in the Rockies for a couple of weeks and planned to go hiking and fishing.
The Beast had been tricked out in pink and camo streamers and a sign saying, “Just Hitched” had been hung on the back of it.
There was one thing Kate wanted to do before they left. She got everyone together and threw her bouquet. She heard the squeals and when she turned to see who had caught it, her heart lifted when she saw Brooke with one hand gripping the stems while Robert held the satin ribbon. Now that could be a good pairing.
“You did that on purpose,” Ric teased.
