Page 14 of Heartbeat

Now my wedding day is here, and I’m getting ready for a man that I’ve only had a few conversations with. Well, actually, they were more like arguments than actual conversations. The arguments were about the wedding that neither of us wanted. For a man who wanted a courthouse wedding, he sure had a lot to say about it.

Karessa Hale was our wedding planner. She was one of the Founder’s kids, and her family was one of the original founding members of the island. Of course, she did all the premier weddings on the island, including Ainslee’s and her own. But Lennox fought us on every decision.

Lennox had an opinion on everything, from the location to the color of the flowers. He had to relent on the location because weallgot married in the same place. However, he insisted that we both pick out the flavor of the cake, and he wanted his mother included in the dress shopping. I tried to explain to him that we only had four days to get all of this together, but he wouldn’t be deterred. It was a good thing Karessa was a miracle worker and got this wedding together effortlessly.

Lennox’s mother was there the next day after we were told of our arrangement, and she was with me every step of the way. Anna Nash was a perfectly nice woman. I would even say she was sweet. When I first met her, I instantly saw where Lennox got his bright blue eyes.

Anna wore her hair in a short blond bob with side-swept bangs that made her look younger than fifty-eight. She was always dressed stylishly, and she treated me like I was her daughter from the moment we met.

The thought of Mrs. Nash made me cry even harder. I felt guilty for hating Lennox so much when he had such an awesome mom.

“Oh, sweetheart, please don’t cry. Lennox is not that bad. I promise.” Anna tried to console me.

“You have to say that cause you’re his mom.” I sniffled, and she laughed.

“Honey, please. I raised four knuckleheads, and Lennox is by far the easiest to tolerate,” she said, patting my cheek.

“Don’t cry, Rae. At least he’s not ugly.” Sasha rubbed circles on my back as I sobbed harder. I was glad my best friend was able to be here to support me. Her light brown eyes glistened with concern even though she didn’t know the arrangement’s dirty details. Sasha knew this marriage wasn’t my choice.

Sasha held my hand tightly while I tried to calm myself down. She gave me her big dimpled smile and fluffed her afro to make me grin. However, the grin soon faded as the tears of despair still rolled down my face.

“I don’t know why you’re crying. You did this to yourself. Jumping in to save your precious, Robin.” Dove rolled her eyes. Leave it to my baby sister to have absolutely no compassion for me.

“Dove, I get that you don’t like me. But could you just… not.” I sighed, wiping my tears. I didn’t have the energy to deal with her.

Dove frowned at my words like I offended her with the truth. Although Robin was my best friend, at times, it felt like Dove was my worst enemy. I don’t know where our relationship went wrong, but today was not the day to figure that out.

Robin didn’t defend herself or me. When she hung her head, I could tell she was still feeling guilty that I had to do this instead of her. When Daddy demanded that she get her marriage annulled, she dropped an even bigger bomb that she was pregnant.

Robin had gotten married and pregnant by a man my father did not approve of, it was the ultimate betrayal by his favorite daughter. And I don’t think any of us knew what to do with the situation.

“Dove, today is not the day for your foolishness. It’s your sister’s day,” my mother scolded before turning to me with soft eyes, “Raven, dry those eyes, baby. No use in crying over spilled milk. This is your day. You can either chose to wallow in self-pity or make the most out of this.”

I dried my tears, deciding that my mother was right. I had already agreed to do this, and it was time I put on my big girl panties. I nodded and went to sit at the vanity so the make-up artist could work her magic. My dark skin had a radiant glow once she was done. She did my eye make-up in muted natural tones that brought out the color of my eyes. She gave me a pink lip and highlighted my high cheekbones with a gold color to match the gold appliqué on my dress.

The gown of my dreams was perfect. It was a white, mermaid silhouette with a sweetheart neckline. It was covered in gold appliqué that started at the top and faded down into the flared train. The white lace belt accentuated my small waist and matched my veil.

I stood in the floor-length mirror admiring myself. I looked beautiful and sad. It wasn’t the way I pictured this day, but I had to make the best of it. It was happening whether I liked it or not, so I did what I always did and pushed all the negative feelings down to do what needed to be done.

When Karessa knocked on the door and stuck her head inside, I knew my wallowing time had come to an end. She held sympathy in her green eyes as she smiled in encouragement.

“Ready?” Karessa asked in a sweet voice. I nodded. I knew she had been in my place not so long ago when her father made her marry Oran Hale, but they seemed to be getting along alright. It gave me a semblance of hope.

“Give me my bouquet. It’s time to get this show on the road.” I pulled my veil over my face and took a deep breath. But no matter what I did to calm down, the thought of walking down the aisle to Lennox gave me a racing heartbeat.

* * *

My wedding ceremony went off without a hitch. There was no cussing, no yelling, no jumping on backs, and, most importantly, no love. It was all very civilized… and arranged. Lennox looked dashing in his dark blue suit that matched my flowers perfectly. His hair was cut short with a part on the left side in that All-American boy style.

His clean-shaven face brought out the sharp angles of his square jaw and kissable lips. I never noticed how pink and perfect his lips were before today. I smiled when I reached his side in front of the priest, he didn’t return it. His blue eyes remained carefully void.

It made me sad again to think that I would have to spend my life with a husband that wouldn’t return my smile. But just because I decided to look on the bright side didn’t mean Lennox had to.

I couldn’t blame him for being salty. My father not only threatened his career but also his life. And it’s not like we had a great first meeting. But maybe we could come to some kind of understanding because who wants to be miserable with your spouse forever.

After we repeated the traditional vows and exchanged rings without any objections, it was time for an intimacy that I couldn’t possibly prepare for.

“You may kiss the bride.” The priest smiled happily, and I held my breath as I turned to face Lennox.

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