try so hard to tell him how she felt about him. He saw it each day; when she left a flower beside his diary, an extra bag of fudge on his desk, or a slightly burned cookie in his lunch box. He saw it in the way her eyes lit up when they were together and the smile that wasn’t far from her face. But he mostly saw it when she cried, when the walls she’d built around her heart tumbled down to expose each raw, vulnerable part of who she was.
So, today, in front of their families and friends, she would let her heart do the talking. If the words came out differently from the wedding rehearsal or didn’t make sense, John wouldn’t mind. Because he, more than anyone else, knew how much she loved him.
The pastor’s gaze settled on Shelley. “Would you like to say your wedding vows now?”
Taking a deep breath, she nodded.
John’s hands gently squeezed her fingers, reassuring her without words that she could do this. That she could tell him how much he was loved, how much she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
“John, I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you. When I wake up each morning, you’re the first person I think about. You make me smile. In everything you say, in everything you do, and in everything you are, I adore you. I promise to respect you, to laugh with you, and to always be the person you can count on. I want to raise a family together, grow old with you, and live my last days knowing I loved you as deeply and strongly as you love me.”
John’s blue eyes were bright with tears as he leaned forward and kissed her. “That was beautiful. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
John didn’t need the pastor to tell him it was his turn. For a brief moment, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and held Shelley’s hands like his life depended on it. “Shelley, I love you like no other. Your love warms the deepest, darkest part of my heart, nourishes my soul, and fills my imagination with unlimited possibilities. When I’m tired or down, your smile lights my life like a beacon, welcoming me home to a place that’s filled with sweet, unconditional love. I promise to walk beside you on our life’s journey, to bless the special gift God has given us with patience and kindness, and with love to last throughout eternity. I promise to give you the best of who I am and love you for who you are. But most of all, I promise to listen to what you need and always be there for you.”
Shelley wiped the tears off John’s face and hugged him tight. Today was the first day of something amazing, a love that would last until the end of time.
Two hours later, Shelley looked around The Fairy Forest at her family and friends. With the speeches finished and most of their guests enjoying dessert, there was a relaxed, happy feeling in the room.
“Do you want some more chocolate gateau?” John asked her.
She grinned at her husband and shook her head. “If I have any more dessert, I’ll be on a sugar rush for the rest of the night. Are you enjoying yourself?”
“I am now that the speeches are over.” He rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand. “How does it feel to be married?”
She leaned toward John and kissed him. “Like the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Hold on to that thought.”
Before she could work out what he meant, he pushed back his chair and pulled her to her feet. “It’s time to dance.”
Shelley looked at the area they’d turned into a dance floor. “But no one else in dancing.”
“They could be waiting for us.”
Listening to the animated conversations going on around them, she doubted it. But she knew how much John enjoyed dancing. Once they started, it wouldn’t be long until the rest of her family joined them—especially Aunt Maria and Aunt Rosa.
“Okay, but warn me if you’re going to do one of your fancy rock ‘n’ roll moves.”
John wrapped his arm around her waist. “I’m hoping the DJ will change the music to something that keeps me close to you.”
Shelley laughed. “So, the birdie dance is off limits?”
With a twinkle in his eyes, he said, “Nothing is off limits.”
“You’re a brave man. Very few people would risk their toes