Eliza stared at her reflection in the mirror. The gown crossed in the front, dipping enough to show off some cle**age. The style similar to Gwen and Samantha’s. Only hers was floor length with a slight train. Her bare arms kissed by the summer sun had a healthy glow contrasting the white silk beautifully. Her mother would have loved it. Her father would have cried. Just thinking of them, remembering them, brought a well of tears behind her eyes.
“Oh, don’t you dare!” Tracy scolded. “You can cry after the pictures.”
Gwen laughed and Samantha moved to Eliza’s side. “You’re going to take his breath away.”
“My son is a lucky man.”
Eliza hid behind her smile. Abigail didn’t need to know their marriage was somewhat forced under a bizarre set of circumstances. “Thank you.”
“I have something for you.” Abigail reached into her purse and removed a small box. “It falls into the old and blue category. Samantha told me you were covered with borrowed and new.”
Inside the box lay a tennis bracelet with ice blue aquamarine and diamond stones layered on top of platinum.
“It’s gorgeous.”
“When Cash and I married we managed to anger nearly everyone in my family, except my nana. She gave me this to wear on my wedding day and ask that I hand it down to my daughter or daughter-in-law on her wedding day.” Abigail removed the bracelet from the box and attached it to Eliza’s wrist.
Again, guilt about the circumstances of the wedding plagued her, but she accepted the jewelry and hugged Carter’s mother. “Thank you.”
There was another knock on the door. “Ladies? Are you ready?” Blake asked.
Sam opened the door a small crack. “We’re coming.”
Abigail turned for the door. “I’ll see you after the ceremony.”
Gwen fussed behind Eliza making the dress drape perfectly, and Samantha handed her the floral bouquet.
This is it.
“Ready?” Samantha asked.
“I’d better be.”
They opened the door to find Dean standing in the hall. His mouth fell open when his eyes met hers. It seemed only fitting to ask him to walk her down the aisle. Eliza always felt closer to the man than any assigned to her case, and he couldn’t exactly say no. Besides, she’d told him at the time, if pictures of the two of them managed to make it to her enemy, he’d see that she was surrounded by protection. From the man walking her to the altar, to the man accepting her as his bride.
“Wow,” he managed.
“You clean up well yourself.” Eliza attempted to lighten the growing knot of excited nerves. But there was still a hint of water behind Dean’s eyes.
Downstairs the music started to play, and Gwen shuffled in front of them to take her place.
Dean offered his arm and leaned in to whisper. “I feel I need to offer you some kind of advice.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Good. I managed to get married, but I suck at staying married.”
Eliza chuckled and turned to look at Dean. He was completely serious and somewhat offended that she was laughing. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For caring.”
He winked. “C’mon. It’s about time I hand you off to someone else for a while.”
Eliza continued to laugh as she walked down the stairs.
****
All eyes were on his bride, which suited Carter perfectly. When she stepped out into the sun and glanced up the grassy path to his side, her eyes met his and his nerves flew away with the breeze. He knew how sappy it would sound if he told anyone his thoughts, but it didn’t matter.
Eliza was the picture of perfection. Every man’s dream. And she was about to become his.
She was smiling at something Dean had said, and the laughter behind her eyes made her glow even more.
Dean handed her over and waited until Carter looked his way.
“Take care of her,” he said.
“I will.”
Carter took Eliza’s hand, squeezed it, and turned toward the minister.
The minster spoke of tomorrow, of now…of love. He encouraged the both of them to consider each other every day of their lives. He addressed the audience and asked if there was anyone who thought the two of them shouldn’t marry.
For a moment, Carter held his breath. God help anyone who said a peep now.
They didn’t.
He glanced down at his bride, noticed the slight smile on her lips, and knew she was thinking the same thoughts.
When the minister addressed him and asked if he would hold, cherish, and always keep sacred his union with Eliza, he said he would and felt the commitment to his very core.
Maybe it was his look, or perhaps the expression on his face, but when it was Eliza’s turn to devote herself to him for always…Carter believed her.
The minister asked for rings and Carter turned to Blake. His best friend produced the ring he’d picked out for Eliza to wear. It was the first time she would see it.
When he turned to her, her gaze drifted from his face to his hand. Her face washed of color and he thought for a moment that he might have to hold her up. Her jaw dropped and she quickly swiveled her eyes toward him. They glossed over and a brilliant smile manifested behind her mask of nerves. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Carter accepted her ring, a simple gold band with a beveled edge and brush finish, and then finally the minister pronounced them husband and wife.
Both of them released a collective sigh, which brought a slight chuckle from the audience.
For a brief moment, it was only the two of them. The minster wasn’t there, the audience… the sea. No one. Carter stepped into her space, wrapped his hand around her waist, and lowered his lips to hers.
He didn’t care that flashbulbs recorded the moment, didn’t care that his loving parents stood by and watched. This was for them. It was in that moment he knew that marrying Eliza meant more than protecting her from her past.
This was deeper.
This was lasting.
He ended their kiss and held onto her so she wouldn’t fall.
He paused for the camera when the minister pronounced them Mr. and Mrs. Billings.
She squeezed his hand, and he shuffled them down the aisle.
****
According to his tip, recreation time tonight would confirm or deny what he’d been told. It was impossible to deny the future governor a few moments of airtime on the local channels. Especially when that man was getting married.
The media ate that shit up.
He glanced around the room full of blue uniformed inmates and knew that many of them would hold out hope that the next governor would grant them a pardon.