Brenna stood at the window in the guest room, looking out over her back yard. She smoothed her white satin bodice and fluffed her lacy skirt. Hearing children's shrieks, she looked out again. Victoria, just walking, was shrieking with laughter, her red hair fiery in the sunlight. Sophia and Serena were entertaining her for all they were worth, making funny faces and tumbling in the grass in their beautiful new dresses. Maureen was trying to control them, but having about as much luck as usual. Julie reached over and straightened Victoria's satin dress, kissing her on top of her head. Max and Zoe, ribbons around their necks, stuck close to the children, protective among all these strangers, but more than willing to accept a pat or two.
In the folding chairs across the aisle, Ruth sat with her in-laws. Ben sat shyly on his mother's lap, watching the twins' antics with wide eyes. Rachel bounced on her grandma's knees, curls pulled up with a lacy band.
Adam himself waited near the arbor, nervously adjusting the cuffs on his tuxedo while he talked to Jake, occasionally looking up at Brenna's window. She felt like Rapunzel, for pete's sake. Jim Laulainen stood to Adam’s right; he had been ordained to perform their ceremony, which he considered a great honor. Tony sat in his usual stoic silence behind Ruth, in the longest suit he and Molly could find.
Everyone looked so beautiful. As she watched, Vince and Wendy sat down behind Maureen and Bryan. They might be sorry about their choice of seats when the children came back. Wendy looked pretty in lavender, her dark hair short and curling around her head. She'd had a hard year after her brain surgery and was still using a cane as her legs grew stronger, but was a happy woman. She and Vince were themselves newlyweds of a month's time, and Vince glowed with pride.
Bob and Claudia had been so helpful. They had arrived early that morning when the grass was still covered in dew and started setting up the arbor she and Adam were to be married under. Pink roses were skillfully woven throughout the latticework. Swaths of white tulle drifted from chair to chair down the center aisle, attached with bouquets of pink and peach flowers.
Their wedding cake held its place of honor on the dining room table. Mel had insisted on making it for them and it was a beautiful confection of three layers, pink and peach roses tucked here and there.
A chair in the first row on Brenna’s side held only an armful of pink roses. Brenna knew Helena would’ve loved to have been here today…and who knew, maybe she was.
“Hey, you. Are you about ready?”
Brenna turned from the window to smile at Molly. “You’d think I would be, wouldn’t you? A year to plan a small wedding and I’m still trying to remember if everything’s been done.”
“Well, quit it. That’s what all of us are for. You just have to look beautiful and you’ve accomplished that just fine.”
As for Molly, Brenna had given her free rein to choose her maid-of-honor dress as long it wasn't too outrageous and was in the range of pink or peach. Molly had stuck her tongue out at the 'pink or peach' part, but had, with her usual flair, found the perfect dress. She had arrived with a floor-length gown of peach sandwashed rayon and Tony had been struck dumb when she'd modeled it for him.
"Molly, you look gorgeous. Great, you know Tony will probably be speechless through the whole reception."
"That's okay, I usually talk enough for both of us." Molly and Tony had been seeing each other since the night of the fire dinner, but couldn't seem to fit marriage into the picture. Molly
loved her babies and Tony loved the sea. For now, they just commuted back and forth; believing if it was meant to be, everything would fall into place.
Brenna walked slowly over to the full-length mirror. "Help me put my veil on?"
Her hair was gently rolled into a twist at the nape of her neck. She had been in a quandry as to what to do with it, but Adam's mother had had several good ideas and they had settled on this. Her veil was 'something new', along with her satin shoes.
Molly now carefully adjusted it on her head and pinned it down well. "There, that baby's not going anywhere. Where's your 'something old'?"
Brenna held up a handful of her lacy skirt. Molly had been right; Helena's wedding dress fit Brenna well and once she saw herself in it, there was no other dress for her.
"Borrowed?"
Brenna fingered her mother's pearl necklace which Maureen had brought for her to wear. Tears briefly sprang to her eyes at the sudden pang in her heart; she wished so much her parents could actually be there. “In spirit” was not the same at all. She sniffed and blinked away the tears before she ruined Molly’s carefully applied make-up.
"Blue?"
She pointed to the blue sapphire earrings, given to Helena on her wedding anniversary so long ago.
"Well, Bren, I think you're ready."
She looked herself over one last time. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, honey. You're stalling, it's just nerves. Look at that man down there."
Brenna looked down at Adam, so handsome, pacing near the arbor.
"Come on, let's get you down there while there's still some grass left."
Brenna took a deep breath and let it out. Here goes, Mom, Daddy, Helena. Wish us luck.
Molly preceded Brenna down the steep staircase, each careful not to trip. Claudia met them in the kitchen and gave them their bouquets of roses and babies' breath, ribbons trailing.
Bryan opened the back door. Peeking down the aisle, Molly could see Adam and Jake in position, ready to begin the ceremony. Outside, a harp began to softly play. She squeezed Brenna's hand, then stepped out the door. When she was near the arbor, Bryan held his arm out to Brenna.
"Ready, sis?"
Brenna walked through the door on his arm and once she saw Adam, she had eyes for nothing else. As the harp played on, she walked down the aisle into the rest of her life.
The End
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