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Chris stood by Slater’s side at the front of the crowd and leaned toward him. “She looks fucking beautiful, man. Wait until you see her.”
Slater had a hard time standing still as he anxiously awaited Alex’s arrival. He wore a black suit and dress shirt, the top two buttons were open to reveal his silver cross necklace Alex had given him ten years ago. He was clean-shaven for the event and kept his long red hair loose around his shoulders. As the crowd stood to watch Alex walk down the aisle with Ben, Slater took a step to the center to get the full view, with his best man by his side.
Chris looked at Alex, then Slater, and noticed the tears in his eyes. His own eyes filled once more. He slapped Slater on the shoulder and spoke quietly to him. “Ragweed’s high today, dude,” Chris said, his voice thick.
Unashamed of his emotions, Slater simply nodded and smiled through his tears as Alex got closer. The two of them only had eyes for each other. When Ben reached Slater, they shook hands. Ben turned to Alex to hug her and left her with the groom.
Unable to control himself, Slater took Alex’s hand and linked their fingers together. He pulled her close and kissed her, causing the guests to laugh and the officiant to clear his throat.
Ben stepped forward and slipped his arm around her waist to break their kiss. “Patience, Alex.”
Alex stepped back from Slater and wiped her lipstick off his lower lip with her thumb. “Sorry,” she breathed.
“Allie, you’re stunning.” Slater pulled her close to his side.
The two of them were anxious for this moment. Slater and Alex never took their eyes off each other during the ceremony. Wide smiles were on their faces as they tried not to cry during their vows. Through their tears, they promised to have and to hold. For better or for worse. For richer or for poorer. Through sickness and in health. ‘Til death do they part, in their own words.
“Allie,” Slater began and took Alex’s hands in his. He took a moment when he felt emotion clog his throat. “I’ve never known anyone like you, and I have no idea why you’re standing up here willing to marry me.” He paused as the guests laughed and Alex smiled at him. “From the moment I met you, I knew my life would never be the same. I want to first say, thank you. Thank you for drying me off and feeding me soup. Thank you for loving me for who I am. Thank you for your love and devotion... for the trust you have in me.” He tightened his hold on her hands. “I give you my heart, my soul, my love, and protection. I will honor you and cherish you. I will laugh with you, cry with you, grow with you, and create with you. I vow to support you, inspire you, and above all love you. As a family, we will create a home filled with love, laughter, and compassion.” He lifted her hand and placed a warm kiss upon her knuckles. “I’m home when I’m with you.”
Tears streamed down Alex’s face as she gripped his hands. Her voice shook when she spoke. “Slater, I also knew the moment I met you that my life would never be the same. You have taught me to live. You allowed me to show you how to love. I am proud to be your wife and join my life with yours. I give you my hand. I give you my love. I give you my heart.” She accepted a tissue from Mona and dabbed at her tears. “I promise that your trust in me will never waver. I will honor you, protect you and celebrate you, all the days of our lives. I will give you respect, compassion, and patience.” Once more she squeezed his hands and smiled through her tears. Her brown eyes were full of promise. “I will always dry you off and feed you soup.”
There wasn’t a dry eye among them as the officiant took over. He looked at Slater and asked, “Do you, John Slater Heart, take Alexandra Lorraine to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“God yes,” Slater breathed through his tears.
He turned to Alex. “And do you, Alexandra Lorraine, take John Slater Heart to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“Oh,” Alex sighed with a sniffle. “I really do.”
Alex held her breath as Slater slipped the ring on her finger and prayed to the Heavens above this was not a dream. Slater smiled as Alex put the ring on his finger and noticed that her hands trembled. He gripped her hands in his, held on tightly, and never wanted to let go.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Slater Heart!”
Cheers of celebration went up at the announcement and more than one person cried out, “Finally!”
Slater raised his brows as he waited for the final instruction and grinned from ear to ear when he was told, “Now you may kiss your bride.”
“Come here, baby.” Alex stepped into his waiting arms and he kissed her. His wife. Finally, his wife!
The guests clapped and cheered, then collectively stood up to approach the happy couple with congratulations and best wishes. Mona rushed off to demand the chairs be cleared and the tables set up for the reception. She guided Chris to the dance floor where Mark and Drummer decided they would act as DJs for the evening.
Slater took Alex with him as he moved away from the crowd. He looked her over with a smile. “Allie, you look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” She lowered her eyes. “I feel beautiful.” She kissed him softly and laid her head on his shoulder as he held her close. She took in the scene in front of them. Close friends visited and enjoyed the festivities as they watched the set-up transform from ceremony to reception. “Do you think it would be rude to ask everyone to leave now?” she asked.
Slater rubbed her back, leaned his head against hers, and enjoyed the moment of solitude. He knew it would be only that. A moment. “I think Mona would kill us, after all she did to put this together.” He linked her fingers with his and held her hand. “Come on, let’s go mingle and be nice to our guests.”
“The nice guy’s out of the cage today?” she teased him.
“How can he not be? It’s the happiest day of his life.”
They mingled, visited, and accepted congratulations and well wishes for a lifetime of happiness. Somewhere along the way, they got separated and pulled in different directions. Alex got to visit for a while with John Murphy. While she was thankful for his help with her divorce proceedings, she was more thankful for the fact that he didn’t bring up the subject. That shadow didn’t need to be cast over this perfect day. She was also happy that he had brought Irene, her family’s cook, and housekeeper, as his date.
“Miss Alexandra.” Irene pulled her aside when Mona started to shamelessly flirt with John.
“Irene.” Alex hugged her. “I’m so happy you made it today.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Irene said sincerely. “You know, my dear, your mother wouldn’t have approved.”
Alex held her breath, surprised to hear any negative spin on her day, then released it in a whoosh when Irene winked at her with a smile.
“Which is why you have my full approval. Your mother was nothing but a stick in the mud, wasn’t she?”
“Yes,” Alex laughed lightly with her. “That she was. Come with me.” She pulled her in the direction of Slater. “Let me introduce you to my husband.” She stepped next to Slater, her face broke into a grin when she saw who he was speaking with. “Mrs. Morton!” Alex embraced her former neighbor. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Darling, I wouldn’t have missed it. Your grandmother would be so proud.”
“Thank you, that means so much to hear. Slater...” Alex pulled Irene forward. “This is Irene. She’s the one who taught me how to cook.”
Much as Mona had when she first met the woman, Slater ignored her extended hand and pulled the woman into his arms to hug her tightly.
“Oh, my goodness!” Irene blushed, already thinking of how she would retell the moment to her friends and family about when the biggest rock star in the world gave her the nicest hug.
“I’ve enjoyed many of your creations through Allie,” Slater informed her with a grin. “All of them are amazing. You taught her well.”
Irene continued to blush and waved his comment away. “She was a good student.”
Slater looked over his shoulder as he was called away. He said goodbye to both Irene and Mrs. Morton and promised to find Alex as soon as he could.
Irene watched him leave. She smiled at Alex then shared a look with Mrs. Morton. “He’s sexy as hell, isn’t he?”
“My goodness!” Mrs. Morton waved a hand in front of her face as the two women watched Slater walk off. “I don’t recommend any more scandalous pictures with him, Alexandra, but my advice to you is to get naked with him as often as possible.”
“Mrs. Morton! Irene!” Alex looked between the two women, shock all over her face.
“What?” Irene asked innocently. “I may be a grandmother, Alexandra, but I’m still a woman and I recognize a sexy man when I see one.”
Alex listened to the banter between the two women and was more than a little shocked at their candidness. She hoped that when she was their age, she still had that drive and knew that would most likely be the case, considering whom she had married.
When Irene and John said their goodbyes to catch a late flight home, Alex accepted well wishes from Mrs. Morton as she wandered to mingle with Hollywood’s elite. She caught up with Mona’s parents and laughed with her best friend as Chris charmed the hell out of Mona’s mother. Another hour of mingling went by, complete with cheeseburgers for all. Alex was only able to grab a quick bite from Slater’s burger when she was pulled away yet again.
Alex stood in front of the champagne table and admired the ice sculpture in the Heart & Soul logo. Drilled openings in the ice both displayed and chilled bottles of champagne simultaneously. Refilling her glass, she took a sip and sighed, her heart full of happiness. Her eyes scanned the party, and she noticed Annette and Slater on the dance floor. He had one arm around her waist, his other arm held her hand as they danced slowly together. She could hear the volume of Annette’s voice, but not her words, whatever she was saying she was making Slater laugh. Alex was sure she was pumping up his ego.
Mona came up behind Alex and put her hand on her waist and moved her to the dance floor. “No more standing on the sidelines for you. Dance with me, beautiful bride.”
Never one to think it was silly at all to dance with her best friend, Alex joined Mona on the dance floor and slid her arms around her waist. “Ok, but this time I get to be the guy.”
“You’re a short guy.” Mona smiled at her and chattered away with pride about the success of the wedding. They moved to the music, as they talked about the excitement of the day.
Slater glanced over to see his bride dance with her best friend. It made him smile to know how important Mona was to her, and how hard Mona had worked to make this day possible.
Chris approached the duo on the dance floor, pulled them apart, and put his arms around them to form a small circle. “Can I get in on this?” He winked at Alex. “We can make it a threesome.”
Alex shook her head. “I’m not having a threesome with you two. Ever.” She looked at Mona as she stressed the last word.
Chris turned his charming smile on her. “I don’t want to have a threesome, either. It’s just fun to make you blush. But, if I ever had to choose a third person, it would be you, Alex.”
“Thanks, I think.” The three of them stayed linked together for a few minutes. Alex suddenly felt very short when she realized how much they towered over her, and very out of place when Chris started to kiss Mona. Giving them both a final squeeze, she left the circle and pushed the two of them closer together. Neither one argued. She searched the crowded dance floor and saw Slater still dancing with Annette.
Alex stayed on the side and took it all in. She scanned the guests and noticed Ben doing the same thing. Smiling softly, she made her way toward him. “Ben, may I have this dance?”
“I would be honored, Alexandra.”
She stepped into his arms and moved to the music. When she glanced at Slater, she noticed him watch them with a smile on his lips. She looked at Ben with a grin. “Thank you for everything, Ben. For all the years you kept us in touch.”
“It was certainly interesting. I’m glad I could help.” He was thoughtful for a moment. “You don’t know how many times I wanted to write to you myself, or call you, and ask you to write to him every day. Any time I gave him one of your letters, or packages, it turned his mood around for days. It was like drugs.” He shook his head on the thought. “Drugs would have been easier to get for him, but that was never his thing. Any contact from you always brightened him. You’re good for him, Alex. You soften him.”
Alex looked at Slater once more. “I’ll be sure to never tell him you said that.”
“I appreciate that.”
The song ended and another slow one started when Slater nudged Ben with his elbow. “Mind if I cut in and dance with my wife?”
Ben stepped aside. “Not at all.” He turned to Annette. “This will give me the chance to finally dance with my date.”
––––––––
“You look handsome tonight, Ben,” Annette informed him.
He returned the compliment. “You look pretty. Thank you for being my date tonight.”
“No thanks needed. I always enjoy your company.”
“What are we doing?” Ben asked, feeling slightly impatient.
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused. “We’re dancing at Alexandra Lorraine and Slater Heart’s wedding.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Don’t be evasive. You know what I mean. What are we doing?”
“Ben...” Annette said hesitantly.
“Look,” he interrupted her. “Maybe it’s because we’re at a wedding and love is in the air. Or it’s because Alex and Slater finally sealed the deal, I don’t know. What I do know is, I can’t stop thinking about you.” He continued to talk when he saw her start to speak up. “I’m not asking you to marry me or to move in with me, but we have so much in common and I love spending time with you. Come on, Annette,” he urged. “Don’t you want someone to talk to at the end of your day? And who better to talk to than someone who works in the same industry as you do, who practically has the same job as you? Yours is the last voice I want to hear before I go to bed at night.”
“Oh, Benjamin.” Annette blinked back tears.
“Come on, Annette. Let’s do this.”
“Ok,” Annette said with a nod and laughed at Ben’s expression. “I don’t want to put up a fight, Ben. I love spending time with you, so yes. Let’s do this.”
“You make me very happy, Annette,” Ben said softly. He held her close and wondered if he had finally found that special someone.
––––––––
“Our first dance together as Mr. and Mrs. Heart,” Alex sighed. She rested her head on Slater’s shoulder as he held her close and moved to the music with her. “It feels nice.”
“Yes it does,” Slater agreed. He slowly danced her away from the crowd. “Did you get anything to eat?”
“Mm,” Alex murmured and closed her eyes. “I had a bite of yours. I’m not worried about it right now. It’s been nice to visit with everyone and celebrate.”
“But the cheeseburgers were important to you,” he pointed out.
“I know that.” Alex snuggled closer. “I’ll have one soon, I promise. Right now, I just want to enjoy this dance.” She lifted her head to look at him, her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. She smiled as he kissed her, softly at first, then he increased his passion when she made that little moan in the back of her throat. Both of them were breathless.
“I wonder how long before all these people finally leave,” he whispered in her ear.
Mona danced closely with Chris as she watched Alex and Slater. “I need to start gently nudging these people out the door before those two start screwing each other on the dance floor.”
Chris kissed her, not letting her escape just yet. “We’re next, you know.”
Hearing him say that made Mona’s heart flutter as she kissed him back. “I can’t wait.”
Mona’s gentle nudging took another two hours before people started to filter out. Finally, it was just the four of them, standing at the base of the stairs after they said their final goodbyes to their guests.
“Here you go.” Mona gave Slater his house key. “I no longer need this. And, you’ll be happy to know Kathleen is going to supervise the cleanup in the morning because we’ll all be on a plane to Tahiti tomorrow.” She took a cleansing breath. “This was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoyed your wedding.”
“It was beautiful. Thank you so much,” Slater said.
“Thank you for letting me spend your money. It was a blast. Congratulations.” She hugged them both. “We’ll see ourselves out. Go upstairs now, your room is ready. I have one last surprise for you up there.”
Not needing to be told twice to get Alex into bed, Slater hugged Mona quickly, shook hands with Chris and put his arm around Alex’s waist, and turned her toward the stairs. “Wait.” When they reached the top of the stairs, he stopped Alex with a hand on her arm when she started to open the bedroom door. “I need to do this properly.” He scooped Alex up into his arms, opened the door, and carried her over the threshold. They both gasped in surprise when he walked in. Dozens, possibly hundreds, of candles were lit all around the room, creating a romantic glow. The bed covers were pulled down in invitation. Alex’s black lace nightgown was draped over the foot of the bed. A bottle of champagne chilled on the bedside table, with champagne flutes on either side of the bucket.
“This is beautiful,” Alex breathed.
Slater glanced at her and smiled softly as he set her down. “You’re beautiful. I knew you would be today, but seeing you in this dress, so put together, knowing it was to marry me, you were breathtaking. I love you, Allie. I love you so much.” He kissed her gently and turned her around. “Let’s get you out of this dress.”
He unzipped and unclasped her pretty lavender wedding dress and turned her around to face him. She pulled the straps down her shoulders and moved the dress down her body to show him the white lingerie underneath. Her skin felt hot as Slater looked her over and admired the frothy lace. He took the dress out of her hands and draped it over a chair behind her. His eyes never left her body. Pulling her to him, he kissed her, his tongue met hers, his lips moved together with hers. “You look sexy as hell, Allie.”
Alex picked up the black lace nightgown and held it up against her body. “Do you like it?”
“Yes, I do, but I’m sorry honey, you’re not going to need the nightgown tonight.”
Her breath came in short gasps with the way his eyes seemed to glow into her. To lighten the mood and ease her nerves she said, “Mona decided on black because apparently, I’m no virgin.”
“You were my virgin,” he said softly and pulled her to him. “You know,” he said as he held her close. “That night was a first for me as well.”
Alex pulled back and searched his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“It was the first time I was someone’s first time. Actually, it was the only time I was someone’s first time. I was terrified,” he admitted.
“I never would have known.” She was silent for a moment, as she remembered that night vividly. “You brought something alive in me that night, Slater. Something I was afraid never existed.”
He kissed her again. “I always knew it existed. There was never any doubt in my mind there would be so much passion in you.” She removed her earrings and started to remove her necklace when Slater put a hand on her arm and stopped her. “Leave your pearls on.”
Alex left her pearls on and resisted the urge to cover her body when his gaze continued to roam over her. “You’re making me so nervous, Slater,” she whispered. “I feel like it’s my first time again.”
“It’s our first time,” he said sincerely.
Alex shook her head and smiled at him. “Don’t be silly.”
“No, it’s our first time as husband and wife,” he pointed out as he stepped to her and kissed her gently.
“Please tell me I’m not dreaming,” Alex whispered, her eyes filled with tears.
“Only if you tell me the same thing.” He turned her in his arms, took the pins out of her hair, and kissed her shoulder. “Let me bring that passion alive now, Allie. This husband wants to make mad, passionate love to his wife.” At Alex’s nod, he picked her up in his arms once more, carried her to the bed, and laid her down. “Let me love you, Alexandra Heart.”
“Always, my beautiful husband.” Alex held her arms out to him in invitation, then sighed in satisfaction as she felt his weight on her body and whispered, “Always.”