The Garden Chapter 4: The Wedding
Hey folks heres another chapter. Also another non-smut one. I felt like it would cheapen the emotions I was putting down. Also thinking of turning this whole thing into a small Novella or Novelette haven't decided yet if I do it'll be a bit longer and have a few more chapters. So watch for that if and when it comes out.
Vera had only ever worn a wedding dress one other time in her life. When she married her ex-husband many years ago. The dress she wore back then was of pure white, dotted with lilacs, and made her look like a radiant princess. She wished her wedded life stayed like that.
She wanted to say how naïve she felt that day, not knowing her husband would betray her, cheat on her, and leave her high and dry. But that would imply she made a mistake and not him. He was the one who broke their vows, who tore her heart out and stomped on it when he walked out on her for another woman.
And now here she was in a more modest wedding dress. This one went up to her knees and was not white but rather pink and white. It was a stark contrast to her old wedding dress. She liked it far more than the old one; the old one was opulent, but that opulence seemed to have hidden the lies that her husband had fed her.
She lingered and anguished in that hurt for years after he left her. Then she met Theo. She was so worried that she and he would never be compatible. She was ten years his senior, previously married, and of course she was an Abyssinian Cat and he was a German Shepherd. She didn't think she would ever be worthy of love from him.
But Theo cracked the armor she had built around her heart, tore down the wall, and made her feel loved and cared for. And as she stood before a priest waiting to be married, she learned what true love actually was. Theo showed her what true love is.
Vera Smith: Her maiden name was Vera McNeal, and she for some reason kept her ex-husband's last name all these years; maybe it was to remind herself of the mistake she made. But now she was shedding that one final tether to her hurt.
The ceremony they were having for their wedding was a private one compared to the more lavish one her ex threw. Only thirty or so animals were invited to this most momentous occasion, her family including her mother and father, Theo's mother and friends, as well as a few of her students.
Their wedding was being held on the eponymous lakefront of Lakeview, a popular place to hold a wedding. And theirs was a spectacle to behold. For a small wedding, Theo and she went all out. Flowers galore (she even had several of her students serving as flower girls, and one of them was the ring bearer.)
Vera was so happy to be surrounded by so many animals who loved her, to be surrounded by the love that came from them. And as the priest read off the many words about love, marriage, and togetherness, she didn't pay it much attention, instead looking Theo in his eyes, holding his hands, and looking at him with a warmth and love she thought she'd long lost in her life.
“The soon-to-be wed prepared vows that they would like to read to the gathered animals here to witness their nuptials." The priest spoke. Theo pulled out a paper and began to speak.
“Vera, I didn't think I'd be marrying a woman like you," he said as he put his hand on her cheek. “You're a one in a trillion woman, and probably better than I ever deserve. I may be twenty-five…and a bit in over my head, but I'll try to be the best husband that you deserve and the best father our children deserve." He said his heart was beating a million miles a minute as the words left his mouth.
“I love you, Vera, and I hope to keep loving you till the day I close my eyes for good." He said as he pressed his forehead to hers. Vera let out a purr of care as she caressed Theo's cheeks; she then started her vows.
“Theo, my sweet, sweet Theo," She started her voice wavering just a bit; she was… so full of emotion, expressing so much long-standing pain that she didn't think she'd ever be able to shed from her heart, “You opened a locked box I thought long closed." She closed her eyes, imagining her heart as that box, locked away after what her ex did.
“Your love was a key I didn't know existed." She said as she grasped his hands in hers, she then put her hand to her belly, cradling and feeling the life that was inside her; the feeling of her unborn pups kicking in her belly made her heart soar ever higher. She looked Theo in the eyes and spoke up to him once more.
“I love you, Theo, the man who managed to make me know what love was again." She said, tears welling in her eyes, she had to hold off kissing him, waiting for the priest to give them the go-ahead to kiss; some traditions were hard for the feline to break.
“Are there any objections to these two being wed?" The priest asked, a formality at this point, no one there would object. And when he heard none, he continued, “Then by the power invested in me by the city of Lakeview, I pronounce you husband and wife—you may now kiss."
Vera and Theo pressed their lips together; their kiss was not the first nor would it be the last, but this one? This was the most special one of them all. This kiss sealed them forever in a union that she hoped would never be broken.
“I love you." Theo whispered to her as he placed his forehead to hers.
“I love you too." Vera replied as the cheers of their friends and family came to them; the two of them smiled at their friends and family and then headed to the reception. Which wasn't too far from where they were anyway.
The reception was being held at a gazebo on the lakefront; the soft glow of the setting sun washed over them. There was a live band playing jazz not too dissimilar to the music of Theo and Vera's first date. This was the kind of music they fell in love with; the two of them were dancing together, Vera's head cradled in the crook of her husband's neck. She took in the masculine scent of his cologne as they moved back and forth slowly in rhythm with the music playing. In their world only two animals existed: Vera and Theo.
And finally, the tears left Vera's eyes as she danced with her husband. Tears of the purest form of joy. That word husband repeated in her mind over and over.
This man was her husband now. The memories of her old husband were slowly drifting away as she danced. The soulful crooning of the jazz singer singing Valentine by Laufey, the sound of the lake, and all the animals around them. This was the moment that Vera would remember for the rest of her life.
“What if he's the last one I kiss?" The singer's voice wrapped around them like a warm blanket as they danced, “What if he's the only one I'll ever miss?" The singer serenaded them and the rest of the guests at their reception.
“I love you," She spoke into his neck; they said it before, but it bears repeating: she loved this man, loved him more than anything in the world itself, besides their unborn child. “I love you so much, Theo." Her voice was cracking, and she felt like she shouldn't be this happy.
“I love you too, always." He replied. The two kissed once more, not caring if anyone saw. This was their day and no one else's.
The reception went on like this. And when they arrived home, they were bone tired. Vera almost didn't get out of her dress. Theo luckily was there to help her out of it, as she lay on the bed in just her underwear. Theo joined her, a big goofy smile on his face; he snuggled close to her. The two of them were too tired to do anything more than that tonight. Plus, they had an entire week of honeymoon to do whatever they felt like.
Tonight it was gentle sleep and cuddles: tomorrow Cancun.