Awakening (The Magic of the Black Forest Book 2) (3 page)

Pulling me from my reverie, Bradley asked, “Are you trying to tell me we’ve been together in one of our past lives?” He was laughing now as if he didn’t believe me.

“
Yes you have. But not just one, all of them.”
We spun around to see Seager standing there. “
Come on, Brad, you have to leave now. Jesse and Dave are in the truck waiting. Take the rings with you so she doesn’t lose them.”
Seager turned and started trotting to the front of the house
.
“
Come on, get out of here!”

“Well I guess I better go. You should enjoy your last night of freedom because after tonight you’re stuck with me forever.” After kissing me tenderly, he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the house.

***

I watched as the guys left to go to Jesse’s. Tonight they were going out to hunt up in Potter County. Bradley wanted to get his fill. He said he wouldn’t be able to hunt for at least three days, claiming that he wasn’t planning to leave our bed for any long period of time. Boy, I really liked the way he thought. It would be pure torture waiting for the honeymoon.

Excited about tomorrow, I asked Colleen and Melissa to humor me one more time by trying on their dresses again. Naturally, they did. We all did. Until this moment I hadn’t seen my veil and dress on together in its entirety.

The bridesmaid dresses were also party dresses. They were lilac in color, knee length with an A-line silhouette, a V-neck and made of chiffon. Sexy and elegant. Melissa and Colleen decided that they were going to wear their hair down, straighten it, and add some baby’s breath.

I, on the other hand, planned to wear my hair up in a bun with a few strands of curls dangling loosely. A flower and leaf designed medieval tiara made of antique silver, decorated with rhinestones and pearls, would hold the veil in place.

Since the first time I saw it, my dress has taken my breath away and I’m hoping Bradley will have the same reaction. It’s everything I dreamt it would be and more. Made from luxurious satin, it had spaghetti straps and a portrait V-neck that transitioned into an empire waist. I had a simple but elegant long bell-sleeved lace shrug to wear over my shoulders. Wanting to wear my wedding gown until we left for our honeymoon, I decided not to get a party dress for the reception. It was too pretty to wear only once and for such a short period of time.

My mind wandered to our honeymoon; we planned on leaving after the reception party. Bradley mentioned that the drive to our secret honeymoon retreat would be bumpy and take one to two hours to get there. Wanting me to be comfortable, he suggested we dress casually for the ride.

Mentally, I went through a checklist. Our clothes were packed and already in the truck. Colleen and Jesse had prepared us a honeymoon satchel. Colleen said it’s a bag of goodies, necessities for the first few nights of our honeymoon. That was also already in the truck. 

Yep
, I thought to myself,
we’re ready to go the moment he gives the word!

When I walked out into the living room to show everyone my gown and veil, my aunt gasped. Seeing me in my gown and veil for the first time, she started crying, saying that my parents were looking down, proud of their beautiful daughter. Her kind words brought tears of sorrow to my eyes.

Every day I think about my parents, often wondering if they would be happy with the choices I’ve made, and wishing they could have met Bradley. I think they would have liked him. It broke my heart that they wouldn’t be here to be a part of our wedding.

That’s when I remembered I had no one to walk me down the aisle. With all the excitement I had forgotten. Or maybe, to protect myself, I mentally blocked the tradition. Fidgeting, and straightening out the invisible wrinkles on my gown, images of my father giving me away consumed my mind. “I have no one to give me away,” I whispered, lost in thought.

“If it’s okay with you, I’d be honored to stand in for your parents.”

Running across the room, I embraced her tightly, crying “Aunt Susie, I would love that. Thank you.” Knowing she would give me away reassured the feeling that my parents were still here watching over me, and represented through my beloved aunt.

After changing out of our dresses we went through a checklist. The only thing that hadn’t arrived yet was our cake. Slightly freaked out about it and voicing my concerns, Colleen came over placed her hands on my shoulders and assured me, repeatedly, that it would be here in the morning when I woke.

With nothing left to do, I headed off to bed and attempted to get some sleep. Bad idea. The second I turned out the light and laid down on my bed, my mind started to race. First, the possibility of anything and everything that could go wrong flashed through my mind. Bad weather, no cake, no photographer, ripped dresses, or even worse… Andrew or Anthony showing up and spoiling our big day.

Fearing I’d never get to sleep, I sat upright. To calm my nerves I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. The last thing I needed were black bags under my eyes on my wedding day. After taking a few deep breaths, I reached over to the nightstand and turned on my CD player. As I lay back down to rest on my back, the sweet melodious sound of Bradley’s voice filled the room. The nervousness and anxiety were fading away.

Images of Bradley at the altar watching me walk down the aisle, saying our vows and, our bride and groom dance flitted through my mind. My imagination had my excitement growing. Happy thoughts of my wedding day—and my fiancé’s angelic voice—had me drifting off to dreamland in minutes.

Chapter 2

Eager to start the day, I woke before the alarm went off. Today, I would marry the love of my life!

Melissa, my aunt, and Colleen’s voices drifted from the kitchen. When I was getting dressed, their conversation changed topic, from breakfast to my wedding cake. Racing towards the kitchen I shouted, “Is our cake here?” Rushing through the kitchen entryway I skid to a halt, my mouth dropping open. The combination of all the colors: burnt orange, yellow, red, brown, white and bronze, transformed my cake into a work of art.

“Oh, Colleen, it’s perfect.”

“Hope you like buttercream…” Colleen said with more than a little pride in her voice.

“It’s too pretty to eat. Did anyone take a picture or two yet?” I’ve never seen a cake this beautiful. It’s exemplary.

“The photographer is already here and he took a bunch of pictures,” my aunt answered, standing on the opposite side of the table.

“Brad wanted the photographer to set videos up and take a bunch of pictures of your face when you saw the cake, along with all of us getting ready,” Melissa chimed in. She pointed across the room and there stood the photographer snapping away. Pausing to check the lens, Melissa caught his attention and waved him over.

“I didn’t even see you there. Thank you for doing this for us at such short notice.” My eyes went immediately back to the cake. “Look at all the detail… Amazing.” Reaching out to touch it, Colleen smacked my hand away.

“The colorful fall leaves are made of fondant. For decoration they had wrapped a bronze silk ribbon around each of the round tiers.” She pointed back to the leaves, “They airbrushed all of those leaves so that you would get the autumn affect. You said you loved it here that time of year, how the leaves were the color of fire…”

The fall themed wedding cake matched perfectly with the theme of our wedding.

“The vibrant autumn colors are a beautiful contrast to the white fondant cake walls. Thanks Colleen.” I sniffled, hugging her tight.

“Okay, Nat, no crying! It’s time for breakfast. Afterwards we all need to start getting ready.” Aunt Susie definitely took her newfound parental role seriously. It felt good to have a motherly figure around. The thought had me thinking about my mom. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, wondering, “
Is she here in spirit?
” Moments before sadness consumed my very being, my aunt’s voice saved me, reminding us, “The guys will be here in an hour and you get married in two. Let’s get a move on, ladies.”

There was a lot going on all at once, but it wasn’t chaotic. It was surprisingly going well. Thankfully, Melissa’s parents showed up bright and early with Matt and James. With the guys not here yet and us ladies still having to get ready, we needed all the help we could get. They made sure all the final touches were completed and set up the music. They also started escorting people from the front of the house to my backyard. The wind chimes were ringing every time someone came up the drive. The relaxing sound soothed my soul so I didn’t undo my spell.

We were in my bedroom putting on our dresses for the last time when the butterflies in my stomach started to flutter. Familiarity and the feeling of home calmed the butterflies, and I knew Bradley was on the premises. The closer he got the faster my heart raced, pounding against my chest. My chest filled with warmth as I dashed to the window to get a peek of my fiancé. Unfortunately, the guys were quicker. They were already gone. Hoping to get a glimpse of my fiancé from the back window, I raced to the kitchen.  Instead of seeing Bradley, I saw all of our guests and by the size of the crowd, it looked like everyone we invited came to watch our nuptials. Holding my stomach, I tried to keep the rippling waves of my anxiety at bay. Suddenly, it felt like I was going to pass out.

My hands dampened as my anxiety grew. Trying to gain control and prevent myself from hyperventilating, I inhaled a series of deep breaths. Nothing seemed to help calm my nerves.

Aunt Susie walked through the back door, across the kitchen and stopped right in front of me. “This is from Bradley.” Reaching out she grabbed both my shoulders and pulled me into a warm comforting embrace. Minutes later she let me go and handed me a piece of paper. With trembling hands I read the words breathlessly aloud, “For all of eternity, my Natalia. See you soon. Love, Bradley.” Colleen, Melissa and I all started crying… But not my aunt.

“I’m going out there to slap the shit right out of him.” Hearing my Aunt Susie cuss made us all bust up laughing.

“Thank you all for being a part of this wonderful day.” Grinning wildly, I shouted, “Let’s go get me married!”

“No, not yet! We still need something old, new, borrowed, and blue,” Melissa said as she handed me a beautiful silver necklace that had a white wolf dangling from it. “The wolf was made by a local Indian tribe. They believe that the wolf carries the spirits of their ancestors and that it will give you strength. So there’s your something new.”

“Thank you, Melissa, it’s beautiful. It looks like Seager.” Spinning around, “Please, would you help me put it on?” The intricate wolf howling at the moon was carved out of bone. The eyes, made of turquoise, seemed to give a spiritual effect. The lengthy sterling silver necklace set the wolf pendant dangling perfectly just above my cleavage.

After pulling a small jewelry box from her purse, my aunt walked across the room and handed it to me. “I was going to give this to you later, but here’s something old.” Whilst I opened the box she explained its history, “Your grandmother gave both your mom and I a matching set of pinky rings. Your mother gave her ring to their good friend and lawyer, Harvey, for safekeeping. He recently gave it to me to pass it on to you. Wear it with pride.”

It was a beautiful silver ring with an ‘L’ on it. My hands were shaking again terribly sliding it on my left pinky. To my relief, it fit. Hugging my Aunt Susie, I thanked her for the gift and for her coming into my life.

“Okay, now it’s my turn.” Colleen laughed like a little girl as she presented me with my something borrowed. “You can borrow my bracelet that Jesse gave me on our wedding day.” It was a white gold charm bracelet that had two grizzly bears dangling from each side. “I want it back before you leave for your honeymoon.”

“I will, I promise. Thank you, Colleen. I’m honored.” Overwhelmed with emotion, tears escaped, streaming down my cheeks. Quickly, so to not mess up my makeup I grabbed a tissue to dab my cheeks dry.

“Wait, I’m not done yet.” She pulled out a blue garter from her bag. “Here put this on, it’s your something blue. Brad is going to love removing that from your sexy leg.” Laughing flirtatiously, she finished, “Especially if you blush like that.”

“Thanks again, Colleen.” I’d chosen a slightly full petticoat slip to enhance my dress. The slip, along with my boots made it difficult to put on the garter by myself. “Maybe we should have thought about this before I put my boots on.” My white ankle boots had a three-inch thick heel, and were covered in lace. I loved how they looked and even though no one would really get to see them, I had to buy them.

“Okay, ladies, I’m ready to marry the man of my dreams and he’s out there waiting for me. How about we take this show on the road?”

Standing in the open doorway, my eyes were immediately drawn to a white carpet runner for us to walk on. It started at the bottom of the steps, ran across the length of my entire backyard, and up to the alter. Turning, I looked at my aunt. After giving her a puzzling look she whispered, “Magic. Like this…” She raised her hand in the air and with her index finger pointed upward rotated her wrist in a circular motion three times, muttering an incantation. A wall of white mist formed a few yards from the bridge, blocking the view. Like myself, my aunt believes in superstition. She created the misty shield to prevent Bradley from seeing me before it was time. 

Colleen, Melissa, Aunt Susie, and I followed the white runner to the misty wall and paused. We stood, waiting for the music to start.

The waiting was the worst. My anxiety and nerves had my stomach twisted in knots. If that wasn’t bad enough, excitement about my upcoming honeymoon seemed to feed the negative vibes, causing my palms to sweat, heat to radiate around my chest, and my fingers to tingle. It was all very overwhelming.

Time felt as if it were slowing down, almost standing still. To help ease my anxiety, I tried stealing a glance of Bradley standing at the altar, but, between the mist and my aunt, it was impossible.

When the music began, Melissa started walking down the carpet, followed shortly after by Colleen. Each blew me a kiss for luck before leaving.

My aunt leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Looks like you forgot something.” Raising her hand above mine, she pointed her index finger at my empty hands and spun her wrist in a circular motion.

A lush bouquet of beautiful silk flowers appeared in my hands: white and burgundy daisies and poms, orange and yellow gerberas, and a couple calla lilies with some asters and baby’s breath. The blend of flowers and colors were truly magical.

When Melissa and Colleen reached the bridge where my future husband waited, the mist  dramatically dissipated. After it cleared, I saw a beautiful natural setting for the ceremony filled with colorful leaves. Homemade lanterns hung from the trees along the edge of our forest. My eyes drifted to our guests. Rows and rows of white chairs with orange sashes on both sides of the aisle led to my future husband, the love of my life.

A smile slowly spread across my face as my gaze slowly drank in the entire view of his perfect body. He wore a white Mirage tuxedo and had never looked so good. The standing mandarin collar and lapels were trimmed in satin; the pockets were slightly angled and trimmed in the same. His pleated slacks, tie, and vest completed the delicious picture. I stopped for one breathtaking second to take it all in, this vision of my handsome man. It took everything I had inside me not to run and jump into his arms. Bradley was everything I’d ever wanted in a man, a true Knight in Shining Armor. And, there he stood at the altar, waiting for me. A fairytale come true.

My aunt had to prod me to start moving forward. As I walked towards Bradley, I pried my stare away from him to see what Jesse and Dave were wearing. They wore black tuxedos with a vest and tie. Seager stood there also, wearing a black tie, and wagging his tail. I smiled and turned right back to Bradley, who stood there smiling proudly. He looked as though he was the luckiest person in the world, but I already proudly held that title.

As my aunt placed my hand into Bradley’s, she leaned in and whispered in his ear, “You better take care of her or I’ll put my foot up your ass.” She spun slowly, winked at me and went to take her seat on my side in the front row.

The moment we touched, a bolt of electricity shot through me. All of a sudden I had a strong awareness of my own heartbeat. It pounded harder, beating rapidly against my chest. I’m surprised we didn’t see sparks fly when our hands intertwined with one another’s. Bradley led me to the podium, his eyes seductively gazed across my body, slowly making his way back to my face. A shiver ran through my body. My cheeks filled with fire. Bradley noticed immediately and chuckled.

“Natalia, you take my breath away.” The inner vampire could be seen in his dark and hungry eyes. Along with his eyes, the wide and devilish smile upon his face told me there was only one thing on his mind, and that was he wanted to take me right then and there. I love that smile, it makes me feel all warm inside, hungry for him as well. The need to touch and explore his body was overwhelming.

The gentle touch of his fingers brushed across my left cheek, filling my mind with fantasies of our upcoming first time together. I closed my eyes, embracing the magic of his touch.

Wanting Bradley to hear my thoughts and to know how he made me feel, I let part of my shield down. With all our vampire, wizard and witch guests, I had to leave most of my shield up. Over the last week, with my aunt’s help, I had perfected my skill to ensure that no one except Bradley would hear my thoughts. It was one of my surprise gifts to him.

Dazzled, I barely heard a word the judge said. When he asked if I took Bradley to be my husband my reply, “I do,” was barely audible. Cupping my left cheek with his hand, Bradley chuckled and leaned in closer, his lips mere inches from mine.

“Do you, Bradley Jenkins, take Natalia Middleton to be your wife? To cherish and love her through sickness and health, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” he said before adding, “In this lifetime and in every lifetime in our futures.”

Tears were inevitable. Honestly, I’m surprised I didn’t cry sooner. But when Bradley promised to be mine for all of eternity, there was no stopping the tears from falling.

As we exchanged rings, Bradley announced, “With this ring I promise to love you for all of eternity.”

In between the tears I managed to say, “Me too.”

The judge started to say, “You may now kiss…” but Bradley couldn’t wait for him to finish the sentence, he kissed me, crushing his lips to mine. He placed his hands on each side of my face, deepening our kiss, his thumbs caressing my cheeks, wiping away my tears. My arms were around his waist, our bodies molded together; our tongues were dancing passionately, with delight, when the judge announced us as Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Jenkins.

All the hooting and hollering in the background brought our intimate moment to an early end. I hugged Bradley tightly and thought, “
When are we leaving for our honeymoon?
” He let out a boisterous laugh that echoed through the forest.