Page 127 of Broken Butterfly
“Yes, ma’am. Where do you want me?”
“Luckily, we can get this sucker on her bottom up and not mess up her hair. Elizabeth, strip. It’s not like Elijah will care seeing you in your bra and panties since he’s not into girls.”
True, I think and take off my robe.
Elijah whistles. “If I was into girls, I would say you’re one sexy bride,” he says.
“You can still say it,” I tease him. “I tell Mer all the time how pretty she is.”
“Please. That’s a given,” she says.
Meredith asks Elijah to help her hold the wedding gown. With a little metaphorical elbow grease, I shimmy the gown up and Meredith begins the task of making sure it’s tied, buttoned, and snapped into place. It molds to my figure and feels so soft and smooth on my skin that I sigh out loud.
Meredith helps me slip on my low-heeled beaded silk sandals. “I’m getting married,” I squeal when I turn around to look in the mirror to get the full effect.
Elijah cups my cheeks. “You are so getting married! Holy shit, this dress is fucking gorgeous!”
Mer cuts in with, “I call dibs on it for my wedding even though you’re like ten feet taller than I am, so I’ll have to alter the shit out of it.”
Elijah motions at my gown with his finger. “You will definitely need to alter the shit out of it as that cut down the front is going to show a lot more than your belly button,” he tells her.
Meredith just shrugs with an impish smile.
I breathe in and out, taking one final look at myself. Meredith touches up my lipstick.
“Okay. Time to marry my man,” I tell them.
As soon as I step out of the room, Daniel and Drew meet me, each taking an arm.
“I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride,” Daniel says, kissing my temple.
Drew cradles my cheek and smiles. “Life, love, and happiness, sweetheart. Live it, breathe it, and never take it for granted.”
We decided on an early evening wedding at the botanical gardens since the sun sets late during the summer. We wanted to capture the sunset as we said our vows. The grounds are gorgeous. Flowers are in bloom, so fragrant and sweet, and all of the foliage is filled out and lush in green. There are archways covered in purple wisteria vines that lead to where Ryder and I will say our vows. It’s beyond breathtaking. I try to take everything in, see every detail, absorb every smell and sound, but the moment the quartet begins to play the music that will lead me down the aisle, I can see nothing but the man waiting up ahead.
Ryder is devastating in his all-black satin peak lapel tuxedo jacket and black dress shirt. His hair is styled with a side-part giving him that panty-dropping rock star look I absolutely love. But it’s the emotion in his golden eyes that captures me. It’s the look of a man who is completely and whole-heartedly in love with his woman. My emotions match his as I gaze adoringly at him, remembering the first day we met.
“So what do you like to read?” I ask Ryder.
He shoves his hands inside the pockets of his jeans and shrugs his shoulders again. I decide to try a new tactic. I grab a My Little Pony picture book from the shelf and hand it to him.
“I'm sure you must like magical horses. Who doesn’t like talking rainbow unicorns?”
I try to act very serious when I say this, but the horrified look he gives me when I place the book in his hand is just too funny. It gives me the encouragement I need to continue teasing him.
“What about this one?” I say, handing him When the Crayons Quit. “Crayons get such a bad rap. Everybody is like ‘Oh, crayons are for babies. Colored pencils are for big boys and girls.’”
I keep shoving books at him until he gives in to my silliness and plays along.
“Nope. These books are way too mature for me. Do they have The Hungry Caterpillar or books about the American Girl dolls? The ones about Josephina and Felicity are my favs.”
I look at him in shocked horror. “You know the names of American Girl dolls?”
“Yeah. Like I said, they’re my favorites.”
I walk over to the American Girl book section and begin to take a couple off the shelf before Ryder clutches his stomach and bends over laughing hysterically.
“I’m just messin’ with you, Elizabeth.”
