AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can we go to sleep now? I’m almost due and this may be one of the last few good night’s sleep I’ll get for a while,” she drawled.
Kissing her neck again, I squeezed her hip gently and whispered, “Sure… love you, Baby.”
Not long after Harper’s breathing evened out and became deeper, I fell asleep listening to the breaths of the woman who breathed new life into me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“Jesus, you’re cutting it short for a shotgun wedding,” Dorian stated, with his hands on his hips, as he stared at Harper’s belly when I asked him to be my best man. The method to my madness was that he’d arrange everything while I concentrated on my girls.
Four days later, I got my wish to marry Harper, and she got hers to marry in privacy on our property. The similarities for privacy between Harper and Grace didn’t pass me by.
Harper knew exactly what she wanted, and even though I offered her a far more befitting event, she was determined to have the last say and had Matty, my mom, Dinah, and Diane do the catering. The food was simple: beef Wellington or chicken Parmesan, and an assortment of delicious salads and noodle dishes, joking a carb heavy diet was every expectant mom’s right.
Angus and Dinah, Grace’s parents, were delighted when Harper called them to tell them our news. They had already given Harper their blessing. Dinah cried, but she knew about the letter, and although it must have been hard for her, she told Harper she couldn’t have wished for anyone better for me. Dinah told Harper it was bittersweet, but she was happy that my girl was going to be Layla’s new mom.
The wedding itself was a very low-key affair, but perfect according to Harper. As our close families and friends gathered around in the meadow, our altar was an arch made of fall colors and a carpet of fallen leaves in vivid oranges, reds, greens, and browns lay beneath our feet.
Harper insisted on no new dress. Instead staying casual in a white smock top and matching stretchy pants and flip-flops, because her feet were so swollen, joking was her final defense in the event the guys from People, Cosmopolitan or Rolling Stone magazines came snooping.
The only concession she made to her appearance was a Grecian braid with a few pieces of baby’s breath threaded through it. She looked radiant and stunning. Naturally Layla had the same hairstyle, but had a new pink frilly dress and wore this with some new tan leather cowboy boots underneath.
The pastor was one my mom had talked into coming with her from Delaware because Harper was paranoid about asking someone local, in the event it sparked interest from the press. Derek and Dorian sorted out the license; all we had to do was sign it.
It may not have appeared special, but we thought it was perfect, given our circumstances. However, Harper insisted she’d made no compromise, because pregnant or not, famous or not, our wedding was exactly how she had wanted it to be— minus the bump.
We wanted a fresh start from the moment our new baby was born, and for us that meant making sure Layla was happy and knew the plan before the baby’s arrival.
The most notable thing about the quick no fuss exchange of commitment was our vows. Harper humbled everyone with her sensitivity and unreserved thought for Grace’s parents and all who knew her.
My Vows to Harper
Take my hand; let me guide you from the darkness of grief.
You never spoke those words, Harper, but you silently showed me the way.
You taught me grief can’t be rushed; to each person it’s an undefinable question of time.
My time was long; in my mind, my soul was lost forever—but I was wrong.
Finding it was a troubled path but a path that led to a new destination.
You, Harper, are my new destination.
Love isn’t only experienced, defined as passion, or the feeling of excitable butterflies and skipped heartbeats.
Sometimes love is born from nurturing, from having empathy, from wiping tears, and facing fears.
Through you, I’ve learned there are a hundred ways to love.
Each one an eternal blessing, each one a valuable lesson, each one a special gift.
I give myself to you and thank God for the new joy I have found in being with you.
Thank you for being the light in my darkness, Baby. I’m forever yours.
Harper’s Vows
Cole, I stand before you today, not to take a place or replace,
