Sixteen

The next morning I felt a strange sense of calmness – a feeling I hadn't felt in what seemed a long time. At least, as far as the nausea is concerned. I want to talk to whoever said pregnancy felt amazing because they were sorely mistaken. Sitting up in bed, I carefully inched my way out of bed as to not wake up Alex. Getting dressed in a comfortable light-weight hoodie and leggings. I made my way into the kitchen to make Alex his coffee before grabbing a banana for myself.

It was nearly nine and I knew he would be up by the time his coffee was made. A soft ping from my phone notified me of Tabitha, Nova, and Emma's arrival. And as my fiancé softly slept, I left for a day of overwhelming shopping. Sometimes I wonder how I get myself into these messes.

Climbing into Tabitha's jeep, I sat next to Emmy who was fast asleep next to Nova while Emma sat at the passenger seat. Loretta, Aunt Christie, and Sabrina would be joining us for our dress shopping and getting our nails done. The wedding was a few weeks away and I wanted everything to go as smooth as possible.

Making our way to Savannah, I couldn't help but stare in awe at the historical buildings I hadn't noticed before. As we pulled into the shop, we exited with a sense of sheer excitement. Following everyone inside, we were immediately greeted by an associate who showed us where they held their bridal dresses. I didn't want anything flamboyant and I also didn't want a constrictive dress. So, we began searching for an empire waist gown that would be my most cherished item of clothing.

Running my hands over the rack of clothing, I skim through the options, trying to find the perfect dress. Grabbing a white gown from the rack, I lay it up against my body just as Sabrina came over carrying a stack of dresses for me to try on. I just hope this is the only store we go to.

After an hour of looking and trying on clothes, we finally found the dress I was looking for. Lace lined the bodice and the skirt was flowy just how I liked it. Paying for the gown, we made our way to the nail salon where we stayed for about forty-five minutes. After lunch the girls and I were supposed to work on the bouquets and the boutonnieres that Alex and Dan would be wearing.

We decided our colors would be blue and silver to represent the sea and as we would be having the ceremony on the beach, we don't need to decorate as much. I just hope the weather holds up. My flowers we're mix of roses, lilies, and various greenery; I absolutely loved them. As I knew it would be a small ceremony of friends and family, we knew that most everyone would wear light and airy attire and we didn't see the need to buy shoes or myself or my bridesmaids as they would already own sandals.

As we pulled up the drive to Alex and I's house, I still couldn't believe that I would be married in just two weeks.

*

The morning of the wedding came quicker than anyone could have expected. Nova worked on my eye makeup before helping me in my dress. My stomach twisted into knots as the giddiness and overwhelming nerves set in. I still couldn't believe that in only a few hours I would be married.

Nova noticed my expression first and turned to me, "Hey, just breathe." And I only nodded as she ran the brush through my hair to try to get the untamed knots from forming in my red hair as well, "Everything will be alright."

"I know, I know." I sighed, "I'm just nervous."

"There's nothing to be nervous about." Emma said from the corner of the room as she pinned up her hair. "You're marrying the man of your dreams. He loves you and you love him and you will raise a bunch of children together and live a long and happy life."

"Right," Tabitha agreed, "And we'll be with you every step of the way."

"Okay," I nodded, "I'm just glad my morning sickness is gone."

Nova laughed, "Right, that would have been awful!"

"So," Emma said, "Can I find out what you're having yet? Because these two refuse to tell me."

"Everyone will find out at the reception. And we've already decided on a name." I replied, refraining from mentioning the fact that we were having twins.

"What! I can't wait that long!" She grinned and continued her work on her hair.

Just as Nova was finishing with my hair someone knocked on my bedroom door to notify us that the boys had left for the beach. Nova helped me up and I grabbed my flowers before we walked together to the car. I felt all of my worries drift away as I thought about the life I would lead with Alex and our children and I knew I was ready for whatever life threw at us. We would go through it together as husband and wife.

Grinning from ear – to – ear as we parked, we made our way out and into the salt-filled air. Picking up my skirt, I made my way up the steps of the boardwalk towards the beach and my wedding ceremony. It was relatively cooler than usual so there weren't a lot of swimmers out today.

I stopped mid-step when I saw him standing in the sand, his pant legs were rolled up as if he wanted to wade in the water and he smiled over at me. I couldn't help but grin as I walked towards him, towards the same green eyes that captivated me so long ago and for possibly the fourth time since we've been together, I knew I was right where I belonged. And as we said our vows standing in the sand on a tiny little island in Georgia, we both knew our lives would never be the same after that.