Can't Buy Me Love (11 page)

FIFTEEN

N
ervous?”

Garrett's question didn't disturb Reid's focus on the still-closed carved wooden doors at the back of the church. His sister and Elisabeth were already walking down the aisle—when would the doors open again and reveal Bellamy?

“No.”

Reid's answer must have been louder than he'd meant for it to be because a soft wave of laughter sounded through the small group of guests seated in the first few rows at the front of the church.

“No.” He lowered his voice. “Eager. Ready to do this.”

The pianist transitioned to the opening notes of “Song of the Heart,” causing Reid's own pulse rate to quicken.

No more waiting.

It'd taken a near-miracle to pull off a wedding in less than three weeks—but between Reid's mother and one of the top wedding coordinators in New York, a Manhattan destination wedding do-over came together.

But only after he and Bellamy sat down and talked with both sets of parents and then discussed the budget together.

His favorite part?

Watching his mother present his bride-to-be with the stunning wedding gown they both thought had been won by some unknown woman at the hospital charity auction.

Bellamy glanced back and forth between Reid and his mother. “How did you . . . but you didn't . . .”

“No, I didn't win the gown.” Reid could have laughed out loud at the Cheshire Cat smile on his mother's face. “But my mother did, with the help of a willing accomplice.”

“A friend?”

“No.” His mother took over the explanation. “If I'd asked a friend or even a board member to assist me, I knew Reid might have recognized them. So I requested the aid of an absolute stranger to bid on the gown. Of course, I assured the woman that my husband would pay for her winning bid.”

“Mr. Stanton paid for the dress?”

“Indeed he did. And my instructions were for her to outbid anyone. I never expected she'd be outbidding our son.”

The doors swung open and Bellamy stepped from the foyer into the church, escorted by her father. But Reid saw his future father-in-law as a mere shadow in the soft golden glow that was his bride.

Bellamy's dark hair was pulled off her face, held back by a jeweled clasp of some sort, allowing him to see the curve of her jaw, the length of neck and shoulder. The brooches in her bouquet mirrored the shimmer of the barrette in her hair.

Reid could have been distracted by the vaulted ceiling of the historic church—or by the grand stained-glass windows along the walls that allowed the winter sunlight to stream in and cast a glow onto the small gathering of friends and family. He could even stop and ponder the significance of how his parents and grandparents had spoken their wedding vows here.

I'll be looking at you, Reid. Only you.

Even the echo of Bellamy's promise last night just after he'd given her one last “until tomorrow” kiss couldn't distract Reid from watching his bride walk toward him.

Yes, he'd seen her in the dress on the night of the auction. But today . . . today the notes of the piano seemed to draw her ever closer . . . to become his
wife
.

Bellamy loved him—imperfect as he was.

And he loved her.

And together, with God's help and his lavish grace, they would discover what loving each other truly meant.

From this day forward.

• • • 

For months Bellamy had pinned bits and pieces of a Manhattan destination wedding—haphazard glimpses of happily ever after—to virtual Pinterest boards.

Now all of those bits and pieces became her wedding day. All of her daydreams and the weeks when her heart shattered into a million tiny pieces of heartache. And then God miraculously wove broken hearts and broken dreams back together again with invisible threads of forgiveness and love spoken with truth.

The minister's voice refocused her attention to the ceremony.

“Reid and Bellamy, please take each other's right hands.”

Reid's strong grip embraced her hand. Warm. Solid.

“This is the hand of the person who will become your best friend.” The minister's words were for them alone.

“You are holding each other's hands as you promise before God and these other witnesses to love each other all the days of your lives.

“These are the hands that will work together as you build your future and make your dreams a reality. Remember that unless the Lord builds the house, they who labor, labor in vain.

“These are the hands that will comfort you in illness and trials, and share the joy and happiness of life together. The Word tells us not to be surprised by trials and tough times.

“These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you all through the years. Remember that you are to consider each other more important than yourself. Submit yourselves to each other out of love.

“May you always hold each other and give strength to each other to hold on to the covenant you make to each other and to God today no matter the storms and stresses of life. Remind each other that your hope and strength is in trusting God together.”

Within moments, she and Reid spoke their vows. Her voice trembled. His was vibrant. Sure.

“Reid, you may now kiss your bride.”

A familiar glint lit her groom's eyes and Bellamy had to stifle a giggle.

She kept her voice low, even as she offered a warning. “Don't you dare, Reid Stanton!”

“Don't I dare what?” He whispered the words even as he drew her closer. “Kiss you? Of course I'm going to kiss you.”

“Be nice. We're in church.”

And then he kissed her . . . and the feel of his lips against hers was oh so nice, with just the right hint of more to come.

Applause mixed with a few exuberant whistles broke them apart, and heat stained Bellamy's cheeks.

“I look forward to continuing that later.”

“
Shhh
. The minister can hear you.” Bellamy refused to look at the gray-haired man standing between them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Reid and Bellamy Stanton!”

Applause erupted again, along with the beginning strains of their recessional.

“Shall we go, Mrs. Stanton?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Stanton.”

Reid swept her off her feet and up into his arms.

“What are you doing?” Bellamy clung to her brooch bouquet, her arm slung over Reid's shoulders, their guests disappearing in a blur.

“Making a break for it!” His long strides took them past their astonished guests and into the church foyer and out the doors.

“Reid, stop! We can't—” Laughter interrupted Bellamy's protests. “—we can't run away from our family and friends! They were expecting a receiving line.”

“Change of plans.”

Reid's hasty exit caught the waiting reporters unawares, who hustled to snap photographs as the driver assisted Reid in getting Bellamy into the silver limousine.

“Well, that worked exactly as I'd hoped.” Reid waved to the photographers and then helped arrange her dress before settling back into the seat as the limo pulled away.

“That was brilliant! To be honest, I'd forgotten all about the media.”

“Thank you. And now, we shall enjoy an impromptu ride through Manhattan—a few minutes of peace and quiet—and then we'll show up at the reception, after we've caught our breath. And shared a few kisses.”

“Did anyone else know about your plan?”

“Yes.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and pressed a warm kiss to her neck. “I told my mother, like a good son. Now I'm going to kiss you breathless like a very good husband—”

“But I wanted to see the city lights—”

“We can do that later, at the reception. There's an excellent view of the Manhattan skyline, remember?”

And with that, Reid pushed the button so that the divider screen rose, separating them from the driver.

SIXTEEN

W
e've kept people waiting—” Bellamy slipped her hand into Reid's as they stood just outside their reception.

“This is our party, Mrs. Stanton. And from what I see, everyone seems to be having a lovely time. I don't think they missed us at all.” Reid scanned the room. “Having Francine take everyone's photos before we arrived was an excellent idea.”

The planner had captured their vision, transforming the empty loft into a site of romantic elegance. The back walls were covered in thick white material, while floor-to-ceiling windows provided a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline at night. Small rectangular tables covered with shimmering gold tablecloths were clustered at one end of the room. Tall glass tapers of various heights lined the middle of the tables, topped with white pillar candles. Between each pair of candles were short, mirrored vases filled with white gardenias. Resting on the glass dinner plates were starched napkins that matched the tablecloths and small rectangular menu placards.

At the opposite end of the room, a dance floor had been set up, along with a live band, with the musicians now playing soft instrumental music, suitable for the pre-dinner reception. Guests mingled, having indulged in the appetizers and drinks.

“One more thing to add to their memories of this week. We saw the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza again. We ice-skated in Bryant Park. We wandered Little Italy and stuffed ourselves with Italian food. We even saw the Rockettes, which I must admit was a favorite of mine.”

“And we got married.” Reid lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, offering her a wink. “Now, I do believe it is time that we are once again introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Stanton. And then we can really get this party started.”

After the band's vocalist introduced them, their small wedding party assembled at one of the tables.

Elisabeth sat back and showed off her teal shoes. “I must say, I love these, Belle.”

“A brilliant decision.” Lydia slipped her foot next to Elisabeth's, so that the tiny crystals adorning the back of the shoe twinkled in the overhead lighting.

With a laugh, Bellamy revealed her own high heels adorned with the smallest brooch-like adornment on the toe. “Well, we all needed a bit of bling, don't you think?”

Garrett and William, who wore traditional black tuxedos and navy-blue ties that matched Elisabeth and Lydia's dresses, pretended to
ooh
and
aah
over their cuff links.

Lydia examined her bouquet that glinted in the candlelight. “This is stunning. Are you still thinking of starting your own business?”

“I'm considering it—”

“No talking business.” Reid cut off the conversation. “Tonight is all about celebrating. All pleasure, if you please.”

Although he spoke to his sister, his eyes rested on Bellamy, a hidden message in them that caused her breath to catch in her throat.

A drumroll from the band stopped her thoughts from wandering to later tonight when she and Reid would be taking the limo to the Plaza Hotel.

Both her parents and Reid's parents stood before the assembled guests, wineglasses in their hands. Her father stepped forward, and Bellamy realized he also held a cordless microphone.

“Good evening and welcome to the celebration. I'm Keith Hillman, the father of the bride. We're breaking with tradition tonight. Mr. and Mrs. Stanton here—” The sound of Mr. Stanton clearing his throat caused her father to stop. “Pardon me. Bruce and Ava and my wife and I wanted to start off by toasting our children.”

“Seems we come by the whole ‘impromptu' thing honestly.” Reid's whisper, followed up with a kiss pressed just below her ear, sent a shiver down her neck.

“Will everyone please join my wife and me as we make this toast?” Her father and mother raised their glasses. “To our daughter Bellamy, and our new son, Reid. Our family has expanded, once again—and we thank God. Bellamy, you were always known as our ‘the end' child. Well, as many of you know, the ending of the story is so important. It can leave you disappointed . . . or it can be so satisfying you close the book with a smile on your face. Bellamy, in you, God gave us the perfect ending to the Hillman family. To Bellamy Hillman Stanton.”

Within in the shelter of her husband's arms, Bellamy blinked back tears to a chorus of “To Bellamy.”

“And now a toast to our son, Reid.” Reid's father stepped up beside Bellamy's. “I always told my wife I was happy with the perfect pair—a son and a daughter. I've learned that none of us is perfect, but that a family is where we learn to love and forgive one another. Reid, I am so thankful that when your mother and I prayed for our first child, God answered our prayers with you. And I am just as thankful that when we prayed for your wife, he answered our prayers with Bellamy. To Reid Stanton, whom I know will continue to become the man God created him to be.”

Reid's eyes glistened in the candlelight. “I . . . have no words.”

Garrett rested his hand on his shoulder. “Nothing to be said after a toast like that.”

The bandleader took over then.

“We'll have more toasts later, but now we'd like Reid and Bellamy to enjoy their first dance as husband and wife.”

As the notes of “When I Fall in Love” swirled around them, Bellamy rested her head against Reid's chest.

“Happy?” Reid's whisper was a caress.

“No.”

“No?” He leaned away from her so he could look into her eyes.

“I'm beyond happy. I'm . . . I'm . . . I can't even express how I feel. All I know is I love you and today is the most wonderful day ever. Ever.”

“Funny thing.” Reid moved them in a slow circle, his voice low.

“What?”

“That's exactly how I feel.” His arms tightened around her. “Thank you for saying yes, again, Bellamy.”

“Thank you for asking again, Reid.” Bellamy embraced the magic of the moment. “And just so you know—”

“What?”

“It will always be yes.”