[Edward POV]
Rows of antique wooden chairs lined a hand-swept aisle made of flower petals. At the altar, a wild arch of eucalyptus, dried lavender, and soft white roses frad the mountains in the distance like a painting.
It was rustic, sure—but elegant.
I stood with Pepper at the edge of the hilltop venue, watching the last-minute arrangents being fussed over by people in headsets.
"Pepper," I said, nodding approvingly. "You’ve outdone yourself."
Pepper pushed off his microphone headset and turned to . "It’s hard to say that and sound humble, so it’s really lovely to hear it from soone else."
"Especially soone with taste," Renaldo chid in, and the duo burst into laughter together.
My black groomsman suit fit just right—custom-tailored, sharp. But my job today wasn’t to stand at the altar or to smile for pictures. It was to play piano.
I made my way to the corner of the barn where a vintage baby grand piano stood waiting, polished until it glead.
I sat down at the keys, giving them a test run.
The truth was, I asked to play during the procession because I couldn’t—wouldn’t—walk one of the bridesmaids down the aisle.
Not that I didn’t want to. My girlfriend had made it very clear, in that warm-but-scary way, that "walking her down the aisle is not an option, babe."
So I had to choose between Abby, Haley, or Taylor. Only those three options.
Alex walked toward , holding a cara in her hand, wearing a slightly sexy dress that hugged her body, a flower lapel on her chest.
"So, are you hiding out from the war draft?" Alex guessed teasingly.
"Switzerland. Neutral. That’s my choice," I said playfully, which made her cackle.
The backlash made dizzy sotis, so sitting down and playing the piano was a good thing.
The morning of the wedding, Frankie sat down and asked about the ability I’ve showcased. She also guessed that Sage was my ntor and that she had so kind of ability too, without saying anything.
It seed she connected the dots by herself. But for so reason, she looked kinda excited to be let into the secret. She understood why I was hiding it and promised not to press on the matter ever again.
"Are you going to sing once the bride and groom have finished with their vows?" Alex asked.
"Actually, no. I’ll sing at the banquet, but not that one. Cam managed to convince Pepper to let him sing."
"Ugh." Alex groaned and rolled her eyes. Then she took out her cello from its case and sat next to .
I looked at her and teased, "Why? Do you want to hear my voice so much?"
Bashful, Alex said, "Shut it! Let’s practice a bit."
"Wait for Finneas. He’s playing the violin," I said, much to Alex’s dissatisfaction. It seed playing together with her ex-boyfriend was annoying to her.
As Finneas ca, the three of us started to practice the musical accompanint for when the bride walked down the aisle.
Pachelbel – Canon in D Major.
Ti passed by, and the seats were all filled.
Soone gave the signal. A warm breeze rustled the hanging flower garlands. Then, the mont that made everyone sit up.
The groom and the officiant t at the altar. The officiant was Dwayne. He got ordained for the wedding because my dad wanted him to marry them.
The groomsn entered one by one. The girls gave a glare as they linked arms with older n—friends of my dad, even my uncle Aaron. All of them wore matching turquoise silk dresses and golden heels.
The ring bearers arrived. A gasp, then laughter and applause rippled across the guests.
Down the aisle padded Vader, the black cat—regal and glossy—with a small velvet satchel tied to his back. He walked together with Lily, who was the flower girl.
"Get ready. The bride is coming," Pepper notified us. We imdiately changed the music to Here Cos the Bride as Frankie began to walk down the aisle with her sister, Jackie.
She threw her father aside as she didn’t feel he deserved to walk her down the aisle. I agreed with her. Even Alana, the ghost of her sister, agreed with her.
I noticed it with my senses. It was as if Alana was walking with Jackie and Frankie too—down the aisle.
Frankie’s dress had a clear sign of being stitched up. I could return the dress to its normal state, but Frankie wanted it that way. She said it suited her. The little imperfections made it better.
As Frankie reached the end of the aisle, I stopped playing the music. Amy helped Jackie find her seat.
Dwayne cleared his throat, attracting everyone’s attention. He smiled and began the ceremony.
"Friends, family, ranch animals... we’re gathered here today to witness and celebrate sothing rare. A union—not just of two people, but of everything they’ve carried, everything they’ve survived, and everything they still dare to dream together."
He looked at the couple. The couple smiled at each other.
"Francesca Dart and Theodore Newgate have chosen each other. Fully. Deliberately. And today, in front of all of you, they’re going to say so—out loud."
He paused to let the silence breathe.
"I’ve known the couple separately, and I’ve known the couple together. Believe when I say, they were already amazing as individuals, but together, they shined brighter than they ever were."
He turned to Frankie and said, "I believe you have written your vows?"
Frankie nodded and locked eyes with Ted.
"Ted, if soone told five years ago I would find soone to spend the rest of my life with, I would probably just nod politely then erase it from my mind.
I’ve been distancing myself from love, and I didn’t believe that I could ever be happy. Until I t you. Now, instead of running from love, I want to run to you.
Ted, you make the happiest woman in the world." Frankie’s voice broke, and she added, "You made happy without feeling guilty about being this way.
I love you, and I will continue to love you, every single day of my life."
Dwayne wiped his tears and said, "Rings?"
Claire took the ring box from Vader and gave it to Frankie. The bride then slid the ring on the groom’s finger while both of them shared a laugh.
"Ted, your turn," Dwayne said calmly.
My dad huffed a nervous breath, which made the audience chuckle a bit.
"Frankie, you ca into my life unexpectedly. I never thought that I would be able to fall in love again, but you slowly organized your way into my heart."
The audience chuckled again.
"I love you, and I will always love you. You amaze . You’re the final puzzle piece that I never thought I needed."
Ted put the ring on Frankie after Phil gave it to him.
"Francesca Dart, do you take Theodore Newgate as your husband..."
"Theodore Newgate, do you take Francesca Dart to be your wife..."
"I do/I do."
When the vows ended, there was barely a dry eye in the venue.
"You may now kiss the bride," Dwayne declared with a grin.
They did. The crowd erupted into applause.
Cam stepped up to the small microphone stand tucked beside the altar. He cleared his throat, took one calming breath, and then sang:
♫♪ At last... my love has co along...
My lonely days are over...
And life is like a song... ♫♪
Ohh yeahh~~
Frankie and Ted walked away, glancing at Cam awkwardly as he was so enthused in singing the song. It was as if he was trying to turn the attention away from the bride to himself.
Mitchell and Lily covered their eyes, fully embarrassed by Cam’s antics.
...
"Edward, stop gorging yourself and get on the stage!" Alex scolded and pulled away from the bridesmaids feeding .
"Thank God, Alex. I was almost devoured by those girls," I said, fixing my hair and tux.
"Did they have a bottle of champagne? Why are they so..." Alex trailed off.
"Horny?" Finneas finished her sentence.
"Easy?" Billie guessed.
"Slutty," I added.
"Hey! That’s my sister you’re talking about... However accurately."
Alex tightened her cello bow. Billie tapped a few warm up notes on the keyboard. Finneas twirled the drumsticks between his fingers, nodding at the tempo he’s practicing in his mind.
I slung a guitar over my shoulder, stepped up to the mic, and cleared my throat. The stage lights dimd slightly.
I leaned into the mic, dropped my voice to that lazy, sleazy vibe of a wedding deejay.
"Will the bride and groom please take the floor for their first dance?"
Sage dragged a chair behind lazily, poked my back to get my attention and gestured for to sit when I turned to her.
"Thanks Sage." I told her, but she ignored and went back to her seat.
Alex squinted at . "Edward, are you okay? You look... off."
"No," I whispered, smirking. "But my legs feel weak."
Finneas and Billie traded a look.
Frankie and Dad made their way to the center of the floor, finally freed from the barrage of well-wishers.
I adjusted the mic stand, tapped the pickup on my guitar.
"Ted, since you have an incredible son who can apparently do everything, this is my wedding gift. A new song tonight. The song is titled, "Thinking Out Loud"."
I strumd the first chord.
The sound rang out warm and clear. I slid smoothly into the lyrics.
"♫♪ When your legs don’t work like they used to before... And I can’t sweep you off of your feet... ♫♪"
A hush fell over the crowd. My bandmates didn’t miss the notes and joined in the performance smoothly.
Frankie and Dad took their place on the dance floor, swaying in slow motion.
"♫♪ Will your mouth still rember the taste of my love? ♫♪"
Vanessa sighed next to Abby. "Ugh. I wanna dance with him."
"♫♪ Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks? ♫♪"
The spotlight ward my face. I closed my eyes for a beat and sang straight from the diaphragm, holding the notes with just enough quiver to make it intimate.
"♫♪ And darlin’, I will be lovin’ you... till we’re seventy... ♫♪"
Murmurs fluttered through the crowd. Couples began to gravitate to the dance floor. And the ones who weren’t dancing—just stared.
"♫♪ And baby, my heart could still fall as hard at twenty-three!! ♫♪
"♫♪ And I’m thinkin’ ’bout how~♫♪"
With the soft lighting turning into my spotlight, I smiled at the audience, which made a lot of them swoon. Even though I was sitting, it didn’t downgrade the performance.
Vanessa wiped her drool and said, "Well, this is great too."
"♫♪ People fall in love in mysterious ways~! Maybe just the touch of a hand~!
Well, , I fall in love with you every single day! And I just wanna tell you I am~~! ♫♪"
Claire comnted, "We were robbed. He’s supposed to sing before, not Cam."
"Yup. I literally have goosebumps right now. Look." Desire said, pointing to her cleavage.
Claire was taken aback, "Why would you get goosebumps there?!"
"♫♪ So honey, now, take into your lovin’ arms!♫♪"
"The song really suits a wedding." Mitchell comnted.
" Kiss under the light of a thousand stars! And place your head on my beatin’ heart, I’m thinkin’ out loud~ Maybe we found love right where we are ♫♪"
My dad held Frankie’s waist tightly, leading her during the dance. Frankie smiled and said, "Ted, I didn’t know you have dancing skills."
"My son made learn it before the wedding. He insisted, not wanting for to make a fool of myself."
He twirled her around and then grabbed her again, locking eyes with her passionately.
"♫♪ When my hair’s all but gone and my mory fades. And the crowds don’t rember my na ♫♪"
Taylor noticed the lyrics. "Hmm? Is this..."
"♫♪ When my hands don’t play the strings the sa way, mmm...I know you will still love the sa ♫♪"
"♫♪ ’Cause, honey, your soul could never grow old, it’s evergreen! And baby, your smile’s forever in my mind and mory ♫♪"
A few couples joined the bride and groom and danced.
"♫♪ I’m thinkin’ ’bout how! People fall in love in mysterious ways! And maybe it’s all part of a plan! Oh, I’ll just keep on makin’ the sa mistakes! Hoping that you’ll understand ♫♪"
"Is he turning this into a concert?" Abby said with glee. "That’s good too. I have never been to one of his concerts."
f.(r)eewe/bnov\ll
"♫♪ That, baby, now, take into your lovin’ arms!
Kiss under the light of a thousand stars!
Place your head on my beatin’ heart, I’m thinkin’ out loud!
And maybe we found love right where we are, oh-oh ♫♪"
Alex, Finneas and Billie smiled in satisfaction as they saw people were enjoying the song. I turned and winked at my girlfriend, which made her blow a kiss.
♫♪ So baby, now, take into your lovin’ arms
And kiss under the light of a thousand stars, oh, darlin’
Place your head on my beatin’ heart, I’m thinkin’ out loud♫♪
♫♪ That maybe we found love right where we are ♫♪
♫♪Oh, maybe we found love right where we are ♫♪
♫♪ And we found love right where we are ♫♪
My dad and Frankie stopped dancing and applauded the performance. The others also followed their lead and clapped too.
I sang a few songs before going back to enjoy the party, leaving the evening to the deejay.
...
The party continued till midnight. They cut the cake, a 4-story strawberry cake with white frosting. Jenna was quite sad because she couldn’t eat it, as she had strawberry allergies, but Max was kind enough to bake her a small chocolate cake.
After my performance, I sat down next to my mother. She was watching the bride and groom with a soft smile on her face.
"Are you happy for them?" I asked.
My mom turned to , trying to act childishly, "Edward. Of course I’m happy for them."
"Don’t pretend. There’s no way your kid self would let this cake sit still in front of her without devouring it in the first 3 seconds," I exposed her.
Her expression turned calr, and she turned to the bride and groom again.
"I am... I am happy for them. Ted deserves it, especially after he put up with for years."
The adult self of my mother returned to see her ex-husband at his wedding.
"He never blad you," I said to my mother.
She showed a strained smile and said, "I highly doubt that."
"It’s true regardless," I said casually, jabbing her cake with a fork. She smiled and pushed the plate towards .
"It’s a party. Go dance and be with your friends," she told with a soft tone. I held her hand and said, "You know, you can be happy too, right? Just return ho."
She shook her head and said, "I don’t know, Edward. I don’t think I can ever do that."
I nodded and said, "It’s fine if you don’t know. But, know this. I will never give up trying."
She smiled, and then her expression changed again. With a childish voice, she grabbed her plate back and said, "Hey! You thief!"
I snorted, feeling slightly bitter inside. Then, I scoffed and teased her, "That’s my cake! You’re stealing from ."
"What?! Wait. When did we get here?!" she asked in confusion.
My aunt rushed toward , grabbing a chair and interjecting herself into the conversation hurriedly, "Edward. Wh–What are you doing with Mir?"
We decided to call her Mir for the 6-year-old ntal state.
I shrugged and said, "Interrogating her."
"Wait. Edward. She didn’t shoot the dress. I promise! Although I found the gun in her room, I think she just grabbed it from the ga. She didn’t do it," my aunt said anxiously.
Mir blinked slowly, not understanding the subtext behind Camila’s anxiousness. Then, she ate the cake without caring about the topic of conversation.
I smiled, teasing my aunt, "Really? And how are you so sure?"
"I just know! Edward, please don’t tell anyone about it," my aunt begged.
I burst into laughter, which made my aunt get taken aback. As I laughed, I told her, "I already knew who did it. It’s not her, so you can rest easy."
My aunt finally breathed in relief. She asked, "Who did it then?"
"I’m not going to tell you. You should go and dance. You must’ve been quite stressed out. It’s hard for to imagine you’re enjoying the party with everything weighing around on your chest."
I reassured my aunt for a while, and she decided to dance with Mir.
I was invited to dance a couple of tis. With Enid, Jenna, Haley, Taylor, Abby, and even Vanessa.
The night went on, and people were getting progressively drunker. I decided to go back to my cabin to get so rest.
However, before I could take off my clothes, my girlfriend barged into the room.
"Edward, nice timing." She wanted to say sothing, but I interrupted her.
"Vanessa, I know what you’ve been trying to do all week. And if I’m honest, I’d be glad to do it. But I’m not going to. Do you know why?"
She was slightly taken aback as I grabbed her by the shoulder. "Because you’re afraid of it doing sothing to our relationship?"
I nodded and said, "Terrified. I don’t want to jeopardize what we’ve got just for a few hours of... well, you know?"
Vanessa was silent for a while, and then she smiled. "Yeah. I get that."
I turned around, and she suddenly grabbed from behind. "But you know, Edward? The more you act like this, the more convinced I am that I’m not doing sothing wrong."
She took off my tie and then pushed onto the bed. She climbed on top of and whispered seductively,"If you’re really bothered, then we can do it like this."
She tied the tie over my eyes, covering my view. Then, I heard the sound of the door opening again.
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