Boarded by Love
Page 90
A small tear streams down my face, and I wipe it away quickly. “I love you. Thank you.”
She kisses my cheek and leans her head on my shoulder. I hear a camera again, and I hope that shot came out. I want it, but just in case, I mentally lock this moment away.
“It’s time, guys.”
I turn to see that it’s Reese’s dad, Blake, and I smile. “Hey, Papa.”
He smiles and says, “Hey, sweet girl, you look gorgeous.”
“Thanks. You clean up nicely.”
He laughs as he comes up beside us. “I try to for weddings.”
Reese turns then, meeting her father’s gaze. “You look stunning, baby – my last girl to get married.”
Tears fill Reese’s eyes as she nods. “I can’t believe it.”
“Me either, darling, come here.”
I choke back the tears as they hug tightly, and I watch as he whispers something in Reese’s ear. Sensing it is a private moment, I look away and suck in a deep breath. I wonder if Phillip and I will be a blubbering mess at my wedding. More than likely so. Not that I’m thinking of my own wedding – that’s far away – but still, I can’t wait for that moment. I used to see myself marrying a dancer, but now I have my eyes set on one hell of a sexy hockey player.
“Okay, it’s time, Ms. Allen,” Ginny, the wedding planner that Phillip hired yesterday, says. “Claire, you’re first.”
I grab my bouquet of blue irises and yellow Gerbera daisies and then hand Reese hers. Following Ginny down the halls, we come to a big black door and I know on the other side is my uncle, waiting for his bride. I look back at Reese and smile. Even with her eyes full of tears, she looks so beautiful, almost like she stepped out of a bridal magazine. Reaching out, she squeezes my shoulder and mouths that she loves me. I say the same back and then the doors open and I start out behind Harper’s daughter Ally and Elli’s daughters Shelli and Posey, as they throw little yellow flowers all over the aisle in their cute little blue dresses.
With a huge smile on my face, I walk slowly as all eyes land on me. Searching the packed room, I find Jude off to the side, sitting all alone with a great big grin on his face. My heart skips a beat at the desire that swirls in his green eyes. He looks dashing in a black tux jacket, a royal blue shirt underneath it with no tie. His hair is combed to the side, giving him a classic look, and I’m glad he is all mine. Giving him a grin that I hope he knows is just for him, I tear my gaze off him to make sure I don’t run into anything and find that Phillip is watching me, a proud smile on his face. Stopping in my spot, I turn to look back at the doors I just walked through, waiting for Reese to come in. In the front row is the whole Allen family, minus her dad at the moment.
What kills me the most though is when I look over at the other side where Phillip and my family is supposed to sit, it’s only full of hockey players. We don’t have family. Only each other and Reese, and I guess Miles, but even he is sitting in the back, not in the front, supporting his brother. Swallowing the tears from the pain of not having anyone here to support him or even me, for that matter, I blink a few times. Thankfully though, I look down the aisle where the door opens and Reese appears on her father’s arm, looking completely breathtaking.
I look over at Phillip, and the grin that is on his face lights up the whole room. He doesn’t need anyone; he has Reese. That’s all he needs. But to my surprise, he looks over at me, all the love in the world in his eyes as he jerks a thumb toward Reese.
“Hot, huh?”
I laugh along with everyone else; even Reese is laughing as she closes the distance between them. I watch, fighting the tears as Papa Blake gives Reese to Phillip, making him promise first that he will love her for the rest of his life. Of course, Phillip agrees, but unlike at the rehearsal where he brought Reese up to the altar, he pushes the birdcage veil up and cups her face, pressing his lips to hers. Everyone gasps and laughs but I didn’t expect anything else. This is my uncle we’re talking about.
“I didn’t say you could do that yet,” the preacher calls out as they part.
Phillip waves him off. “Do you see how gorgeous she is? I can’t wait that long to kiss the love of my life,” he says, his eyes locked on Reese’s.
And that’s when the tears fall.
Wiping them away, I watch as they come up to the altar and the wedding starts. It’s all a blur, really. I’m a weeping mess, and I know I should pay attention to all the undying love talk, but all I can do is wipe my tears and thank God that these two found each other.
“Now, you two have written your own vows, yes?” the preacher asks and they both nod. “Then let’s have at it, Reese?”
I can’t see her face, but I know she has to be smiling because Phillip is smiling big enough for the both of them.
“I didn’t want to love you when I first met you,” she says, and I can hear the collective murmurs through the crowd, but I ignore them. “I was supposed to live my single life with no cares in the world, but then you came along and threw those plans out the window. Now that I have you, Phillip, I couldn’t imagine life without you. You not only brought your love to me, you brought Claire, and made me the luckiest woman in the world.”
Ugh, she’s killing me. Tears fall in streams down my face and come faster than I can wipe.
“I love you, and I promise to love you for the rest of my life, no matter what. Good times and bad and all the times in between. It’s me, you, Claire, and the gift that is growing within me for the rest of our lives.”
Say what?!
I hear Elli holler something, even Harper and Piper are yelling, but I can only hear my heart beat in my ears. I’m pretty sure I heard her right because the whole room is in an uproar, but to be certain, I ask, “What did you say?”
And when they both look back at me, grinning, I know it’s true. “You’re pregnant?” I still ask, completely shocked.
“Yup,” she says, her own tears flooding her beautiful face. “Surprise!”
Wiping my eyes, I take a shuddering breath as the news registers in my head.
Phillip and Reese are having a baby.
Holy crap. This is insane but at the same time so freaking wonderful. I’ve always thought they would have the most gorgeous kid ever, and now that is becoming a reality. I’m stunned, completely and utterly stunned. My favorite people are procreating. How amazing is that!
She kisses my cheek and leans her head on my shoulder. I hear a camera again, and I hope that shot came out. I want it, but just in case, I mentally lock this moment away.
“It’s time, guys.”
I turn to see that it’s Reese’s dad, Blake, and I smile. “Hey, Papa.”
He smiles and says, “Hey, sweet girl, you look gorgeous.”
“Thanks. You clean up nicely.”
He laughs as he comes up beside us. “I try to for weddings.”
Reese turns then, meeting her father’s gaze. “You look stunning, baby – my last girl to get married.”
Tears fill Reese’s eyes as she nods. “I can’t believe it.”
“Me either, darling, come here.”
I choke back the tears as they hug tightly, and I watch as he whispers something in Reese’s ear. Sensing it is a private moment, I look away and suck in a deep breath. I wonder if Phillip and I will be a blubbering mess at my wedding. More than likely so. Not that I’m thinking of my own wedding – that’s far away – but still, I can’t wait for that moment. I used to see myself marrying a dancer, but now I have my eyes set on one hell of a sexy hockey player.
“Okay, it’s time, Ms. Allen,” Ginny, the wedding planner that Phillip hired yesterday, says. “Claire, you’re first.”
I grab my bouquet of blue irises and yellow Gerbera daisies and then hand Reese hers. Following Ginny down the halls, we come to a big black door and I know on the other side is my uncle, waiting for his bride. I look back at Reese and smile. Even with her eyes full of tears, she looks so beautiful, almost like she stepped out of a bridal magazine. Reaching out, she squeezes my shoulder and mouths that she loves me. I say the same back and then the doors open and I start out behind Harper’s daughter Ally and Elli’s daughters Shelli and Posey, as they throw little yellow flowers all over the aisle in their cute little blue dresses.
With a huge smile on my face, I walk slowly as all eyes land on me. Searching the packed room, I find Jude off to the side, sitting all alone with a great big grin on his face. My heart skips a beat at the desire that swirls in his green eyes. He looks dashing in a black tux jacket, a royal blue shirt underneath it with no tie. His hair is combed to the side, giving him a classic look, and I’m glad he is all mine. Giving him a grin that I hope he knows is just for him, I tear my gaze off him to make sure I don’t run into anything and find that Phillip is watching me, a proud smile on his face. Stopping in my spot, I turn to look back at the doors I just walked through, waiting for Reese to come in. In the front row is the whole Allen family, minus her dad at the moment.
What kills me the most though is when I look over at the other side where Phillip and my family is supposed to sit, it’s only full of hockey players. We don’t have family. Only each other and Reese, and I guess Miles, but even he is sitting in the back, not in the front, supporting his brother. Swallowing the tears from the pain of not having anyone here to support him or even me, for that matter, I blink a few times. Thankfully though, I look down the aisle where the door opens and Reese appears on her father’s arm, looking completely breathtaking.
I look over at Phillip, and the grin that is on his face lights up the whole room. He doesn’t need anyone; he has Reese. That’s all he needs. But to my surprise, he looks over at me, all the love in the world in his eyes as he jerks a thumb toward Reese.
“Hot, huh?”
I laugh along with everyone else; even Reese is laughing as she closes the distance between them. I watch, fighting the tears as Papa Blake gives Reese to Phillip, making him promise first that he will love her for the rest of his life. Of course, Phillip agrees, but unlike at the rehearsal where he brought Reese up to the altar, he pushes the birdcage veil up and cups her face, pressing his lips to hers. Everyone gasps and laughs but I didn’t expect anything else. This is my uncle we’re talking about.
“I didn’t say you could do that yet,” the preacher calls out as they part.
Phillip waves him off. “Do you see how gorgeous she is? I can’t wait that long to kiss the love of my life,” he says, his eyes locked on Reese’s.
And that’s when the tears fall.
Wiping them away, I watch as they come up to the altar and the wedding starts. It’s all a blur, really. I’m a weeping mess, and I know I should pay attention to all the undying love talk, but all I can do is wipe my tears and thank God that these two found each other.
“Now, you two have written your own vows, yes?” the preacher asks and they both nod. “Then let’s have at it, Reese?”
I can’t see her face, but I know she has to be smiling because Phillip is smiling big enough for the both of them.
“I didn’t want to love you when I first met you,” she says, and I can hear the collective murmurs through the crowd, but I ignore them. “I was supposed to live my single life with no cares in the world, but then you came along and threw those plans out the window. Now that I have you, Phillip, I couldn’t imagine life without you. You not only brought your love to me, you brought Claire, and made me the luckiest woman in the world.”
Ugh, she’s killing me. Tears fall in streams down my face and come faster than I can wipe.
“I love you, and I promise to love you for the rest of my life, no matter what. Good times and bad and all the times in between. It’s me, you, Claire, and the gift that is growing within me for the rest of our lives.”
Say what?!
I hear Elli holler something, even Harper and Piper are yelling, but I can only hear my heart beat in my ears. I’m pretty sure I heard her right because the whole room is in an uproar, but to be certain, I ask, “What did you say?”
And when they both look back at me, grinning, I know it’s true. “You’re pregnant?” I still ask, completely shocked.
“Yup,” she says, her own tears flooding her beautiful face. “Surprise!”
Wiping my eyes, I take a shuddering breath as the news registers in my head.
Phillip and Reese are having a baby.
Holy crap. This is insane but at the same time so freaking wonderful. I’ve always thought they would have the most gorgeous kid ever, and now that is becoming a reality. I’m stunned, completely and utterly stunned. My favorite people are procreating. How amazing is that!
