“Sorry.” Tasha really hoped Paul wouldn't disapprove or think that the addition of an Elvis impersonator somehow undermined her love or commitment to Jim or vice versa.
“After getting yourself almost killed, again! Then finding out you’d planned to elope.” He shook his head then offered her a half-smile. “It's going to be memorable at least.” He laughed warmly allowing the tension to leave Tasha's body.
“If you’d follow me then ma'am, sir.” Elvis grinned with a fake lopsided smile.
Tasha tightened her arm’s link through Paul's and moved her flowers to her front before following Elvis through the vestibule and stopped at a set of double doors where the four bridesmaids all waited for them.
“See you at the other end of the aisle,” said The King, leaving the bride and her grandfather with Lola who was positioning everyone to enter and running through final details.
“I'm going to open the doors,” she said, “and then you three girls will make your way to the front.” She addressed Lexi, Pippa and Lizzie. “Then you, honey,” she told Lucy. “And finally, the blushing bride. Let's do it people.” She giggled before opening the door and ducking inside.
Tasha watched the other girls enter and could see that the ends of the pews had been adorned in ribbons of white, purple and lilac and there were vases of fresh flowers in the same colours everywhere making her realise that Jim and Kayla had been very busy since Friday night making all of this happen. She could see that the aisle was an 'L' shape which would allow her to walk in without being seen before turning into the straight stretch of the aisle that Jim was standing at the end of. Seeing Lucy turn and wink as she turned onto the straight stretch Tasha grinned and led Paul through the doors. Pausing before they turned to where she would see her soon-to-be husband, she had to gather herself, slow her strides because she was at risk of dragging her grandfather down the aisle if her pace up to now was anything to go by.
“Steady Nat,” he warned as they turned to see the congregation gathered.
Tasha had to stop herself from running when her eyes found her fiancé standing in front of Elvis with Bobby, Marc and Philip at his side.
They all turned to look at the bride walking down the aisle and all four men wore blinding smiles, but Tasha was only aware of Jim's. She was halfway down the aisle when she saw him take a step towards her. His brother's hand rested on his shoulder, stopping him from striding up to collect his bride but that just made Tasha's smile broaden into a grin as she glanced at each side of the congregation.
On the groom's side were Jack and Maisie, Bria and Sophie with Martin and Derek, Sophie’s husband. Then there was Abby and Marcia with Bria and Sophie's children while on the bride's side was Celia, Dan, the bridesmaids and Ryan. Everyone who mattered was there. She was only about eight strides from reaching her groom when her gaze fixed back on him, but apparently he had waited long enough because even with his brother's hand resting on his shoulder Jim headed for her and before she fully absorbed his movements he was there, standing before her, briefly halting her journey.
“Hey baby, sorry. I have waited too long for this to wait any longer,” he told her loud enough for everyone else to hear and laugh with mutterings ofaww. “You look beautiful, more than beautiful, too beautiful for me to describe,” he whispered now and gently leaned in to kiss her lips gently. “Shall we?” He offered her his arm, an arm she accepted after moving her flowers to the hand that was still through her grandfather's arm. She slipped her right arm through Jim's left meaning she finished the journey down the aisle between Jim and Paul, holding onto them both and it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
The ceremony was fairly short, but quite traditional until it came to the vows that they'd written themselves; Tasha made references to the love, care and devotion she'd come to know since meeting Jim and her ability to reciprocate those things too. The extended family she now viewed as her own and how she couldn't wait to carry Jim's name and wear his ring. Jim smiled down at her with every word and although they were surrounded by their nearest and dearest, they may as well have been alone. Jim began his vows talking about knowing that Tasha was his future, the only future he would ever need or want from the day he’d met her which made her throat burn with the threat of tears. He continued to talk about the privilege that would be his alone when he called her his wife making her smile but it was when he described her as the bravest, most courageous, generous and loving woman he had ever met that she thought she may lose the battle with her tears, but clung on, just, until finally, he added that she had completed his life. He explained that she had done that as his partner, the perfect stepmother to his children and the mother to his future children, but more than that she had completed him. That before meeting Tasha there had been a huge void in his life, a void he hadn't always been aware was there, but since meeting her the gaping hole had been obvious to him, as obvious as the fact that the chasm in his life was Tasha shaped and no longer present.
It was at that point that Tasha lost the battle with her emotions, allowing several tears to escape down her face.
“And still I make you cry, Natasha.” He grinned with an arch of his eyebrows referring to the times he’d made her cry during sex which caused a flush of embarrassment and arousal to creep across her face but did stem her tears.
Tasha was trying to savour every second of her wedding, from the second she'd seen Jim, to Elvis asking who gave this woman to which her grandfather had replied,we do, her grandparents, the way her grandfather had metaphorically and literally relinquished his hold on her as he handed her over to Jim, the soft sniff of tears, happy tears all around and then the vows, like she would ever be able to forget them even if she wanted to.
“Do we have rings to cement your honka, honka burning love?” Elvis asked, making Tasha laugh.
“Yes,” Tasha and Jim replied.
Bobby, who had been given the role of best man for this wedding, as he had been for Jim's first marriage, while the others had been Marc's, reached into his inside pocket and retrieved Tasha's ring. While he reached forward to place it in front of Elvis, Tasha turned to her grandfather who was already offering her the closed box containing Jim's ring. Pulling it free, she turned back and placed it next to her own ring and grinned up at Jim who looked down at the rings and back at her with a grin to match her own.
“Perfect, baby.”
They reached the part of proceedings where they exchanged rings and before they knew it Mr and Mrs James Maybury were walking back up the aisle to applause after their first kiss as a married couple.
Once outside there were lots of photos, congratulations and hugs before the wedding party were packed into different cars to head off for a wedding lunch. Jim and Tasha got into their limo first and were finally alone, well, alone with a chauffeur.
“I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am right now, honey,” Jim said. “You look amazing and I really wish we were giving lunch a miss because my appetite is not for food. In fact, I wish they’d had a room at the chapel,” he said seriously, making Tasha laugh as she recalled Abby's words at the hotel and then her laughter was stemmed by Jim's lips covering hers as the sound of the privacy screen went up, albeit briefly due to the short journey to their lunchtime destination.
****
“What are you doing?” squealed Tasha excitedly as Jim lifted her up into his arms.
“I’m going to carry you across the threshold, Mrs Maybury.” He grinned at her before planting a single kiss on her lips.
“You could have warned me.” She giggled. Nestled against Jim's chest her arms snaked around his neck allowing her to hold him tightly as he opened the door to the honeymoon suite he'd booked them into in what appeared to be the swankiest hotel Vegas had to offer. “I have only just eaten, you can't go throwing me around,” she warned.
“Yeah, well, it was a very small and quick lunch so you should be good.” He stepped over the threshold.
As the door clicked shut behind them Tasha expected him to set her down on her feet, but he strode along the entrance to the suite still carrying her.
“I think we're over the threshold now,” she pointed out while teasing the ends of his hair between her fingers.
