Deception (15 page)

"Can you believe it? I'm finally getting married," I say, with excitement bursting out of me.

"Finally," he says, laughing.

We get into the car and Drew drives us to the Love Shack. Pulling up to the front,I notice that there are a lot of cars here. Butterflies have returned to my stomac
h—
the same ones that I thought had hit the road long ago. "Are you ready?" Drew asks, grabbing my hand.

"I'm ready to go marry my man."

After getting out of the car, the girls kiss me on the cheek and march inside. Drew holds my hand while we wait until the girls are gone. "I guess it's our turn. Don't be nervous, Sis," he says, seeing my anxious expression. "I can't wait for Travis to see you," he adds, smiling.

Walking to the front door, he opens it and we walk inside. The place looks as awe-inspiring as it did this morning. When we approach the front of the bar, I look out at the sea of people on the patio and the beach―lots of people. The butterflies start fluttering so much more than they have ever. Drew nods to a disc jockey who fidgets with some knobs causing the music to begin. When I listen close, I note that it's not the traditional wedding march song; I recognize that it's
Beautiful in White
.

Drew wraps my hand around his arm. "Ready?" he asks. I nod.

We walk out onto the patio, and I become choked up at the sight that awaits me at the end of the aisle. Travis is standing there in tan linen pants and a white linen button-down shirt that matches Drew's, and he looks incredible. Amanda is standing by his side in a light yellow strapless chiffon dress that resembles the rest of the girls’ dresses, and my mom is sitting in a wheel chair on the other side of him. The smile on her face lights up the moment her eyes catch mine.

Tears stream down my face, and the more I attempt to stop them, the more they flow. The sight of the three of them up there stops my breathing and I can barely walk. Drew squeezes my hand in recognition.

We make our way half way down the aisle, and Travis begins to walk in our direction. When he gets to us he swipes a tear from my cheek. "I couldn't watch you any longer. You are absolutely breathtaking," he says, leaning in. Even bigger tears fall from my eyes when he takes my other hand in his, and the three of us continue to walk to the front.

Drew kisses me on the cheek and whispers, "I love you, Sis."

He hugs Travis, before taking a seat in the front row.

I stroll over to my mom and hug her. "I love you so much, Mom. Thank you." Looking at me through tear stained eyes, she nods and squeezes my hand. I go over to Amanda and give her a hug, and her smile reaches her eyes. Returning to my gorgeous fiancé who’s standing in the center, he grabs my hands in his while I position myself in front of him.

A woman appears next to us and begins the ceremony. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Amy Silver and Travis Cashman in matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men. And therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. These two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

The guests cheer and whistle, bringing Travis and I to laughter. Travis raises his hand in a stance of victory, his face lighting up with a gorgeous smile. The woman continues. "I believe Travis has prepared some vows," she says, motioning to Travis.

He looks at me, attentively. "Many people spend their lives searching for their soul mat
e—
their one true love. Some people are lucky to find the person they can truly call the better half of themselves, while others spend the rest of their lives searching and never finding. I’m happy to count myself among the lucky ones, because I found you. I love you, Sweets. I know that you’re the only one for m
e—
my one true love. I’m happy and I’m grateful that you came into my life, that where others have spent their entire lives looking for the one, I didn't have to search for long. I found you at the age of fifteen, and now that I have you back, I will never let you go. I promise that I shall hold you and cherish you, and give you my heart for eternity. One night, not so long ago, I mentioned that Amanda was the second best thing to happen to me. I never mentioned what my first was. It's you."

I swallow hard. His words spoke directly to my soul.

Without redirecting his gaze, the woman asks if I have vows I would like to share. I nod, while exhaling. "I haven't had time to prepare what I would like to say, so I'm going to let my heart do the talking. I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I’m with you. I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you, for the part of me that you bring out. I love you, because you’ve done more than any other could have done to make me good, and more than any fate could have done to make me happy. You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign. You’ve done it by being yourself. You taught me true love seventeen years ago. I lost you along the way, but now that I got you back, I’m finally feeling whole again. It is you and me, until eternity."

Tears stream from Travis' eyes, and I reach over and wipe them. He closes his eyes in response.

The woman continues. "Who supports this couple in their marriage?" Drew and Marla stand. They go to my mom's side and wheel her chair next to us. My mom raises her hand in the air.

I mouth, "
I love you
," when she looks over at me.

"And who has the rings?" the woman asks. Amanda steps forward.

The woman looks at Travis. "Repeat after me,” she requests. “I, Travis, give you, Amy, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you."

After repeating the phrase, he extends his hand to mine, sliding the wedding band on. He brings my hand up to his mouth, kissing it.

"Amy, repeat after me,” the woman then says. “I, Amy, give you, Travis, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you." I repeat, and then take the ring from Amanda and slide it on Travis’ finger. I look up at him with excitement.

"By the power vested in me, by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Now, Travis, kiss your bride.”

He doesn't wait a moment longer. He grabs my face in his hands and kisses me passionately. All the worry and stress of the world melts right out of me.

"I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Travis Cashman," the woman announces. The guests jump out of their seats and cheer.

“I’m your wife," I say, no longer able to contain myself.

"Finally."

With Amanda on one side and Travis on the other, I wheel my mom back down the aisle, while our family and friends follow behind.

• • • •

We spend the rest of the afternoon, and into the evening, arm in arm talking with guests, drinking and eating, and basking in the pure glory that is Mr. and Mrs. Cashman.

A while later, the photographer asks to take a few pictures. Travis pulls me onto the beach when he sees that the sun is about to set.

"You look incredible," he says, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me in.

"You, my husband, look simply delicious in this outfit," I whisper, drawing his mouth to mine. We get lost in our kiss as the sun goes down. We’re interrupted when Drew taps Travis on the shoulder.

"It's time," he announces. I narrow my eyes, looking at Travis. He smirks.

We stroll back into the Love Shack, and he brings me onto the dance floor. Walking over to the DJ, he grabs a microphone. "I know that your dad isn't here for you to have your father daughter dance, but your mom wants to have a mother daughter dance instead. She's picked this song especially for you.”

My mom is up on her feet, being assisted, walking to me. I completely lose it, again. The song
My Wish
begins to play, and I take her in my arms and we dance. I hold her so tight, and press my cheek up to hers. I thank her for being the person that she is, for bringing Travis back to me, and for everything that she's done for me in my life. She doesn't speak―she can't speak―but the hold that she has on me and the look in her eyes is enough for me to know that this is exactly how she wanted her life to end.

The song ends, and Drew and Marla's husband, Greg, return with her wheelchair. She sits but motions to Drew. He walks over to the DJ and grabs the microphone. "Travis, your parents couldn't be here, and mom wanted you to have your mother son dance so it's now your turn.”

Travis stands there with his mouth agape, speechless. My mom stands back up out of her chair with assistance, and Travis rushes to her. The song
Kind and Generous
begins to play, and Travis takes her in his arms and they glide across the dance floor. Travis holds her close while whispering in her ear. Large tears stream down both of their faces. I'm left without words, admiring the beauty in front me.

The song ends, and they help my mom back to her chair and return her to the side of the dance floor. I go and hug her, and wipe the tears from her face.

"Let's lighten things up a bit," Drew says in the microphone. Travis goes to his side and they both have a sly look on their face.

Travis grabs the microphone. "Bear with us. We were a bit bored today waiting for the girls to get ready, so we've only had a few hours to practice this. But here goes nothing." The song
Bringing Sexy Back
starts to play.

They stand in the middle of the dance floor and strut around. The guests erupt in applause and whistles. Slowly kicking off their shoes, they toss them to the side. Everyone starts chanting, “T
ake it off.”
They strut around a bit more in an attempt to look seductive and, despite what everyone else is thinking, Travis is pulling it off quite well. They then start unbuttoning their shirts in sync with each other, and all of a sudden the dance floor fills up with more guys as they all join in. I keep my eyes locked on Travis. When they throw their shirts toward us, all the women rush to grab them as they fall, acting overly excited when they catch them. They put their hands on the buttons of their pants, slowly unbuttoning them while the song ends. The women all chant, “
Booooo
.” Travis looks adorable with his playful smile, but he also looks damn hot in his linen pants.

He walks in my direction and I run to him, jumping up and wrapping my legs around him, kissing him. The guests erupt in cheers and clink silverware to their glasses. Before I can say anything, he lowers me back down when he hears the song change. He grabs his shirt and puts it on, leaving it unbuttoned. He takes my hand in his and wraps his other arm around me, pulling me in. "This song is for you," he whispers.

The DJ announces that it’s our first dance, while the song
At Last
begins to play. I pull him close and rest my cheek against his, and he sings into my ear. If this is what heaven feels like, please take me now. This man is so incredible, and I'm certain that I'm the luckiest woman on the planet. The song ends and Travis twirls his finger in the air to the DJ.

The song begins again, and we continue to dance while he sings to me. The room is so silent that you can hear a pin drop. Everyone stands around, watching us. My heart is calm―it's content.

We spend the next few hours dancing and chatting with guests. The DJ announces that everyone is to go outside on the beach. I look at Travis and he winks. He leads me outside, just as a display of the most beautiful fireworks bursts into the sky.

"You did this?" I ask, wide-eyed. He smiles his most stunning smile. I lay my head on his shoulder and we enjoy the light show.

After the fireworks are done, Drew lets us know that mom is tired, and she's requested that he take her home.

We go on the patio where she's sitting and I hug her. "Thank you so much for today. It was simply magical." She puts her hand over her heart and nods.

Travis leans down and hugs her, while whispering something in her ear.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I say. She kisses my cheek. Drew wheels her out. Other guests begin to leave as well, and Amanda's grandparents come to pick her up.

We take to the dance floor some more. Travis leans in and whispers, "I have one more surprise for you." I look up excitedly at him. "Come, let's go. The guests won't even know we've gone," he says, giving a wave to a few friends as we walk to the door.

We get in his Cadillac, and I cuddle in close. Twenty minutes later, we pull into the driveway of his new house. He doesn't say anything―he simply comes to my side of the car and takes my hand helping me out. He scoops me up into his arms, and I yelp in response.

The pathway and porch are lit up with a path of candles. After strolling up the stone pathway and onto the porch, he pushes the front door open to a path of candles leading up the stairway. Kicking the door closed behind him, he climbs up the stairs while kissing me.

We reach the bedroom door, and he pushes it open. I gasp at the view. In the bedroom sits a lone king-sized bed, draped in white silk sheets. Candles and sunflowers illuminate the room in a warm glow. "I couldn't wait until we moved in to see how we like this bedroom," he says, laying me on the bed. "And I really couldn't take seeing you in that dress much longer. I'm anxious to see those blue underwear, Mrs. Cashman," he says, lowering himself on top of me.