Brenda & Ian Ch. 02

They arrived at Marie and Russell's home promptly at eleven. Brenda looked beautiful in a sleeveless white dress with a matching jacket. She had curled her hair under slightly and had used just the right amount of makeup to bring out her eyes even more. When Ian had seen her fully dressed for the first time, he was stunned.

"You look absolutely fantastic, Bren," he remarked.

"Not bad for my first wedding," she teased.

"Only wedding," he corrected her, laughing.

Ian looked just as good in his blue pinstripe suit, white shirt, and powder blue tie. Both Marie and Russell remarked at how handsome they both looked upon their arrival. Brenda had decided to use her father's Cadillac for this special day and enjoyed the smooth, effortless ride it gave from Ian's navigation through the city. When they got to the courthouse, Ian dropped them off and pulled away to look for a parking garage.

"Are you ready for this?" Marie asked her as they waited at the entrance.

"More than ready. I want to do this so bad. I love him so much. I can't believe that I love someone this much, it's scary."

"I don't think I've ever seen you happier, Brenda. You look like you're about ready to burst at any moment."

"Oh, that's just the baby," Brenda grinned, patted her stomach and waited for the impact. Marie's mouth dropped and Russell couldn't think of a thing to say. "Gotcha," Brenda said, touching her arm.

"Oh my goodness!" Marie exclaimed, "You scared me to death. Don't you ever do that to me again. If you were my daughter, I'd take you over my knee!" She laughed, shaking her head. Brenda and Russell joined the laughter as they waited for Ian.

When Ian arrived, they entered the courthouse, passed through a metal detector, and went to the second floor where Judge Charles McVey's chamber was located. When they entered, a receptionist greeted them.

"May I help you?" she asked pleasantly.

"We have an appointment with Judge McVey at eleven-thirty," Brenda said.

"One moment." The receptionist dialed her phone and waited for the other end to answer. "Your eleven-thirty wedding is here," she said.

She hung up the phone and said, "He'll see you now." She opened the door behind her and they followed her past various rooms until they arrived at Judge McVey's office. They went in and a smallish man with horn-rimmed glasses greeted them.

"I'm Judge McVey," he said, extending his hand to Brenda first, and then to Ian. "Do you have the license?"

Brenda gave him the document and he examined it closely before taking it to his desk and signing his name to it. After he signed, he beckoned them to come closer. When they gathered near, he asked, "Do you have rings?"

Ian reached into his pocket and produced the rings for the judge to see.

"Good, good," he said. "Let's get started. Bride on my right, groom on my left." He looked at Marie and Russell standing behind Brenda and Ian. "Are you witnessing for them?"

"Yes," they answered together.

"Please stand at their outer shoulder." They did as instructed.

"Is there anyone here who objects to this union?" No one said anything. "Good, I didn't think there would be," he said with a wry smile.

"Now, Ian, do you take Brenda to be your lawful wife, to love and honor from this day forward?"

Ian said in a clear, strong voice, "Yes, I do."

"Now, place the ring on her finger," the judge instructed. Ian put the small ring on Brenda's finger, smiling at her as he did so.

"Brenda," the judge continued, "do you take Ian to be your lawful husband, to love and honor from this day forward?"

Brenda said softly, "I do." She then placed the ring on his finger.

"By the power vested in me, by the laws of the State of Ohio, I now proclaim you husband and wife. Ian, go ahead and kiss your wife."

Ian leaned down and gave Brenda a short, sweet kiss. As he started to pull back, Brenda pulled him close and gave him a very passionate kiss that lasted a few seconds.

"Okay, okay, that's enough," the judge said jokingly. They broke their kiss laughing. "I would like for the witnesses to sign the license, please," the judge said. Marie and Russell signed their names in the appropriate places and the judge inspected the document before passing it to Brenda and Ian.

"Congratulations to both of you. I'm sorry, but I must run," the judge said as he glanced at his watch. Taking this as their dismissal, the four of them departed the office and headed back downstairs.

As they approached the car, Russell said, "I hope no one is too hungry right now, but I'd like to stop somewhere first before we eat."

"I'm fine," said Brenda, who turned to her new husband, "how about you?"

"I'm fine, too," he replied. "Where do you want to go?"

"It's a surprise," Russell said. "I'll give you directions."

Brenda looked at Ian and shrugged. She had no idea what was going on and neither did he. They all got in the car and Ian followed Russell's instructions as they left the city and headed towards the suburbs. Soon, they pulled into the South Towne shopping mall and Russell directed them through the parking lot. Soon, Ian was instructed to park and they got out of the car. They walked down the boardwalk past several stores until they came to a stop in front of "Miller-Ward Photography Studio".

Brenda was dumbfounded. It had never occurred to her to get wedding pictures taken. They entered the store and a short, squat gentleman in a black suit greeted them from behind the counter. "How may I help you," he wheezed.

"We have an appointment for Barringer and Nicks," Russell answered.

After looking through his appointment book, he said, "Ah, here it is. Wedding portraits. Follow me please."

"But," Brenda protested, "we didn't..."

"It's our gift to you," Marie explained. "We couldn't think of anything else."

"Oh, Aunt Marie," Brenda exclaimed as she hugged them both, "thank you so much! You both are so wonderful."

She let go and they followed the gentleman into a spacious studio where he set up the equipment. After a few minutes, he instructed Ian and Brenda to come forward. Using various poses, props, and backdrops, he took approximately two dozen photos before he finished. Because of the digital photography that he used, he was able to show them the pictures within minutes. Each photo was exquisite in clarity and detail and they were perfect.

"They're so beautiful," Brenda remarked over and over again as Ian nodded in agreement.

"Good," grinned Russell, "they're all yours."

"Oh my God, do you mean it?" Brenda asked.

"Of course we do," Marie answered.

"Thank you so much. We never expected this."

"That makes it even better. You are very welcome," Marie replied.

The photographer interrupted, "These will be ready for you in one week for pickup. Is there anything else that I can do for you?"

"No," Ian said, "you've done a wonderful job for us. Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir, and may I congratulate you both on your wedding."

"Thank you."

Ian thought about his parents quite a bit that day and wished that they could have seen him get married. He didn't know if they would ever accept Brenda as his wife, but he couldn't worry about that. It was their loss and if they wanted Ian in their life, they would have to accept Brenda also because they were a pair now in every way, shape, and form. Ian never thought about being married at this young of an age. He always thought he would be out of college and starting his practice before marriage would enter his life. But, he now knew that you couldn't always count on things to happen when you thought they would. And who could have guessed that he would be married to his beloved cousin because of an auto accident? He had long ago stopped trying to rationalize all of the bizarre twists and turns that he had faced over the past six months and just accepted the fact that everything happens for a reason.

He looked over at his bride as they drove back to their house after dropping off Marie and Russell. He was filled with peace and joy knowing that they were married and ready to begin their life journey together. They had held hands throughout the drive and it comforted him to feel her soft, warm hand in his. No matter how much turmoil his parents caused, he could always count on Brenda to love him and accept him and stand by him, no matter what.

They took their time that night undressing each other, showing no urgency. Both wanted to savor this moment, their first night together as husband and wife. They lay side by side on the bed, speaking only with their eyes as Ian massaged her thighs with his strong hands. Their kissing was soft and sweet as they wanted nothing to be spoiled by going too quickly.

"I want this to last forever so I'll never forget it," Brenda whispered as she held him close, her legs slightly parted and rubbing against him. From their previous coupling, Ian could tell that she was almost ready to begin. He rubbed her back with his nails, as he frequently did to arouse her.

"I never want to let you go, Ian."

"You've got me forever."

"Promise?"

"Anything for you, you know that."

"Tell me again."

"I love you, Brenda."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

Thursday June 17

"But, mom, we're leaving at four o'clock to go on our honeymoon," Ian protested. "He could have talked to me any time before, why does it have to be today?"

"Because he wants to talk to you today, before you go. He won't make you late, he promises. He just wants to talk, that's all."

It was almost noon and Ian and Brenda had just finished packing for their trip when Janet called.

"Please come over," Janet pleaded.

"Okay," Ian replied, "but if he says one negative thing, we're gone."

"Ian, believe me, I wouldn't ask you to come over if I thought he would cause trouble. He's changed."

"What do you mean, changed?"

"It's something he wants to tell you. When can we expect you?"

"We'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Ian hung up the phone and looked at Brenda. "He wants to see me," Ian said simply.

"Are you crazy?" Brenda barked. "We are leaving on our honeymoon today. I don't want it spoiled by him. What does he want, anyway?"

"I don't know what he wants," Ian replied, "but it must be important."

"I can't believe you're seeing him after all he's put you through. Couldn't this wait until after we get back?"

"Mom said that he wouldn't make us late. I'll take her word for it," Ian shrugged.

"I can't believe this! After all this time, now he wants to talk. Perfect timing..."

"Bren, calm down. I won't let him spoil this day for us. If he gets stupid, we'll leave. Simple as that."

"I don't like it, I don't like it one bit."

Ian moved forward and touched her arm. "Bren, trust me on this. I will not let him spoil this day for us. Believe me. One negative comment and we're gone. Okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, knowing full well that she couldn't talk Ian out of it.

They arrived at the mansion and Brenda was filled with dread and fear. Ian was nervous, but he wanted to know what his father wanted. Deep down, he really wanted to be close to his parents again because he knew that it didn't take much to change your life forever.

His mother answered the door instead of the maid, much to Ian's surprise, and she embraced him warmly. She touched Brenda arm, making her flinch and take a step back.

"Your father is in the study," Janet said as she closed the door behind them. She led them to the room where Ian and Brenda had been kicked out of their lives six months prior. Adrian's back was to them when they entered. Upon hearing the footsteps, he turned slowly around.

"It's good to see you again, son...you too, Brenda," he began softly. Brenda scowled at his audacity to be nice to her.

"It's good to be back," Ian replied. "It's been too long."

"You're looking good, fit. Brenda must be a good cook."

"Yes, she is." What is he getting at?

Adrian looked down at his feet, hands in his pockets. He moved backwards a few feet and leaned against the desk, trying to relax. He wasn't used to these situations.

"I'm...I'm not good at apologies, never have been," he began, "but I've learned over the past few months some very important lessons about life. I know that family is the most important thing in this world. Without them, you are hollow."

"I was very angry with you for a long time, Ian, and it was so stupid. It was hard for me to accept that you were making decisions that I thought I should make for you. It's hard for me to accept that you're an adult now. You remind me of myself when I was your age, very smart, very strong-willed. Well, you are married now and I regret very much that my stupidity prevented us from seeing it."

"I'm getting anger management counseling now. I don't want to repeat anything that would prevent you from wanting to come home again."

Looking at Brenda, he said, "And you, you....I couldn't ask for a better daughter-in-law. It's still going to be tough for me to stop thinking of you as a niece, though, but I'll work on it."

"I miss having you around, Ian, and I have no right to ask you to forgive me after all of this time, but I ask for a second chance to make things right between us. I know I don't deserve it...."

Ian woke with a start and sat up quickly. His heart was pounding and racing. The dream was real, so real that Ian thought that it might actually be happening. When he realized that it was a dream, he sighed deeply. Brenda stirred beside him, woke, and looked at her husband through sleepy eyes.

Ian blinked to keep the tears in his eyes, but some escaped anyway as he gazed out the window of their hotel room.

"Ian, what's wrong?" Brenda asked as she touched his arm.

"Nothing babe," he said looking at her. He loved her so much, sometimes it hurt. He could never possibly live without her. She was now his life, his love, his everything. "I've got you and that's all I need." He moved down to her, pulled her close, and fell asleep against her warm, soft breast.