My Sweet Canadian Girl Ch. 13

It was time for our vows now. Rather than reciting the ones we'd used at our first wedding we had decided to use a traditional set. Our original vows would always hold a special place in our hearts but they were ours and ours alone. I took her hand in mine when the priest instructed me to and felt her love for me flow into my body from the way she squeezed my fingers. He said a few words preceding us and then looked at me with a smile waiting for me to begin. I looked deep into Cassie's vibrant blue eyes and smiled at her just the way she liked before speaking a single word.

"I Richard, take you Cassandra, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part. I pledge to you my faithfulness and endless love," I said in a loud clear voice though she was the only one I needed to hear my words.

"Do you accept Richard as your husband Cassandra?" Father Roberts asked.

"I do," she said smiling before beginning her own vows, which matched mine. "I Cassandra, take you Richard, to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part. I pledge to you my faithfulness and endless love."

"Richard, do you accept Cassandra to be your wife?" he asked.

"I do," I said. Tim passed me the wedding ring that Cassie had already owned for nearly a year and I held it up before her knowing it would never be hidden deep in our bedroom closet again. "With this ring, I thee wed," I said slipping it onto her slender finger. Julie brought Cassie my ring and placed it in her hand.

"With this ring, I thee wed," she said sliding it onto my finger where I'd wear it proudly for the rest of my life.

"You have exchanged your vows under the watchful eyes of our Lord and in front of your loved ones here today. It is my honor to pronounce you husband and wife," he said letting the pause drag on until I turned my head to look at him and he smiled. "You may kiss your bride," he added at last.

It was a kiss I'd been looking forward to from the moment I asked her to marry me again. My right arm snaked around her waist and guided her closer to me. Cassie knew what I wanted and wrapped her arms around my neck gripping me tightly as our lips met in an electric kiss. My hand slid upwards where it was tickled by the soft curls on the ends of her hair and came to rest on the bare skin of her back. I could have kissed her all day but I pulled my lips from hers reluctantly after a lingering kiss then went back for one more shorter one until we separated holding hands and waiting for the ceremony to conclude.

The organist continued playing as we were led by the priest to sign our official documents. I sat down first signing Richard Gordon Kellogg in each place Father Roberts indicated as Cassie rubbed my shoulders with her hands. When it was her turn I did the same thing though I nearly let my hand slide too far catching myself just in time. I don't think she ever would have let me live it down if I let my hand slide under her dress to caress her breasts right in front of the priest, not to mention a church full of guests. She didn't hesitate to sign her name as Cassandra Helene Kellogg with her beautiful penmanship. It looked like she had practiced writing the name Kellogg again and again until it flowed off her pen naturally.

We walked down the aisle after that hand in hand smiling at our wedding guests. Instead of stepping into a waiting car to be whisked away, we stood just outside the church where we spoke to our guests as they exited. Cassie was radiant in greeting all our guests young and old, making me smile at the way she enthusiastically thanked them for joining us on our special day. She was particularly touched that I had though to invite some of the kids from the hospital. Those special little friends she hugged promising to seek them out after dinner for a dance before they went back to the hospital. Even Tiffany, the girl who has lost her leg in an accident, and her parents made it all the way from their hometown in northern BC. Cassie wrote emails back and forth with her all the time and was upset when they told her they wouldn't be able to make it. I knew they'd be here to surprise her but until she saw them on the way out of the church she had no idea that they had come after all. Through it all I stood at her side wearing a big smile and not saying a whole lot.

When we finally left it was to have our pictures taken. The people in our wedding party plus all of our closest relatives followed the old fashioned limousine that we rode in. Cassie wasted no time cornering me in my seat and kissing me until I was left breathless. During the ceremony she had done such a good job of holding her tears in but she finally lost it in the back seat of our limousine. I held her whispering my love for her as I let her shed her tears. These were certainly the good tears she liked at least, brought on by our second wedding. The longer she cried the less I liked it though. Finally I resorted to telling her we cold have a baby now and that I couldn't wait to start trying to make her pregnant. She laughed and lifted her head from my shoulder wiping away the tears as she eyed me like a piece of meat she planed to wolf down shortly.

The pictures with our wedding party went well. We started with a group photo of everyone in the wedding party plus both sets of parents. There was one of me with my groomsmen and Cassie with her bridesmaids of course. Next we took one of us with my parents and then hers, plus another with both of our parents with us. Cassie had one taken of her with her brothers, then me with my sister and second one that Cassie joined us for. I got to pose for one with her father and brothers, while Cassie took one with my mother, Susan, and baby Rebecca. We ran through almost every combination imaginable and posed for pictures of just the two of us at the end. Cassie's mother wondered how we came us with such good ideas for our own photographs and Cassie smiled at me knowingly. Most of them were the exact same poses we used for first set of wedding pictures.

Everyone else left before us leaving enough time to sit down with our photographer. We'd used the same studio as we had for our first wedding because they took fabulous photos the last time. They were wonderful in squeezing us in before so when it was time to choose a photographer for our second wedding they came to mind immediately. We already knew they'd let us download and review the photos at our convenience but we couldn't resist staying behind to take a look at them right away. This time when the woman who took our pictures asked if it was okay to use them in the store display Cassie looked to me for approval and told her it was fine with a smile as I nodded my head.

We arrived at the hotel banquet room and were announced as Richard and Cassandra Kellogg receiving a loud round of applause from our guests. Cassie soaked it in smiling beautifully as she gripped my hand while turning in a circle. Everyone got a chance to see her beaming smile and the smile on my face that she'd fallen in love with. We came dangerously close to a premature first dance with the way she led me around to room happily showing off her husband to everyone we loved. There wasn't much time to mingle so we moved quickly from one table of guests to the next until we were summoned to the head table for the start of the meal.

Cassie had worked closely with the hotel's executive chef to design a menu with dishes that were sure to be delicious but could be prepared quickly enough to serve our large crowd of guests. She even made sure there were kid friendly items on the menu, including milkshakes of all things. I asked for one with my appetizer making her laugh at first, then she kissed my cheek when I requested two straws with it. We were served each course first and it took a long time to get everyone their starters. Cassie refused to let them bring us our main course until everyone had been served an appetizer, which left plenty of time for speeches. I went first smiling at her as I walked the few short steps to the microphone.

"First of all I'd like to thank you all for coming today," I said holding up my wine glass in a salute to our guests. "Second I already have a favor to ask of my new wife; sweetie if you could please keep yourself from crying while I'm up here that would be great," I said pausing as I waited for the warm laughter to die down. "For the handful of you here today who don't really know who Cassie is yet, allow me to introduce you to the woman I call my sweet Canadian girl," I said smiling at the nodding heads I saw sprinkled throughout the crowd. "It's easy to tell by looking at her what first attracted me to her but she's the sweetest woman in the world and even if I wanted to it would have been impossible to stop myself from falling in love with her. I met her on the best ski trip ever, one where I never put my skis on once. Hey now get your minds out of the gutter there are children here," I said waiting for them to stop laughing again. "I never put on my skis because she spent the week teaching me how to snowboard. A girl who was this close," I said with narrowed fingers. "This close to being on the national team spent her vacation week teaching a novice like me because that's the kind of woman she is. She could have been a world-class athlete, a talented artist, or any number of things but she's a nurse at a children's hospital where she makes a huge difference everyday because that's the kind of woman she is. I wasn't fit to be her man when she met me but she changed me, not by nagging me or giving me ultimatums, but by setting a shinning example I wanted to follow because that's the kind of woman she is. We only had a week together when we first met and I remember trying to figure out if I could really fall in love with a woman so quickly. Well now I know that a week was more than enough time not only to fall in love with Cassie but for her to teach me what love was at the same time. I'm honored and humbled that a woman who deserves nothing less than the absolute best in life could find happiness with me. Thank you for becoming my wife today Cassandra, I love you with all my heart," I said turning my wine glass to her. The crowd clapped and grew even louder when she stood up to come kiss me. I went to sit down giving her a chance to speak next.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming today like my husband did," she said saying the word husband like she was tasting it. "Husband," she repeated with a smile. "I like the sound of that. I'll be right back," she said rushing over to kiss me again as our guests laughed. "Now where was I, oh yes my husband Richard who always makes it sound like he isn't worthy of my love but that couldn't be further from the truth. He likes to talk about the man he was, well let me tell you about the man he is. I remember the day we met like it was yesterday. He walked right up to me and asked to share the lift. I was trying to find a polite way to say no when he smiled at me just like he is right now," she said looking at me. "And suddenly I wanted to give him a chance. He has this awful habit of putting his foot in his mouth but even that couldn't stop me from falling in love with him. By the end of that first week he'd restored my self-confidence and mended my broken heart. Watching him get in a car to drive back to Oregon was the hardest thing I've ever done. We grew closer even though we were far apart and by the time I went down to surprise him for his birthday I knew he was the man I was going to marry. Most of you know Rick was born and raised in Los Angeles but hardly anyone knows what he's given up to be with me. His beloved LA Dodgers who he only gets to watch a few times a week on TV so he can spend time with me. He left behind all his friends and family who live in California where it's always warm and sunny to be with me in rainy, overcast Vancouver. Rick knew how much the job at the hospital meant to me so he told the company he dreamed of working for that he no longer wanted the job they offered him not once or even twice but four times. Or was it five?" she asked turning to me.

"Just four," I said.

"Just four he says. Rick never even told me about his job offers because he knew it would make me feel bad. When I finally found out he apologized when he was the one making all these sacrifices to be with me. I think about all the money he could be making and I could be spending in California sometimes but a girl can't have everything," she said giggling as our guests laughed. "I could go on all night but you get the point. He does whatever he can, to give me whatever he thinks I want without stopping to worry about how it will affect him. As much as all those things mean to me, he's all I ever wanted and now Rick's given me that too," she holding up her hand to show off her wedding ring. "I promise to spend my whole life make sure the choices you made to be with me never become regrets. You're a wonderful man and the husband I've always dreamed of. I love you so much Rick," she said walking back to her seat and kissing me before sitting down as the crowd clapped their approval. Tim made his way to the podium for his best man speech as the crowd quieted to listen.

"When Rick asked me to be his best man I happy until I realized I'd have to give a speech at the wedding so I'm going to keep this short. I've known Rick practically my whole life. One of the earliest memories I have is trading half of my Oreos for half of his chocolate chip cookies in the lunchroom at school. I didn't like Cassie at first, I resented her in fact and I didn't trust her at all. To see how quickly she changed Rick, it was like seeing someone brainwashed right in front of your eyes. Luckily Rick didn't listen to me or anyone else, he listened to his heart and because of that we're here today to celebrate the wedding of two people who were meant for each other. Rick you know I love you like a brother and that I couldn't be happier for you today. Cassie I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I'd ask for your promise to take good care of him for us but it goes without saying. Congratulations to both of you," he said lifting his glass towards us. I waved him over and gave him a hug and so did Cassie kissing him on the cheek while thanking him for his kind words.

"No Matthew go back and sit with daddy, mommy needs to talk to everyone," Julie said smiling as her son tried to follow her up to the podium. "That's what you guys have to look forward to. There's never a dull moment once you have children," she said smiling at us. "For those of you that don't know me, I'm Julie Dumont the wife of Cassie's oldest brother Marc. I'm also the lucky woman Cassie asked to be her maid of honor. Everyone already knows what kind of woman Cassie is and if you don't trust me when I say she's even better than we make her out to be. I want to use my time to speak to Rick's sister Susan. I know you always wanted a sister like I did so allow to be the first one to congratulate you on becoming Cassie's sister in law today. Part of me was a little jealous knowing I'd have to share her after the wedding but now that we've met I'm happy to share my sister in law with you. She'll surprise you time and time again with how wonderful she is. If I did have a real sister I'd probably feel bad about comparing her to Cassie. To the happy couple you know I how much I love you and I'm more than ready to start repaying you for all those nights of free baby sitting. I'll wish you a long life together because I already know it will be happy one," she said holding up her glass to us. She stopped to hug us as my mother walked up to say a few words.

"I'll be really quick or I'll start crying," she said smiling at us. "I never thought I'd get this lucky twice in my life. My daughter has a wonderful husband who dotes on her and their baby girl and today my son married his sweet Canadian girl. Cassie I've tried telling my friends and family about you but no one believes half of what I say until they meet you in person. Like any mother I spent my whole life worrying about my son, never imagining he'd win the lottery when it was time to choose a woman to share his life with. Congratulations to both of you," she said taking a step away from the microphone before going back. "And Ricky, don't you dare mess this up," she said smiling at us and coming over for her hugs. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mr. Dumont making his way to the podium for the final speech.

"Well I've already got my first complaint about my son in law," he said as a hush went over the crowd. "My wife said I couldn't start drinking until after my speech and he made me go last," he said smiling as the other guests laughed. "As some of you might know, I hated Rick the moment I met him through no fault of his own. I could spend an hour up here telling you how wrong I was about him and apologizing for it but I thought it would be more appropriate to buy him a gift," he walked back to his place a pulled a gift wrapped box from under his chair. "Open it," he said making his way back to the podium. Cassie watched me open it closely indicating that she had no idea what it was either. There was a pink box inside and once I removed enough of the paper I could see that it was a Barbie doll in a wedding dress. Cassie gasped in her seat and looked at her father with tears glistening in her eyes. "Well are you going to show them?" he asked.

"It's a Barbie doll," I said holding it up high with a proud smile. I knew what his gift symbolized.

"My daughter and her husband know what it means but let me explain for the rest of you. When Cassandra was a little girl one of our favorite things to do was to play with her Barbies. She loved her Barbie doll weddings so much. I had to buy her a second Ken doll to walk her Barbie down the aisle to the other Ken that was waiting to marry Barbie. To her it was just a game but to me it was practice for this day. One of the biggest fears any father faces is letting the wrong man marry his daughter. Today I gave Rick my Barbie doll and I'll sleep easy knowing he'll take care of her as good, if not better than I could. I'm proud of you Cassandra for standing by Rick no matter how hard I tried to convince you he wasn't good enough for you. Rick, I can never thank you enough for filling my daughter's life with happiness again. A toast to the newlyweds, my daughter who I've loved from the moment I knew she was growing in her mother's womb and my son in law who I've learned to love for the way he treats my precious little girl," he said holding his wine glass up high.

"Thank you dad. I love you," Cassie said crying on his broad shoulder as he hugged her.

"I love you too sweetheart. Don't cry, please don't cry," he said his own eyes glistening moistly. "Richard..." he said looking at me.

"These are the good tears she likes," I said shaking his hand as his daughter, my wife, moved from his arms to mine.

The entrees were starting to be served now so Cassie and I sat back down to eat. It was a wonderful meal even with us getting interrupted constantly to kiss at the prompting of our guests. In keeping with a trend we'd seen at recent weddings we asked guests to get up and sing a song with the word love in it rather than clinging their glasses but we responded to either. My groomsmen went to microphone together but rather than singing one song together, they did five separate songs in a row as Cassie and I stayed standing to kiss after each one. Not to be out done the bridesmaids sang fives songs of their own though the five of them sang each song together. I thought their best was the first few lines of O Canada. Some people repeated the songs but Cassie and I didn't care. To be honest, I wasn't even making sure each song included the word love before I kissed her again.