The Hug

"Lucy, I'm at sea next year for three months from February so please don't plan a wedding for then!" Mandy pleaded.

We both laughed and told her we would only marry at a time when everyone could be present. Hamish rang Becky and she also squealed down the line. She immediately switched to video chat and oohed and ah-ed over my ring. We told her that Olivia would have to be a flower girl all of us realising that at toddler stage anything could happen. Hamish rang Lincoln but had to leave a message such was the life of a medical student.

Walking upstairs to Pen and Richard's we giggled like school children. Hamish knocked on the door and Richard answered stating he felt decidedly underdressed. Pen looked up from their couch and immediately saw the ring. Unsurprisingly, they were excited for us too and cracked open a bottle of French Champagne they had lying around their fridge.

As we lay in bed that night Hamish told me he knew as soon as he saw me performing CPR on a gentleman in a shopping centre that he never wanted to break my heart. I told him his first hug sealed the deal for me, but it took me a while to realise this.

We moved back to Brisbane in time for Christmas and spent the day with both of our families together at Hamish's family home, except for Mandy who was only able to fly in for New Year's. Both families kept asking us for wedding details and we remained vague. With two younger sisters and a sister-in-law to be who I loved as much as my own sisters I knew that planning a big day would be fraught with danger.

I had planned with Mum and Dad that we would have a family New Year with Hamish's family and a few of our close friends. I knew Mum suspected something, but she kept quiet. I had confided in Jon, Bec and Sally and Hamish in his mate, Dan. I did not want over the top fancy and Hamish and I shopped for a dress together agreeing simple was us. He wore his tuxedo. The celebrant arrived at 11:45 pm. We had slipped away to change, and I had also grabbed a sleeping Olivia and placed a floral headband on her. I held Olivia and we all walked out together to cheers from our parents and siblings. It was a simple ceremony that simply declared our love and commitment to each other, and we were declared husband and wife as the New Year rolled in.

Bec, Sally and Jon, with the help of Andy of course, had arranged a cake for the evening, and we promised our parents that we were having a large party in June when Mandy came back from sea where our extended family and friends could celebrate our love with us.

Hamish surprised me by driving me to a cottage in the hills he had hired for a few nights and we spent our honeymoon there mostly naked making love and kissing and hugging to our heart's content. As we stood on the deck one evening watching the sunset we again hugged and I told my husband I was still not tired of them. My husband simply reminded me we had the rest of our lives to live entwined together and I smiled as I kissed him.