Now she was standing in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom for the last time, staring at her reflection, a dazed expression on her face.
Isobel had sent over her hair and makeup person as part of her wedding present and the man, despite his constant chatter and flamboyant clothing, had done a very good job. She barely recognized herself. Not that he had made a lot of changes. As he said when he was examining her skin and hair: "Darling, you have the skin of a newborn baby. Flawless, smooth and absolutely lovely," he gushed. "Your skin tone needs very little help; all I need to do is enhance the quality. And your gorgeous hair! I've seen locks before, but yours is thick and healthy."
The dress, after careful and thorough consultation with Monique herself, was a mixture of satin and lace. The straight line gown settled on her curves like a lover's hand, the cinched-in style making her waist look even smaller. He had gifted her with a stunning platinum necklace bearing an ice-white diamond teardrop that nestled between her breasts. Diamonds also dripped from her lobes.
Her locks were twisted into intricate coils at the left side of her head and flowing down her back.
She looked up at the gasp from the doorway to see Eileen Brady, the principal and friend at her school, standing there, one hand gripping her throat, light green eyes huge.
"My good God!" she breathed. "My dear, you're exquisite."
Catherine pressed a hand to her stomach and let out a shaky laugh.
"Thanks. Help me with this--" She gestured to the flimsy lace veil spread out on the bed.
"That young man of yours is going to be so entranced," Eileen predicted as she moved forward with the delicate material spread over her hands.
"I hope so." She turned so Eileen could settle the veil on top of her head. "This dress took a sizeable chunk out of my savings."
"It's not the dress," Eileen declared stoutly, embracing her. "It's you. Always you. There's this light inside you that hasn't dimmed over the years. It adds to your incredible beauty."
Catherine hugged the woman, eyes moist. "Thanks for being here for me and agreeing to stand with me."
"I'm honored." Eileen blinked her moist eyes and stepped back. "Ready?"
Catherine nodded and looked around the room. She was allowing a young married couple from church who was having adifficult time adjusting because the husband had just been laid off. The only thing they had to do was pay the bills. The gratitude was overwhelming.
"I've lived here, first with mom and then by myself with Galahad. It feels strange that it's no longer my home."
"Home is where your heart is." Eileen squeezed her arm reassuringly. "And I can see clearly that your heart belongs to that beautiful gentleman."
Her smile was radiant and it all seemed so clear now.
"It does."
*****
Standing at the front of the church, Dean was trying to portray a sense of complete and utter complacency. It would not do for the guests packed in all five seating areas of the church to guess that he was a bag of nerves, that under the impeccably tailored navy suit and pristine white shirt, his heart was thudding and his palms were moist.
Not even his best man, a very good friend from childhood, could tell that he was shaking and wondering if she had changed her mind, if last night had brought her to her senses and she had realized she was marrying beneath her, that she could do so much better.
Life with him wasn't going to be easy. His family was plagued with scandal and were notorious for creating mayhem. And there was the added factor that he would eventually go back to his dirty ways and start cheating on her. That fear was tying his stomach in knots. He could not bear the thought of hurting her.
The press had called her an "unlikely bride," but how wrong they were! He was the "unlikely husband," the anomaly, the outcast, the misfit, and he should have left her alone. He should have--
The gasp from his friend had him lifting his head and he lost his train of thought and his breath.
"My good Christ!" Evan breathed, breaking the charged silence.
Ignoring him and everyone else who had risen as soon as the bride made her way in and the music changed, he automatically moved towards her. Nodding to the woman who accompanied her, he reached out and took the hands of the breathtaking vision in front of him.
"I didn't know if you'd show." He strove to control the tremor in his voice but could not quite manage it.
"There's nowhere else I would rather be at this moment." Without question, she had understood his uncertainty.
His hands tightened on hers and for what seemed like minutes, they just stood there staring at each other.
"While we're enjoying the fact that these two are enjoying each other, we would love to get on with the ceremony," Pastor Eric said in an amused tone, which had them turning around. His eyes glimmered as they came to a stop in front of him. "Now that we have your attention, let's commence."