Broken Rules(The Chronicles Of Amber Harris) Page 16

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  “Hi guys! How was your first day of school?”

  As always, my mother is waiting for us at the door. Dominick greets Olivia first as he enters.

  “It was good. I think the fact that not only am I new to town, but also dating Amber, caused a huge stir today. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many people watching me before. What will they do when they find out we live together?”

  Dominick drops his backpack to the floor with his last question and darts for the kitchen.

  “How was your day, Amber?”

  “The usual. I’m used to all of the staring, so there was nothing new to that. What time will Lisa be home? Do you know she texted me twenty-seven times today?” Laughing, Olivia shuts the door as I come through the threshold.

  “I believe it. She was running around today like a mad woman. The florist is having trouble ordering the flowers she wants.”

  That would explain the sudden change in tuxes. She is so worried about the colors clashing. I am glad I have my dress and there is no going back.

  With Dominick’s bag in hand, I head upstairs. The house is quiet. I wonder if Isaac went out with Christopher. A full moon is coming, and Lisa and Christopher are trying to get as much done as possible, since they are going to lose out on a few hours of daytime during the full moon. As I enter our room, I turn on my laptop and set both bookbags down by the computer table. Sitting down, I open my bag and pull out my homework. I used to do it at night, but it will be a good thing to start it now while Dominick is awake so we can do it together. I hear him walking up the stairs—he is making a lot of noise. He must be finished making his afternoon snack.

  As he enters the room with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, he gives me a sharp nod and flops onto the bed. Patting the space next to him, I stand and walk over to sit with him.

  Dominick pops the last piece of his meal in his mouth, and attempts to talk with the peanut butter sticking to his teeth, “I missed you today. This was the longest you and I have spent away from each other since I moved in.”

  He reaches up and tugs my hair out of the rubber band I held it in. As my hair falls against my shoulders and back, he runs his fingers through it. Clearing my throat, I try to ignore the sound of his pulse beating in his wrist as it passes by my ear. “I missed you too.” With that, his hand tightens at the base of my neck and scalp. Pulling me closer to him, he leans us back on the bed.

  I am having trouble breathing. The sound of the blood flowing in his neck is making my mouth ache. The skin on his neck brushes my lips and they feel as if they are set aflame. “Dom…”As I go to speak, he brings his lips down to meet mine, stopping all speech. Like the kiss in the hallway, it is soft, yet, there is a spark that is going to spread like wildfire at any second.

  “Amber?”

  His lips brush mine ever so softly, and his hand starts to move down my side to my thigh.

  “Amber, I have something I need to ask you.”

  Inhaling, I take in his sweet smelling breath. The peanut butter, jelly, and wheat bread has a strong aroma, but I enjoy it being entangled with the rest of his scent.

  “Yes?” I whisper.

  Somehow, we move closer together.

  “You know that I trust you, and I have complete faith in putting my life in your hands.”

  I wonder where he is going with this. Opening my mouth to speak…

  The potent smell of blood brings my eyes wide open. Assessing the room quickly, I see that Dominick is still semi over me and the smell of blood is dripping from his arm. The moment I spot the warm blood oozing, I stop breathing. There is a paring-knife sitting on the paper towel that once held his sandwich. “Are you mad? What the hell are you doing?”

  Looking at him with crazed eyes, I start to push him off of me.

  “Stop, Amber.”

  He holds his arm closer to my face, and I have trouble keeping my gaze from the stream of blood that is rolling down his arm. It is leaving a lovely crimson path as it glides further away from the broken skin. “Dominick, I don’t want to hurt you. You need to move. Now.”

  “No. Listen. I’m human, this…” he moves his arm even closer to me, “Could happen at any time. Think about Ryan. None of us know how he hurt himself. It’s a fact of life. And if I’m going to be a part of your life, it’s time to get this over with. I would rather it be like this, then for it to be some sort of surprise.”

  “And you think by cutting yourself while my eyes are closed, isn’t a surprise? Do you realize how stupid this is? I could kill you. Four other vampires live in this house and any of them could do the…” Oh my, I have forgotten about Olivia. Searching for her presence, I need to cut off her sense of smell. I am shocked she has not already knocked the door down. She has control but I do not want to test it with Dominick.

  “Amber, what’s wrong?”

  “Did you stop to think how dangerous this really was? Olivia at any minute, could come in here and rip you to shreds just from the smell of your blood.”

  “Calm down, Amber. She stepped out a while ago. She and I talked this over, quietly while I was making my sandwich, and she slipped out the backdoor as I came upstairs. She was worried you would hear her leaving so I made a little more noise coming up the stairs as she left.”

  Well, that would explain why I thought he was stomping a few minutes ago. I cannot believe she was in on this ridiculous plan. Opening my mind up further, I find she is not too far away from the house. “You and I will have words later, mother.” Not giving her a chance to respond, I close our link. At the same time, I cut off her sense of smell, as I would have if she was still in the house. Let’s see how well she hunts now.

  “Amber?”

  Pulling my sight from his arm, I glance at those gray eyes. I cannot slip up. “Dominick, do you not understand how dangerous this is? I do not drink blood from a live donor for a reason. I could have killed you or at least broken a few bones. Now, please, go wash your arm. I’m going to open a window to help air the room out.”

  “No, Amber. I’m not moving. Not until you have drank or whatever you want to call it. Like I said, if it isn’t now, then it will happen again, and maybe next time neither one of us will see it coming. If you get used to my blood now, it will be less tempting later.”

  “Dominick…”

  “Amber, I trust you. I trust you with my life. This isn’t any more out of the dangerous realm than me living with five vampires or me just getting up and living my life on a day to day basis. Think about it. Look at you and your family’s lives, the lives you had as humans, and how those human lives ended. It was what you thought would have been a normal day, the same routine as any other day of your lives, and look how those turned out.”

  He has a point, but still, this is not relevant. I do not trust myself. Placing my hands under my body, I gently try to drag myself from under Dominick without jostling him too much. The last thing I want is to get his blood all over my clothes or bed. I will have no choice but to throw any and everything it touches away.

  I have no clue why when I am with him, I forget all basic instincts of being a vampire, like: moving quickly or being one of the strongest creatures in the world. Feeling my slight movement has set Dominick into motion. Shifting more of his weight on me, I guess is a good thing I am strong enough to support his mass—he is not a small man—he brings his still bleeding arm closer to my mouth, at the same time he tries to pin me in place.

  “Amber, I will continue to do this until you finally give in. It can either be now or later, but I will not give up.”

  I will have to remove all sharp objects from the house if he is going to make a habit out of cutting himself. Looking into those gray eyes again, I see the commitment he is resolved to put into this, and I heed the firmness in his voice. I am trying my hardest not to hurt him, yet I am starting to wonder if I will need to. He is not going to quit.

  I cannot put my finger on it, but there is some
thing about him, about the way he is gazing at me, the way he smells, the way his body feels on top of mine that makes me hesitate from removing myself from this situation. I have not taken a breath since I realized he cut himself. He is right. He, at any time, could bleed. He, at any time, could cut himself and not only myself but any other vampire in the area will be drawn to the smell of his blood. The question is: by my having already tasted his blood, would it be a help or create even more of a danger? By having already sampled the delicious warm flowing liquid that his body runs on, will I be able to resist it the next time? Or will my family have to pry my beastly hands from his cold dead body?

  Finally, taking a deep breath, I am assaulted by the strong scent of his blood. Although only one minute and forty-seven seconds has passed since he cut himself, the wound is still bleeding. I wonder how deep the cut is. I am also starting to wonder how that blood, his blood, will taste. His blood type is A- (midrange on the tasting scale) but still appealing on all accounts. My lips begin to move towards the warm flowing ooze. Dominick can feel the fight leaving my body, and in return, he relaxes. He is not going to move. No, he is going to let me take my time. He understands I need no more help than what he has already provided. Letting my instincts finally take over, I close my eyes and hope that I am doing the right thing. I hope that I am breaking the right rule.

  18

  Surprises

  “Amber, the florist just arrived. Where do you want the flowers to go?”

  Looking up from doing Lisa’s makeup, I give Tom a warm smile. He and the other boys have been a great help in the last day. I am pleased Christopher decided at the last minute to invite them to the wedding. “Can you bring the boutonnieres to the guys? The larger arrangements need to be placed outside. Give those to Dominick; he’ll know where to place them. The smaller arrangements will need to go on the tables. Let Olivia handle those, and all of the bouquets can go in my room. Thanks.” Trying to remember my exact directions, Tom gives a sharp nod and walks back down the hall. I sense Olivia is still in the house, since she heard my instructions too, she will help him if need be. Turning my attention back to Lisa, I continue putting on the last touches of her makeup. She has not said much in the last few hours. I believe the wedding jitters are finally getting to her. I understand why. This commitment Christopher and she are about to take is something that will last an eternity. This is not like a human marriage. Granted, at anytime a vampire can be killed, but if they can both live a life without anyone threatening their wellbeing, their union will be a forever thing.

  We have one hour fifty-four minutes and ten seconds until the wedding starts, and I still have a lot to do. I wish I could help keep her calm, save I have no time. I am confident that once she sees part of her gift, from me all worries will vanish. Taking a final look at her new face, I stand. “Okay, Liss, will you be fine in here for a little while? I have a few more things I need to do before we slip the dress on and get you hitched.” Twitching ever so slightly, she gazes at me and I detect so much in her big brown eyes. “Liss, everything will be fine. I promise in a little while, this will turn out to be the best day of your life.” I give the top of her head a light kiss before I move quickly towards the door.

  Walking out and shutting the door behind me, I need to move fast. What I am about to do will take a lot out of me; nevertheless, it will be worth it. I scurry through the house and send a mental command to everyone in the residence—at least the ones that I am about to walk past—for them not to see me. For all they know, I am still in the room with Lisa. I must get out to my car without everyone knowing the Maid of Honor is leaving. I would hate to think of the chaos that will commence if they realize I am not here. As I slip past Ryan and Tim, who are setting up the last of the programs, I head for the front door. Once outside, I, just for a second, block my family members’ ears so they will not hear my car starting up. I would rather go on foot, but I do not think my return trip will be as easy. Carefully backing out of the driveway, I try not to hit the caterers and their van. Putting my car into gear, I head towards the Bed and Breakfast in the middle of town.

  As I pull up in front of the old building which looks similar to my home, I find everyone is waiting outside. This makes things a lot easier. Smiling, I unlock the car doors and greet my guests. Nervousness is written on their faces. Since the group is bigger than I thought, we will need to take their rental car too. Pulling away from the curb, I will need to drive a little slower so that I do not lose the other car. I would not want them to get lost. There is an uncomfortable silence in the vehicle, but it is to be expected--I am a stranger.

  Coming back to the house, I once again block my family’s hearing. As both automobiles stop and we climb out, I send another command for everyone in and around the house to ignore me and the new guests. I am relieved I ate last night. I may likely need to eat again tonight once the festivities are over. Walking--human swiftly, I move the guests into the house. As we traipse through the hallway, I give the guys quick directions to Isaac’s study, then the ladies and I head upstairs too my room. I have asked them not to speak to anyone. Not that the others would respond since they cannot see or hear them, but I do not want to make this any weirder for them than it already must be. We walk past Lisa and Christopher’s room and my ears detect Olivia talking quietly to Lisa. Stopping in front of my room, I open the door and let the guests walk in before me. The door closes securely behind us and I enter my walk-in closet and pull out our attire for the day. I hand each lady their dress before I stride into the bathroom for a quick shower. Not that I need one, but I need to stall while they slowly get dressed.

  After stepping into the shower, I open my mind up to what the others are doing. In Olivia and Isaac’s room, I observe Christopher helping Dominick with his bowtie. Dominick thinks it is strange that it is not a clip-on but actually something that needs to be tied. He has no experience with the thing. Chuckling to myself, I have to say, I am exceptionally proud of Christopher. He seems to be taking this better than Lisa. Isaac has just entered the room, and seeing the three of them together makes my heart want to beat faster. They look so handsome. Lisa finally decided on cream with a hint of brown and gold for the colors. I thought it would clash with Christopher’s red hair, but he looks rather breathtaking in all cream. Satisfied that the guys are pretty much ready, I bounce to Ryan, Tim and Tom. They are outside. Ryan is greeting the guests at the front door and guiding them through the house to the back French doors where Tom and Tim are passing out programs and seating the guests. It will not be a huge crowd since we tend to keep to ourselves, still we will have a nice turnout.

  The Officiant has just arrived and the DJ is now playing soft music while the guests are being seated. Locating the caterer’s mind, I notice that they have all of the hors d’oeuvres set. We decided not to serve a sit down dinner since the bride and groom would not be able to partake in the food. Instead, once the ceremony is over, there will be things for the human guests to snack on, with plenty of dancing before the couple leaves for their six month honeymoon. Six months, I thought that was kind of a weird duration, but it is what they want so it works. Jumping out of the caterer’s mind, I check on the guests getting ready in Isaac’s study. They seem to be almost done. Perfect timing because I do believe the ladies in my room are putting the final touches on. The wedding is starting in twenty-eight minutes. That will give me plenty of time to get Lisa in her dress and have everyone in place.

  Stepping out of the bathroom fully clothed in my gold bridesmaid dress, I walk over and add white pearl earrings, a necklace, and bracelet to my outfit. I decided to pick up the set after Christopher purchased Lisa’s engagement ring. I thought today would be a wonderful day to wear them for the first time. Gliding over to the full length mirror that hangs on the outside of my closet door, I do a last peek before checking on the guests and then heading towards Lisa’s room. My dress is made of a satin material with a chiffon overlay, and two thin spaghetti straps that
lead to a v-shaped neckline which stops in the middle of my torso. Around the middle of the dress, just under my chest is a braided band. It leads to a satin ribbon which is tied in a bow in the back. The chiffon overlay has two creases in the front that flow open as I walk and a small train. Since the dress is floor length, I am unable to see the matching gold pumps, but with the heel being four inches high, the dress will gently touch the ground. My hair is pulled into a smooth bun with pin curls encasing it. Giving myself a once over, I notice I am being watched by the guests. Turning, I smile at them. They, too, look elegant in their dresses. Their heartbeats indicate that they are still very nervous. They need not be. With a simple wave, I draw them to the bed and distribute a corsage—which has a creamy blush garden rose and babies’ breath all around it; a bouquet—filled with creamy blush garden roses, timeless cream roses and creamy white hypericum berries all held together with brown ribbon; and a small brown basket with vanilla white rose petals. With my bouquet in hand, I turn and head for the door saying, “I’ll be back for you in a few minutes.”

  Swiftly I march down the hall, and head for Isaac and Olivia’s room. Isaac tells me to enter before I knock. Pushing open the door, a smile once again encroaches upon my lips. The guys stand to greet me and I am faced with three of the most handsome men I have ever seen in my life. Even though I just saw them through Dominick’s mind, seeing them in person is so much more breathtaking. Positioned in height order, Dominick’s jet black hair has been freshly cut, and the closeness of the shave leaves no evidence that he has any curl to his hair. His gray eyes are light today. They remind me of the sky after a storm, as the clouds begin to move and a rainbow tries to peek through. Smiling back at me, both his dimples are showing. His brown bowtie is tied with precision and his cream tux goes well with his olive skin tone. The tux on all three men look custom made with how well they hug their bodies. Standing next to him with the most serious looking face out of all of them, Isaac has chosen to leave his hair loose today. It is not often that he lets his hair down, but today it hangs neatly, resting on his shoulders. There is a huge contrast between the cream tux and his dark hair and eyes; however, having him also in a brown bowtie and vest has helped neutralize the colors. Seeing me eyeball him, he flashes a smile, finally, and brings his hands up to straighten his already straight suit coat. Lastly, I gaze at Christopher. He, too, looks dashing in his cream colored tux. The white bowtie and vest help bring out the lovely pin stripe of the tux, even more then the brown does. His beautiful green eyes are glowing, the gold flecks seem to be trying to jump from his green meadow-eyes. He grins and rakes his hand through his brilliant red hair. Today, unlike most days, he has at least brushed his hair into place.

  “Are you guys about ready? I’ve held off on the final touches with Lisa until I knew we were ready to start.” Christopher gives a nervous chuckle, and I suppress the smile I want to let spread across my face. Instead, I walk over to give him a tight hug. I figured he could not be that calm about all of this. Christopher leans into my embrace and shakes ever so lightly. Dominick is watching, I hope he understands. It is finally time for me to be there for my brother. Even if it is to give him, a quick hug and say a few kind words. If it is even possible, I try to pull him into a closer hold. “It’s going to be amazing. You love Lisa and she loves you too. Out of everyone in the world, you two belong with each other.”

  “I keep telling myself that, but there is so many other thoughts running through my head too.”

  “I know. But I promise you, once this is over you will see that there was nothing to be worried about.”

  “Ha! Says the girl who’s dating a human. My situation is a little more permanent than yours.”

  “Oh, Christopher.” Sighing, I pull back and look him in those green eyes. Leaning close again, I kiss him gently on the cheek before letting go. “I love you, brother. And I’m going to love having Lisa as a permanent sister too. Now come on, it’s time for you two to get married.” Turning, I reach for Dominick’s warm hand as we exit the room. Walking back past mine and Dominick’s room, I make sure that my brother and father do not pick up on the scents from the guests that are still in there.

  As we come to Lisa’s and Christopher’s room, I stop. Reaching up, I rub my thumb across Dominick’s cheek as I say, “You know, you look rather suave today.” He gives me a lopsided grin, before placing a quick peck on my lips. “All right, guys, I need Christopher and Dominick to head outside and make sure everything is set. We will see you in seven minutes. Isaac, if you want to wait, we will be ready in a few.” All three nod their heads like bobble head dolls, as I slip into the room. Olivia is still with Lisa. Maybe I should be a little worried. Even for a vampire Lisa looks a little pale. I wonder if I could go as far to say that she may even have a little green tint to her. What is with these two? With a sigh, I head over to where my mother and Lisa sit. Olivia is stroking Lisa’s hand. Neither is speaking. “Liss, is everything okay?” She glances at me and her eyes remind me of two huge brown frisbees. She seems to be somewhere else right now. Attempting to kneel in my dress, I come down to her eye level. That is when I notice my mother she is not dressed yet. “Mom, I need you to go get dressed. We’ll be starting soon. Let me handle this.” Olivia stands and pulls Lisa into a hug. I worry Olivia is going to mess Lisa’s hair up, but as she steps away, I find no strands has been disturbed. “Lisa, sweetie, talk to me.” I do not want to speak to her out loud. As with talking to Christopher, all the vampire ears in the house can hear me.

  My voice seems to bring her out of her trance. I watch as she tries to focus her eyes on me “Hey,” she barely whispers.

  She is starting to worry me. “Hey, to you too. Are you going to make it? I’m ready if you are to help you into your dress.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Lisa shoots up, maybe a little too quickly, because she almost knocks me over in the process, and moves towards the dress without another word. I have tried the last few days not to read her mind, but I believe that I may need to. This is the strangest she has acted and I am troubled. I doubt we are going to have a run-a-way bride, but still there is something going on. I just want to make certain I can do everything in my power to help.

  Skimming her thoughts, I take a deep breath. Most of the problems are wedding jitters. The other issues, well, hopefully in the next few minutes, I can solve them too. Taking her dress out of the white garment bag, I unzip the side and slip it over her head careful not to mess up her hair or makeup. While I am checking to make sure the dress is on straight, Olivia walks back into the room dressed in her light brown Mother of the Groom dress. We had a hard time trying to find a dress that looked appropriate for the occasion. Unless Olivia was to have had Christopher at the age of nine, there is just no way she could be the mother of the groom by the age of twenty-eight. Although most of our guests attending the wedding today believe that she is at least in her mid to late thirties, even if she does not look a day past twenty-five. Her dress too is floor length with cap sleeves that are met in the middle of a square neck line. From the chest down, it draws into an A-line skirt. For a necklace, she chose to wear a solitary diamond, that Isaac gave her when they first became a couple.

  Olivia helps me do the finishing touches on fluffing Lisa’s dress, then we add the tiara and veil before stepping back and take in Lisa, the bride. Lisa’s is made with a chiffon overlay. One strap connects around the back of her neck and goes into a deep V-neck that has pearls and a white flower that fastens to a band around her waist. The skirt flairs out into a ball gown, floor length. Her tiara which is attached to the veil is incrusted with a quarter carat of diamonds, fashioned into a swirl pattern. After she bought her dress, I went back to the jewelry store where I purchased my pearls and procured her a matching set which she has on too.

  Olivia brings her hands to her lips, to suppress a small cry of joy. If she and Lisa were still human, they would be bawling by now. Lisa examines herself in the mirror. As she s
pins to face me I see the old Lisa slowly coming back. “Do you think he’ll like it?” she asks.

  Pulling her veil over her face, I let my hand come to rest on her arm and say, “He will. Are you ready?” Lisa gives me a perfectly white teeth smile. I take that as a yes and right on time. One minute and twelve seconds to go. It is time to let Isaac and Olivia in on the plan. Grabbing Olivia’s hand, I walk her to the door. “Liss, sit tight. When we are ready for you, there will be a knock at the door. No peeking until then.” I am thankful their room does not face the backyard; otherwise, I probably would have had to pry her from the window. Opening the door, I find Isaac is still waiting as I asked him too. I take his hand as well and haul my unsuspecting parents back to my room.

  “Look, guys, sorry this has been a secret, but I hope you will understand.” They both give me a puzzled stare. “Isaac, there has been a slight change of plans. I’m sorry, you won’t be walking Lisa down the aisle, but you will be walking two other really important people down instead, and saving a seat for another.” As I open my bedroom door, I drop the command of ignoring the warm-body guests that stand before us. At least, I drop the command for Isaac and Olivia. As I expected they are shocked to see who I have waiting in the room. I wave my hand forward, and the guests step slowly closer. While they file into the hallway, my mind jumps to the backyard to see if Christopher and Dominick are in place. “Isaac, will you do the honor of walking Olivia and Mrs. McAllen to their seats? We are ready to start.” Still looking shocked, Isaac tries to clear his throat to speak but ends up nodding his head. My mother, father, and Lisa’s mother head back towards the stairs, and I turn and look at Lisa’s sister and niece. “Ready, ladies?”

  They respond in unison, “Yes.”

  We, too, turn and head back down the hall. Only a few more minutes and I will be able to unblock Lisa’s mind. As we walk past her room, I send Lisa warm wishes. “Good luck, sis. See you soon.”

  Coming to a stop in front of Isaac’s study, I lightly rap on the door. Lisa’s seven year old nephew swings the door open with a huge smile on his face.

  “Is it time?”

  He, this whole time, has been very vocal about finally meeting his Aunt Lisa and being a part of the wedding. “It is time. Are you ready?”

  “Yes!”

  Strutting from the room with the two wedding bands tied hopefully secure enough to the pillow, the other two men follow him. As Lisa’s dad walks by, I lightly touch him on the elbow—he and his son-in-law are in the same cream tuxes that the other men are in. They, too, look rather handsome—I lean close to give him directions to find his daughter. While he heads towards the stairs, I lead the rest of the family towards the door. The music is starting. Providing last minute directions, I hook arms with Lisa’s brother-in-law, as we prepare to walk down the aisle. This was what was bumming Lisa out. She has missed her family as I have missed mine. And I saw how hard it was for her going into today and not having them by her side. It will only be for one day but I could not resist giving her this one gift. I am also stepping aside and allowing her sister to be the Matron of Honor as Lisa was her Maid of Honor for her wedding.

  Tim and Tom open the French doors for Terry and me to step out into the yard. As we step into the backyard, I am met by two stunned pairs of eyes. One set green and one set gray. Opening my mind up to them, I show them and my parents what my plan was—just the basics of the plan for now. Illustrating my plan from the beginning to this point, I hope they understand all those extra hunting hours were not because of Dominick, no, it was time spent putting this all together. Hearing a high pitch squeal—classic happy Lisa moment—I know she has just opened the door to find her real father standing on the other side. I hone my ears in and hope not to hear any crunching of bones, because she just pounced on him. Hopefully, he is a tough man. Coming to stand on the side of the altar, leaving a spot for Lisa’s sister and of course the bride, I turn my head towards the back of the house and wait for Fay to make her entrance. Christopher is most likely trying to speak to me, so I open my mind up to his.

  “Amber?”

  “Yes?”

  “Wow, this is incredible. How, when did you think to do this? I mean, Thank you.”

  “It’s not a problem.” Turning, I smile at him. Fay has now come to stand in her place and the flower girl and ring bearer are walking down the aisle. I, like everyone else, am trying not to laugh, as little Lisa—I am certain once Lisa has a chance to finally meet her niece, she will love the fact that they share the same name—drops the petals on the ground. She is purposely trying to step on all of them. Instead of sprinkling them all over, a path of smashed flower petals trails behind her on the left side of the aisle. At the end of the walkway, they come to stand beside Fay and Dominick. Right on cue, The Wedding March starts and Tom and Tim open the French doors one more time for the bride and her father to walk down the aisle. As the audience stands and turns, I cannot hide the smile that has spread across my face. Lisa is beautiful. All the worry and nervousness is gone from her eyes and face. She has a healthy vampire color to her skin and is showing all of her perfectly white teeth.

  I believe she maybe squeezing her father’s hand a little too tight. His fingers are turning purple, but he does not seem to mind. He, too, has a huge smile on his face. Coming closer, Lisa and I make eye contact and the look in her eyes says it all. This has been well worth it. Stepping up to the altar, she lets go of her father’s hand and pulls her sister into a huge embrace. Something pops, but I think it was more of a regular human noise and nothing breaking. Letting go, she bends swiftly, hopefully not too fast for the guests watching and lightly brushes her hand across her niece’s cheek—it is not hard to see that they are related. It makes since why they chose to name her after her aunt. Lisa is trying to commit their faces to memory. She is also, just with her simple touch, placing the origin of each of them—not that she needs the information, but I think it is going to help comfort her in the future, once they are gone. In front of her nephew, she does the same thing before moving onto Terry.

  This whole time, Christopher has stood perfectly still. Although his body has not moved, his eyes have watched her every movement. The nervousness is finally leaving him too. I watch as the confirmation that Lisa is the woman he will be spending eternity with slides into his mindset. Lisa moves back into place next to her father, and they look towards the Officiant as to tell him they are ready to start.