Oliver and Shane were the definition of pure bliss as they walked out of the sanctuary together, permanently connected in holy matrimony. They rounded the corner and entered the vestibule and Oliver quickly observed that it was empty.
He mischievously locked eyes with his bride and raised his eyebrows at her suggestively as he swiftly grabbed her hand and guided her down the hall. He surveyed their surroundings before opening a door in the corner of the hallway and hurriedly escorted her inside, closing and locking the door behind them.
“Oliver, what are we—“ Shane’s words were cut off as Oliver claimed her lips with his own in an amorous caress. He pulled her close to him in an embrace neither had ever been privy to before. Shane ran her hands up and down his back, reveling in pure delight at being enraptured by the passion of her handsome husband. After some time, they breathlessly parted and their eyes locked in a nostalgic gaze.
“I apologize for my candor, my love, however it will be hours before we’re completely alone and I couldn’t wait that long to give you a proper kiss.” Oliver held her face in his hands, gently stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. “You are, without a doubt, the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. I love you, Shane.” His loving words caused his wife to blush while his delicate touch exhilarated her.
“Thank you for making me feel so special, Oliver. I love you so much and I’m so blessed that you’re my husband.” Her lips were tenderly on his as they both succumbed to the emotions of the day.
When they reluctantly pulled apart, they rested their foreheads together while they both calmed their beating hearts. After the newlyweds had an opportunity to gain their composure, Oliver held Shane’s hands in his own and gently kissed each of them.
“So, Mrs. O’Toole….”
Shane felt as though she could burst, hearing him address her formally for the first time as his wife, and her face clearly exhibited delight. Oliver grinned proudly at her, appreciating the fact that his true love now shared his surname.
“I do believe you’ve been harboring a secret from me.” Oliver gave his wife a flirtatious wink while she eyed him curiously. “I knew you had some artistic talent, but that painting you made for me was a pure masterpiece.” He looked at her adoringly as he brushed her hair behind her shoulders. “Aside from you bestowing upon me the gift of your heart, it is the most magnificent treasure I’ve ever received. I cannot thank you enough for it, but I can guarantee you that I will do my very best to express my sincerest gratitude to you later this evening.”
“Well, Mr. O’Toole, I am very much looking forward to that and I’m counting down the minutes until midnight.” Shane fondly laid her hands on Oliver’s chest and began fidgeting with the lapels of his jacket. “As soon as we ring in the new year, I’m hoping to steal my husband away so that we can start our honeymoon.” She slyly beamed at him before lazily wrapping her arms around his neck to draw him in closer.
“You certainly won’t get any objections from me.” Just as Oliver leaned down to kiss his wife again, someone began jiggling the handle on the other side of the locked door. He lowered his voice. “It appears that our alone time has temporarily come to an end.” He sighed and pulled slightly away from her.
“Someone was bound to find us sooner or later. I was just hoping it would be later.” Shane knew that they had been caught, so she didn’t see the harm in stealing one last kiss from her husband. Their lips locked together longer than intended and they were soon interrupted, yet again. This time, however, it was by persistent knocking. “I don’t think they’re going to go away.”
“I believe you’re right. We’ll continue this later.” He smiled at her brilliantly and then turned to unlock the door for their unrelenting visitor. The moment that Oliver opened it, the newlyweds were greeted by Alex’s mischievous grin and soon her boisterous snickering assaulted their ears.
“Good grief. Couldn’t you at least wait until later? You two have the next couple of weeks to be alone.” Alex made no attempts at filtering her words and Oliver could not contain the blush from creeping up his neck.
“Alex, was there something that you needed?” Shane ignored the intended line of questioning and sharply glared at her sister, although she secretly appreciated her audacious charisma. It was never a dull moment where Alex was concerned.
“Oh come on, Shane, lighten up.” Alex wasn’t buying her sister’s aggravation and continued to press further. “I suppose it’s okay—I mean, you just got married after all. I can understand why you would want to sneak off with your new husband for a few minutes.”
Shane’s jaw dropped at her sister’s teasing and Oliver felt as though he were a teenager caught making out behind the bleachers. Before Shane could come up with a believable response to her sister, she caught sight of Joe approaching.
“Oliver, Shane, there you are.” Joe looked back and forth between the bride and groom and noticed their flustered appearance. He amusingly eyed Alex carefully and realized he had interrupted a very awkward conversation. “The photographer sent me to come and find you. She’s ready to get started whenever you are.”
“Thanks, Dad. We’ll be right behind you.” The elder O’Toole turned around and gave in to the grin he had been suppressing. The others followed Joe, Oliver walking slightly ahead of Shane and Alex to allow them to finish their sisterly banter.
“Listen Shane, I’m only teasing you. I promise you that I’ll try harder to only pester you when we’re alone.” Alex kept her voice low and tucked her arm in Shane’s. “I love you, little sis, and I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you, Alex.” Shane’s eyes began to water and she had to fight hard to hold back the tears. “That truly means so much to me.” She briefly leaned her head against her sister’s shoulder and was reminded of just how close they used to be. She felt blessed that they had renewed their relationship and she looked forward to many more moments like this in their future.
************************************
Much to the satisfaction of the groom, the photographer had been quite efficient and had managed to complete their photo session rather quickly. Oliver checked his pocket watch and smiled to himself upon realizing that it was almost time to journey to the reception hall. He was anxious to be alone with his wife and wasn’t quite sure how he was going to make it through the next few hours with so many people observing them.
The majority of the guests had gone ahead to the Brown Palace Hotel to enjoy cocktail hour, and only a select few remained to witness the newlyweds’ departure. Norman and Rita insisted upon packing up any personal items that Oliver and Shane had brought with them to the church, which allowed the smitten O’Tooles to focus solely on each other.
“Alright, my love, I believe our transportation has arrived.” Oliver’s eyes twinkled with mischief at his wife once he spotted the mysterious man in a top hat who had just walked through the door. Shane tilted her head in curiosity at her husband and could clearly see that he had another surprise up his sleeve. “May I retrieve your coat?”
Before Shane could respond to Oliver, Rita came scurrying over to them carrying Shane’s coat and gloves. “Here it is!!” Rita exclaimed as she proudly handed it to Oliver.
“Why thank you, Rita.” Oliver politely smiled at Rita before turning back to his bride. She shifted around and moved her hair and veil to the side to allow Oliver easier access at assisting her with her coat. It was a beautiful white, floor length bridal bolero with long sleeves, delicate beading at the waistline and faux fur aligning the collar and cuffs for extra warmth.
“Thank you, Oliver.” Shane faced her husband and kissed him on the cheek before she focused her attention on buttoning up her coat. Her actions were halted when she felt Oliver’s hands cover her own. She looked up to find her husband’s eyes intently delivering a message of infinite love to her. She dropped her hands to her side and allowed Oliver to finish bundling her up, her gaze never leaving his.
After Oliver was satisfied that his wife was ready to go, he retrieved his overcoat from Norman and proceeded to put it on while Shane slipped on her gloves. The remaining guests, including Joe, Ms. McInerney, the Dormans, Alex, and Becky, made their way outside to witness the bride and groom’s exit.
“Shall we, Mrs. O’Toole?” Oliver held his arm out for Shane to take and she willingly linked her own in his.
“Lead the way, Mr. O’Toole.” Shane held onto Oliver as if he were her lifeline. She knew in her heart that she would follow him anytime and anywhere for the rest of her life.
They walked out of the church together and were greeted by the applause of their loved ones, all of whom had gathered along the path leading to another surprise that Oliver had in store for Shane.
“Oh Oliver, this is wonderful!” Shane gasped in delight once she realized that the horse drawn carriage parked in front of the church was to be their transportation to the reception venue. She noticed that the man in the top hat that she’d seen inside the church earlier was the coachman that would be escorting them to the Brown Palace Hotel. “You didn’t have to do all of this for me.”
“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to make tonight perfect for you.” Oliver knew that Shane was not materialistic, but she had spent her entire life putting everyone’s needs and wants above her own. He wanted to show her that he would always put her needs first and he was determined to do everything in his power to give her an experience that she would never forget.
Once they reached the carriage, Oliver held onto Shane’s hand and helped her to climb inside before joining her. It took some maneuvering and a great deal of assistance on Oliver’s part in order for Shane to get situated comfortably with her dress and veil. Just before Oliver gave the signal to the coachman that they were ready, Joe approached quickly.
“Don’t forget this. It’s pretty cold out.” Joe handed a thick blanket to Oliver, who draped it over Shane and himself. “Have fun and we’ll see you soon.” The O’Toole men exchanged a smile and a nod before the coachman signaled the horse and they began moving.
Even though they weren’t completely alone, Oliver and Shane reveled in the peaceful silence and the indescribable feeling of finally being married. The night was cold and blankets of snow aligned the streets; however, Shane was filled with nothing but warmth as she snuggled up close to Oliver.
“This is the most perfect night of my entire life.” Shane looked at her husband lovingly and fought the tears that threatened to fall. “But then again, we could have taken a taxi to our reception and it still would have been perfect because we’d be together. The only thing I need in this world is you.”
“Well, my darling wife, you have me. Now and forever.” He kissed her forehead and pulled her closer to him. Her head rested on his shoulder and she melted in his arms, soon fighting the urge to close her eyes and give in to the peaceful slumber that called to her.
As Oliver held Shane close, he could feel the stress she’d carried through all of the wedding preparations slip away. Her breathing had steadied and for a moment he’d thought she’d fallen asleep until he saw her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she gazed at the stars. He knew that he was beyond blessed, for starting tonight he would get to hold her every night just like this.
Shane shifted slightly and slowly planted a sweet kiss on Oliver’s cheek. “I love you, Oliver. You always somehow know just what I need. I apologize in advance if my nerves take over once we get to the reception. I want everything to go exactly as planned and I’m anxious to begin our honeymoon.” She blushed slightly before continuing. “But this is a much needed distraction before the busyness of the night ahead. Thank you.” They grazed their lips in a simple kiss and then rested their foreheads together. Oliver brought his hand up to lightly cup her face, his thumb lightly caressing her cheek.
“I love you more than I’ll ever be able to express to you, though I’ll never tire of trying.” They both chuckled slightly at his flirtatious tone. “I haven’t had the opportunity to thank you for what you did for me today.” Oliver pulled back slightly to gaze into her eyes as Shane looked at him inquisitively. “I never knew how many lives we’ve touched over the years until I saw them all together in the church. It was a gentle reminder that life is short and we must embrace all that it has to offer. This has meant more to me than you’ll ever know.”
“You’ve made a difference in the lives of so many, but none more than mine. I just wanted you to know how much you’re appreciated.” Shane pulled Oliver’s head down to hers until their lips met briefly, yet tenderly. When they separated, Oliver sweetly tucked a loose tendril of hair behind Shane’s ear as he gazed lovingly into her eyes.
“I was happy to see that Alex was by your side today. What made you decide to forgive your sister?” Oliver knew that allowing Alex back into her life was a huge step for Shane—and asking her to be a bridesmaid was even bigger. It meant that Shane had completely put the past behind her, and Oliver was proud of his wife for taking that leap.
“You and I got our new beginning and I thought that Alex deserved one too.” She paused for a moment as it occurred to her that she never had the chance to share her spur-of-the-moment decision to include Alex in their bridal party with him. “I hope it’s alright that I asked Alex to be my bridesmaid at the last minute. She was helping me pack for our honeymoon this morning, and I suddenly realized that I needed my sister by my side at our wedding.”
“Of course it’s alright, Shane. She’s your sister, and I understand your desire to have her with you today. If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me.”
“Thank you, Oliver. I’m sure you’ve already realized that Alex has absolutely no filter and I appreciate you accepting her for who she is. She did promise to try not to tease me in front of you anymore, but I’m sure she won’t last long.” They shared a laugh together as they recalled getting caught by Alex less than an hour ago.
“As long as I have you, I can handle anything.” Oliver gently kissed Shane’s forehead and held her closer to him as he silently thanked God for her. They would be arriving at their destination in a matter of minutes, so the rest of the carriage ride was spent in silence as the newlyweds enjoyed the serene calmness and everlasting love for one another.
Signed Sealed Specials 