The day of their wedding dawned bright and clear, the crystal blue sky dotted by cottony puffs of clouds. Maria had worked like a fiend in her determination to make her precious Hunter's wedding day perfect. She had taken on the duties of Mother of the Bride with glee--dragging Miranda to the mainland to look for a perfect wedding dress. They'd browsed through bridal shop after bridal shop, but hadn't found anything appropriate for a young woman with the swell of four months of pregnancy rounding her belly, much less comfortable for an outdoor wedding in any of them. Several of the women who owned or ran the shops had volunteered to alter a dress to fit Miranda's expanding waistline, but she had declined, unable to bear the thought of spending the day in some bulky satin or taffeta creation.
After lunch they'd stopped in a small antique shop. The woman behind the counter had given Miranda a radiant smile when she'd noticed her pregnancy. They'd chatted as Maria had browsed, and when Miranda explained that she was getting married, but hadn't been able to find a beautiful, comfortable dress to wear, the woman's face had lit up. "Hold on a minute," she'd said, and disappeared into a back room.
A moment later she returned, carrying a large, time-yellowed box. She'd set the box on a chair and with a flourish had opened it and pulled out a gorgeous, cream colored dress. It had been a simple style; scoop neck, long sleeves of soft lace, empire waist, the three quarter length skirt a light layer of silk with more of the gorgeous lace covering it. The moment she'd taken it in her hands, Miranda had known this was the dress for her. The woman had shooed her into the back to try it on, and when Miranda had stepped back into the shop, the look on Maria's face had told her what she already knew--she'd found her wedding dress.
* * *
And now she stood at Hunter's side on the white sand beach beneath arbor covered with white roses and ivy, and interspersed with seashells. The sunny beach was crowded with Hunter's friends and family. The sea was alive with Miranda's Aquian clan. Hunter held her hand tightly in his own, loath to let her go, even for a moment. They gazed at each other with eyes filled with unconditional love. They barely even heard the words the minister said to them, had to be prompted once or twice to speak their vows.
And before they knew it, they were exchanging the beautiful, custom made wedding bands Robert had had crafted for them as a wedding gift. The gold bands were inlaid with ancient Aquian runic symbols made of coral and mother of pearl, designed to bestow love and prosperity upon the wearers.
The tide was just beginning to lap at Miranda's and Hunter's bare feet when the minister pronounced them man and wife. Laughter and cheers surrounded them as they stepped from beneath the arbor, and found themselves being showered with flower petals and tiny seashells. Miranda flung her arms around her new husband's neck, laughing with joy over the ingenious blending of symbols of her aquatic people and Hunter's land dwellers.
* * *
The celebration continued far into the night, long after the bride and groom had, amid laughter and good natured ribbing, retired to their bridal chamber.
Miranda lay stretched out on her back, head thrown back, clutching desperately at the bed sheets as her husband--husband, God she loved that word!--did truly wicked things to her body with a long stemmed rose.
