Chapter 12 - The Garden Wedding
September 18th arrived under a cloudless golden sky.
Eleanor's Virginia farm had been turned into a fairytale setting. White silk ribbons fluttered from the branches of ancient oak trees, and thousands of white roses lined the grassy aisle. There were no cameras, no corporate sponsors, and no media—just our closest, truest friends.
I stood inside the farmhouse guest room, adjusting my veil in the tall mirror. My wedding dress was a simple, breathtaking ivory lace gown that flowed around my feet like liquid silk.
Eleanor walked in, carrying a tiny silver basket. "He's ready, darling."
Behind her was fourteen-month-old Leo, wearing a adorable little tuxedo suit, holding a velvet ring pillow. He giggled happily as he toddled across the floor toward me.
"You look like an angel, Aubrey," Eleanor said, tears glistening in her eyes.
When the string quartet began playing softly in the garden, I walked out onto the green grass. Landon stood at the end of the aisle beneath a wooden arch covered in greenery. When he looked up and saw me, his face softened completely, tears rising in his dark eyes.
"You are my absolute world," Landon whispered as he took my hands at the altar.
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"And you are my safe harbor," I replied.
Under the soft afternoon sun, surrounded by real love, we exchanged our vows, sealing our future with a kiss that wiped away every painful memory of the past.
