Love Conquers All
by Dani
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Oh, Ben. What did you say?" Meg asked, wearily, as she woke from
Ben's touch.
"Darling, we're home," he smiled.
"Oh. Have I been sleeping the entire way home from the airport?"
"Yes, you have, but you looked so peaceful. I just couldn't wake you
up although I wanted to talk to you."
"What did you want to talk about?"
"I don't know. The weather, the plane ride, the baby... Whatever."
"Well, I promise you we'll talk in the morning. I don't think I can
stay awake any longer regardless of how long I slept," she replied as they
began walking into the house.
"That's fine. You need your rest. You're sleeping for two now..."
"And eating for two. Don't forget that one, it's my favorite. Now
that I'm pregnant, I have an excuse to eat nearly anything I want whenever I
want it."
"And you deserve that," he continued as he grabbed her bags and led her
upstairs. "Now, let's get you to bed. You need your rest."
Ben helped Meg up to his bedroom and opened the door. "Are you sure
you're ready for this, Meg? I don't want to rush you into anything you
don't want. The guest room is ready if you want to stay in there
instead..."
"No, Ben. I'm ready. Remember that night in Kansas when we stayed
under the stars all night?"
"Of course I remember."
"Ben, that was the most peaceful, wonderful night I've had in my entire
life. Just being in your arms made me feel so safe and secure, and if being
in your arms leads to anything else, then..." she smiled.
Ben returned the smile. "I promise you that we'll take it slow..."
"Slow? What are you talking about, Ben? Do you call getting pregnant
after one night in a cave-in taking it slow?" she joked.
"Well, you do have something there."
"Of course. I'm always right, aren't I?" she teased, a playful look in
her eyes.
"Now how can I argue with that?" he laughed.
"You can't - or you'd better not, at least... Oh, Ben. I left one of
my bags in the car. Would you mind getting it for me, sweetheart?"
"I don't mind at all. I'll be right back, darling." He kissed her
briefly on her lips and then pulled away. "Wait, I need a little more of
that before I go outside." He kissed her again, this time more
passionately.
Meg broke away after a few seconds had passed. "Ben... my bag,
please..."
"Oh yes. I almost forgot. I think I got a little too carried away for
a minute there. I'll be back in a minute."
When Ben had gone out to the car, Meg prepared herself for bed. She
slipped on her nightgown and got into bed. "This is nice," she said to
herself. She placed her hand on her stomach - a habit she had aquired in
the last few days - and spoke to the child love created.
"Hi, there, little one. It's been a hectic week, hasn't it sweetie?
I'm sorry it took me so long to make up my mind about your father. I
certainly hope you aren't quite as stubborn as I am. Your daddy and I are
going to give you the best life a child ever had, I promise. Mommy loves
you, little one."
"And Daddy loves you, too," Ben added as he came into the bedroom and
placed Meg's bag by the door. He walked over to the bed and sat down beside
her. He placed his hand gently on her stomach and continued the kiss they
had begun before he left.
"I love you, Meg," he whispered between tiny kisses.
"I love you, too," she added.
"I thought you were tired..." he uttered.
"Forget about it. I'm fine..."
"Are you sure? I want this to be perfect..."
"I'm sure... I love you, Ben..."
They spent the night in one another's arms, renewing their love for
each other - like it was the first time...
CHAPTER TWELVE
"Meg, what are you going to be doing this evening?" Ben asked as he
prepared to leave for work at the Liberty Corporation.
"Well, I don't have any plans really." She paused for a moment as she
walked over to Ben from the sofa. "You know, I think that we're going to
have to tell some of our friends about this baby, Ben. I don't think I'm
going to be able to hide it for much longer. I can already feel my pants
getting tighter," she frowned childishly. "Oh, I have an appointment with
Tyus tomorrow. I told you that, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did. I'm taking tomorrow off so I can go with you, okay?"
"Of course. I want you to come."
"You're right about telling our friends about this. Let's discuss this
tomorrow after the appointment with Tyus. Then we can decide when we're
going to tell everyone."
"That sounds fine. So, did you have plans for us this evening?"
"Well, that's for me to know and you to find out. I don't want to ruin
the surprise..."
"Oh, a surprise! You know how much I love surprises - most of the
time."
"I promise you, you're going to love this one... I hope you'll love it
anyway."
"If it's from you, I KNOW that I'll love it." Meg kissed Ben's cheek.
"If you don't go pretty soon, you're going to be late for work."
"I suppose you're right. I'd better be going. I'll see you this
evening."
"Bye. I love you, Ben."
He kissed her lips and whispered, "I love you, too, Meg." He walked to
the door and left for work.
Meg stood in deep thought for a moment. "What are you up to, Ben
Evans?"
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Meg, darling, are you here?" Ben yelled as he came into the dark
house. He swithced on the light and walked into the living room, noticing a
note on the table...
Ben,
You'll never believe this, but my sister called today and
I'm picking her up at the airport. She refused to stay with
us, so I also have to help her find a room for the night.
I'll explain the whole thing to you when I get home. I love
you, Ben.
Meg
"Oh, Meg, why did your sister have to come to Sunset Beach tonight? I
had everything planned for us," he grumbled aloud. "I guess I'll just have
to make some changes..."
Ben spent the next hour preparing the house for his surprise. As he
finished the last preparation, he heard the doorknob click...
"Ben? Are you home?" Meg asked as she walked into the house only to be
greeted by the glimmer of candlelight and the sweet smell of fresh roses.
"Ben, what have you done..." she queried as she walked further into the
house.
"Good evening, Meg," Ben responded as he came down the stairs with a
single white rose in his hand. "For you..." he added as he handed the
flower to her. Then he took her hand, brought it slowly to his lips, and
kissed it tenderly.
"Ben, what is all of this? What have you been up to?" she asked
curiously.
"Well, darling, I told you this morning about a little surprise I had
planned for you. Then I came home, found your note, and was ready to
strangle your sister for ruining the evening. I think that this set up is
going to work out just as well though." He smiled. "You know, she really
did ruin my plans for you this evening."
"She did, did she? Sorry about that one, but Sara's been away at
college and I had no idea she was going to be arriving in Sunset Beach
today. I haven't talked to her in such a long time..."
"That's enough, Meg. Let's forget about her for a little while and
talk about us. There's something that I really need to ask you."
"Alright. What is it?"
"I've been rehearsing this all day, but I'm a little nervous... Okay.
Meg, I know that I have asked you this twice before, but you know what they
say - the third time's a charm... Before you cut me off this time, I want a
chance to plead my case. Meg Cummings, the last few weeks that we've spent
here together have been pure heaven for me. I love waking up every morning
now that I have you here with me - regardless of the morning sickness..."
They both laughed.
"Meg, I love you more than I ever thought possible. I can't even
remember what my life was like before you came into it, and I don't want to
remember because I never want you to leave my side..."
Ben looked at Meg and could see the tears forming in her eyes. He
continued as he felt a tear forming in his eye as well.
"Maybe you weren't ready the first two times I asked you this question.
Maybe it was the pregnancy or the timing - I don't know, but I do know
that I meant it from the deepest portion of my soul, Meg, each time I've
asked you. And let me tell you again that I'm not just asking because of
the baby you and I created. I'm asking because I love you. You are my soul
mate and I don't want to let you go."
Tears were flowing freely down Meg's cheeks now. Ben lowered himself
to one knee and took Meg's hand in his, wiping a single tear from his cheek
with his other. Then he took a small box from his pocket, opened it, and
displayed its contents to a weeping Meg.
"Meg Cummings, will you marry me?"
Meg cried a little longer before she finally found the ability to
speak. "Oh, Ben, yes. Yes, I'll marry you," she cried as she helped him
from the floor. "I love you, Ben. I love you..."
Ben took her chin in his hands and kissed her. "I love you, too, Meg.
I love you so much..." Ben took the ring from its box and placed it on
Meg's finger. "Now it's official," he smiled.
They resumed kissing...
"Mmmm... Ben?"
"Yes?"
"We're getting married!"
"And we're having a baby!"
"This is perfect! What else could a girl ask for..."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Are you almost ready? We're supposed to be there at noon, Ben. And I
thought women were slow..." Meg teased.
"I don't think that Tyus is going to mind if we're a minute or two
late. And if you think I'M slow, you should sit around and wait for
YOURSELF to get ready every morning. You're not very quick about these
things either, darling."
"Oh, shut up, Ben. I was only joking..."
"And so was I." He straightened his tie, and continued. "Okay, I'm
ready now, Meg Cummings soon-to-be Evans. You can stop rushing me," he
laughed as he placed his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead.
"Good... Oh, wait! I forgot something. You can go on downstairs.
I'll be right there..." she said as she began rummaging through the closet.
"Women," Ben sighed as he headed down the stairs.
Ten minutes later, Ben was still waiting in the living room for Meg and
decided that he was going to have to give her a little push if they were to
be at the Medical Center on time. "Meg, I thought you didn't want to be
late," he yelled upstairs.
As soon as he had made his statement, he heard Meg coming toward him.
"Sorry, Ben. I had to change my shoes. Then I realized that they didn't
match my purse, so I had to change that. And I couldn't wear that awful
belt with this purse..."
"Okay, I get the picture. Let's just go before you find something else
to change about your ensemble," Ben responded as he took Meg's hand and led
her out the door.
"Well, it's ONLY 12:17, Meg. I hope Tyus hasn't given up on us."
"I certainly hope not." She walked over to the desk. "Hi. I'm Meg
Cummings and this is my fiance, Ben Evans. Dr. Robinson is expecting us."
"You're late."
"Uh, yes, we know. Sorry about that," Ben apologized.
"Well, Tyus has been waiting for you. Just let me go and see if he's
ready," the receptionist replied as she stood to go to Tyus' office.
Moments later, the woman returned and led Ben and Meg to the examining
room. Tyus instructed Meg to prepare for the sonogram and left the two of
them alone.
"What's a sonogram?" Ben asked after Tyus had gone.
"Ben Evans. Don't tell me that you don't know what a sonogram is," Meg
chuckled.
"I think I know, but you're going to have to refresh my memory," he
smiled.
"Ben, you know what it is. You have to be joking."
"Alright, you caught me," he grinned. "And I can't wait to see this
little one for the first time," he added as he placed his hand over Meg's
stomach.
"Neither can I," she responded. She reached up and kissed Ben
tenderly.
As they continued kissing, the two heard a faint cough in the doorway.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting something, but you've already put me behind
schedule," Tyus remarked.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Tyus. It's all Ben's fault. It took him forever to
get dressed this morning."
"Me? What are you - "
"Okay, I understand," Tyus interrupted. "I was only kidding. Are you
ready for the sonogram?"
"Of course," Meg replied as Ben took her hand.
"Good. Let's get started." He began the procedure and momentarily
there was a small figure on the screen in front of them.
Ben looked at the screen in awe. "Is that - "
"Our baby..." Meg sighed.
"Yes, that's the baby," Tyus explained as he continued.
"Meg, he's perfect. I've never seen anything more amazing in my life,"
Ben whispered as he stared at the tiny blob on the screen.
Meg looked away from the baby for a moment and kissed Ben. "I love
you," she cried. She saw a tear trickle down Ben's cheek as he looked back
to the screen.
"Thank you, Meg, for making me so happy - with this baby and by
agreeing to marry me.I've never been so happy in my life. I can't tell you
that enough. I love you..."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"Do you think we're ready to tell a few people about this baby, Meg?
Like you said, we're not going to be able to keep this a secret much
longer," Ben said, still ecstatic after the earlier visit with Tyus.
"I think we're ready. And while we're at it, we might as well tell
them that we're getting married," she replied as she looked down at her
engagement ring, dreamy eyed.
"Who shall we tell first, darling?" he asked, eager to spread the good
news.
"Well I promised Sara that we would come by and see her this afternoon,
so I guess we could start with her."
"Alright. Let's stop by her hotel on the way home. How does that
sound?"
"That sounds wonderful. I can't wait to tell her," Meg said excitedly.
"Here we are," Meg said as she walked up to the door of Sara's room.
"I'm so excited. We FINALLY get to tell someone about all of this."
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Sara opened the door seconds later and greeted Ben and Meg.
"Hi, Meg! I've been waiting for you to come back over." She looked
over and saw the gentleman beside her sister. "This must be the man you've
been telling me about. Ben, right?"
"Exactly. Ben Evans." Ben reached out his hand and shook hers. "Nice
to meet you."
"Sara Cummings. It's nice to meet you, too. Meg, you weren't
exaggerating when you said he was the tall, dark, and handsome man of your
dreams," Sara smiled.
"Sara..." Meg sighed. "You didn't have to tell Ben I said that."
"Of course she did. I kind of liked hearing it myself," Ben teased.
"That's enough, you two. Listen, Sara, we came here to tell you
something..."
"Okay. What is it?" Sara asked curiously.
"First of all, this..." Meg held up her left hand and flashed her
engagement ring in Sara's direction.
"Wow! Congratulations! You're getting married. I can't believe
it..." Sara said shocked.
"Well, that's not all." Meg smiled as she took Ben's hand. "We're
having a baby."
"A baby? Wow, you guys take care of everything at once, don't you? A
wedding and a baby... So when are these two events taking place?"
"Obviously the baby won't be here for several months - about seven -
but we haven't discussed the wedding yet. Ben just proposed last night."
"We haven't discussed it, but I think a few weeks from now would be
good. The sooner, the better," Ben added into the conversation.
"Ben, we're going to need a little while to plan this thing. Will you
help me, Sara?"
"Of course, I'll help you! Remember when we were little girls and we
always had those little wedding ceremonies? If I recall, you always wanted
to be the blushing bride."
"Don't all little girls want to be brides?"
"I guess you're right. Oh, I can't wait to get started on this, Meg!"
"Well, I'm afraid it's going to have to wait a little longer. Ben and
I really need to get home, but I want you to come by later, okay, Sara?"
"Sure. I'll see what I can do," Sara replied.
Later that evening, Ben and Meg were interrupted by the doorbell.
"Oh, just ignore them, Meg. They'll go away," Ben said as he lay
beside her, dreaming of how perfect their life was going to be.
"That could be Sara. She said she'd try to come over tonight," Meg
replied as she got out of bed and got dressed.
Ben followed her and walked downstairs to the front door. He stepped
in front of Meg and opened the door.
"Not YOU again..."CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"Not YOU again..." Ben said as he saw the couple at the door.
"Yep, it's us, Ben," Tim smirked. "Me and Annie thought we'd pay you
love birds a visit tonight. We've got something to talk about."
"We have absolutely nothing to talk about, Tim," Meg replied angrily.
"I want both of you out of this house NOW, and I'm not playing games with
you two. I'm not in the mood."
"Oh, shut up, little corn pone from Kansas. This isn't your house
anyway. You have no business telling us to leave," Annie yelled.
"First of all, Annie, this IS Meg's house." Ben took Meg's hand and
revealed the engagement ring to Tim and Annie. "You weren't exactly the
people we wanted to tell first, but if it'll make you leave us alone, I'll
do anything. This is Meg's house, too, and she doesn't want you here. As a
matter of fact, I don't want you here either. Now get out before I have to
throw you out!"
"I'd like to see you try," Tim smiled.
"Don't push me, Tim. If I have to ask you to leave one more time, I
WILL throw you out."
"Ben, you have no idea what kind of girl this little hayseed is," Annie
said.
"SHUT UP, ANNIE! I'm not going to listen to you anymore. Meg is the
love of my life, my future bride, and the mother of my child. I love her,
and I really don't know why I'm explaining this to you. You'll never
understand."
Tim caught Ben's slip of the tongue and surprisingly picked up on it.
"Mother of your child? Meg, are you pregnant?!"
"Pregnant?! She's carrying your child, Ben?" Annie asked furiously.
"Yes, she is, and I don't want to hear another word from you. Now,
LEAVE!" Ben grabbed Tim's shirt, pulled back his arm, and punched Tim's
face. As Tim wiped the blood from his nose, Ben grasped Annie's arm and
began to lead her out.
"Wait, Ben. Let me take care of this one." Meg clinched her fist and
punched Annie's jaw. "And I don't want either of you here again!" she
yelled as she slammed the door.
"Whew... I can't believe those two idiots!" Ben exclaimed as he and
Meg walked into the living room. "They just don't know when to quit."
"I know... Owww..."
"What is it, Meg?"
"My hand. I shouldn't have punched her, but I guess it was worth the
pain," Meg laughed.
"I kind of enjoyed punching that good for nothing Tim Truman myself,"
Ben smiled. He suddenly got serious. "I'm sorry, Meg."
"About what?" she asked.
"About telling Tim and Annie about the baby."
"Oh. They would have found out themsleves sooner or later. You know,
maybe it's better that they know now."
"You could be right. Maybe if they know how serious we are, they'll
back off."
"I hope so." Meg paused. "Let's go back to bed. I'm pretty tired,"
she smiled.
"Me, too," he grinned. "Come on." He took her hand and led her
upstairs.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"Meg, darling. I'm going to bed. Are you coming?"
"Ben... Oh! I'm sorry, sweetheart. I must have fallen asleep for a
minute," she replied wearily.
Ben decided against telling her she had been sleeping on his shoulder
for the last hour and a half. "After all of these wedding plans lately and
the pregnancy, you needed some sleep. How about we go up to bed?"
"Alright. I won't argue tonight... Can you believe there are only
three days left until you and I will be husband and wife?" she said as they
stood and headed toward the stairs.
"No, I can't believe it. In three days, you will be Mrs. Meg Evans...
I like that. How about you?" he asked, holding her hand.
"Yes, I think it suits me. And there are only six months until this
little one's arrival," she said as she patted her stomach.
"And I can't wait for that, either," he responded as they went into the
bedroom.
Moments later they were lying in bed wrapped in each other's arms.
They continued their conversation.
"Ben?"
"Yes, Meg?"
"Are you really sure you want to get married on Saturday?"
"What? Of course I want to get married on Saturday. What would make
you think otherwise?"
"Well, I just don't want you to be rushed into something because of the
baby. I know you love him or her, but I just don't want you to marry me
because of the pregnancy."
Ben looked at her, frustrated. He didn't want to hurt her. She had
been rather vulnerable the last few days and he didn't want to be on her bad
side, but he had to comment on what she had said. "Meg, I don't know what
it's going to take to get you to understand that I love you and I want to
marry you. You trust me, don't you?"
"Of course I trust you."
"Then why are you doubting me, Meg? I really do want to marry you. I
promise you that."
Meg realized that what she was feeling was obviously just her emotions.
She hadn't been able to control them lately, and she was always worried
about something. "I'm sorry, Ben... I've been so much trouble lately. I
don't know what's gotten into me."
"It has to be the baby, Meg. I've heard that pregnancy does this to
women." He smiled.
"You're right. Oh, well. Maybe in six months or so I'll have all of
my emotions under control," she laughed.
"I certainly hope so," he joked.
"Watch yourself, mister." She pointed her finger in his face.
He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I'll try to behave myself from now
on."
"Ahh... Three days until I'm Mrs. Evans..."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
"Meg, you'd better wake up if you're going to get married today," Sara
whispered as she nudged her sister. "We shouldn't have stayed up so late
last night. I knew that was a bad idea."
"Sara... Oh, what time is it?" she mumbled as she sat up in bed.
"It's ten. You slept quite a while this morning."
"Ten? Sara! Why didn't you wake me up before now? I've got so much
to do before the wedding this afternoon."
"I thought you needed to get some extra rest. You'll need your
strength for the wedding night," Sara replied mischeviously.
"Sara Cummings! I don't believe you would even think about that!" Meg
said, blushing.
"Well, don't act like YOU never think about it, Meg. There's a little
evidence here that you've done more than think about it," she said
defensively as she patted Meg's slightly rounded stomach.
"Okay, I get the picture, Sara. Now let's forget about this and start
getting ready for the wedding." Meg got out of bed and put on her robe.
She looked out at the beautiful sunshine - a perfect day for a wedding. She
immediately thought about Ben.
"I wonder what Ben's doing right now..."
"Yes, that's right... Don't forget to... Yes, that's it... White...
Tonight... That, too... No, I don't think so... Yes... That's
wonderful... It will be ready, then... Great... Thank you..."
Ben returned the phone to the receiver. He walked out onto the veranda
and looked out toward the beach. "This time tomorrow we'll be husband and
wife, Meg. I can't wait to call you Mrs. Evans..."
"Did you get my dress, Sara?" Meg asked frantically.
"Now what do you think THIS is?" Sara asked, holding up a large garment
bag.
"Oh, right. Sorry. I'm a little nervous. What if something goes
wrong? What if Tim and Annie try to ruin the wedding?" Meg asked as she
thought about everything that could possibly go wrong on her wedding day.
"Well, Meg, I don't think that Tim and Annie are going to be messing
with you and Ben - especially not today. After that little incident you
told me about, they haven't tried anything, have they?"
"No, but..."
"No buts. I mean, at least we know that Ben's not going to sleep with
your maid of honor."
"He'd better not. If he did, I'd have to kill him AND my maid of
honor," she said, glaring at Sara, pretending to be angry.
"You don't have to worry about that one. I've got my eye on someone
else," Sara smiled.
"Really? Who is it?" Meg asked excitedly.
"I'm not telling," Sara teased.
"Come on, Sara. Don't do this to me. I really want to know," Meg
pleaded.
"I'll tell you when you come back from your honeymoon, okay? That will
give me some time to see what he thinks about me."
"I don't know if I can wait that long."
"Of course you can. You'll be busy..." she smiled.
"Sara! Stop that!"
"Alright, fine. Now let's get you to the church..."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Meg walks over to the door, fully dressed in her wedding regalia. "Who
is it?"
"It's your future husband. May I come in?"
"Ben, you know it's bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other
before the wedding," Meg replied through the closed door.
"I don't think I can wait that long to see you, Meg. Are you ready to
get married today?" he asked.
"I think so. Are you?"
"Of course I am. I can hardly wait," he smiled as he thought of the
moment he would see Meg walking down the aisle towards him.
"Well, if you don't go away, this wedding is never going to happen."
"Well, if you put it that way, I suppose I'd better be going. I'll
meet you at the alter, alright?"
"Sure. I'll be the one on the white dress and veil."
"As if I could miss you, darling."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, pretending to be angry.
"It only means that I could never miss you if you were that close to
me. You're too beautiful not to notice."
"That's sweet. Now go away!" she teased.
"Are you ready, Meggie?" Hank asked as he held out his arm for his
little girl.
"Yes, Daddy," she replied, taking his arm. "I'm so glad you're giving
Ben a break."
"Well, I've never seen you so happy and I don't want to take that away
from you, Meg. I can't be mad at Ben for making my daughter so happy."
The doors of the church opened and Hank escorted Meg down the aisle.
The moment that Ben's eyes met Meg's, it was as if no one else was in the
room. Ben looked regal in a classic black tuxedo and Meg looked like a
princess in her simple, yet elegant, gown. When Meg reached the end of the
aisle, Hank gave her hand to Ben.
"You look gorgeous, Meg," Ben whispered.
Meg smiled at him, and, for an instant, they stared at one another,
lost in the moment. They were soon interrupted by instructions to recite
their vows. Ben took Meg's hand and began...
"Meg, I don't know what to say. I knew exactly how I was going to
proclaim my love to you until you walked into this room. You took my breath
away, Meg. You always do... From the first time I spoke to you over the
internet, I knew that there was something special about you. I could see
that something was different about our relationship, but I couldn't figure
out what it was until I met you. Then I realized that I had loved you all
along. I loved you when you were Dorothy from Kansas and I love you now,
Meg. You're my life, Meg. I don't know where I would be without you, and I
don't want to know." Ben watched the tears flow freely down Meg's face. He
continued by placing his free hand on her slightly bulging stomach. "I love
our baby, Meg, and I love you. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life
with you."
Meg looked at him, obviously touched by his vows. After a short pause,
she began her own.
"I'm not sure how I'm going to follow that, but I'll try... Ben, I
never knew what love was until I fell in love with you. You are the only
person I have ever trusted with my entire being. I know that I can depend
on you through everything. Thank you for being so patient with me the last
few months, Ben. I know I've been stubborn, but I always knew that I loved
you, no matter what I said. I will always love you, Ben. Forever..."
CHAPTER TWENTY
The vows had been spoken and Ben and Meg had said 'I do.' The priest
spoke the words the happy couple had been waiting to hear since they began
the ceremony...
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride..."
Ben and Meg locked in a passionate kiss, happy to be married and
thankful that the ceremony was over.
"I love you, Mrs. Evans," Ben whispered as they made their way down the
aisle and out of the church.
Meg smiled upon hearing her new name. "And I love you," she responded.
Outside the church, Ben led Meg to a horse drawn carriage.
"What is this?" Meg asked as she stared at the scene before her.
"This is part of my wedding gift to you," he answered and then added so
only she could hear him, "You can have the rest on the honeymoon..."
Meg nudged him easily in his ribs - hard enough to warn him that she
was serious, yet easy enough not to hurt him. "We'll talk about that
later," she grinned. "I have a little present of my own for you," she added
mischeviously.
Ben helped Meg into the carriage, and they were off to the wedding
reception. Half an hour later, they arrived at their destination.
As the newlyweds entered the room, the DJ announced their presence over
the sound system.
"And now, for the first time in public - as a married couple - I
present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ben Evans..."
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