OLIVIA
Chapter Forty
September, 1915
"…by the power vested in me
by the state of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now
kiss your bride," Father Spencer concluded with a smile.
Olivia turned away from him to
her new husband and grinned sweetly. Patrick released the deep breath he had
been holding. The emotions of the moment threatened to overwhelm them. He
cupped her face and brought his mouth down over hers in a firm but gentle kiss.
She held him tightly, never wanting it to end.
"Now, you’re mine," he
whispered when he pulled back. "I love you, Olivia."
"I love you, too," she
replied thickly when the tears formed in her eyes. She smiled and blinked them
away. "I’m not going to cry. I’ve shed enough tears to last a
lifetime."
Patrick kissed her again, and
they turned when the priest announced them to their friends and family, or what
parts of their families that were present. Constance refused to attend, much to
Olivia’s sadness, but nevertheless she still loved her mother, even if she
couldn’t accept what had happened.
Olivia knew how much her mother
was devastated when she told her, her marriage to Cal was over. Constance was
infuriated over her decision and became belligerent when Olivia refused to go
back. It was then that Constance locked herself in her bedroom for five days
and wouldn’t come out. It was very hard for her mother to understand her
reasoning, and although she had eventually backed down from her stance, she
told Olivia that under no certain circumstances would she ever accept the
dissolution of her marriage to Cal.
With the line drawn in the sand
by her mother, Olivia still went forward and filed for divorce within weeks of
the night she left. Cal had come out fighting hard, however. His father had
retained three of his own attorneys to take on the divorce proceedings.
The days spent in court were
draining and stressful on Olivia, but after weeks and months of testimonies and
evidence, the judge finally ruled in Olivia’s favor and awarded her custody of
the children and a divorce settlement that left her with several million
dollars.
In quite a surprise to Olivia,
Patrick was somewhat wealthy in his own right. He had inherited a large sum of
money when his grandmother had passed away and had placed the money in several
holdings, never touching it from the time he had acquired it. Now, it had built
up and he had quite a tidy sum. Certainly nothing like the Hockleys, but it was
enough to live most comfortably on.
Now, this, their wedding day, was
the happiest Olivia could remember being in a very long time. With her marriage
to Cal behind her and her future with Patrick looking bright ahead, she could
hardly contain the joy she felt in her heart. When she took his arm, she felt
whole and complete. They were one, joined by the love they shared with each
other.
As they walked down the aisle,
Olivia saw the many faces of the ones who had stood by her side through it all,
such as Nelson and Charlotte, who were engaged to be married now, and Thalia
and her new husband, Martin. She saw Emma and Joshua with their daughter,
Caroline, and her father, Charles, with them. Close by were Marietta and
Angelina, who both had tears of happiness in their eyes, as well. They were
almost to the back of the church where Mrs. Ryan was sitting with Catherine and
Nathaniel. She waved at them and threw them kisses as they headed for the
double doors leading outside, where a horse-drawn carriage was waiting for
them. Patrick held the train of her creamy lace dress and long veil and helped
her up, where he joined her moments later.
"Well, Mrs. McBride."
He grinned contentedly. "We finally made it."
"Is it a sin to be this
happy?" she asked as she took his hand and snuggled against him.
"No. If it is, then I’m
doomed." He laughed. "By the way, did I tell you I love you?"
"Yes, but tell me again. I
need to hear you say it."
"I love you, Olivia. I love
you more than anything in the world."
Olivia smiled, reached over, and
kissed him softly. "I love you, too, Patrick."
Forever and always…