One hundred Estera Roberts’ POV (A few weeks later…)

I have indeed come a long way to be wearing a 30 million dollar diamond embellished bridal gown, and an equally sparkling tiara which contained about 2,000 tiny cut diamonds. I was almost afraid to move. But the very sight of the tall, broad-shouldered, handsome man, waiting with the bluest intense eyes in the front of the room drew me forward.
Evan -- was breathtaking! He wore the traditional black tuxedo with a white undershirt but with a custom-made hand-printed silk scarf, knotted with two loops in form of a bow tie around his collar. However, there was nothing traditional about the price tag.
He went all out for this wedding anniversary slash renewal of wedding vows. My heart skipped a beat at the knowledge that this beautiful man was all mine and he loves me with all his heart and soul.
The lighting of the cathedral was dimmed and as I moved the light shined off the diamonds, creating a wonderful sparkle. I let out a shaky breath and my aunt Sophia looped an arm to mine, letting me hold my full bridal bouquet. The interior of the church had been transformed beautifully from his rustic ambience to something out of a fantasy book. Massive chandeliers adorned the high ceilings, the pews were covered with white satin and decorated with a theme of leafy green, white and yellow roses. It was magnificent.
When I got closer with my bridal train trailing behind me, I saw Evan’s chest heaved and his eyes were solely on me. My eyes sought and found Ro and Adrian with my two best friends Ameera and Ashley, standing at the right end of the podium.
I knew it was traditional for a bride to have just one maid-of-honor but I chose two. These two have been my rock through the ups and downs and I figured it would be fitting to have them up close for the happiest day of my life or maybe the third happiest day.
The first would be when Evan first married me. The second was when I had the boys. That could have been the happiest day, only Evan wasn't there. And this ceremony fits perfectly to the third happiest, because it serves as a reaffirmation of its original version; meant to pave a new beginning for the two of us. My joy was overflowing.
Cole didn’t come; he said he had an important surgery and couldn’t afford to cancel. The fact that his patient was a celebrity made his excuse valid and a lot of the hospital staff were quite sympathetic considering how close they all knew we were, but I knew better. He probably figured it was something he would not be able to handle witnessing and decided to stay back. I knew if he had wanted to come, a scheduled surgery with the president of the first world would not have stopped him, but I didn’t call him out on it. Deliberately causing him pain was not something I would find amusing.
Ro struggling to get out of Ameera’s arms snapped me out of my musings, she and Ashley were holding on tight to the boys to keep them from coming to me and their father. I let out a burst of low, shaky laughter at the suppressed panicked look on Ameera’s face as she held on to Ro. I couldn’t help looking in the direction of Evan’s impeccably dressed groomsmen. The lineup was quite impressive. There were about forty of them! My eyes widened and then settled on Brian Andrews. He was the first to my right. He must have noticed I had seen him because he winked at me. Responding with a subtly nod, my lips stretched in a smile. I wanted to see who else I could recognize amongst Evan’s friends but my aunt Sophia drew my attention.
“Congratulations, my dear, I wish your parents were here to see you today. You look magical and your lovely boys…” she whispered as she leaned closer to my side, just when we were a few feet from Evan.
“Thank you, Aunty. Thank you for being there for me,” I whispered back. She dapped her handkerchief hurriedly at her eyes, nodding.
“I am so proud of the woman you have become,” she managed to say and pressed a kiss to my forehead through the veil covering my face. I blinked severally trying not to cry. She then urged me forward and offered my hand to Evan. He took my hand and I felt his hand shake as his fingers gently stroked my gloved hand. Nodding his thanks to Aunt Sophia with intense dark blue eyes like that of an ocean, he helped me up the podium, reaching out for my second hand.
Ashley quickly came to retrieve my bridal bouquet and slowly backed off, still holding Adrian. My boy waved enthusiastically with a big grin on his face and the entire room laughed as Evan and I waved back.
The minister cleared his throat, instructing Evan to lift my veil and he did. His hands cupped my face and he gently stroked my skin. I let out a shaky breath, giving him a wavering smile. He didn’t smile back, but his eyes told me all that I needed to know and so when he whispered, “You are—enchantingly beautiful,” I released a shaky breath and took a quick calming breath, trying to prevent the tears from falling. I couldn’t speak—I couldn’t dare.
The minister began to speak but neither of us acknowledged him. We were peering into each other’s eyes and my chest heaved with effort. Ro and Adrian were supposed to present our rings. And when the time came, Ashley and Ameera helped to usher them to us and both Evan and I lowered to our knees to accept the rings. The boys were supposed to leave after then but then they held on tightly to Evan’s legs. He laughed and gestured to Ameera and Ashley to leave the boys. Straightening his spine, he ran his fingers through their hair one after the other and beamed at me. I giggled. We said our vows, slipping the wedding bands into each other’s ring fingers. And immediately the minister announced us—the second time in my lifetime—as husband and wife, Evan did not wait for him to announce that he could kiss his bride before he reached for me, framing my neck, he leaned into me and took my lips. The room filled with my colleagues, Evan’s friends and employees erupted with applause and laughter, but it sounded faint in my ears. I dare say the erratic beating of my heart was loudest. The feelings he evoked inside me consumed me, and he was the center of my core. The feel of his lips, and his hands holding me and then his scent truly drowned me — Lord. I clung to him, and he, in turn, drew me even closer still.
Someone cleared their throat, trying to make him stop but he didn’t and I didn’t want him to. Evan Sterling truly claimed me right there in front of our five hundred guests. I felt utterly cherished.
***
Later on, at the wedding reception he had arranged at a swanky hotel near Opera Garnier, he took me around the tables to introduce me to his friends, well-known celebrities, politicians, high-end investors and highly-ranked individuals in his companies.
Brian was coming back to his table with two large bottles of expensive alcohol in hand when we got to the table he shared with four other of Evan’s friends. Beaming at me, he ignored Evan, dropped the bottles on the table and drew me into a hug.
“I am so happy for you, Estie,” he said over my head. I nodded with my cheeks brushing his shirt.
“Thank you, Brian. It’s so nice to see you again…” I mumbled.
When he drew back to smile down at me. Evan folded his arms against his chest and said, “You have gut. I give you that—” Brian roared with laughter.
When we later stopped by the table assigned to his dear friend, Jacob McKnight, I couldn’t help having a flashback to the man’s bachelor party. I cringed at the thought that he had made sure Evan had one the previous night too but was quite satisfied Evan spent most of the night chatting with me on the phone.
I hesitated when he reached for my hands. God help me, I couldn’t get the image of him and Anna having sex in plain sight out of my head and when I craned my neck to search for Ashley and Ameera in the room, they busted out laughing when my eyes met theirs which didn’t help my situation. They must have been watching me and saw my reaction to the other man, an act which didn’t escape Evan. When we moved to another table to greet more guests, Evan lowered his lips to my right ear and whispered, “What was that about with Jacob?” I couldn’t hold back the laugh. I buried my face in his chest and shook with laughter. He let out a sigh. “What did he do, damn it,” he groaned with trepidation which made me laugh the more.
“Stop! He will know!” I managed to whisper in between giggles. He sighed and urged me forward.