Page 73 of Her Eternal Mate
“How about this for a pointer? Whenever you feel uncertain, just look at me, and I’ll look at you. We’ll calm each other down,” she said.
“Perfect,” I said, kissing her cheek as we finally got off the stage and headed to the community center.
It turned out that the reason the guests had disappeared mere moments after the ceremony was so that they could surprise us. They were all hiding behind the tables and chairs and banisters. As soon as Alexis and I walked in through the door, a burst of confetti fell from the sky, balloons started to descend from the roof, and everyone came out from their hideouts to say a collective “Surprise!”
I clapped and cheered them on, uncertain as to what the surprise was about.
And then it dawned on me. A couple of caterers brought in a large vanilla cake with tiny figurines of me and Alexis at the top, and at the bottom it said, “Happy Wedding + Surprise Birthday Party!”
“Birthday party?” I looked at Alexis in confusion.
She was throwing her head back and laughing loudly, holding onto her stomach with both hands.
“It’s my birthday?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“It’s your birthday?”
She shook her head again, still trying to keep herself from laughing.
I was quite confused now. Whose birthday was it, then?
“Don’t you remember, Will?” Alexis asked, sobering herself up to alleviate my confusion. “Today’s the day you reappeared from the forest. That was like your rebirth into this world. Today marks the first anniversary of it. And, as for why I’m laughing, well, according to your new birthday, you’re exactly one year old!”
She couldn’t keep a straight face for long. Alexis burst into laughter yet again and was joined by Vincent and Maliha, who both appeared out of the blue by her side.
“Sorry to leave you hanging there. We just thought it’d be a nice segue to this reception,” Vincent said.
“So…let me get this straight. The joke’s that Alexis married a one-year-old?” I asked, realizing it a little too late, and then burst into laughter myself.
Fortunately, that set the tone for the rest of the reception. Maliha parted the dancing crowd and led us through to the main table. Once Alexis and I were seated and the people had all sat down too, it was time for the reception luncheon. It was too early in the day to call it dinner, anyway.
Then, a glass chimed somewhere in the crowd. I saw it was Morgan clinking a spoon to his glass.
“Toasts,” I whispered to Alexis. “We’ve invited over a hundred people to the wedding, and now they’re all going to give toasts.”
“Just close your eyes, nod, and smile,” she whispered back. “Think about tonight. We’re going to be on a plane headed to the Bahamas.”
“Ah, yes, the Bahamas.”
But the more people gave toasts, the more I realized that they were all heartfelt. I could relate to each person in the crowd. The two most moving toasts, however, were by Maliha and Vincent. It made sense; they were the two people I had spent the most time with, other than Alexis.
Once the toasts were done, the lunch eaten, and the glasses filled with champagne, it was finally time for me to announce what I’d been waiting for all day. I rose from my seat gradually, raising my glass, capturing everyone’s attention.
“I have had the privilege of living amongst the finest people in the world, and I call each and every one of you my family,” I said. Everyone was suddenly very quiet, listening to my every word. “But now, I have a chance to start a family of my own. While many esteemed Alphas before me have balanced the duties of being the pack leader with being a family man, I have decided that given the turbulence my life has gone through, and it has been quite a lot, I will effectively retire from being an Alpha. Alexis and I are going to move to a new town and start a new life together. As for who will lead the revered Grimm pack, well, I believe that one of you has already answered that question by going above and beyond everyone’s expectations. Vincent, whom I’ve come to know as a friend and a brother, has shown qualities fit for an Alpha. I would feel safe in the knowledge that I am leaving you all in his capable hands.”
The silence was much more pronounced at the end of my speech. It was not an anticipatory silence; it was a somber silence filled with sadness, prompting me to say, “Do not let your hearts grow sad on this occasion. This is not goodbye, after all. My wife and I will keep coming back to visit you. You are all our family. It’s just…don’t you think we’ve earned it? After everything that we’ve been through?”
Morgan said, “Aye!” from the crowd. After him, another person said, “Hear, hear!” Pretty soon, all the guests were affirming through their chants and cheers. The silence was now replaced with the festivities once again, making me feel lighter.
“So, leaving, are we?” Vincent asked as he came up to the table.
“I’ve led a long life in a dark hole,” I said. “I want to see the rest of the world as much as I can in the time that I have left. Are you mad at me?”
“Mad at you? No, brother. I am glad if anything. You deserve a shot at happiness, and if this brings you happiness, then I say go for it,” Vince said, shaking my hand.
“Just don’t forget about us, okay?” Maliha said to Alexis.