Chapter 9 - THE WEDDING ON THE COAST
Six months later.
Spring had returned to New York, bursting forth in brilliant pink cherry blossoms and warm sea breezes.
We chose to hold our wedding at Alexander’s private estate in the Hamptons—a magnificent stone manor perched atop a green cliff overlooking the crashing blue waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
There were no press, no corporate photographers, and no fake high-society guests. Only our closest friends, Dr. Harrison, the head nurses from the Bellevue NICU who had saved my babies, and our staff who had become family.
The sun was setting in a blaze of gold and violet across the ocean horizon as the music began.
I stood behind the rose-covered arbor, wearing a breathtaking, custom lace gown that swept behind me like sea foam.
A nurse stood beside me, holding a wide double-stroller decorated with white ribbons and fresh lilies. Inside sat nine-month-old Leo, Hope, and Faith, dressed in tiny tuxedo suits and white lace dresses, laughing and kicking their chubby legs happily.
"Ready, Mrs. Vance?" the nurse smiled.
"More than ready," I breathed.
I stepped onto the white flower-petal aisle.
At the end of the altar, standing against the backdrop of the vast ocean, was Alexander. He looked impossibly handsome in a crisp black tuxedo, his eyes locked onto me with an intensity that took my breath away.
As I walked toward him, I looked down at my three healthy, thriving children sitting in their stroller, then up at the man who had pulled me out of the darkest storm of my life.
I reached the altar. Alexander took my hand, his grip warm, solid, and eternal.
"You are breathtaking," he whispered, his eyes glittering with tears.
The ceremony was quiet, profound, and filled with deep emotion.
"I, Alexander Vance, take you, Claire, to be my wife," Alexander stated, his deep voice echoing across the ocean cliffs. "To hold, to cherish, to protect, and to love, in every storm and in every sunrise, for all the days of my life."
"I, Claire Mercer, take you, Alexander, to be my husband," I promised, my voice ringing clear and strong. "You brought me out of the dark and gave my children a home. My heart, my life, and my love are yours forever."
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"By the power vested in me," the officiant smiled, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
Alexander didn't wait. He pulled me into his arms, dipping me back slightly as he kissed me deeply under the golden twilight sky, while our guests erupted into cheers and applause, and our three babies let out happy coos from their stroller.
