Convincing her (Jen and Lucas)

Chapter 526: The Beginning Of The Rest Of Our Lives.

Jen calmly wiped her mother's tears as she tried to calm her down while trying to keep her own composure. 

"Mom, you shouldn't be crying. I'm getting married today," Jen said as she picked another tissue and handed it over to Diane. Diane also didn't think that she would end up becoming so emotional so suddenly and even though she was trying to stop herself from crying, the tears couldn't stop. 

She was reminded of how her parents weren't there when she had gotten married and how she hadn't talked to them for more than 25 years. If Jen was unwilling to reconcile with her, would she have had to go through the same thing she did before? The realisation of what she had almost missed out on because of what she had done had shaken her to the core. 

Jen was unaware of her mother's inner thoughts and was patiently trying to dry her tears before they slid down her cheeks and ruined her makeup. 

"Mom, calm down. You're going to make me cry as well," Jen said helplessly. She really felt like she was going to start crying at any moment! 

"You are very different from me, maybe because of how close you used to be with your grandfather, I was quite immature when I was a girl, and I realised that even though I became more tolerant with age, I'm still immature sometimes. My parents spoiled me. I became even more spoiled by your father. I know Lucas is going to spoil you more, and I'm happy that you've met someone that loves you so much," Diane said while trying to curb her own tears. At this point, Jen was the one who was holding a tissue under her own eyes so she didn't ruin her makeup! 

"Mom, you'll ruin my makeup. I understand what you are trying to say, so you don't have to say anymore," Jen said as she tried to calm herself down. 

"Your father and grandfather would have been the happiest people in the world if they had the chance to see you today like this," Diane continued but pursed her lips together after realising her words were making the mood even more depressing. 

"I'm just so happy for you," Diane said to her as she hugged Jen once more. 

"I'm happy as well mom, stop crying now," Jen said with a smile that looked like she was about to cry. 

"Mmmh, I'll stop now," Diane said and quickly regained her composure. 

The mother-daughter pair sat together and chatted for a while before a knock was heard on the door, followed by Rachel coming inside. 

"The photographers want to take a few pictures. Is it convenient?" she asked once she saw the two women happily chat. 

"Yes please," Jen answered and two men walked in holding their cameras. Jen took pictures by herself, with her mother, her siblings, her grandparents, her bridesmaids and everyone else except for the groom who wasn't allowed to see her until the ceremony. 

Lucas was impatient even though he looked like he was amiably socialising with the guests. If he was being honest, he wanted to quickly get married and take his wife home! 

He waited for about thirty minutes before the officiator finally arrived and everyone moved from the building to the beautifully decorated beach

. 

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the arch with James while waiting for his bride to arrive. There were no flower girls, so the bridesmaids started walking down the aisle one after another, standing opposite from their partners once they got to the front.

This time, even Michael was one of the groomsmen, since his boss was getting married and his girlfriend was a bridesmaid. He still felt that his relationship was unreal, so when Alex stood on the other side and winked at him, he could not help but feel bashful, with some redness staining his ears. 

Lucas stood at the end of the aisle while nervously waiting for Jen to come over. Watching the girls walk in one by one was borderline torture for him. Why did he not know they had so many female friends? 

When he finally saw Laura, Lucas breathed a sigh of relief because he knew that the one who was going to arrive next was Jen.

Laura, who had been running up and down and making sure to fix Jen's makeup and properly spread her dress that had a ridiculously long train, had a beautiful smile on her face as if nothing big had happened.

She briefly glared at Lucas once she stood opposite James because of the non-alcoholic champagne from before, but Lucas was too busy looking for his bride to notice. 

Lucas knew it was finally time when the pianist finally changed the tune and he finally got to see Jen, who was standing next to her mother on the other end of the aisle. He couldn't see her face properly because of her veil, but he could still see that she looked stunning.

He felt like he was having tunnel vision because he couldn't see or hear anything else except for Jen, who was holding her bouquet of flowers. He didn't even notice Diane, who was walking with Jen at that moment. 

Jen was also in the same situation. She couldn't help but think that Lucas's silhouette looked very handsome since she couldn't see him very clearly because of her veil. Even so, she couldn't help but focus on him, as if hoping to be able to see him through the haze that was created by the veil. 

Everyone else could see how the main characters only had each other in their eyes. Even Diane was feeling quite helpless about these two kids. 

The walk felt like it wouldn't end for the both of them. Even though they separated that morning, they could already feel the way their relationship was going to change in just a few minutes, and that was enough to make their hearts beat much faster. 

When Jen was getting closer, James poked Lucas's side to get him out of his daze. He had to move forward to receive his wife, but he was just standing there like he was struck by thunder. Lucas walked forward and Diane, who was holding Jen's hand, passed her hand over to Lucas. Only she was aware of how much her eyes and nose were stinging at that moment. 

Lucas could vaguely see Jen smile at him and he couldn't stop the large smile that appeared on his face. It was very clear that no one was happier than he was. The two walked to the officiator and Laura moved to take the bouquet from Jen before they officially began the ceremony. 

Everyone sat down and watched as the officiator, who was one of Hellen's brothers, begun. It did not take a long time, as he was not long-winded. He could also see the impatience in his nephew's eyes. His sister was also looking at him impatiently from the audience. 

When it was time for the vows, he instructed Lucas to lift Jen's veil. Once her face was revealed, he became emotional. Did he actually manage to get himself such a beautiful wife? That was the only thing he could think of. Jen smiled when she saw his expression. Lucas, on the other hand, could feel his eyes start to sting. 

Jen noticed how he started blinking rapidly and she looked a bit dumbfounded. Since she knew Lucas, she had never seen him shed a tear! Why were his eyes watery on their wedding day? When he used his sleeves to roughly wipe at his eyes, Jen smiled helplessly as she took the handkerchief in his pocket and handed it to him. Rather than take the handkerchief, Lucas held both of her hands and looked straight at her face. 

Jen had never seen Lucas like this before, so the smile on her face became really dazzling, causing Lucas's heart to race and his heart to water once more. At this point, some of the people in the audience were trying to hold back their laughter. Jen directly wiped the tears that were hanging off his lashes. She secretly lamented that he looked handsome, even with tears in his eyes. 

His uncle silently watched the spectacle in front of him and waited for Lucas to regain his composure. After Lucas got over how beautiful his bride looked, his uncle led the couple to narrate their vows as they exchanged wedding rings.

Lucas looked into Jen's brown eyes as he took the ring that James passed on to him. He held the ring with one hand and took Jen's left hand with his other hand before following the words the officiator was softly narrating next to them. 

"I, Lucas Noah Lewis, take you, Jen Richard Larson, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. I will love and honour you all the days of my life," Lucas said and put the wedding band on her ring finger. Jen's eyes looked very bright as she too took the wedding band from Laura and said her vows. 

"I, Jen Richard Larson, take you, Lucas Noah Lewis, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. I will love and honour you all the days of my life," Jen said while looking into Lucas's hazel eyes. She was so happy that tears welled up in her eyes and ended up being the one to use Lucas's handkerchief. 

"Have you prepared anything?" he asked the couple in a soft voice and Lucas nodded hurriedly. 

"Jen, I waited for this day even before you agreed to be my girlfriend," Lucas started and everyone in the audience laughed at this statement. Even Jen couldn't help but laugh at this. He pestered her to date him and even introduced her to his parents to show how serious he was about her, and after they started dating, he started pestering her to get married. 

"Today, this wish of mine has been fulfilled. I stand here before our friends, family and acquaintances who will witness what I know is just the beginning of the rest of our lives and as my love has grown with time, I will only love you more and more in the future. I love you so much, Jen Richard Larson," Lucas said and lifted both her hands to his lips and kissed the wedding ring he had put on her minutes earlier. 

"I'm glad that you didn't stop chasing me, even when I was being difficult. You have stood by me when I was going through difficult times and you have taught me to love, care and rely on someone else besides myself. I've always felt cherished whenever you were next to me and I can't even find the right words to describe my feelings for you. But today, we stand in front of our friends, family and acquaintances as they witness how much in love with each other we are and the beginning of the rest of our lives together. I love you too Lucas Noah Lewis," Jen said with tears in her eyes. They both said what was coming from their hearts and after hearing what their partner had to say, they felt like their hearts were overflowing with emotions. 

"With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the officiator said and stepped back to give the couple space. 

Lucas took a step forward and wrapped an arm around Jen's slim waist while he used his thumb to catch the tear that fell from her eye. He could see how her heart was overflowing with happiness just from the look in her eyes. 

"I love you, Misses Lewis," Lucas said and leaned forward to kiss her. Jen felt her face heat up from her new address. She hugged Lucas close as she returned his kiss. The couple was so immersed in each other that they had tuned out the loud cheering around them. 

He had worked hard in convincing her that she could love and be loved so beautifully. She had every intention of treasuring this man for the rest of her life.