Chapter Text
~~~3 Months Later~~~
I sat at the dressing table and looked at my reflection in the beautifully ornate mirror. For the first time in my life, I fully understood Mom's fascination with butterflies. It was much more than their beauty. It was their journey from something awkward and unattractive to a beautiful creature that glides through the air.
I felt like one of her butterflies. My journey had brought me to the most beautiful thing I could imagine. A forever union with the man of my dreams, and a complete second family. I smiled as I thought about them.
We flew my family in from Atlanta a week ago. They’ve been staying in a posh hotel, having the vacation of a lifetime. I even invited my father. He brought his girlfriend. I liked her immediately. She seemed to be a good influence on him.
Eric and Rachel were now officially a couple. Uncle Larry also had a date. He had spent a month traveling but got bored and lonely, so he went back to Atlanta. He started hanging around my favorite coffee shop. He and my friend Iseul had struck up a friendship that had blossomed into something beautiful. Andrew and Martha actually seemed to be loosening up and having a good time.
Min’s whole family was there as were all the guys’ parents. Min’s mother and I had begun to get closer over the past couple of months. She treated me like a member of their family and it made me feel warm inside. I kept my mom close to me by wearing her favorite pearl earrings and necklace as my “something old”.
Lucy loaned me a beautiful antique pearl hair clip as my “something borrowed”. My “something blue” was my flowers. And my something new? Well, that was something only Minhyuk and I knew about.
We had just found out two days before the ceremony that I was six weeks pregnant. Lucy was the only one who knew because there was no way I could keep that from her. We were going to tell everyone else after the first trimester. We were over the moon about it.
I had stopped taking the pill after we registered our marriage but I really didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. When I showed Min the positive test he was even more excited than he had been when I said yes to marrying him. If that was even possible.
My gaze in the mirror fell to the motion behind me as Amber and Alicia twirled in their Hanboks. Lucy stood by and observed as Minhyuk's mother helped them with their sashes. Jinki sat on the dressing table watching me, her blue eyes glittering. I think she was happy too.
An attendant came to tell us it was time for the ladies to take their places. I stood and hugged them as they left the room. Uncle Larry came in just as they all left. He stood in the doorway and smiled at me. He pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo and then grinned.
We had already done all the formal shots and greeted the families and guests. We received a ton of white envelopes. I had no idea how much money was in them, but it didn't matter. I wasn't in it for that.
He stopped in front of me and I saw tears in his eyes. "Rileigh, you look radiant. I am so happy that you found your love. He is one of the good guys. You chose wisely."
"I am happy for you and Iseul, too. Now you don't have to be alone." I smiled at him.
He took a small box and envelope out of his coat pocket. "I have been saving this for today. I hope this doesn't ruin your makeup, but I am following instructions."
"Okay..." I said as I took the items from him. The envelope was sealed and had yellowed slightly. I turned it over and saw my name in my mother's handwriting. My eyes shot up to him. A tear had fallen from his eye and he wiped it away, recovering with a smile. "What is this?"
"Just open it. Letter first, please."
My hands shook as I carefully pulled the seal open and removed the letter inside. I recognized my mother's beautiful penmanship and ran my fingers across the page as if trying to absorb her essence.
My precious Rileigh,
You are my world, sweetheart. You always have been. I am so sorry that I cannot be there today to see you walk down the aisle with my future son-in-law. I don't know who he is, but I know he will be amazing. He has to be if you chose him. I may not be there physically, but I am with you always. In your heart.
To remind you of that, I have asked my brother to hold on to this bracelet. I will let him tell you the story of how it came back to me, but it should be yours now. It belonged to your grandmother and she gave it to me on my wedding day, now I am passing on the tradition. I hope that if you have a daughter, you will pass it on to her when the time comes.
I am so proud of the woman you have become and I know you aren't done yet. Always stay true to yourself, Rileigh. You are a precious gem in a world of faux crystals. You sparkle like no other.
I love you more than I could ever say,
Mom
I clutched the letter to my chest and blinked as my vision blurred. Uncle Larry pulled me into his arms and rocked me. I finally got ahold of myself and straightened up. I was thankful for waterproof mascara, once again.
I grabbed a tissue from the nearby dressing table and dabbed my eyes. I took a deep breath and looked at my uncle as I opened the box. My hands shook as I carefully removed the bracelet from the bed of cotton. He helped me fasten it to my wrist.
I spun the silver chain around until the diamond-encrusted butterfly lay on top. My mom had worn it daily until she sold it to feed us. I remember that day like it was yesterday. She never told me what she did, and I never brought it up. I knew it had to be painful for her, and I knew already anyway. We just went on like nothing happened. I asked Uncle Larry to tell me how it returned to her.
"I noticed that she wasn't wearing it, and you know she never took it off, so I asked what happened. When she told me she had pawned it to buy food, I just about hit the roof. She had not told me how bad things were. I knew she was struggling, but not that much. I was struggling too with Julie's medical bills, but I could have helped you guys. Any time I offered, she turned it down. Your mother was the most stubborn woman I have ever known. I think she held out hope that your dad would come through."
"He never did. I am learning to come to terms with that."
He nodded and continued. "She told me they were holding it for 90 days and she could buy it back. After that, it would be put up for sale. I made her give me the claim ticket and I went there and bought it back. She asked me to keep it in my safe because was safer in there. It was right after this that you guys moved in with me. I wasn't going to let her scrape by like that anymore."
He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie before continuing. "When the cancer came back, it was like she knew she wasn't going to survive it that time. She asked me to help her get her affairs in order and this was the first thing she wanted to handle. She made me promise to give it to you on your wedding day. And I have fulfilled that promise to my beloved little sister." His eyes were full again, as were mine.
He hugged me again and told me how much he loved me. Our moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. Lucy had come to tell me it was time. She saw my face and panicked.
"Oh my gosh, Ri! You are a mess! Come here. Sit. Uncle Larry, you go on and please tell them we will be delayed a couple of minutes." She pushed him out the door and made me sit at the dressing table. She touched up my makeup quickly and then stood back to observe her handiwork as I told her about the letter.
"I miss your mom. She's here, you know," she smiled and squeezed my hand. "Yes, that will do. You are beautiful. He is going to fall in love with you all over again." She smiled, clasping her hands to her chest. She reached out and touched the bracelet. "She is here, Rileigh. She is definitely here."
The wedding hall was even more beautiful than I imagined it could be. The planners used large dark blue and light blue roses with smaller white ones and green accents. They were all over the platform, the tables, and all around the room.
They used tall lanterns and candles to add warmth to the bright room. I didn’t want to have a Christmas or winter theme and I loved what they had done with my ideas.
Lucy stood with me in her gorgeous dark blue satin and lace gown, holding Jinki and my bouquet. Min had a special harness made for her to match Lucy’s dress. Our rings hung from her collar. Changkyun stood with Minhyuk while the others sat close by in solidarity.
We stood facing each other, my hands in his, with a glistening blanket of fresh snow through the glass as the backdrop to our public union. I knew there were hundreds of people looking at us, but all I knew was the man in front of me. I was lost in his eyes.
We said our vows and greeted our guests as husband and wife. I still felt like I was in a fairy tale. The guys sang for us. They sang Someone’s Someone and a new song that they wrote especially for us. Looking out at our guests while we were serenaded, I felt a swell of emotion. I had left my life on the other side of the world to come to this strange place and found a second family.
After the ceremony and dinner with the collective family, we made our escape to Hotel Shilla for our wedding night. We were exhausted but flying high. As we laid in bed, we talked about baby names. Minhyuk rested his head on my stomach and ran his fingers gently over it. I combed my fingers through his hair and marveled at my life. We made love, tenderly and slowly. There was no need to rush. We had the rest of our lives together.
