I open my mouth to say that she’s touching up her makeup in her bedroom, but I’m cut off by Annabelle’s ear-piercing squeal. Everyone in the room turns to see Raine making her way into the living room. She’s had her dress on for the last thirty minutes, but tears well in my eyes every time I see her in it.
“You look like a rainbow princess,” Annabelle says as she gives Raine a hug.
Raine found the perfect sleeveless dress that dips into a sweetheart neckline and flows down in a cathedral train. She had it dip-dyed in pastel rainbow colors and did the same for Annabelle’s flower girl dress. Hanging from her neck is the rainbow necklace that Ryland gifted to her when they first fell in love, and on her ears sits a pair of diamonds that belonged to her Mamaw.
“Raine—” I try to say, but the words are lodged in my throat.
She smiles softly, understanding everything that I want to say to her without me needing to speak a word. “You look beautiful too.”
I look down at the cream-colored, off-the-shoulder-style bridesmaid dress. I love that she chose for the colors to be highlighted on her and Annabelle’s dresses. Enchanted Petals, the local florist, did an incredible job on our bouquets of wildflowers, creating a beautiful array of rainbow colors.
Everything is perfect.
Except for the storm that blew through, which I’m quickly reminded of as Wren touches Raine’s shoulder to ask how she’s holding up. I watch her, waiting for her response, preparing to fill her with as much optimism as I can muster. But none of it is needed.
Raine beams, radiating peace, as she says, “I’m fine, I promise. Everything is going to work out.”
Wren looks over at me, her eyes widening as if silently saying, ‘She’s in denial.’
“Yes, it will.” I grab her elbow and start leading her to the couch. “How about you go relax for a minute? Can I get you something?”
“I promise, I really am okay. I don’t know how to explain it, but as I saw that storm rolling through, I didn’t panic. I just had this overwhelming sense of calm rush over me. Rain or shine, I’m marrying the love of my life today.”
Raine steps away to have a few photos captured of herself before the ceremony, and I’m left alone in the living room, staring at the soft glow of string lights dancing against the window, rain still clinging to the glass like pearls. I exhale slowly, pressing a hand over my heart, trying to hold myself together.
It’s not just the dress, or the music, or the fact that the sky is finally clearing just in time…it’s her. It’s watching my best friend, the girl who used to braid my hair and stayed up all night with me during sleepovers, standing on the edge of her new beginning.
I can’t stop thinking about how far she’s come. How far we’ve come. There was a time she didn’t believe this day would ever happen. I think about how long it took for Raine and Ryland to get here after everything that almost kept them apart. How sometimes love is about holding on, no matter how hard things get, and trusting that it’ll lead you to where you’re meant to be.
I think of Luke. I remember the storm we weathered, the mess we made of everything, all the times we pretended, and the ways we almost lost each other. But somewhere in the middle of all that, we found our way back to each other.
Once the rain finally stops, the music starts, a beam of sun shines through the clouds, and as if it’s a gift from God himself, a rainbow appears. It stretches over the sky right as Raine’s Papaw begins to lead her down the aisle. It stays in the sky for most of the ceremony, a graceful arch right above where Raine and Ryland stand and share their vows together.
“Most of you might not know this about our story, but when Raine and I were teenagers, I had given Raine the rainbow necklace that she’s wearing today.”
I hear the snap of a camera and am thankful the photographer captured this moment. The way they are looking at one another is something from a fairy tale. My heart swells at the sight of them.
Ryland continues, “You might wonder ‘Why the rainbow?’ A rainbow is a symbol of hope. It appears to us as a delicate promise from God that, even in the darkest of storms, light will always prevail. I didn’t realize just how much a rainbow would define Raine’s and my story.
“The rainbow sitting above us right now only gives me more confirmation that this is exactly where God intended us to be. No matter what storms life will try to throw at us, I promiseto hold on to that hope and stand firm until the sunshine reappears again. I’m more than ready to spend the rest of my life loving you, my rainbow.”
I don’t think there is a dry eye amongst the crowd. I search through the faces, taking in all the love and support that’s here for Raine and Ryland, and I’m swept away by a wave of peace, especially when I look over toward the groomsmen and find Luke already staring at me.
We share a grin, silently speaking to each other’s hearts.
There’s something in the way he looks at me, like he’s not just seeing me in this moment but every version of me he’s ever known. The childhood best friend. The awkward teen. The girl pretending not to fall for him. The woman who finally did.
In his eyes, I see it all reflected back at me. There’s no fear or doubt. Only love. I press my lips together to keep from smiling too hard, but it’s impossible because, somehow, this man—the one who knew my locker combination by heart and always dared me to cannonball into the lake—is also the person who knows how to hold my heart without even touching it.
Once the ceremony is over and we take what feels like a million photographs, we enter the reception, which is being held in a huge white tent that’s displayed in the center of the farm. We gather together, eat, laugh, give toasts, and at the end of the night, I end up on the dance floor, wrapped within Luke’s arms.
My cheek is pressed against his chest, my ear listening to the beating of his heart, and I’m thankful that he’s chosen to love me. It has been pure magic between us for the last four months. We also found out that Buttercream is actually a female when we noticed thatshestarted to get very fat, extra sassy, and eventually gave birth to a litter of kittens. I’m not sure why I trusted Luke’s anatomy skills, but now we have five cats: Buttercream, Snickerdoodle, Ginger, Pumpkin, and Peanut.
If there’s one thing these past four months have taught me,it’s how powerful love can be when it’s intentional. Luke chooses to love me in the ways that speak to my heart. He listens, he learns, he leans in, even when it would be easier to do what’s familiar to him.
He prays and asks God how to love me right, and that alone means everything to me. I never imagined I’d end up with someone who asks God to help him protect my heart, not just hold it. Who sees every fractured piece of me and holds it gently, reminding me that I’m already whole.
Being loved by Luke has been healing in the most unexpected ways.
