TOBY.
The dress she was wearing had a sparkly off-shoulder top and a blue skirt. The material flowed down her body seamlessly and accentuated her curves. Her body in the dress stole all the attention. She had a simple but classy makeup look on with her hair in a simple updo.
She made her way down the stairs with such elegance and poise as the cameras clicked away. The absence of any jewellery on her neck and earlobe reminded me of the present my mum had given me for her.
"I know you won't think of getting her anything," she said when she stopped by my office to drop off the package a few weeks ago. She was right, I didn't think of getting her anything. Seeing her now, I felt bad for not thinking about it.
"Wow! You look gorgeous," I said, taking her in. My eyes noticeably lingered on her cleavage. I couldn't help but stare at the exposed skin that hinted at more of her creamy skin and delectable curves.
"Thank you, you look great as well," she said, a blush creeping up her face.
"Happy anniversary," I said to her with a kiss.
"Same to you," she said as I slipped the jewellery box out of my pocket. I clipped the earrings on her ear lobes, my hands lingering. I admired the Garnet stone against her complexion. According to mom, the fiery stone was a traditional second-anniversary present.
"Thank you," she said, her hands going up to touch the earrings. I slipped the matching necklace around her neck and stood behind her to clip it on. I felt her breath hitch when my fingers brushed her pulse. It felt like the small crowd faded away at that moment. It was just the two of us. I brushed my lips against the crook of her neck and she shivered.
"We should get going," she said, suddenly moving out of my arms.
"What's the rush," I said, pulling her back into my body.
"Our guests are waiting," she said, shifting out of my grip.
"Nonsense," mum said, appearing out of nowhere. She was dressed in a fitted dinner dress made from a tie-dye blue and white silk material. She looked classy and elegant as usual. "We still have time, take as many pictures as you want. I'll just stand here and watch." Other things had clouded my mind so I forgot we were taking pictures. We posed for more pictures now conscious of our audience.
Ruby pulled mum to join us and then she had her call the nanny to bring Jeremy. Jeremy came eagerly into my arms and I was excited to receive him. I had missed the little guy so much. He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and blue tie, exactly what I was wearing. We took a few shots with just the two of us and Jeremy, our little family.
Then the guests began to arrive, we greeted them warmly and took a few photos. My father came surprisingly early. He had been so busy these past few days I didn't think he would take the time out to come so early for a mere anniversary party. As we posed for pictures I concluded he was here to put on a show. A supportive father and loving grandfather. I held back a laugh as Jeremy refused to go into his arms.
"He's a little edgy, he just woke up from a nap," Ruby said, giving an excuse for his behaviour. I caught the smile she was hiding and it almost made me burst out in laughter.
When Ruby's father and stepmother arrived I greeted them warmly, accepting their congratulations and compliments as well as dishing out compliments of my own. I give them space to have a little private moment. I watched their interactions and beneath the smiles, it could be described as strained at best and cold at worst. I knew she had always been upset with her father about our marriage but I could always tell she had a great amount of affection for him and Sapphire. What changed between them? Whatever it was, I just knew it had something to do with the extra layer of guardedness that surrounded her.
"Sapphire," Ruby exclaimed, grabbing my attention from Jeremy. I looked up to see Sapphire walking toward us with a huge smile on my face. She enclosed us all in a group hug.
"I missed you guys," she said when we disentangled from our hug. She reaches for Jeremy but then his face crumpled up like he was about to cry.
"Okay there big guy," she said, letting go of his arm.
"We missed you too," I said, I watched as Ruby stared at her sister with a pleasing smile.
"You told me you wouldn't be able to make it," Ruby said.
"It was a little white lie, I wanted to surprise you."
"Well I'm surprised," Ruby said. An usher stepped up to lead Sapphire and a few guests around us inside. All the guests had to be seated before we made our entrance.
"Your gifts," Sapphire said, she slipped two cotton hankies into Ruby's hands before getting lost in the crowd as they moved into the hall. Ruby passed a hanky to me. She traced the fancy embroidery at the bottom that read Ruby and Toby before she slipped hers into her purse. I did the same before slipping mine into my pocket. Jeremy's nanny materialised from the sidelines and took him out of my arms just as we were being announced.
My fingers brushed against her ring as we stepped into the hall filled with our friends and family, Ain't no Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel blasting through the speakers.
The hall was cast with a mix of blue and white lights causing Ruby's dress to stand out more than it already did. From the decoration, it was easy to tell that they were going for a wintry theme. With all the blue and white lights strung above us. We danced into the hall and ended up on the dance floor that looked exactly like a lake that had frozen over. Our family and friends joined us on the dance floor where we danced until the end of the song. I looked at Ruby amid the crowd, laughing and dancing and the lyrics rang true.
After our dance session, everyone took their seats again and Ruby and I were led to a special table in front of the hall. The table spelt love and was lit up with a mix of white and light blue lights. The ceremony officially began and in no time we were on our feet again, this time slow dancing to Can't Help Falling in Love with you by Elvis Presley.