Chapter 33

"Reader, I married him. A quiet wedding we had: he and I, the minister and his clerk were alone present." There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen, no flowers and no cake. I didn't wear an expensive bridal gown and Edward didn't wear his tuxedo because none of that was important. The only thing that mattered was that Edward and I were getting married.

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass window of the tiny, stone church as we stood at the alter and held hands. Edward spoke first.

'I, Edward Fairfax Rochester, take you, Jane Eyre, to be my wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and all of my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.' He then placed the platinum eternity band on my finger and said, 'Jane, I give you this ring as a symbol of all that we have promised and all that we share. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love.'

After blinking back tears I replied,

'I, Jane Eyre, take you, Edward Fairfax Rochester, to be my husband, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and all of my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.' Then I placed the simple, platinum band on Edward's finger and said, 'Edward, I give you this ring as a symbol of all that we have promised and all that we share. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love.'

When I was done speaking, Edward gently took hold of my right hand and raised it to his lips for a kiss. A mix of a chuckle and a snort escaped as I tried in vain to hold back the tears I thought I had successfully repressed. Edward, who was also overcome with emotion, lovingly brushed them away before we both turned to face the minister.

'Now you will feel no rain, for you will be shelter to each other. And now you will feel no cold, for you will be warmth to each other. Now there is no loneliness, for even though you are two bodies, there is one life before you and one home.

'When evening falls, look to each other and join hands. Then turn together and look to the road you have traveled to reach this, the hour of your happiness. See how it stretches far behind you and be grateful for where you have come from, the times you have shared and the lessons you have learned. But don't forget that your future lies ahead. It is a long and winding road where every turn means more time together and new lessons to learn from.

'So, I thank Him for your past and your present. And I ask Him to bless your future, because your life together has only just begun. . . By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.'

Edward placed a tender and loving kiss on my mouth before resting his forehead against mine.

'So, how are you doing today, Mrs. Rochester,' he asked while caressing my damp cheek.

I smiled as I leaned into his hand.

'Just great. And you, Mr. Rochester?'

'Never better.'

When we returned from the church, Edward and I went into the kitchen to find Mrs. Fairfax cooking dinner and Adele doing her homework at the table. Neither of them took much notice of us until he put his arm around me and said,

'Jane and I were married this afternoon,' while I held up my left hand and smiled.

Adele almost pierced my eardrum with her screaming before knocking me off balance with a huge hug. Mrs. Fairfax, on the other hand, was a little more sedate with her congratulations. She just held her hands in front of her mouth and laughed,

'I saw you two go out, but I never dreamed that you would come back married!'

Once she calmed down, Adele rolled her eyes and sighed.

'Didn't I tell you? I knew they were going to get married as soon as possible. And they did!'

After kissing Adele on her forehead and redirecting her back to her homework, I went into the hall to call Diana and Mary. They were both thrilled to hear that Edward was doing well and that we were now married. Then I invited them to come down to Thornfield so we all could celebrate, but they both agreed that they would come for a visit when we returned from our honeymoon. Edward thought that was pretty funny.

'I guess Diana and Mary will never come to Thornfield, Jane, because our honeymoon is never going to end. . . And speaking of honeymoons, where would you like to go? Just name the place and we will book the trip today.'

I thought for a minute before replying,

'The only place I want to go right now is to our bedroom.'

He smiled and took my hand,

'I like the way you think, Mrs. Rochester.'

When we were half way up the stairs Edward teased,

'So, is Nurse Jane going to make a house call? I could really use a physical.'

I laughed,

'I think that can be arranged. But I thought you didn't want a nurse. I thought you only wanted a wife.'

'Can't I have both?' he grinned devilishly.

'Edward, you can have anything you want.'

After stopping me on the stairs with a kiss that took my breath away he replied,

'I already have everything that I want, Jane.'

'I'm glad you think so because you're stuck with me now.'

Now it was Edward's turn to laugh,

'You know, Jane, technically, we're still not officially married.'

'Then why the hell are we standing around talking! Take me to bed, Mr. Rochester and make me your wife!' I exclaimed as I bounded up the stairs.

'But only if you are gentle with me when you take me to bed and make me your husband. I still don't know how capable I am in that department,' he said with more than a hint of sadness in his voice.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I silently cursed myself for being so inconsiderate towards Edward's situation. Then I took his hand in mine and reassured him that whatever happened or didn't happen won't change how I felt about him now or ever as we walked to our bedroom together.

When I was able to, I called John to officially resign my position as Peer Counselor, and to tell him that Edward and I had gotten married just in case Diana and Mary didn't. He wasn't answering his office phone, so I left a simple message on his voice mail. I don't know how he reacted to my news, but when John did finally contact me, in the form of a brief, handwritten note, he never mentioned Edward's name or my marriage. He did wish me well, though, before informing me that he was leaving shortly for California.

Due to the injury to Edward's Temporal lobe, he now had concentration and short term memory problems that made it hard for him to run Pilot Corporation. As a result, I didn't return to school so I could help him with his business. My days were now spent trying to get him to focus on his paper work while I made notes so he wouldn't forget anything important. I never tired of the work because I really enjoyed helping him. And I even accompanied him to all of his business meetings. Instead of being embarrassed that he needed to bring his wife along, Edward encouraged me to take an active part in the discussions which now made the boring meetings much more interesting, according to him anyway.

Since we worked so well together and he wasn't ashamed that he needed my help, Edward listened to what I had to say regarding his clients. And he was always very grateful for my advice, especially when it made his company money, or kept it out of trouble.

Edward was in no hurry to return to London, and after taking a look at all of the documents from his meetings there, I told him that I didn't think this client would be beneficial to Pilot Corporation. After mulling it over for some time, he decided not to bring them aboard, and it was a good thing. Three months later, we found out that they were under investigation for money laundering.

Adele loved the fact that her uncle was now home and that I was now her aunt as well as her friend. She finished off her first year of school as a straight A student and informed us that she wanted to be a physical therapist or an actress when she grew up. Edward was hoping that she would choose to go into a convent instead, but he knew better than to hold his breath. We did let her know that whatever path she chose, we would support, within reason, of course! Oh, and Adele just adored our big, new, slobbery dog, Pilot, as did Mrs. Fairfax. Only she wouldn't admit it, especially after he messed up her kitchen.

There were also some other goings on at Thornfield that Mrs. Fairfax wouldn't admit to either, for a while. Little did we know, that while Edward and I were away, the business associate he had asked to help look after Thornfield, also looked after Mrs. Fairfax!

As was to be expected, Edward's central vision never did return even though the physical damage to his left eye eventually healed. Thankfully, he still had his peripheral vision in that eye and with the help of his fully functioning right eye, Edward was able to see our newborn son when he was placed in his arms. The first comment he made was how beautiful little Edward's eyes were. I smiled before reminding him that our son's large, brilliant, black eyes were just like his Daddy's.

Life couldn't get any better for us and our extended family. Soon after the birth of our son, Diana announced that she was getting married to the retired naval officer/professor she began dating shortly after Edward's accident. It was evident when you saw Diana and Stephen together that they loved each other very much. Edward and I couldn't have been happier for them.

And after graduating with an associates degree and much soul searching, Mary decided to take a few years off from her education to find herself before beginning her next course of study.

John did leave New York and go out to California as planned. From what I heard through his sisters and the letters he sent to me, his fellowship was very successful, and when it was done, he opened up a clinic in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. And as far as we knew, he didn't share his life with anyone special because he would rather work. John has been dedicated to his patients and continues to labor tirelessly, helping those who need it amongst the gang wars and violence that surround him. Diana and Mary are both afraid that one day John is going to end up getting killed, but he doesn't worry about it. In his last letter, John wrote that he knew he would probably die doing what he loved, so he wasn't afraid. In fact, he welcomed it.

Now it is time for my little story to come to a close, and as I sit here some ten years into married life, I can honestly say that I am truly happy and very blessed. I love being a mother to our two children, an aunt and friend to Adele, and Edward's partner in every aspect of our life together. With that said, I must admit that because Edward and I are together most of the time there isn't always perfect concord. No relationship is perfect and ours isn't the exception. We disagree, find fault with one another, or just get on each others nerves at times. But we make sure to work through our difficulties, whether they be big or small, because we love each other and know that we are meant to be together, forever.

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weddings about dot com - vows and ring ceremony - adapted by jpmel / "The Journey" by Maura Penders - adapted by jpmel