What We Could Be (Ann Wheeler X Phillip Carlyle)

Unbreakable Vows (Part 1, Anne Wheeler)

My tears fell fast, with my face lighting up as I smiled. I must be the happiest girl in the whole wide world! He was kneeling, holding open a velvet box containing the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. The love of my life looked into my eyes, and the small glint in his hinted that he had been waiting a while for this. I buried my face in my hands, almost convincing myself that it was all a dream. I slowly collapsed to the ground. I moved my hands and looked up.
I was still in the same room, with Phillip in front of me and the others surrounding us. I swear I saw Lettie Lutz tearing up too.
"Will you marry me, Anne?" He asked again.
"Yes!" I responded, my eyes burning slightly from crying. "Of course!"
He stood up, brushed himself off, and walked closer to me. He took my left hand and looked down to fumble with the ring. I looked up at him while he took it out of the box and slipped it onto my finger. I noticed how his eyes were red too, with very small droplets of salty tears hanging on to his eyelashes. I looked back down at my hand, and I had to blink a couple times to truly grasp the beauty of the diamond. I didn't come from much, so it was extra special to me. He slipped the box into his pocket. He was still holding my hand when he gently rested his other hand on top of mine, covering the ring. He stroked my thumb for a couple seconds, then looked up.
"I love you, Anne. Don't let anyone tell you that you are unworthy of it. It may have been a long road to get here, but believe me; it was all worth it to marry you," He said. "Thank you, Anne, for being there for me. Thank you," His voice cracked as he expressed his gratitude. He rested his hands on both of my shoulders and kissed my forehead. He pulled me in for a hug, and I laid my head on his chest. I closed my eyes, and I wished I could stay there, just like that, forever.
"I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life with you," he whispered.
"Me too, me too," I replied.
~<two week time skip>~
The date of our wedding was July 15, three months away. We had a lot of planning to do,so we enlisted the help of Mr. P.T. Barnum. We hadn't seen him in a very long time, so we anticipated his arrival that next Wednesday.

"P.T.! How are you?" Philip got out of his seat backstage and walked up to him.
"I'm doing just fine Phillip, how are you?" Mr. Barnum said.
"I— well, us— we are doing amazing!"
I was sitting behind him farther back, with my legs and my arms crossed. I watched intently. P.T. looked past my fiancé to me, and I smiled. He did too.
"Well. If it isn't the lucky lady herself!" Mr. Barnum exclaimed. I giggled and stood up.
"Are you doing well, Anne? Are you excited?" He asked.
"Yes to both of those. Thank you for coming!"
I replied.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss something like this for the world. How shall we start? What colors were you thinking?"
With that, we got to work.

   For 3 hours, we thought things out: What my dress would look like, the colors we wanted, who was invited. and the order of events. Since Charity was the one who knew about Wedding Dresses, Barnum suggested that I go over to his house in the other side of town. We agreed on that next day, Thursday.
  
   I got ready at 9:00 in the morning, putting my hair in a bun and throwing on a dress that Charity Barnum got me for my birthday last year. Lastly I put on a little gold charm necklace. Phillip had gotten it for me, and it said:
"A million dreams for the world we're going to make."
The phrase seemed oddly familiar, yet I couldn't place where I had heard it before. I stroked the charm with my thumb and put it on.
   As I approached the Barnums' house, I thought about all of the possibilities for a dress. They were endless! I rang the doorbell after climbing up the marble steps. As I waited for someone to come, I looked up at the third floor windows. At the very top, they reflected the sun through the trees. It was bright and wonderful, and it made me think. We, me and Phillip,have come so far from nothing, and it feels so great. I snapped back to reality when I heard the door lock click. It swung open to reveal Charity, Helen, and Caroline.
"Anne!" The little ones shouted in unison. Charity laughed as the girls threw themselves onto me. I hugged them, and we all went inside.
  
   We talked for a while, until we settled on something. My white dress would be long and Foley, with lace on the trim. I could have a five foot long veil to match the length of the dress. Where it would rest on my head, there would be a flower crown.
"Thank you Charity, so much,"
"Of course, Anne," She replied. "I wouldn't miss it for the world,"