Cora and Rome had welcomed a healthy baby boy only a few months prior. They had also broken the trend and skipped not only the letter R for the first name but also the C. Baby Zowen was sleeping soundly with Rome’s mom and dad while his cousin watched over him carefully. Shaw and Rule’s baby boy was just a little over a year old and he was fascinated by his infant cousin. Shaw insisted that the older the little boy got, the more and more his personality was making itself known. He wasn’t wild and rebellious like Rule, nor was he mellow and introspective like her. She swore that each day that passed he reminded her more and more of Uncle Remy, and I think everyone in the Archer clan liked that assessment just fine. The baby was sweet, always had a smile or a giggle ready, and seemed content just to bask in his parents’ love, and it made Shaw laugh every time she mentioned how much of a daddy’s boy he was. Ry and Rule were the best of friends, and even now Rule was sticking his shaved head out of the back of the church to where all the guests were congregated to see how his son was doing.
Ayden groaned as she righted herself back up and walked over to me. My sister was always beautiful, but there was something about her being pregnant that made her out-of-this-world stunning. There was a softness about her that had never been present before and it looked really good on her. She walked over and looped her arm through mine. She just grinned at me when I put a hand on her protruding belly.
“Are you ready to do this?”
I lifted an eyebrow at her because she was looking at Royal where she had her head bent close to Saint’s as the two of them chatted about something quietly. “Do you mean today or am I ready to do this with her?”
She put her free hand on top of mine on her belly and looked up at me. “Both.”
I was walking her down the aisle as well as Royal since Jet was singing Madness’s “It Must Be Love” while Cora walked to the altar.
“I’m ready for both.”
She smiled at me and it made happiness bloom inside of me. For two kids from the wrong side of the tracks we really had managed to luck out and end up on the other side of things in a spectacular fashion.
“Is everyone ready?” Brite was officiating at the ceremony, so when he asked the question everyone snapped to attention like a bunch of good little soldiers as he and Rome headed to the front of the church.
When the music started up, Rule and Shaw clasped hands and started down the aisle toward his brother. No one was shocked when they only made it halfway down before he stopped and pulled his pretty blond wife in for a kiss. It made everyone sigh. Nash and Saint went next, the rock on her finger gleaming almost as bright as the smile on her face when she gazed up into those purple eyes, and the two of them glided elegantly down the aisle. Rowdy and Salem went next, both of them looking far too cool for the traditional black tuxes we wore and the simple off-the-shoulder black bridesmaid dresses Cora had picked out. Salem just laughed when, instead of holding her hand and walking down the aisle side by side, Rowdy pulled her in front of him, put his hands across her still-flat stomach, and walked her down the decorated church that way instead.
Royal appeared at my other side and hooked her arm through my free one. She winked at Ayden, then lifted up on her toes so that she could kiss me on the cheek.
“Our turn.”
And here it was. This moment. A moment that would seem so simple, so insignificant and irrelevant to some, and yet it was everything to me. This moment was my life coming full circle, and if I hadn’t been paying attention, I would’ve missed it and all the wonderful things that it was full of. Friends. Family. Love. Togetherness.
I took the two most important people in the world to me to the front of the church. I didn’t miss the pride in Rome’s eyes or the approval in Brite’s when I took my place next to the men that had saved me from myself.
It was RJ’s turn, and even with Sayer at the back of the church to give her a little nudge, the little girl didn’t look like she wanted to move now that all eyes were on her. I saw her bottom lip start to tremble and Rome must have seen it, too. He took a few steps away from the altar so that she could see him. He held one of his hands out to her and Remy’s eyes locked on her father and suddenly she was fine. A smile split her face and she marched down the aisle throwing the flowers like she had been born to be a flower girl. Rome tossed his head back in laughter as Remy stopped about halfway down and did a little ballet twirl just for dramatic effect. She forgot all about the flowers after that and ran the rest of the way to Rome, who hefted her up, making her squeal in delight. He put a smacking kiss on the little girl’s cheek and walked back to his place in front of Brite.
Jet started to sing and Cora appeared at the back of the church with her father. Joe was also in his dress uniform from the navy, which made the fact that his daughter was in a flouncy, puffy, light pink wedding dress even more noticeable. Of course there would be no white wedding for the punk-rock pixie. It was like the entire church took a collective breath and let it out as the two of them made their way to the front of the church. Rome couldn’t take his eyes off the woman that had helped him slay all his dragons. RJ kept clapping her hands and saying, “Mommy is pretty.” She sure was. Cora’s multicolored eyes gleamed with unshed tears as she slowly made her way toward her waiting family … all of us.
When Joe handed Cora over to Rome, Rule broke the emotional silence with a loudly whispered, “It’s about damn time,” which had the entire church laughing. Jet stopped by to give Ayden a quick peck on the cheek and to pat her very round belly before taking his place next to me. We shared a look and I just nodded my head. I had had to do some serious work to earn my place up here next to these men, next to the man that loved my sister when I didn’t know how. I would never forget it.
We all had marks, some physical, some emotional, some that would never leave us, and many of those marks were of our own making as we all tried to get to the place we were supposed to be. Our marks defined us, separated us, and made us the men we were today. One fact that none of us up here on this altar could dispute was that the most important mark, the most lasting marks we would all carry with us, came from falling in love with the remarkable women that stood across from us.
We were marked and had been marked in unforgettable and forever ways. We were all better men for it. Marked men. None of us would have it any other way.