I dabbed at the tears in my eyes.
Ellie came running over with tissues and makeup in her hands. “Don’t cry! Your makeup!”
The Wedding
“Scott, take a deep breath, dude. I can practically hear your heart beating,” Lark whispered.
It was finally here. The moment I’d been dreaming of since I could remember. I was marrying the girl of my dreams, the only girl I’d ever truly loved.
“I’m fine,” I said.
Gunner leaned over and laughed. “If you keep rocking back and forth, we’re all going to get motion sickness.”
I looked over at him and smiled. I had been rocking back and forth, and if I dug my fingers into my hands any more, they were going to start bleeding.
“Were you this nervous?” I asked no one in particular.
They all answered, “Yes,” with the exception of Lark, who laughed.
I laughed and shook my head. I looked down the line at my friends. These guys were more than friends. They were like brothers to me. It wasn’t lost on me how all the female guests were looking us up and down. We each had on black tuxes with silver vests and silver ties. Jessie had insisted we all wear our cowboy boots, and not one of us had argued with her. It had been decided that we would be allowed to change into jeans and just keep the white shirts, vests, and ties on for the reception.
Then, the music began playing, and I instantly felt sick. Then, Lark put his hand on my shoulder.
He squeezed it and said, “Scott, the moment you see her, it will all go away. Every fear will vanish when she smiles at you, dude.”
I nodded my head, knowing he was right. “I just want to make her happy, Lark. I just want her to know how much I love her.”
He slapped my back lightly. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. I see the way y’all look at each other, Scott. Just speak from your heart.”
The first couple down the aisle was Alex and Luke. They were walking together, holding hands, and it was probably the cutest damn thing I’d ever seen.
I glanced at Lark, who had a smile from ear to ear.
“My god, if that isn’t the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered.
I chuckled since I had just thought the same thing.
“Stick around for a while, Lark. There’s something in our water if you want one,” Gunner said.
Lark’s smile never faltered. He didn’t even make a smart-ass comment about how happy he was being single.
Alex immediately walked up to Gunner and hugged him, but Luke pulled her away to where he had been told they needed to stand. I had a feeling that Alex was going to have a very hard time dating when she got older with Gunner, Jeff, and Luke to watch over her.
Then, Amanda started down the aisle, followed by Heather, Ari, and then Ellie. They looked breathtaking. I smiled at each of them as they walked up and winked at me.
Damn, I love those girls like sisters.
Then, Azurdee appeared, and I heard Lark let out a gasp next to me. One quick look at him told me everything I’d already known. He was head over heels for her. During the few times they had been together out at our place, it was obvious that they both liked each other, but Lark was being a stubborn ass about it.
Then, the wedding march began playing. I closed my eyes and prayed to God that I wouldn’t cry. If I did, Jeff would never let me live it down.
As I opened my eyes, I saw her. It felt like all the air had been sucked from my body as our eyes met. I looked her up and down, and I was pretty sure I felt my knees wobble. I felt like I was about to pass out when she smiled that big beautiful smile of hers. I smiled back, and it was like a million sensations traveled through my body.
I never took my eyes off of her as she made her way closer to me on her father’s arm. She was carrying a huge bouquet of flowers that matched all the flowers on the tables and the flowers that the girls were carrying. Jessie’s bouquet was bigger and wrapped in silver silk with a runner.
Right before she got to me, she stopped and turned toward my mother, who stood up. She was holding Lauren, who was sleeping like the little angel she was. My mother handed something to Jessie and then kissed her on the cheek. Jessie leaned down and kissed Lauren before turning back toward me and walking up.
The pastor took a step forward and smiled. “We are gathered here today in the presence of God and Scott and Jessica’s family and friends, so that they may be united in holy matrimony. Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”
Drake wiped a tear from his eye. “I do.” He placed Jessie’s hand in mine and looked at me as he said, “I’m giving you my life. I’m trusting you to love her, take care of her, and never hurt her.”
I smiled as I reached out and shook Drake’s hand. “I promise you, I’ll spend the rest of my life loving her and taking care of her. She’s my everything.”
He gave me a weak smile and turned to Jessie. He wiped a tear from her cheek and gave her a kiss. My heart was beating a mile a minute, and all I could think of was that I would be doing the same with my Lauren one day.
Jessie and I turned and both took a few steps closer to the pastor.
I looked at Jessie. “I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful in my entire life. You take my breath away.”
She let out a small sob and tried to hold the tears back. “I love you,” she whispered.
I used my thumbs to wipe away her tears. “I love you, too.”
We decided to say our own vows, and I had been panicking the whole night and morning about it. I knew what I wanted to say, but the moment it was my turn to talk, I just stood there, frozen. I couldn’t open my mouth until Lark gave me a nudge from behind.
Jessie smiled, and I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I smiled and shook my head as I gently squeezed her hands in mine.
“The very moment I knew I loved you, I ran away from you. I was nothing but a scared and stupid boy fighting his feelings. The moment you showed up in my world again, I knew I would never run away from you ever. I knew I would fight every day for the rest of my life to show you how much I loved you, how much I needed you.
“Every morning when I wake up and look at you, I realize how much I love you more with each passing day. When you walk into a room, I swear it feels like I can’t breathe from just the sight of you. When you smile at me, I feel your love pouring out, and I thank God that he blessed me with that love.
“The day you said yes to me, I thought that was the happiest day of my life, but I was so wrong. The day our daughter was born, I just knew that was the happiest day of my life. But I was wrong again.