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“You were sweating in your photos.”
“I didn’t have the luxury of wearing a Hawaiian shirt.”
I look down at my wedding day attire. My brother’s right. I am lucky to get to wear an outfit like this.
I even got out of wearing a tie. I have never liked ties.
“Hey, when in Hawaii…” I say, plucking the fabric.
He claps my shoulder. “Leave it to you to have the coolest wedding ever. And knowing you, most of it’s paid for.”
“No influencer stuff today,” I say.
“No?”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “Hazel and I want this to be about the moment.”
“Okay, but when we all return next year, let’s go for fifty percent off. We need to take advantage of your new fame and glory.”
I recently picked up a few new sponsors because of my riding. This time around, I’m not doing stunts. Trail rides are where it’s at for me. The East Coast has a great single track through the woods. A few videos of mine have picked up momentum online, and I’ve been getting a ton of gear and swag in the mail.
I even had a few race organizers reach out to see if I might get into the pro circuit. I haven’t answered.
Before I make any decisions, I want to see how this first year of marriage goes.
We’re going to try to start a family. Hazel loves her job, but it can be demanding at certain times of the year. We’ve decided that if we’re blessed with a little one, I will give the whole Stay-at-Home-Dad thing a go so she can focus on work, at least for a few years.
I’m more excited about seeing my son or daughter's first steps than about getting on the podium in any dirt bike race or about gaining more sponsors or fans.
“Deal,” I tell Brett.
“An annual Honolulu trip,” he says with a nod. “I like it. Sixty percent off.”
“Sixty now?”
“Or seventy-five. Whatever you can get, man. And you and Hazel can babysit a little, too, if you’re lucky.”
“Ho, ho! If we’re lucky. You better watch out, slinging these uncle duties around. You might be an uncle soon, and then I’ll stick you on babysitting.”
“Hey, soon enough, Jasmine could probably do it. I can’t believe she’s in middle school…”
“Time flies.”
The last year has flown by. After the sea turtle ceremony, Hazel and I extended that trip to Hawaii. I will always look back on those two weeks as some of the best days of my life.
We did the long-distance thing for four months after that. I surprised her in Windsor so often that she started expecting my twice-a-month trips. I bought the ring after only a few weeks but held off on giving it to her for a while.
She’s the slow and steady type. I rush. Maybe that’s what makes us such a good pair; we balance each other out.
I tried to hold off longer, but then, one day at the airport, I couldn’t wait any longer. My flight number had just been called, and people were starting to board. I dropped to one knee right there in the boarding area, and everyone started to clap and cheer when she said yes.
The flight had an extra seat, and the airline let Hazel on board. On the way to Utah, we watched the cheesiest rom com, ate popcorn, and sipped cranberry juice. She ended up staying at my place for two months after that.
Living with Hazel was a dream for those couple of months. We had so much fun.
I even got her on the back of my dirt bike for one tiny lap around the block. She squealed the whole time and afterward said it was the biggest rush, even though I don’t think I broke the ten-mile-an-hour mark.
She likes Moab so much that we’ve decided to split our time. It works great because when the heat in Moab climbs up toward the hundreds, we’ll be comfy and cozy at our new place in Windsor, New Hampshire, only fifteen minutes from her folks.
