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CH 48 - #forever
Riley
Song: “Dance With You” by Brett Young
IT WAS THE first day of winter. Unseasonable for Texas, especially this part of the Lone Star State, glistening snow covered the ground outside my grandpa’s church. Inside, it was warm as my daddy and I stood by the closed sanctuary doors.
He had on a new, sharp-looking gray suit, collared white shirt, tie, and dress shoes.I was wearing my grandma’s vintage ivory wedding dress and long veil, my momma’s pearl necklace and earrings, a lacy blue garter on my left thigh that Rachel got for me, and my cowgirl boots.
Beyond the sanctuary doors, the love of my life was waiting for me. The thing I was most anxious to see was his face the moment he saw me. I’d watched online videos of grooms seeing their brides when they first began walking down the aisle toward them. Their looks of surprise, happiness, and then their tears slayed my heart each time.
As Mrs. Palmer began playing the bridal march on her piano, Noah opened the sanctuary doors, and all in attendance stood up. My daddy and I looked at each other, smiled, and he began walking me toward my handsome groom. Then, the moment I’d been anticipating happened.
When Rhys saw me, he smiled, and his chin quivered. Then he covered his mouth because he was breaking down. Jackson stepped over to him and touched his shoulder to comfort him.
I kept looking at Rhys, just as moved by his appearance. He was dressed in all black—a black suit, shirt, tie, belt, boots, and a cowboy hat in his hand. When my daddy and I reached him, he mouthed, “You’re beautiful.”
After my grandpa asked, “Who gives this woman in marriage?” my daddy, momma, Rachel, and Macie said, “We do!” at the same time. I didn’t know they’d planned to do that, but it was so appropriate and made everyone in the sanctuary laugh.
As I handed Rachel my daisy bouquet, Rhys handed his hat to Jackson. Then we turned toward each other and laced our fingers together.
My grandpa began talking about the sacredness of love and marriage, referencing The Song of Solomon in the Bible. Every time I glanced at Rhys, he already had his eyes on me.
When it came time for us to say our vows, Jackson held a rolled-up scroll toward Rhys. He motioned that he didn’t need it and faced me again, taking a deep breath.
“Riley Dawn Martin, you are my best friend. You are my person. You are my soulmate, and you are my peace. I promise to love you with all of my being for the rest of my life. I promise to be faithful. I promise to protect and take care of you. You’ll never go without and will only have the best. I promise to make you laugh daily. I promise to keep the romance alive by kissing you every chance I get, bringing you flowers, dancing with you, cooking for you, looking at the stars with you, and taking you on grand adventures.” Rhys stopped talking and swallowed hard as tears welled in his eyes again. “Thank you for loving me, understanding my ways, forgiving me, and agreeing to let me change your last name. Without you by my side, I am lost. With you by my side, I am found and have everything a man could ever want.”
Rhys nodded that he was done, tears trickling down his cheeks like mine. Thankfully, Macie had applied waterproof mascara, base, powder, lipstick—everything when she did my makeup for me earlier. Otherwise, I’d be a smeared mess.
It was my turn to speak, so I looked at my sister and motioned that I didn’t need the rolled-up scroll with my handwritten vows because I knew them by heart like Rhys did his. When I focused back on him, I began telling him exactly how I felt about him.
“Rhys Michael Silverman, I love you. You are my everything and I think the world of you. You’re such an amazing man with a heart bigger than Texas, blue eyes that I can’t look at enough, and a dimpled smile that melts me every time I see it. Your voice calms me. Your kisses, I crave. Your hugs are the best ever, and so are your cheese omelets with Herdez salsa and sour cream.” Rhys and I chuckled for a moment, as did everyone else. Then, I continued saying my vows to the handsome cowboy standing in front of me. “You have my heart and my soul in your hands, and I know they’re safe. I promise to keep yours safe, too. I promise to be faithful to you. I promise to take care of you and spoil you all I can because it’s so much fun doing it. I want to thank you for loving me like you do. Your love is so deep and pure. It’s all I need. That—and your last name.”
We smiled at each other and then took turns exchanging wedding bands, both engraved with “RXR4EVR” on the inside. Then my grandpa pronounced us “husband and wife” and told Rhys he could kiss me.
He lifted my veil over my head, held my face in his hands, and stared into my eyes. A moment later, he whispered, “In case you didn’t know, baby, I’m crazy about you,” and pressed his warm lips against mine.
While the photographer took photos, all who’d been invited to the wedding headed to Cheers and Beers, where the reception would be held. Rhys and I thought it was the perfect place to have it, considering how much we loved to dance together, so we rented the entire bar for the day.
Before leaving my grandpa’s church, I told Rhys I had a surprise for him and would return in a few minutes. Then Macie, Rachel, and I went to the dressing room, where they helped me take off my grandma’s wedding dress and put on a different one—one that would make dancing with Rhys much easier.
It was a white fringed halter dress that reached me mid-thigh. It was sassy and sexy, and Rhys was going to love it. He would also love the white cowgirl boots I bought and my hair down.
Before my girls and I entered the foyer, Macie peeked around the corner and told Rhys to close his eyes. Then I walked up to him and told him to open them. His eyebrows shot up, and his mouth fell open.
“Oh my God! Look at you!” he said, giving me his adorable, dimpled smile. Then he took my hand, lifted my arm, and slowly turned me around, sighing after he had. “I could eat you up, Riley Dawn Silverman.”
I grinned. That was the first time he’d called me that, and I loved the sound of it. My name had a ring to it now.
When Rhys and I walked into Cheers and Beers, everyone clapped and cheered. Some whooped and made cat-calls, too. Then the DJ started playing “Dance With You” by Brett Young. It was the song Rhys and I wanted for our first dance as a married couple.
He took off his cowboy hat, handed it to Jackson, and led me to the middle of the dance floor, where we started doing a slow two-step with sawdust beneath our boots.
“We did it, mia bella. We made it,” Rhys said, his blue eyes sparkling.
“And I’m so happy.”
“Me too. I love you.”
