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“Looks like we’re here,” my dad informed me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the two-storey building to the front of the club. “I’m very proud of you, Tricia,” he told me, as we shared a quiet moment before the valet opened his door. I swallowed back a lump of emotion as I turned to look into his eyes, and despite all he’d learned about me in recent times; I knew he spoke the truth.
As my father helped me out of the car, a wedding usher of sorts arranged by the club rushed over and congratulated me, but before he said anything else, Billie and the girls also ran out to meet us.
Handing me my bridal bouquet, she rolled her eyes when the girls began shoving in front of each other to get closer to me.
“Whoa, remember what I said?” she scolded, and all but Milly, Tammy’s eldest, frowned, instantly corrected by her tone. I smiled when I looked at all their eager, happy little faces. Bethany and Brynn bounced with excitement, which in turn gave me my first set of butterflies for that day.
When I walked past the brightly colored wooden cabanas, the pergoda came into view and as it did, I heard a gentle drumbeat and then a guitar began to play. I frowned, puzzled and glanced toward Billie, whose face lit up when she smiled.
“That’s my daddy and Uncle Scott,” Brynn announced proudly, tapping my hip. Pointing a finger in the air to gain my attention, she cocked her head to one side, listening. When she joined in the chorus and knew all the words, I figured they had been practicing the song for my big day at home.
As Sawyer belted out “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele, accompanied by Hammer on the drums, or Uncle Scott as the children called him, a surging wave of emotion caught in my chest. My body vibrated with anticipation and I swallowed hard because I knew it had been chosen by James.
The tune immediately took me back to the dance floor when I had boldly cut in and asked him to dance. What had added weight to the song was the significance of the lyrics, all I had been through, and how he’d been there for me. But most significantly, it was the song we had danced to at Billie and Sawyer’s wedding and the fact neither of us had ever mentioned that again.
As the wedding party came into view, my eyes scanned past the sparce number of seats at the front of the white wooden pagoda, decorated with flowers.
James stood dressed in sky blue pants and a white button-down shirt, with a matching blue vest and jacket. His shirt collar was open and his blue tie hung loosely knotted. His outfit, like mine, was not overstated and perfect for a beach wedding.
The moment his eyes caught mine, we were locked in a gaze that felt like we were the only two people present. His eyes shone with delight as he stood and drank me in.
My heart pounded, suddenly conscious of how I looked and I’d hoped he liked the dress I had chosen. At the same time, I prayed I never let him down, and we lived a long happy life together.
The moment he smiled at me, I instantly forgot how to breathe. Breaking his stare, I finally exhaled and noted he wasn’t alone. Josh, his best friend stood beside him, dressed the same, and when I looked over at Sawyer and Hammer, they too were in matching attire.
Sawyer finished singing as my dad and I reached the pagoda and I heard Billie heave a proud sigh. Briefly, I caught Erin arrive as she sat next to Marnie and Franco and my heart swelled so tight, I thought it might die.
Once my dad had passed my hand to James, Hammer helped Dad to his seat and sat down beside him. James leaned in and whispered softly in my ear.
“You look exquisite. It feels like it’s taken forever to get to this moment, but I can’t wait to call you my wife.”
“Do I deserve you?” I asked, partly in jest because he had known the precise words to say, as my heart thumped with excitement. My question, although directed toward James, was also me asking myself.
“You deserve all the happiness in the world, my love, and I promise I’ll do my best to contribute to that,” he replied.
“Thank you for being you, for waiting for me, for not giving up when the going felt tough for me.”
The pastor cleared his throat and we realized we’d gotten lost in our own little world for a minute. James chuckled as the pastor placed his sash over our hands and the wedding ceremony began.
The wedding service was kept very short at our request, with both of us choosing the standard traditional vows. I felt I’d been through enough emotional turmoil and drama of late and lacked the creative imagination, which I was sure wouldn’t even have begun to convey what James meant to me.
To my mind, the depth of feelings we shared could hardly be defined by a few sentiments. Our connection was on more of a private, spiritual level than anything either of us could have voiced.
Thankfully, James had told me he’d felt relieved, citing the same sentiments as I had for not bypassing tradition, joking that Sawyer was the poet and romantic in the family. I had strongly disagreed on his romantic comparison and reminded James that romance wasn’t all about hearts, flowers, and love songs … Adele’s songs aside.
I’d have placed bets that the smoldering toe-curling kiss James gave me when the ceremony was over was longer than the ritual itself.
“Yuk, yuk, yuk,” Brynn commented in disgust. “Kissing is yukky. My mom and dad do that all the time, but when I grow up, I won’t be kissing any boys.”
“Damn straight you won’t, or I’ll be buying a nice shiny gun cabinet.” Sawyer scowled down at her and lifted her twin, Remy, onto his shoulders. Billie chuckled and shook her head as she held Brynn’s hand, but I saw how she loved Sawyer’s protective streak when it came to his girls.
“What’s a gun cabinet?” Brynn asked. Sawyer pulled affectionately at one of her curls and crouched down beside her. Remy protested because he’d been enjoying the view.
“You don’t need to know that if you don’t kiss the boys, because we won’t be having one.” Brynn considered his answer and shrugged. “We should have one already because you kiss Mom allllllllll the time,” she dragged out in an exaggerated whine.
“Is that so?” James asked, and squeezed my hand as he poked fun at Sawyer and Billie, by feeding into their daughter’s conversation.
