Page 115 of Ruck Me

Chapter38

Epilogue

AOIFE

The doors opened,and as one, forty guests stood to watch me walk down the aisle, as Declan squeezed the hand I'd wrapped around his outstretched arm. “In case I forget to say it later, you look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I answered, squeezingback.

“You ready?”

My eyes sought Eoin’s at the end of the aisle. I’d measured it last night so I knew only 50 steps separated me from him, but it still felt like five thousand too many. “Never readier.”

Declan gave the signal and Clodagh began playing Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” on the room's baby grand piano, the notes dancing through air scented with the fragrance of all my favorite flowers in full bloom.

“Let’s get you married then,” he said as we stepped forward, putting one foot in front of the other until we’d made our way to the front of theroom.

Passing my bouquet to Sophie, I turned to Eoin, my face split in the widest grin possible. We’d traveled a long, arduous road, but we’d finally made it. We might have done things out of order, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Except for maybe the weather.

It was the middle of summer and we’d planned to hold the ceremony in front of a beautiful old oak tree, on the estate's grounds, but two nights ago an uncharacteristic heat wave had finally snapped, and it had been raining ever since. We’d planned for this—it was Ireland, after all—but I couldn’t help giggling all the same. Not many brides stood in front of a fireplace with a roaring fire going during their Late-June wedding.

My eyes scanned the space. That wasn't the only uncharacteristic thing about this wedding. Not many brides had grooms sporting stitches and a fading black eye, but then again, not many brides married rugby players either—especially ones who’d just returned from Argentina after sweeping the summer series, three matches tozero.

“Hey,” Eoin mouthed, taking my hand and rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.

“Hey,” I mouthed back, goose pimples skittering over myskin.

The retired Father Murphy gave us a few moments to admire one another, but then he cleared his throat and the ceremony began. “We’re here today to share a significant moment in Aoife and Eoin’s lives. These two have known one another since they were children, not much older than their son, little Niall over there.”

Eoin and I turned our heads to smile at our little man. He was happily bouncing in his granny's lap, chewing on his fist while drool pooled on the lapels of his little black tuxedo.

“I watched Aoife and Eoin grow up together. Their lives are intricately woven together through their friends, families, and this very community. And while they have always loved one another, they weren’t always in love. In fact, Aoife was a very sharp thorn in Eoin’s side for many, many years, but, as Eoin explains it, that all changed a little over three yearsago.”

Eoin smirked while our closest friends chuckled from their seats. Only a few people knew the real story of how Eoin and I had gotten together, and I was mortified to think the truth was about to become public knowledge. During. Our. Wedding.

“Eoin tells me he took one look at Aoife that night and, with a page out of Aoife’s book, threw caution to the wind. Knowing Aoife never met a dare she wouldn’t take, he issued a challenge she couldn’t ignore.” Our guests laughed and nodded knowingly while my cheeks turned pink to match the peonies in my bouquet. We’d gone over the ceremony during our rehearsal the night before, but this whole section was a late addition—one I hadn’t agreedto.

“Things haven’t always been smooth sailing for Aoife and Eoin, but through all of life’s ups and downs, their love has grown stronger—hour by hour and day by day, until today, when they're binding their separate lives intoone."

The ceremony moved forward, Brienne reading a passage from Kahlil Gibran’s “Thoughts On Marriage” and Clodagh playing another song until it was time to say our vows. My stomach fluttered with nervousness. Not that I was anxious about becoming Eoin’s wife. He was mine and I was his, and no ceremony would ever change that. But the vows we’d chosen to say were highly personal and as outspoken and outrageous as I might have been in the past, saying the words aloud made me feel vulnerable.

“Eoin, I promise to be your best friend, your partner, and your biggest fan—both on and off the pitch.” Our guests chuckled as Eoin smiled and shook his head. “With my whole heart, I take you as my husband, the father of my children, and my life’s greatest joy. Every day I thank the Lord that I waited for you. You are the love of my entire existence. You are my one andonly.”

Eoin cleared his throat and let out a deep breath. “Aoife, I promise to be your best friend, your partner, and your biggest cheerleader. With my whole heart, I take you as my wife, the mother of my children, and my life’s greatest joy. Every day I thank the Lord for your smiling face and all that beautiful, crazy pink hair. You and Niall are my reason for breathing. You are my everything.”

Before long, we’d placed matching platinum bands on each other’s fingers and Father Murphy had pronounced us man and wife. But before he could say “You may now kiss the bride,” Eoin stepped forward, locked his arms around my middle, and tugged me close. My feet came off the ground and my arms twined around his neck as he kissed me deeply, our lips and tongues tangling until we became aware of the sounds of hooting and hollering from our guests. Okay, it was mostly the team, but even a few of my friends from work had joined in on the ruckus. Eventually, our kiss slowed and Eoin set me down. When we faced the rowdy crowd his mother—my new mother—passed Niall into myarms.

Father Murphy laughed, his face flushed at our very public display of affection. “And now, please allow me the very great honor of introducing for the very first time, Eoin, Aoife, and Niall McGrath.”