Page 42 of The Pilot

Everyone chuckled at that, and Britt turned her head to smile at her new family before continuing.

“I promise to be faithful to you, and place you and our family above all else. And finally, I promise to love you with everything I am and everything within me, today and every day. To walk beside you, in front of you when necessary, and even behind you, letting you take the limelight and accolades you deserve. I promise to be with you, heart and soul, wherever life takes us . . . together.”

Harper sniffed. She didn’t think she’d ever heard such heartfelt vows in her life.

Chad leaned down and kissed Britt gently.

“Hey! It’s not time for that yet, bro. Chill out!”

Shaking his head at his brother’s antics, Chad pulled his own piece of paper from his back pocket. He took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and licked his lips before speaking.

“Britt, I vow to love you to the end of my days. To grow with you, and not apart. To make my accomplishments ours, and your challenges mine. To love you deeply and honestly as your teammate and partner. I choose you. To stand by your side and sleep in your arms. To learn and grow with you, even as time and life change us both. To laugh with you in the best of times and carry you through the worst. To never take your actions, words, and kindness for granted. I vow to consider your well-being as important as my own. From this day forward, you’re my family, whether you like it or not.”

Once again, everyone chuckled.

“I vow to fight for life, for joy, for us. For our future, for your dreams, our love, and to uplift you and make you a better person for choosing to be with me. To always do what’s best for you and our children, and to be the kind of father I had . . . patient, kind, and embarrassing.” Chad grinned and winked at his mom before finishing.

“I will be the best husband and person I know how to be. And when I screw it up, I know you’ll be there to guide me. I love you, Britt. You make me a better man, brother, son, and partner. I can’t wait to see where life takes us. Together.”

There was a long pause. And then Knox said, “Oh, you’re done being mushy? Good.”

Chad rolled his eyes at his brother, but he was smiling, so it was obvious he wasn’t too annoyed by his jokes.

“My turn to be a little mushy,” Knox said. “Please look down at the hands of the person you’re holding right now. These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, today on your wedding day. These are the hands that will work alongside yours as you build your future together. They are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind and heart. They’ll wipe tears from your eyes, both of joy and sorrow.

“They’re the hands that will hold your children, will hold your family together, and will give you strength when you need it most. And when these hands are wrinkled and aged, they will still be reaching for yours, giving you the same unspoken strength and tenderness you feel right this moment.”

Harper didn’t feel bad about the tears coursing down her cheeks, since all the other women in the small group were crying. Even the men looked moved by Knox’s words.

“Time for the rings. I blew my wad with the amazing speech about your hands, so do your thing and put them on each other.”

Chuckles rippled through the group as Chad and Britt exchanged rings.

“Now that we’ve heard your vows to each other, and my incredibly heartfelt speech, it’s my deepest honor to pronounce you husband and wife. Chad . . . now you can kiss your bride. And make it a good one. None of this wimpy lip touching that some people feel is appropriate. Kash, Mom, you guys might want to look away.”

Kash muttered, “Gross,” before doing as Knox suggested and turning to look out at the cove, but everyone else watched as Chad bent Britt over his arm and kissed the daylights out of her.

“Is it time to eat now?” Kash asked, when Chad finally brought Britt upright once more. “I’m starving.”

Her kid was always hungry, but Harper didn’t hold it against him. He was still growing, and soon, hopefully, he’d start to fill out and would need all the calories he could get even more.

“I don’t know about that, but I’m freezing. Time to go inside!” Evelyn announced.

Everyone shuffled into the house, and Harper sighed in relief as the warmth surrounded her once she stepped into the living room.

The rest of the day was spent laughing and simply enjoying each other’s company. They’d all gotten together recently at Thanksgiving, and today was just as satisfying as the holiday had been. The food was amazing, Zach had once again stepped up and done most of the cooking, and seeing the joy on Britt and Chad’s faces throughout the night was rewarding on a visceral level.

Evelyn had insisted on making the “cake,” and it was probably the best thing Harper had ever tasted. It was untraditional, just like the rest of the wedding—a chocolate peanut butter pie, which she’d learned was Britt’s favorite.

Britt and Chad had even had a first dance as a married couple right there in the living room, after the men pushed furniture out of the way. Harper’s eyes teared up once more when Chad danced with his mom. All in all, it had been as close to a perfect day as Harper had ever experienced.

As she’d warned Kash time and time again, there was no such thing as an absolutely perfect day . . . as predicted, her dad had left not long after the ceremony, and Marit dropped a bottle of wine, sending dark red alcohol flying all over the kitchen floor. The shoes Harper bought had indeed been comfortable at first, but soon began rubbing her heels unbearably, and she’d had to borrow a pair of socks from Evelyn to save her poor feet.

But even with the small issues, the day was still unforgettable.

Everyone joined in picture-taking duties, and at the end of the night, they shared the photos by using their phones’ built-in features to drop them to each other in batches. As a result, Harper’s cell was full of the smiling faces of the Young family, and she loved each and every pic.

Her favorite was one Evelyn had taken. Harper and Linc had moved to the “dance floor” to share a slow dance, along with all the other couples. She was gazing at him with what she could only describe as longing on her face, and Linc was staring back with the same expression. One of his hands sat at the small of her back, the other holding their clasped hands up by his shoulder.