Page 76

“You look beautiful, Katrina. I love you. I’m so happy you found Bryce. He’s a good man.” My dad brings me in for a hug, careful not to smudge my makeup.
“The hair dad, the hair. If you mess it up, there will be consequences.” I giggle.
“Oops. Sorry,” He smiles and kisses my forehead. “You ready?”
I take a deep breath and nod. “Yes, I am.”
The doors open, and a weird thing happens. Everyone disappears. There’s no one but the man at the other end of the aisle. All I see is Bryce standing there, waiting for me. He’s in a black tuxedo, and he looks beyond sexy in it. His eyes are glassy and red. Bryce and I lock eyes while I walk down the aisle. The man I’m about to marry, the man I love, the man who is about to become a dad, is staring back at me with nothing but love in his eyes. When I get to the alter, I notice a small tear fall from his eye.
“Is that a happy tear?” I ask, smiling at him.
“I didn’t think it was possible, but yes. It’s a happy tear for my beautiful bride.” Bryce wipes his eye and sniffles.
My dad gives me away and Bryce takes my hand. As I stand before him, the officiant begins the ceremony. We each say our vows, promising that we’ll love each other forever. After that, we’re pronounced husband and wife.
Bryce leans forward and kisses me, gently sweeping his tongue against mine. The moment his lips touch mine, the world around us fades away. It’s just us, husband and wife. Bryce and Kat. My hands move to touch his face. I can’t believe this is real, I feel like I’m dreaming. When Bryce does finally pull back, the world comes back into view. Cheers erupt all around us from our family and friends. We turn toward them hand in hand and make our way back down the aisle. Now, it’s time to celebrate.
The ballroom where our reception is being held is beautifully decorated. Huge crystal chandeliers hang from the high ceilings, flowers adorn the each table that our guests sit at, and the tables are covered in a beautiful champagne tablecloth. Black chair covers with a champagne ribbon tied around cover the chairs. The table for the wedding party sits in the front of the room with a white table cloth and chairs on one side. Austin is Bryce’s Best Man and Vicki was my Maid of Honor, so they will be joining us at our table.
During the reception, Bryce and I have little time to do anything. We go from person to person, thanking them for being here. Everyone there congratulates us, telling us what beautiful a couple we are. All our guests are having a great time eating, drinking, and dancing.
It’s a beautiful wedding, and it’s ours.
“Can I get everyone to clear the dance floor, please? It’s time for the bride and groom to have their first dance.” the DJ announces over the loudspeakers. Everyone clears the floor, and Bryce drags me to the center. I instantly feel hot, and I can tell my cheeks are flushed. My nerves start to get the better of me.
“I don’t know if I can do this, Bryce.” I look at him, shaking my head and biting my lip. My throat is closing up, and I can feel beads of sweat starting to drip down the back of my neck. “Everyone’s staring.” My eyes dart all around us.
“Because it’s a wedding, baby. Just focus on me. Remember that night when we danced for the first time in your apartment?” Bryce asks, and I nod. He smiles, adding, “Just think of us back there, dancing to our song. Except this time, we’re really dressed up and there’s an open bar.” That last line manages to make me laugh and relax a bit.
“Okay,” I finally cave. Bryce takes my hand, spinning me around the floor, and we dance to our song.In Case You Didn’t Know. People around us have their cameras out, taking pictures of us. But as we move around the floor, it’s just Bryce and me. The rest of the world doesn’t exist.
“Bryce, I need to tell you something.” I say, biting my lip.
Bryce narrows his eyes, asking, “What is it?” I can tell he doesn’t like my approach. Okay, time to rip off the band-aid.
“I found something out today. Something big,” I pause for dramatic effect. Also, to rile him up a bit. Yeah, I said rip off the band-aid, but it’s also fun to ruffle his feathers.
Removing my hand from his, I place it on my belly and meet his eyes with mine. I don’t say a word, letting him connect the dots. He looks down at my hand, confused. Bryce tilts his head to the side a bit, trying to figure to what I’m trying to say. Suddenly, his eyebrows nearly shoot up to his hairline. His eyes are as wide as saucers and his mouth drops open.
“Y-you’re … there’s … we … pregnant?” Bryce can’t form a sentence, but I nod at him anyway, grinning from ear to ear.
“Congratulations, Officer Hawthorne. You’re going to be a daddy.” A steady stream of tears now flows down my cheeks, and I can see the water well in Bryce’s eyes too. He drops to his knees in the middle of the song and places his head and hand on my stomach.
“We’re having a baby.” He looks up at me, and I confirm his words with another eager nod. “We are having a baby!” I see his shoulder shake as he cries—happy tears, of course. A few minutes later, I notice the music has ended, and the DJ hasn’t put on a song yet. Everyone has gathered around us, waiting for confirmation on what they think is going on.
Bryce jumps up and yells, “We’re pregnant!” Our family and friends immediately go bat shit crazy. He picks me up and spins me around, then sets me on my feet. “We’re pregnant.” he repeats, but softly and only to me this time.
“Yes, we are.” I throw my arms around his neck and bring his forehead to mine.
“Kat, I love you so much.” Bryce takes his hand and places it on my stomach again. “You’ve given me so much already, and now you’re carrying our baby.” He tears up again. I kiss him softly, smiling against his lips.
“I love you too, Bryce.”
“I will never forget the day I walked into that coffee house. The second I laid eyes on you, I knew I had to find out more about you. I had to get to know you. As fate would have it, you turned out to be my neighbor. I remember how excited I got just knowing I could see you again. I never imagined in a million years that moment would lead us here.” Bryce takes his thumb and wipes my eyes and cheeks, chuckling. “They say true love doesn’t have an ending, and ours doesn’t. Simply put, because I’ll love you forever.”
“If I did anything right in my life, it was giving you my heart, Bryce.”
We’ve both been through a lot and had our fair share of difficulties testing us, but we’ve always found our way back to each other. I married the man of my dreams, the man who protects me and keeps me safe. I married the man who loves me unconditionally. I married the man who took my breath away the moment he stepped foot in a coffee shop.
I married the man who turned out to be my neighbor all along.
The End.