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“Hey, they’re cute, and they don’t judge. Unlike the chickens.”
They both laughed, and he picked up Sue and gave her a big kiss while I reached for my keys to give them some privacy to explore the house together.
Several months later
Daniel
Sue’s wedding dress flowed like a fountain and puddled at her feet in what Mom described as a Casablanca fit. I had zero idea what that meant, but I didn’t care one bit. All I knew was that when she stepped through the doors and began to come up the aisle, my heart stopped and I couldn’t swallow.
The music started, and the guests got to their feet while I stayed focused on her. Her arm was linked with her father’s as they slowly made their way toward me. I vaguely felt Zack bump my arm to snap out of the trance I was in as she approached.
My soon to be wife stopped in front of me and looked up with the most gorgeous smile I’d ever seen on her face. What I saw in her eyes was my own love for her reflected right back at me.
They said you should stop and take a moment during your wedding to soak up the memories, so that was just what I did. I stopped to admire her. I knew that kind of rare beauty and pure heart was impossible to find, let alone capture. Sue had that and more, and she was about to be mine.
I looked at the wildflowers that sprang up from her bouquet. The pretty pinks and greens really stood out against the stark white of her gown. I knew how much she loved pink, and it made me smile as I brought my eyes to those soft pink lips of hers as she smiled up at me.
Her gaze stayed on mine as a lovely blush came over her cheeks, and the tip of her tongue ran over those lips, and I had to clear my throat to stop my grin from spreading. If I was to die in this moment, I would die a lucky man.
She settled herself on the platform next to me. Our fingers linked, and I gave her hand a squeeze. She squeezed mine back then gently pulled her hand away to hold her bouquet.
“That’s a change from the fatigues.” She chuckled quietly.
“Some things are worth the discomfort.” I smiled, and we turned our attention to the minister.
We listened to his words, we agreed, and once we exchanged the rings, I barely waited for permission as I leaned in, wrapped my arms around her, and drew her warm lips to mine. We had kept it short and skipped on writing vows. Neither of us wanted this part to be long. It was hard not to let loose and show her just how excited I was that she was mine. I managed to behave and gave her a long, simple, closed-mouth kiss. The rest had to wait for later.
“Oh, my goodness, we did it!” She squealed as we waved and mouthed a thank you to everyone.
“We did.”
Everyone clapped as we walked down the aisle hand in hand. Rice was tossed at us as we descended the stairs, and I helped her into the town car my father had provided for us. We waved happily at our family and friends as the driver pulled away from the curb.
I wrapped my arms around my wife and stared down at her.
“Well, you behaved.” She laughed and grabbed my lapels to pull me in for another kiss. “Let’s say we skip out on the party and just jump right into the honeymoon.”
“God, I love you!” I kissed her again and then sat back with a deep, happy sigh.
“Dammit, Logan,” Zack caught me as we came into the reception room, “why’d you have to keep it in your pants! I just lost twenty bucks.”
“Bet him again. Say I won’t last the dinner.”
“Really?”
“Really.” I smirked at Frank and shook my head. He tilted his beer at me.
“Thanks for the twenty.” He chuckled.
“You guys are comical.” Sue rolled her eyes playfully but soon was swept up in the decor that Mom had done. It was all about wildflowers. The same colors from her bouquet were used on every table, and there was even a sprinkle of petals around the edges of the dance floor. Mom kept it simple but gorgeous, just like Sue wanted.
We lasted a whole forty-five minutes after dinner before I danced her out the door. I figured everyone was having too good of a time to even notice we’d left. Everyone but Zack, who flipped me the finger as Frank collected his cash.
We made it to the stairs before Mom and Dad caught us. They stepped out in front of us, grinning like they’d known our plan all along.
“What gave us away?” Sue laughed holding on to my hand.
“Well,” my father rubbed his chin, “like father, like son, hey, Meg?”