Page 158 of False Start

Because her soft, berry-painted lips curved up, her eyes glossed, and I realized in one all-encompassing moment that she was mine.

So, of course — I fucking lost it.

Madelyn

He was stunning.

I couldn’t help the intake of air that I held captive in my throat as we took each other in, the noise of our guests and the violin fading to the background.

My husband-to-be was a vision at the altar, the forest green of his suit with the rich brown accents of his tie and Chelsea boots making him seem as if he’d been born right here in the forest. Even from this distance, I could see the glint of his gold cufflinks, the elegant watch hugging his wrist, the sprig of white flowers pinned to his lapel.

And when I took the first step toward him, he choked on the sob I knew he was trying so hard to hold back, his eyes flooding so fast, he couldn’t hide the tears that slid down his cheeks.

I couldn’t help but smile even more at him, and he shook his head like he couldn’t believe how fast he’d turned to goop. But he didn’t hide his tears. He didn’t hang his head or swipe them away. Instead, he held his chin high, kept his eyes on mine, and savored every step I took with his bottom lip wobbling.

I couldn’t tear my eyes from him to acknowledge our guests as I walked between the rows, but I felt their presence, heard their whispered murmurs as I passed.

“You look beautiful, Mommy!” Sebastian said when I was close to the front row, and I snapped my head in his direction, beaming as tears flooded my own eyes at the sight of him holding Raven in his lap.

I veered off course long enough to bend and kiss them both, and then I handed my bouquet to my mother, and I stepped up to the altar where Kyle stood waiting.

“You’re a mess,” I whispered on a laugh, swiping my hands over his cheeks and jaw to mop up the tears.

“You make me this way.”

I smiled, sliding my hands into his, and I knew he was fighting leaning in to kiss me as much as I was with him. It was silly, to have to wait to kiss the man I shared a bed with every night, the man I quite literally made a baby with.

But I kind of liked watching him squirm with the need to kiss me and not being able to quite yet.

“You are so beautiful,” he mouthed, squeezing my hands, his eyes trailing over me as he shook his head. “It’s unreal.”

“You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Wanna skip this part and just…” He jutted his chin back toward his right shoulder, eyes wide like he was ready to sweep me into his arms and run.

I laughed, but before I could accept his offer, the ceremony began.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated,” the officiant said, calling our attention to him. “We are gathered here today to witness the union between Kyle Robbins and Madelyn James…”

When we’d hired our officiant, we’d asked him to keep our ceremony short and sweet. I knew from our rehearsal last night what he was saying, how he would tell a little of our story to the crowd that already knew it, anyway.

And so, I let his words fade to the background, let myself live in a quiet moment with Kyle holding my hands and our future stretching out before us.

When it came time for us to read vows, I began.

Writing had always been a passion of mine, and that passion had room to grow and flourish in the last year. Writing my vows had been easy, and I read them without even looking at a card, holding Kyle’s gaze and smiling a little in victory when I made him cry again.

Little did I know the joke would be on me in the end.

When it was his turn, he let go of one of my hands to pull a small notebook from the inside of his tuxedo jacket. He held tight to my one hand while he read, his Adam’s apple bobbing hard in his throat before he began.

“Madelyn, finding the right words to tell you how much you mean to me, to promise everything I want to promise you… well, it has proved impossible. We all know you’re the writer. I had no doubts you would put my vows to shame,” he said as the crowd chuckled. “But I happen to know you better than anyone else in the world. And because of that, I know that for you, it’s the simple things that matter most.

“I know you love Earl Grey tea when you’re tired or feeling down. I know the exact amount of ice to put in your water before placing it on your nightstand each night. I know when I makechicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese for the kids, that I have to make a separate batch of mac just for you — and load it up with extra cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives.”

The guests laughed a little as I covered my face, embarrassed at the truth in that statement.

“I know a lot of other things about you, too,” he continued. “Like the two lines that crease on your forehead when you’re thinking about the next line you want to write in your book. I know the difference between a real, genuine laugh, and the laugh you give me or the kids when we’re walking a thin line between being funny and getting into trouble.”