Page 48

JACKSON

“A lright, alright. All of you hush,” Dad grumbles as we all raise our shot glass. Me, Clay, Rocky, Emerson, Bryson, Grayson, Dad, and Mr. Campos are gathered in the kitchen. We’re all dressed and ready to go. All that’s left to do now is… well, get married—again. The twins continue to giggle like a couple of school girls, and Dad pins them with a glare. “Boys, this is your one and only drink for the day so I suggest you listen up.”

In unison, the twins thin their lips and grab their glasses.

? * Dad continues, “I know I usually make some sort of funny toast but today, I wanted to say something a little more from the heart.” Oh shit. He’s going to make me cry. What a dick. “Jackson, my boy, there are no words to describe how proud I am of the man that you are. The last few years have tested who you are as a person in more ways than one, but not once did you let it keep you down.” Here it comes. “To be loved by you is an honor. I know because I am one of the lucky ones.” He looks around the room. “We all are. And my only hope in life, for you, and for your brothers, is to experience a love like that. I’ve found it in you, in Emerson, in the twins, and… in your mother. And now, I can see that you’ve found it in Theo.” Well, fuck. I can feel a small tear trailing down my cheek, and Dad just winks, while Clay claps me on the shoulder. “So don’t squander it. Live every single day, every single moment, with him as if that kind of love is the most precious gift on Earth. Because it is.” Dad’s voice cracks at the end, and every single man in the room suddenly has a sheen to their eyes. Clearing his throat he raises his glass a little higher. “So, here’s to Jackson and Theo. May your love be modern enough to survive the times, but classic enough to last forever.”

“Cheers,” we all say in unison before clinking our glasses together and downing our shots. Well, most of us down them, the twins just sound like they’re going to barf.

Dad sets down his glass and wraps me up in a hug. It’s the kind of hug that only a dad can give. You know the ones where you feel like nothing can touch you… yeah, that kind. And with my face buried in his neck I let a few more tears fall. The two of us pull apart and clap one another on the shoulders. He starts fidgeting with the lapels of my suit jacket while he sniffles. “You best go see your momma out on the deck. She has your tie.”

I’m wearing a dark, navy-blue suit, with a white shirt, brown shoes, and matching belt. I have to admit… I look dapper as fuck. But both of our moms picked out our ties, and she wanted to personally give it to me after I got ready. I nod at Dad. “Alright. Thanks, Dad. See you out there?”

Clay, Emerson, and the twins start something in the background while Rocky and his dad stand by with matching amused, yet somehow stern, expressions on their faces. Dad huffs a laugh. “Let me just get this gang of hooligans ready to go, and we will meet you over by the barn.”

I nod again and turn on my heal to move to the front door but hear Clay say, “Emmy for the thousandth time, I’m his best man. Not you.”

Emerson snaps, “And I’ve told you for the thousandth time to stop calling me that! And I’m his best man you little?—”

Deciding it’s best to nip this in the bud, I yell over my shoulder, not bothering to look at them, because we’ve had this discussion already twice this morning. “Neither of you are my best man. I don’t even have groomsmen. Now shut up and get outside before Dad grounds all of you!”

Not even bothering to hear their rebuttals, I laugh as I open the front door to find Mom standing on the front porch, wrapped up in a tan shawl with a floor length olive-green floral dress underneath. I kiss her on the cheek and say, “You look beautiful, Momma.”

She holds my face in her hand. “You don’t look so bad yourself, baby.” Her eyes glass over for a moment before she hands me my tie. It’s a deep-maroon tie. One I’ve seen in countless pictures.

“Is this Dad’s?”

She nods. “The one from our wedding. I wanted—Well, we wanted you to have it. That day was the start of a beautiful life together, and we wanted a little piece of it with you today.”

Taking her time, she flips up my collar and puts Dad’s tie around my neck. Once it’s just right, she buttons the center button on my jacket. “There. Perfect,” she says softly.

Here they come again.

Placing my hand on my chest, I let my fingers rub against the texture of the wool tie. “Thank you, Momma, for everything.”

She beams. “Thank you for letting me do all of this. It’s the least you could do for not letting me be there to see Elvis.”

I tip my head back in laughter. “Yeah, well you invited half of Montana today, so let’s call it even.”

“I am a little sorry for that.” I look at her deadpan. “Yeah, okay. I’m not.”

“I didn’t expect you to be,” I answer with a wink, just as the front door opens behind me.

“Ready?” Dad holds his arm out, and Mom instinctively threads hers through it. She looks at me for an answer.

Taking a deep breath, I look over at the barn, where I know the music is about to start any second. “Ready.”

* * *

Clay, Emerson, Rocky, and the twins are already sitting down inside as Dad, Mom, and I wait in the entrance hall of the barn. Theo is just on the other side of that door, and I want so badly to just see him, just for a moment, but I don’t want to take away from what I know will be a beautiful moment, so instead, I fidget nervously between my parents.

“He should have had another shot,” Dad mumbles, and Mom reaches behind me and smacks him on the arm.

“No he should not have. You’re lucky I even let you give him one.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dad and I answer in unison.

Mom leans in to whisper in my ear, “It’s okay to be nervous. Your dad threw up right before our wedding; he was so nervous.”

I snort a laugh and look over at Dad who just says, “Shut up.”

Suddenly, the music starts playing and I hear the doors to the barn hall open, which means Theo is walking down with his parents. When I hear them close again, the three of us exit the hallway and move to stand right behind them.

I let out a shaky breath as I thread my arm through Mom’s. The doors pull open, and I spot Theo standing at the altar. Dare I say it, he looks beautiful.

My husband.

Absolutely beautiful.

As I walk down the aisle toward him, tears streaming down both of our faces, the only thing I can think of are the vows in my pocket.

Theodore Young,

I’ve always dreamt of having a love like I’ve seen in my parents. A love that has the ability to change the moon and the stars. And then I found you.

I have never met a man that vexes me more than you. A man that has the ability to burrow his way so deeply beneath my skin. A man that, in the most annoying way possible, can read every single emotion that plays across my face.

And yet, I have also never met a man that pulls me in the way you do. That has consumed me, body and soul, the way you have. That, even when I didn’t want to, made me want to love him as fiercely as I do today.

So, because of that, I stand before you today to promise you this. I promise to love you for who you are, for who you want to be, and who you’ve been. I promise to give you my heart today, and every day that follows. And most importantly, if you ask for it, I promise to change the moon and the stars, for you.

Next thing I know, my hands are threaded with his, and the officiant announces to a room full of people gathered to celebrate our love, “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Jackson Baker and Theodore Young…”

* ? In Your Love - Tyler Childers