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"Well, I hope you aren't relinquishing them all."
"Not all, Bay. In my eyes, you will always be my little girl. No matter how old you are, I will always come to your rescue."
My eyes welled up. I knew this was going to be hard, but it was a lot harder than I imagined. He stopped me and pulled me into a big hug, enveloping me in the security of a unique, unconditional love that I was blessed to have with him.
"I love you, my little bay leaf," he said as he kissed the top of my head.
"I love you, too, Dad."
We walked a few more steps, and when the bridge came into sight, my heart skipped. The rails of the worn wooden bridge were wrapped with white roses and lush green vines of blue forget-me-not flowers entwined the surrounding trees, some hanging down just above the bridge. White rose petals dusted the rest of the dirt path and over the bridge, stopping at Brandt's feet. I covered my mouth, stifling tears, and trying to keep myself together.
Brandt’s black suit hugged his toned body, and the splash of turquoise from his tie against the white silk shirt made my stomach flip. He had tucked a white rose into his lapel. I was marrying the most handsome man in the universe.
His parents stood shoulder to shoulder on the right side of the bridge with Grady at the front and my mom and sister on the left with Tessa at the front. I took a moment to ingrain this image into my mind for the rest of my life. A click caught my attention behind me. I looked back, and an older chubby man behind a camera smiled back.
"Hello," he said.
I looked at my dad. "You hired a photographer?"
"Two." Dad pointed to another one across the bridge, behind Brandt and the officiant.
I had begged them not to do too much, but I was glad they hadn't listened. The flowers, the bridge, this moment— it was perfect.
"Thank you, Dad." I reached up and kissed him on the cheek.
"You ready to do this?"
"I am." He led me down the path, my eyes locked on Brandt’s, my blood percolating as we neared. Out of my peripheral, I caught my mom wiping away a tear.
I had a lot of memorable moments in my twenty-two years, but this had easily slid into first place as the best moment of my life. I was surrounded by everyone who meant something to me, and getting us all together like this would probably be a rare moment, so it was one I would cherish forever.
When we reached the end of the bridge, Dad kissed my cheek and whispered, "I love you," one more time and then stood behind my mom. The bridge was narrow, with just enough room for Brandt and me to stand side by side. We faced each other throughout the ceremony, and when it was time for us to say our vows, neither one of us had written down anything, trusting our hearts to do the talking.
"I'll go first." I swallowed hard to remove the lump lodged in my throat. I focused on Brandt's eyes to steady me. "Before I met you, I was skeptical about love, but then the first time I saw you and the storm of feelings you conjured in me…there was no denying anymore that true love really did exist. I've heard all my life you don't know what you're missing until you've experienced it, but I never really understood it. Then there was you, and I couldn't get you out of my mind. Until we met, I never knew something was missing." I reached my hand out and placed it over his heart. "But now I know, and I never want to lose this. I never want to be without you."
Breaking convention, he took my cheek in his hand and kissed me softly and slowly, absolving my nerves. He rested his forehead on mine as he had done so many times in the past and whispered, "I love you, Bay. You're the reason I breathe. You're my purpose. You are mine until death do us part."
I thought the whimpers I heard were coming from me, but when I turned to our family, it was all the women. I giggled through my own tears and kissed him again. I heard the officiant announce us, but I was lost in a world that only consisted of Brandt and me. I finally felt at ease. Complete. My mom and sister smothered me with hugs the second Brandt released his hold on me, and after we all regained a semblance of normalcy, we headed back to our hotels to pack up for the train ride home.
My parents dropped us off at the resort on the way to their hotel and were doubling back on the way to the station. As soon as the door shut to our room, Brandt lifted me into his arms and ravaged me.
Through excited giggles, I tried to push him off. "Brandt, we have less than thirty minutes to get packed and downstairs." He tightened his hold on me and continued to kiss my neck.
"It'll be tough, but I'll do my best."
"Are you serious?" My breathing became heavier and deeper as he gnawed playfully on my jaw.
"I would never kid about this, Mrs. Reilly."
I stopped pushing against him and looked at him. That was the first time I’d heard him say it.
He studied my eyes. "That's right. You're no longer Mrs. Brandt. You have reached Reilly status." He unzipped my wedding dress. "Time is ticking, Mrs. Reilly."
"I love you, Mr. Reilly." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him with every ounce of passion in me. These were the moments I would never forget. These were the moments that would get us through anything. For better or worse. Until death do us part.
