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“Yeah, thanks.” He looked at the pool and ran his hand over the back of his head. His short hair scraped across his palm.
“You okay?” she asked softly.
Jon looked back at Poppy and took a deep breath. “Would you like to go out with me?”
Poppy laughing in his face or telling him she wanted nothing to do with him had been the reaction he expected, but not the warm, sweet smile she gave him or the yes that fell from her lips.
“I didn’t think you’d ever ask, Jon.”
* * *
Jon: Twenty-five years old
“You ready for this, little brother?”Blake asked as he adjusted Jon’s tux jacket.
“I’ve been ready for this day since I first saw her.”
Blake took a step back, and Jon turned around and looked at himself in the mirror.
“I know, Jon. I know.” He slapped him on the back. “Come on. Don’t want to keep your blushing bride waiting.”
Jon took his place at the altar and faced the wide double doors. Their families and friends filled the pews, the hushed murmurs of excitement filling the church. The soft organ music started to play, and his heart raced. The doors opened, and everything else faded until the only people in the room were Poppy and him.
God, she was so beautiful.
Poppy’s waist-length hair was coiled atop her head in intricate curls and braids. Her veil partially hid her face, but it sure as hell didn’t hide her smile. Bliss spread through him when she started walking toward him. Her father turned her to him and brought her close enough to whisper in her ear. Jon didn’t doubt he told her all the things he would do to Jon if he ever hurt his little girl.
Taking the two steps it took to get to her, his smile widened when she placed her hand in his. Before he could lead his soon-to-be wife to the officiant, her father stopped him and pulled him in close.
“You take care of my little girl, Johnny.” Her father gripped him behind the neck and locked eyes with him.
“Always, Stewart. Always.”
He gripped Poppy’s hand again and led her up the steps. Jon didn’t let go of her hand, wouldn’t ever let go of her hand. Blake stood beside him, his older brother’s happiness clear on his face.
They turned to each other when it was time to say their vows. Poppy’s words had his heart clenching deep in his chest and his love for her growing exponentially. This was the woman he loved, the woman he would give up everything for. She was his soul mate, had known the first time he laid eyes on her.
Jon reached in his tux pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper that had every feeling, every emotion he felt for her. He put the piece of paper back in his pocket, because everything he wanted to say was already engraved in his heart. Taking a deep breath, Jon looked into Poppy’s blue eyes and said what he wanted to say since he first saw her in that pretty pink dress all those years ago.
“Poppy Shay Matthews, I have loved you since I was five years old and you walked into Mrs. Hailey’s kindergarten class. I loved you even more when you pushed me on my ass for kissing you under the mistletoe when we were seven.” Even through the veil, he could see the tears in her eyes. “My heart beats for you. Every second of every day, I breathe for you. I knew I would be standing beside you at the altar one day, but no matter what I say, words will never express how much I love you and how much you mean to me.”
Jon took a step closer and gripped the edge of her veil. He hadn’t been given the all-clear to get to this part yet, but he didn’t care. He had been waiting for this moment his entire life.
He lifted the delicate material until her glassy eyes and tear-stained cheeks came into view. “I have dreamed of this exact moment over and over again. I love you, and I will spend the rest of my life proving to you exactly how deep that love goes.” They stared at each other, her watery grin like a fresh ray of sun just peeking over the horizon.
The rest of the ceremony commenced, but Jon only had eyes for Poppy. He brushed her tears away with his thumbs and loved the way her smaller hands gripped his wrist, holding him to her.
“You may now kiss your bride.”
That was all Jon needed to hear before he dipped his head and kissed his wife, his love, his Poppy.
* * *
Jon: Twenty-eight years old
The freak stormthat hit earlier that day made the roads unbearably difficult to drive in. Poppy sat beside him, her body tense and her lips sealed tight. Jon exhaled and tightened his hands on the steering wheel.
“Honey, I said I’m sorry.” He cut his eyes to her and saw her back straighten from her anger. When Poppy was upset, she tended to hold that damn grudge for eternity.
