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“I can’t imagine my life without you and Embry in it.” Getting emotional, I swallowed and took a deep breath. Then, I squatted down to talk to my other girl for a minute. “Embry, honey, you light up my life, and I am so lucky to have you. You are my Doodlebug and I love you.” Embry had thrown herself at me and was hugging me tightly. I could hear Jurnee crying, but I knew they were happy tears.
Still holding onto Embry with one arm, I locked my other on the side of Jurnee’s hip and pulled her in close to me, still eye level with my woman’s stomach. With my face planted close to her belly, I spoke again. “Hey you in there. I just want you to know I love you too, and I’m going to be the best dad to you and your sister here.” I kissed my woman’s belly and then the sweetest thing happened. Embry leaned in and kissed Jurnee’s tummy too and whispered, “I’m your big sister, and will take care of you.” That’s when my tears started rolling and I knew there wouldn’t be a dry eye in the house.
Standing, but holding my daughter’s hand, I faced Jurnee again. “I realize you have two seriously phenomenal best friends,” I said, nodding in Summer and my little sister’s direction, “but I want you to let me be your third, because you’re mine. Tell me your secrets, your pain, and joy, let me share everything with you. Baby, you are my world and with every fiber in my body, I will cherish you and strive to make you happy always. I will take care of you, our family, and will love you until the day I am not on this earth anymore. You’re it for me. You had me at, ‘I have to pee’ and I haven’t been the same since. I love you, Dimples, with everything I am and more.”
She may kill me for the last bit, but it was all true. I looked into her eyes and beyond the tears saw laughter, tenderness, and sheer love. I was a blessed man.
Jurnee
The mouth-watering man before me was in trouble.
I would get him back later, but right now I was trying so hard not to laugh and pretend I was mad at him for what he just said, but I couldn’t find it in me. He was the love of my life and right now he just needed to know that.
“Braxton, I can’t believe you just said that, but I have a lifetime to pay you back for it. I also can’t wait to be your wife, and throughout our life together I will always be reminding you of just how much I cherish you too, and what a remarkable man you are. I do have two extraordinary best friends”—I smiled over at my besties, as I said it— “but there is room for another in my life. Because you are mine too.” Struggling with my emotions and tears, I had to pause before I could carry on.
“You gave me three things I never thought I could have. This angel here, our daughter that I love with all my heart,” I said, pulling my little girl to me. “A baby, our baby that I didn’t think was possible,” I whispered as I touched my other hand to my belly. Tears poured down my face in streams, and I had to take a couple of deep breaths before I could carry on.
“And last, but certainly not least.You. I have you. And you three are my universe, and I love you all so much. As a young girl, you were my first crush, but when you walked back into my life months ago, you became the man I always dreamed of. To trust someone as I do you and allow you to break down the walls I put in place to protect that abandoned little girl inside me was something you almost made look easy. The first day I saw you get out of your car when I was twelve years old, was the day our worlds entwined, and they will forever be that way. I love you, Brax, my heart belongs to you now and forever.”
I muddled my way through my vows with tears and emotion clogging my eyes and throat. But looking at Braxton so choked up, with tears of his own mirroring mine, was something I would never forget.
Everything about today had been perfect. The beautiful backyard, my angelic daughter in her dress, and my gorgeous besties in theirs. The groomsmen had looked dashing, my parents and friends were all around us, and I was looking forward to the reception right after.
But we had to get through the rest of the ceremony before the festivities and dancing could begin.
We exchanged our rings and finally the moment that we had been waiting for had arrived. Kace pronounced us husband and wife, and the kiss we’d both been waiting forever was just seconds away.
“You may now kiss the bride. And get a move on or I may snatch her up myself.” My husband growled, just as he swept me into his arms and planted a kiss on my lips that had goosebumps breaking out all over my body and turned my knees weak. Because of the little kids he tried to keep it clean, but PG-13 wasn’t too bad. Embry had giggled like she thought it was the funniest thing in the world.
After releasing me, Braxton swooped Embry up into his arms and grabbed my hand with his free one. Everyone laughed, whistled, and clapped with glee. Hand in hand, with our daughter in her father’s arms, we headed down the pretty walkway through the small group of wonderful people that were there that day as Kace said, “I give to you Mr. and Mrs. Hart, along with Doodlebug Hart.” Laughter rang out over the crowd and Embry practically fell out of her dad’s arms in a fit of giggles.
I loved my new name, and I don’t think I’d ever in a lifetime get sick of hearing it. I may have written it a million times when I was a teenager in my notebooks and everywhere else, but now it was true. Mrs. Hart, pretty catchy if I did say so myself.
As we got to the end of the walk, I paused and leaned into my husband. “You know what time it is now don’t you?” I asked.
Shaking his head, he said, “No, tell me.”
“It’s time to do a little dance, make a little love, and get down tonight. KC and the Sunshine Band know how to do it right,” I said and laughed.
“I like the way you think, Mrs. Hart,” he whispered in my ear. I was so looking forward to the party, but since Embry was doing another sleepover with my besties, a short party was fine with me.
Since we chose not to see each other before the wedding, the guests would mingle while we did a few pics and then we could get our groove on. And while everyone had done their best because it was our special day, the pictures, just like the walk down the aisle with Alley and Landon paired up, was a bit tense. I am not sure they even realized people noticed, but for their close friends, it was hard to miss.
Embry was a ham for the camera and although you couldn’t tell I was pregnant since I wasn’t far along yet, we still placed our hands on my tummy together in some of the shots, so we could let our little one know they were there with us too one day. We got through all the smiles, different poses, and I would cherish the moments captured on film until the end of time.
“I love you, Brax. Come dance with me?”
“I love you too, and right now I would love to hold you in my arms, Dimples. But just wait, there is so much more to come. Tonight, and always.”
“I’m counting on it,” I replied.
What a day, and it isn’t over yet.
Chapter Forty-Five
Jurnee
Beingin the warmth of Braxton’s arms was heaven.
