“You got this.” He gives my shoulder a squeeze.
Ten minutes later, he gets another message letting us know they’re here. We don’t have to wait for anyone else to show up, or for people to get seated. Lance stands at the front of the church with a Bible tucked under his arm. It’s surreal, to be honest.
The organist, who showed up five minutes ago, starts playing wedding music. It’s go time. My dad comes down the aisle with my mom on one arm and Skye on the other. Skye’s dress is low-cut for a wedding, but that’s Skye. My mom is beautiful.
Next Charlene and Darren come down the aisle, followed by Miller and Sunny, and Lily and Randy.
The entire world seems to stop when Violet appears in the church doors, her arm hooked through Sidney’s. They pause in the doorway. It’s like a damn postcard. She tilts her head up to look at him as he says something to her, and she nods.
She stands straighter, but on the first step she stumbles a little.
Lance puts a hand on my shoulder before I can make a move.
“He’s got her. Be patient. She’ll come to you.”
It’s true. I chased her from the beginning, and in the end I’ve realized it’s always about me letting her find her way when she’s ready. And she is now. I can see it in her excited smile, and the way she tries to make Sidney walk faster to get to me.
When she’s a few feet away, they stop. Sidney whispers something, and she hugs him hard and then, because she’s Violet, she pulls a tissue out from between her boobs and dabs under her eyes. Stuffing it back in, she turns to me and smiles.
I extend a hand, and she takes it. “You’re the most gorgeous woman on the face of the earth.”
Her hair frames her face in soft ringlets. Her dress is perfect, highlighting her insane curves. If I wasn’t as nervous as I am, I’d have a serious hard-on.
“You look superhot.”
I wink. “Ready, baby?”
“So ready.” She leans in to whisper, “And I don’t mean that in a pervy way, yet.”
Lance coughs.
She cringes, and we both look to him to start the ceremony. I try to pay attention, but I find myself staring at Violet. And then all of a sudden it’s my turn to say my vows.
“I, Alex Robert Waters, take you, Violet Marie Hall, to be my wife.” I pause to smile, because I love the way that sounds. “I promise to love you with the same depth and intensity as the moment I first fell for you, to treasure you and every moment we share, whether it’s full of laughter or tears, or both. I promise to take care of you and to let you take care of me.” I pause to wink at her wide eyes and stifled snort. “I promise to be the man you need and not just the man you want.”
I run my thumb over her shaking hand and reach up to wipe away the tear slipping down her cheek.
“I will always love you, Violet. I won’t ever be perfect, and I’ll make mistakes, and I’ll definitely say things that will make you angry, but I promise to tell you every day, not just with words, but with actions, that you are the center of my universe. You’re the sun in my sky and the breath in my lungs. I promise to be yours for every second of this existence, and to cherish every moment of that love with you.”
Violet takes a deep, unsteady breath and sticks her finger in her cleavage. When she looks up, she’s panicked.
“I have them!” Charlene rushes over and hands Violet cue cards.
Violet puts her hand to her heart and heaves a sigh of relief. She looks down at them, then back up at me. “Maybe I should’ve gone first. Mine aren’t as nice as yours,” she whispers.
I skim her cheek with gentle fingers and follow a trail down to her chest where I rest my hand. “They’ll be perfect because they’re from here.”
“From my boob?”
I laugh. “From your heart, Violet.”
“Oh! Duh.” She rolls her eyes. “I’m so nervous.” After several more deep breaths, she nods. “Okay. I’m ready.” She glances down at the cards and then back up at me. “I, Violet Marie Hall, take you, Alex Robert Waters, to be my husband.” She looks up and bites her lip, like she likes the way that sounds as much as I do. “To have as the most important person in my life, to hold whenever we’re sleeping.” She pauses and looks up at me. “At least until you turn into a radioactive furnace, and then I have to take a break, but you always end up wrapped around me later, so…” She looks around, like she realizes she’s started rambling and consults her cue cards again. “I promise to love you, all of you, your best parts, and the other ones, too.”
Red blotches form on her chest and start spreading up her neck. I’m worried for her. Maybe we should’ve gone with the traditional vows.
She mutters, “Screw it,” and drops the cards on the floor. This could go really well or really badly. Thankfully it’s just our closest friends and family here, and Randy can edit the video he’s making if he needs to.
“I love you, Alex Waters. I think I started loving you when you sent me that silly stuffed beaver, or maybe even before that. Maybe it was the moment you smashed into the plexiglas and scared the crap out of me. But after that moment, you were always with me. And then we had… Well, anyway, after the night I met you, you stayed in my head, and then you started stalking my emails and my text messages. You tried so hard.
“I love so many things about you. But your perseverance and your tenacity, that’s how you won your way into my heart. I promise I’ll keep you there forever.