Cami’s sister, Amanda, walks slowly down the aisle, smiling brightly, and then finally, there is my gorgeous bride.
Cami’s all smiles as Steven escorts her down the aisle. Her dress is lacy and hugs her curves perfectly. Her eyes are pinned to mine as she walks slowly to me, and finally, Steven passes her hand to mine.
“Who gives this woman to this man?” the minister asks.
“I do,” Steven says proudly, kisses Cami’s cheek, and joins his family.
God, she’s beautiful.
And she’s mine.
The minister begins speaking about the sanctity of marriage. The promise. And I can’t take my eyes off her.
Cami and I chose to exchange traditional wedding vows, and before I know it, her sweet voice fills the small chapel as she begins to recite them.
“I, Cami, take you Landon to be my husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, forsaking all others, till death do us part.”
A tear slips down her cheek when the minister says, “And now, with the authority vested in me through the state of Oregon, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
But I don’t just kiss her. No, that would be damn boring. I dip her deeply and kiss her the same way, showing God and all of our nearest and dearest just how much I love this woman.
When we stand, the chapel erupts in applause, and we are enveloped in hugs and well-wishes from our families.
Finally, the photographer says, “Well, since all of the guests will be in photos, let’s go ahead and get them out of the way so we can get you all to dinner at the restaurant.”
“Who knew that photos with only twenty people could take so long?” Lucas asks an hour later after we’ve been posed in every way you can imagine. “That made me damn hungry. Let’s go.”
“We’ll be right behind you!” I call out to everyone as they file out. “I want a minute with my girl.”
Cami frowns up at me as everyone leaves, and when we’re alone, I turn to her, standing in the same places where we exchanged our vows an hour ago, and take her hands in mine.
“I needed a few minutes alone with you. How are you?”
“I’m wonderful,” she replies with a wide smile, her green eyes shining with happiness. “How are you?”
“I can’t even tell you how happy I am,” I reply, and kiss her hands. “I’m glad that we decided to exchange the traditional vows because we’re traditional people, but there are a few other things that I want to say that I didn’t want everyone else to hear and I wanted to say them here.”
I swallow, clear my throat, and continue to hold her gaze.
“The first time I saw you, something inside me said, That’s the one. Of course, I was a kid, but through all of the years that passed after, that voice was still there. Sometimes it was a whisper, and other times it was a shout. No one and nothing compares to you and what I feel for you, Cami. You aren’t just my other half, you’re the best part of me. There is nothing you can ever do to lose my love, my sweet. It is endless. And while I will love you until my last breath, I will love you beyond that, into whatever that may be. You are a permanent part of me, and for that I will always be grateful because there is nothing in this world that is better than you. I’m humbled to be yours.”
She’s smiling so brightly, and yet so gently at the same time. She boosts up on her toes to kiss my lips, and then, to my surprise, begins to speak.
“I’m so glad you did this because I have something to say too.” She blinks and seems to gather her thoughts, and then turns those bright green eyes up to mine. “Wuthering Heights is my favorite book, and the best line in it says this: If he loved you with all of the power of his soul for a whole lifetime, he couldn’t love you as much as I do in a single day.
“I’ve always felt that that line was written for me, about you. I’ve watched you from a distance for years, caring for you, worrying about you, thinking of you. I’ve felt pulled to you my entire life, Landon. I couldn’t explain it, and I couldn’t wish it away even when I tried. You’ve never left me. I’ve carried you with me always. It’s a constant surprise to me that you’re mine now. It feels like the best dream I’ve ever had, and I find myself wishing and praying that I don’t wake up.
“But, I’m not dreaming. And for better or worse, you are finally mine. I have a feeling that ours is going to be a life that’s a little bit messy, with lots of laughs and some tears, but that is what makes it great. It’s passionate and whole and true. And I can tell you for certain that it’s forever. Because it’s already been forever.”
She reaches up and gently catches a tear that has escaped my eyes.
“I am so blessed.”
I pull her in and wrap my arms around her, and kiss her tenderly.
“Now that we’ve finished our vows, are you ready to go celebrate?”
“I’m ready for all of it.”
“IF THEY DON’T stop putting parsley on the plates, I’ll—”
“Mia,” Cami says with a laugh, and hugs her tightly. “Relax. I don’t care about the parsley. And you’re supposed to be enjoying yourself. This is a party.”
“You’re right.” Mia shrugs. “I’ll give them a refresher course on garnishes later.”
“Atta girl,” I reply happily as Lucas and Addie both stand and Lucas taps his water glass to get all of our attention.