Leo, dressed in black ripped jeans and a black button-down shirt rolled on his forearms, escorts Lucy down the aisle to her seat, kisses her cheek and joins the justice of the peace on the small stage. The song “Sunshine” begins to play, signaling that we should all stand and turn to watch Sam, dressed in her unconventional wedding attire, walk down the aisle with her dad. Neil is smiling at his daughter proudly, clasping her hand tightly in his own, and I can’t help but remember that my daddy will never walk me down the aisle. Mark won’t escort my mama to her seat. Tiff won’t stand by my side as I pledge myself to the man I love with my whole heart.
Will they know anyway? Will they be with me? Can they see how happy he makes me?
I inhale deeply as Mark wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my head before whispering, “It’s okay, M. Just breathe through it.”
How does he always know?
I feel his chest move against my back in a long, deep breath and I do as he asks, taking a cleansing breath and refocusing on the here and now.
Sam’s carrying a small bouquet of tiger lilies, her eyes are pinned to Leo’s. I glance over at the groom to find him watching his bride, his jaw dropped in awe and love and everything in me goes soft at the romantic moment.
She passes her flowers to her mom when she hugs and kisses her before joining Leo on the small stage. He takes Sam’s hands in his and whispers something down at her that makes her cheeks blush and her smile widen.
“Family and friends,” the tall man begins as we reclaim our seats. Mark wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close to his side. “It’s my pleasure to officiate this special occasion. Samantha and Leo have asked that we make this quick, and I have to say, unconventional.”
“Imagine that,” Will says with a chuckle. We all smile and nod.
“This very special couple has decided to exchange rings as they recite their vows to each other. Samantha, please recite your vows to Leo.”
Sam clears her throat and pulls a ring out of her bra, holding it up for all of us to see.
“Best storage system ever,” Leo murmurs softly, making Sam laugh. She takes a deep breath, reaches for Leo’s hand and looks up into his eyes solemnly.
“I promise you, Leo, until my very last breath, to fight for life, for joy, for us. To never take your actions, words and kindness for granted, and to keep leaving you secret notes when we are away from each other.” Leo grins as Sam slips his ring on his finger and continues speaking.
“I vow to grow with you and not apart, to make my accomplishments, ours, and your challenges, mine. I will always love you deeply and honestly, as your equal and your partner. I fiercely want to grow old with you; so we can sit on our front porch on a warm summer’s eve, so we can hold our frail hands together and laugh, so I can simply be with you, and know that I am home. I was born to tell you I love you, to be your wife, to be with you, forsaking all others, for the rest of my life.”
I watch through tear-filled eyes as Leo swallows hard, takes a ring from his pocket and looks deeply into Sam’s eyes.
“I promise you, Samantha, my sunshine, until my very last breath, to fight for life, for joy, for us. To never take your actions, words and kindness for granted, and to write you love songs as often as possible.” Sam bites her lip, trying to keep her tears at bay, and failing.
“I vow to grow with you and not apart, to make my accomplishments, ours, and your challenges, mine. I will always love you deeply and honestly, as your equal and your partner. I fiercely want to grow old with you; so we can sit on our front porch on a warm summer’s eve, so I can hold you in my arms, so I can simply be with you, and know that I am home. I was born to tell you I love you, to be your husband, to be with you, forsaking all others, for the rest of my life.”
With the ring firmly on Sam’s hand, he raises it to his lips and presses a kiss on her finger. Mark hands me a tissue and kisses my cheek as the officiant steps forward to speak.
“By the powers vested in me by the state of Nevada, it’s my pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
“Whoop!” Mark exclaims as we all clap and whistle as Leo bends Sam backwards and kisses her breathless.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Nash!”
“We did it!” Sam exclaims and throws her hand up to Leo for a high-five, which he happily obliges, then pulls her back in for a long, soft kiss.
“That was amazing,” I whisper as tears continue to roll down my cheeks. “He has such a way with words.”
“Told you,” Meg says as she mops up her own face.
“Let’s go eat,” Will says, but holds his hands up as if in surrender. “To celebrate. We all need to celebrate.”
“You all go,” Neil says and hugs his wife close to his side, and it’s in this moment, watching Neil cuddle his wife, kiss her tenderly on her temple as she continues to silently cry, that I realize I have this man to thank for the man Mark has become. What a wonderful example of what it is to be a good husband.
A good man.
“We need to get back to the babies,” Neil finishes.
“Oh, stay just a little while longer,” Natalie says with wide eyes. “The kids are fine.”
Lucy shakes her head and hugs her new son-in-law tightly, then cups Sam’s face in her hands and kisses her cheeks. “We want you all to celebrate. We’ll have a party for the whole family after you’re home. Have fun tonight. Enjoy yourselves.”