Chapter 17
Steve
The faint lapping of water and the sighing of the breeze in the leaves rose and fell in time to Rye’s fretwork, folding nature into his beautiful love song.
Each of our daughters strolled out across the lawn, blocking my view of Jasmine, though I could see her sons, strong and sturdy, like pillars, on either side of her.
Then Aya settled into her spot and I saw Jasmine. Her silver and ivory gown—I knew the colors from Aya—swished around her ankles as she walked toward me. Her arms wove between Carter and Cam’s as the men matched their long legs to their mother’s shorter stride.
She had flowers in her hair and a huge smile on her face.
She was perfect. The moment proved to be more beautiful than I’d expected. Emotion swelled from my chest up to my throat, and I had to blink back tears. Not because I was afraid to let them fall. No. I just didn’t want to miss a single second of Jasmine walking toward me—offering herself to me.
I adored this woman.
I’d known it and thought about it many times, but in that moment nothing was clearer—little else mattered.
I loved her so much, and I was going to do everything in my power to make her happy.
Her beaming face brightened further. Cam slapped my back as Carter placed Jasmine’s hand on my arm.
“We’re holding you to that,” Cam said.
I glanced up at him, wondering what he was talking about.
“Doing anything in your power to make her happy.” Cam winked.
Carter leaned closer to me and murmured, “They leave us spellbound, huh?”
Warmth threaded up my chest and into my ears. “Sure do.”
A light breeze flitted through the live oaks, making the leaves shake and dance. A tendril of Jasmine’s hair pulled loose of her complicated bun to drift across her temple. I brushed it back before it could catch in her eyelashes and then turned my other hand over so that I clasped her hand.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
Her eyes were luminous, and her smile was full of soft promises. “Yes, Steve. I am.”
I led her the last foot to the beaming officiant. “It’s rare that I see such a magnificent show of love.” He winked. “And I do a lot of weddings.”
We all laughed, as I’m sure he hoped we would.
“In all seriousness,” he said, sobering. “This moment is sacred, not because of the words I will read or because your faith says so. But because you’re making a vow. That should mean lots of thought and prayer went into the decision to marry. Because the joining should never be easily undone.
“Unless it’s a rock,” Lyric, Kate’s daughter, who was standing next to her mother, twirling her pretty puffy skirt back and forth, said.
The officiant seemed started by this response and looked at us for askance. “She’s not wrong,” I said with a shrug.
Recovering, Jasmine said, “We’ll just have to be stronger than a rock, huh, little bit.”
“Diamonds are the hardest known material,” Ike, Kate and Rye’s oldest son said, squinting behind his thick glasses as he considered this issue. “I guess you’ll want a diamond marriage.”
“What rock has some give?” Jasmine asked. “You know, for when you need to compromise.”
Ike shrugged. “Rocks don’t do that.”
“But people can. And should. That’s what Mommy said,” Lyric said.
“Pi-ee, Gamma!” Cash shouted, rocking his little feet against Cam’s hips.
“If this is what our family get-togethers are going to be like, I think I’m going to like them a lot,” Nash said.
Once again, everyone laughed.
When I slid Jasmine’s ring on her finger, my entire body relaxed. This was it. She was mine. I was hers. We were in this together.
“With this ring, I thee wed,” I intoned.
Keeping my gaze settled on Jasmine’s face, I continued.
“Jasmine, you are my guide to love, my every wish, and the person I want to grow old with. With you, I’ve found a love that transcends time.
Today, I promise to see you with the same eyes I use today.
Even when the day comes that we’re older and grayer…
” She rolled her eyes at me, which caused my lips to quirk upward.
“I promise to always see you with the same eyes and the same heart that I see you with at this exact moment. Your laughter, your kindness, and your unwavering love—it’s etched in my soul.
“I vow to dream with you, celebrate with you, and walk beside you through whatever life brings. Our love story is not just about today; it’s about all the tomorrows we’ll share.
“Together, we’ll write new chapters, weaving our love into the fabric of time. Let our vows be a testament to the enduring flame that burns within us—a flame that will warm our hearts even as the years pass. I choose you, now and forever.
“May our love continue to grow, deepen, and flourish, like a timeless melody that plays in our hearts.”
Cam leaned over to Nash. “I see where you get the songwriting ability. That caused me to tear up.”
Nash nodded, his lips smashed together. “It was superb.”