Chapter 25
Even as I stand on the edge of the dance floor, our vows and rings having been exchanged earlier, I still can’t believe it. Parker and I are married.
Friends from all over the world flew in to join our celebration—people I haven’t seen in years, friends from college, colleagues from McCallister.
I smirk as I spot some of my single girlfriends from Rice mingling with Parker’s SEAL buddies—some in dress uniforms, some in sharp suits.
All looking good but none looking as fine as the man who stood in front of me not long ago promising me his heart, his soul, and his devotion from now until death do us part.
Still, it makes my heart swell to see everyone together.
People are laughing, dancing, and letting loose—just the way Parker and I wanted. No stiff, formal reception for us. This is a celebration of life and love. I can’t think of a better way to cap off the night.
“Austyn Kensington, y’all!” my best friend Lily announces with her hands cupped around her mouth as she bounces by, hyping her up like the proud Texan she is. “This girl is gonna be famous! Just you wait!”
She isn’t wrong. Austyn Kensington is a local high school freshman with a serious talent for both musical instruments and mixing tracks.
When Parker and I first heard about her through her music teacher at Kensington High, we were looking for a harp player for our wedding ceremony.
He not only recommended her to play for the ceremony but also advised us, “If you happen to be looking for a DJ, you couldn’t find one better than Austyn. ”
“Really?” Parker said skeptically.
“Truly. Come listen.” Then he led us to the music room where Austyn had been practicing her harp.
At his request, she switched over to spinning up some tunes.
By the end of her impromptu audition, we were begging him to get in contact with her mother to sign her for our contract.
We both knew we had to book her for our wedding.
Austyn’s energy is contagious. She has this incredible way of reading the crowd that most seasoned DJs would envy.
Now, here she is, a fourteen-year-old spinning tracks that has everyone—from my construction crew to Parker’s brothers-in-arms—up and dancing.
I’ve never seen so many men willing to throw down on a dance floor.
Austyn whoops it up at the sight of Parker’s BUD/S buddy, Kyle, trying to teach her mother how to salsa properly.
The very prim and proper Dr. Paige Kensington, who was invited to chaperone her daughter as she lit the night with music, put him in his place.
He took his schooling, but the grin on his face said he didn’t care.
Parker holds me close as we sway to our first dance, the soft sound of Austyn’s harp rendition of Chris Stapleton’s “Fire Away” wrapping around us like a warm blanket. His hand firm at the small of my back, his other gently holding mine. He leans in, lips brushing against my temple.
“Happy?” he murmurs, his breath warm against my skin.
“More than I thought possible.” Feeling the peace settle deep in my chest. “You?”
“More than I ever believed I could be,” he says, his voice low, throbbing. “This is just our beginning.”
“What’s been your biggest surprise so far?”
“How stunning you were coming down the aisle to me. Jesus, B. I almost had a heart attack.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Oh? I thought for sure the biggest surprise was hiring a fourteen-year-old DJ.”
Parker chuckles, the sound vibrating through his chest, and I can’t help but snuggle closer to feel it vibrate against my body. “Next to marrying you, hiring Austyn’s the best decision we made.”
I agreed, and we continued to dance for hours before mingling together and separately.
But even as the excitement continues to buzz around me, I feel a pang deep in my chest when I spy my father on the fringes of the crowd talking with Libby and Cal.
My mother should’ve been here. She should’ve been in the room with me, helping me dress, adjusting my veil, dabbing the tears of joy from my cheeks when I received Parker’s letter before the ceremony.
Instead, while I’m grateful for Libby’s and my sister’s presence, there is an emptiness that couldn’t be filled.
In all the time since she’s been gone, I’ve never felt her absence more than I did today.
Taking a deep breath, I shake off the sadness. Today is about joy, about love—about the life Parker and I have committed to building together. Mama would’ve wanted me to focus on that.
Before I can move, I feel a strong arm slip around me. His lips graze my neck. “Happy, B?”
“Very. You?”
“You’re my wife. That’s all I need.” Leaning back against him, I let him absorb my weight as we take in the family we’ve made.
I know he, too, is missing the presence of his parents today.
We honored them during the ceremony by lighting a candle for each of them in floating water before we spoke our vows.
He looked so handsome in his tux, his usually sharp and intense features softening when he caught sight of my father escorting me down the aisle.
He didn’t look like the man willing and able to order people into countless dangers or who’d faced enemies himself.
Parker just looked like a man who would move heaven and earth to love me forever.
The music begins to play softly, the signal that it is time for me to throw the bouquet before our last dance.
We make our way to the center of the dance floor, me holding my bouquet—a mix of sunflowers, irises, and roses.
Even as I take my place, I only have eyes for Parker.
Standing at the end of the dance floor, his gaze locks on mine, and the moment our eyes meet, my heart trembles with possibilities.
This was right.
Our love is everything.
I feel tears prick from the overwhelming joy of knowing that this man—this brave, strong, stubborn man—is mine. And I am his.
Even as the DJ calls everyone forward, I recall his vows—short, sweet, and simple. The minister spoke of love and loyalty, of standing by one another through thick and thin. But all I could focus on was Parker’s hand in mine, the way his thumb brushed against my skin.
When it was time for our vows, Parker cleared his throat, looking down at me with those piercing eyes that had always made me feel like he saw right through to my soul.
His voice was deep and a little raspy, “Bethany, I always knew I was lucky as well as blessed. Not because of what I’ve done, or what I’ve survived, but because all the roads I took led me to stand here today.
At the end, I’d crawl through a desert, fly through any skies, and swim through any troubled waters to be able to call you my wife.
I promise you, from this day forward, I’ll always be by your side.
Whatever comes our way, we’ll face it together. Till death do us part.”
Tears blurred my vision as I whispered, “I love you.”
In the moment under the Texas sky, with my friends and family surrounding us, I knew that no matter what life threw at us—whether it was danger, heartache, or joy—we would face it together.
Holding his heated gaze, I release my bouquet, uncaring who catches it. All I care about is boarding the private plane Parker arranged to take us to Bali to the little hut over the ocean, where I plan on wearing little to no clothing over the next ten days.
Judging by the expression on his face, he’s in total agreement with that plan.