74. Eli
Eli
My fiancée of three days walks into the courtroom on Max’s arm, and I feel like dropping to my knees and begging her to marry me all over again.
She is stunning in a scalloped, strapless, blush-pink vintage dress that falls just under her knees.
It has a delicate overlay of ivory lace and off-the-shoulder draped sleeves cuffing her toned biceps.
Her rose-gold heels match her glimmering engagement ring.
Her hair is up in some kind of elegant messy knot with a few loose strands framing her perfect face.
She can’t get to me fast enough.
The last time Kendra walked down an aisle toward me life was so different. Today we will leave bound by the promises we make here, and she is going to be mine, forever.
“Breathe,” Rem reminds me with a huge smile in his voice, gripping my shoulder. I have on the same black suit I wore to his wedding with a blush tie that Kendra bought to match her dress.
My mom is holding Wren, who’s wearing a fluffy white dress and a big smile.
My three little sisters are passing tissues to each other.
Lainey and Sutton wait for Kendra opposite of me, while Matt and Jess are huddled together on the other side of the room with Chief, a few of the other guys from the fire station, and Danny.
A photographer friend we know and hired snaps pictures—the other thing that Kendra insisted we have today.
The bright bouquet of flowers in Kendra’s grasp is freshly plucked from Renee LeBlanc’s garden.
She was happy to offer them up and babysit Kinsley for the afternoon, understanding that we wanted to keep the ceremony small and simple.
We are going to have a big party soon to celebrate, but today we planned fast. In Virginia you can get married the same day you acquire your marriage license, but Kendra needed a couple days to find a dress.
She, my mom, my sisters, Lainey, and Sutton scoured the bridal boutiques all around Norfolk until she found exactly what she wanted.
The way my heart is racing, I’d say she couldn’t have done any better.
She looks like every dream come true floating to me, her smile as bright as the sun.
Lainey takes the flowers from Kendra, and Max shakes my hand and places Kendra’s hand in my own. Kissing his daughter on the cheek, he steps to the side and puts his arm around my mom, giving her and Wren a hug, taking a tissue offered to him by Hannah.
“Hi,” Kendra whispers to me.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” I whisper in her ear, then I kiss her and she leans in, letting me hook my arm around her waist.
The judge clears his throat and we break apart, grinning at each other.
“Sorry.” Kendra blushes.
“I’m not.” I grin at her.
“Hulk, behave,” she says out of the corner of her mouth.
Laughing, the judge says, “Well, as you can all see we are gathered here today to join two people very much in love, together in marriage. I think it’s safe to say that you are both here under your own free will then?” He quirks an eyebrow at us, and we both laugh and nod in agreement.
When we turn to each other to say our vows, Kendra’s eyes shimmer with so much love I almost can’t start to speak.
Clearing my throat I say, “Kendra, sweetheart—I promise to give you a life to be proud of because I will be a man worthy of your love, because you gave me a second chance and changed everything. We get to raise our daughter and show her what it means to have a loving, happy family. You are my best friend, my lover, my sunset, my soulmate. I vow to protect you, cherish you, celebrate you, honor you, and love you. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to worship.” I wink at her.
“As long as we both shall live and through eternity.”
“Oh shit,” Kendra sobs. “I should have gone first.” Hannah rushes up and gives her tissues to blot her tears before she can say her vows.
“You can do it,” I reassure her, wiping a stray tear with the pad of my thumb.
“Okay.” She takes a steadying breath. “Eli, you have been my gravity ever since we were young—even when I didn’t want you to be.
It has always been you. Our paths back to each other were not easy, but they were right.
Without them, we wouldn’t have our family.
” She looks over to Wren, who has her head down on my mom’s shoulder now.
“I appreciate the man you are now, the work that you have done, and the strength it has taken to open yourself up to my love. I vow to love you fiercely, compassionately, faithfully, and endlessly. I promise to show up for our family every day and help you build a life you always dreamed of but felt was out of your reach; I want to show you that your dreams are possible because you are worthy of love and the light. I vow to keep dipping into the darkness and chasing out those doubts. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live.”
I wrap Kendra’s tiny frame into my arms and haul her up and into myself. She slides her hands into my hair effortlessly as I kiss the shit out of her. I don’t care that the ceremony isn’t over or that they haven’t told us to kiss yet. It’s our day and I will kiss her a million times if I want to.
“I love you,” I say, leaning my forehead against hers, slowly setting her back on her feet.
“I love you too.” She gently kisses my lips again.
“Rings?” the judge asks.
Rem hands them to me and we each take turns slipping them onto our left hands. Hers is a matching rose-gold band that came with her engagement ring. Mine is a simple, thick gold band that we picked out together from Fox Gem and Jewel on Main Street yesterday.
“By the power vested in me by the state of Virginia, presenting Mr. and Mrs. Eli Hargrove . . . you may kiss your bride, officially.” The judge chuckles. I don’t need to be told twice, dipping Kendra for a kiss and swinging her back up to cheers from our friends and family.
She takes her flowers back from Lainey and we make the short walk out of the courtroom together, arm in arm.
The spring air hits us as we step outside, and Kendra looks me up and down appreciatively. “You clean up pretty nice, husband,” she says.
“And we match,” I say pointing to her blush dress and my tie.
“Mm-hmm,” Kendra says, her cheeks heating. “Will your date be jealous?” she teases me.
“Not one bit, wife, she still isn’t the jealous type, and I have to share her as a double date no matter where we go.” I tug her into me and nip at her earlobe. “We are both spoken for now, thank fuck.”
She tosses her head back laughing as our family and friends gather around to celebrate; Wren reaches out to Kendra who instantly takes our baby girl into her arms.
I can’t believe I get to have a lifetime of sunsets with her, dates with our daughter, simple things that turn into the sweetest memories. Thank God for stolen moments, our secret summer together . . . and second chances.