A chill rushes throughout my body, and the feeling of love consumes me. There is nowhere else I’d rather be and no other man I’d want to be standing alongside of me than Riley.
He’s everything to me.
No words can express how much I love this man or how badly I want to stand by his side for the rest of my life.
I take a deep breath in through my nose and release it out of my mouth. I smile up at Riley and begin my vows.
“I never saw you coming. I had accepted my life as it was—happy, but always lacking. I gave up on any thoughts of love and the fairytale of a happily ever after. And then you answered the phone that morning. I felt the connection then, and as I stand here before you now, that connection is even stronger. Everything about my life became whole. You healed my heart and glued all the broken pieces back together. The simple touch of your hand erased my hurtful past. Your kiss ignites an uncontrollable desire throughout me that is unquenchable. Riley, you complete me. We have been through so much in such a short time; the good, the bad, and even moments that were a bit crazy. You deserve all the stars in the sky. I am so grateful that I will be by your side to see all your wishes and dreams come true. No one and nothing will ever separate us. You have TOUCHED ME and I will forever be yours.”
“Thank you, Riley and Charlotte, for those beautiful vows. Now if you would, Riley, please repeat after me. I, Riley, take you, Charlotte, to have and to hold, from this day until forever, through the good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
As Riley repeats the words of Monsignor, the tears begin to fall from my face and he squeezes my hands tighter than before.
“Charlotte, if you would repeat after me. I, Charlotte, take you, Riley, to have and to hold, from this day until forever, through the good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
It’s as though, in this moment, that Riley and I are in a bubble and I don’t want it to pop. I want to remember this exact second just like this for the rest of my life. As we stare into each other’s eyes, tears stream down our faces and our smiles glowing. Everything is absolutely perfect.
“May I have the rings?”
I look down to the ground as Manny comes up between both me and Riley. He sits down next to us and looks up at Riley. Bending down, Riley removes the black bow tie from around Manny’s neck and threads the rings through the silk. As the rings drop into Riley’s hand, Derrick snaps his fingers and Manny gets up. Riley turns and hands Derrick the tie as Manny sits back down between two of my favorite guys.
Riley hands the rings to Monsignor and he glances in my direction. I can’t help but have a huge smile spread across my face.
“The wedding rings are an obvious and evident sign of an innermost and divine grace, representing to all the joining of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony, through the refinement of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Monsignor John pauses for a moment, holding on to our rings.
“Bless, O Lord, the bestowing of these rings that those who wear them may stand in thy harmony, and continue in thy kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
He hands Riley my ring and asks him to repeat after him. Without taking his eyes from mine Riley says, “As a symbol and pledge of our faithfulness, companionship, and love, with this ring I thee wed, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
I look away from Riley for a split second to accept the ring from Monsignor and I repeat the same words after him. “As a symbol and pledge of our faithfulness, companionship, and love, with this ring I thee wed, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Riley and I lock our hands together and once again stare into each other’s eyes.
“Now, Charlotte and Riley will commemorate their marriage by lighting a Unity Candle which also serves as a remembrance in loving memory of those who are forever present in their hearts.”
I feel Riley’s body tense as we walk together toward the Unity Candle. Holding on to his left hand with my right, we don’t lose sight of what this moment means to us. We are joining two lives and two families as one.
I look up into his eyes and see a tear fall from his face.
I wish I could take away this moment of pain for him.
I wish there was a way I could bring his parents back to be here with him again.
“Riley and Charlotte, these two separate candle flames represent your lives before this day, separable, irreplaceable, and superior. Please, take the candles signifying your lives before today, and as one, light the Unity Candle to represent the union of your individual lives.”
We place the tapers back into their holders and remain standing in front of the Unity Candle.
“As this new flame burns complete, so will your lives now as one. From this moment moving forward, your thoughts will always be for one another as opposed to just your individual beings. Your ideas and lifelong goals will be shared while your happiness and moments of sorrow both will be alike. Even though you are now committed into a marriage of sacred vows, you do not, nevertheless, forgo your personal uniqueness. Instead, you shall use your unique personalities to build and support the association of matrimony. Now all three candles continue to shine. The single candles embody all that make you individuals of the wonderful and unique person that your friends and family respect and admire. The Unity Candle, in the center, signifies the combined union of your lives, families, and friends, as well as your lifelong commitment to one another, and to a fulfilling and compassionate marriage.”
Riley and I move from the Unity Candle and take our places back in front of the altar.
“Charlotte and Riley have joined as one in holy matrimony, and have observed the same before God and their family and friends. Together, they have vowed their faith to one other, and have professed the same by the connection of hands and by offering and the acceptance of their rings. I proudly pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Those whom God hath joined together let no one put asunder.”
Monsignor takes a step back as a smile comes across his face.
“It is my great honor to introduce to you this day, their first day, Riley and Charlotte as husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.”
My heart rate spikes as Riley pulls me into his arms. Our wedding kiss is ever so gentle as he places his lips against mine.
It’s perfect.
He is perfect.
Together, our lives will be perfect.
A smile on both of our faces breaks our kiss and we slowly pull away as our eyes remain locked. We turn to our family and friends as they begin to cheer and clap for us.
The organist begins to play I Do by Colbie Calliat, and Riley grabs my hand to guide me down the aisle.
As we walk through the church, the smiles on the faces of our guests makes me feel like nothing else in the world could possibly matter in this moment.
Riley and I walk out of the church, and once again he pulls me into his arms. He leans down to me and kisses me hard.
“I love you, Char Kincaid, my beautiful wife. We did it!”
“I love you more, Riley, my handsome husband. Yes, we did it, and I’ve never been so happy in my entire life.”
The limo bus is packed with the wedding party and the drinks are being passed out to everyone.
My arm is around my girl’s waist and I still can’t believe she’s really mine forever.
I catch her looking down at my hand and she smiles. I’ve been fiddling with my wedding ring ever since we got in here; guess it’s going to take some getting used to wearing it.
Char leans in closer to me and I turn my head just in time to capture her lips with mine. I reposition myself and bring both hands up to her face. We deepen our kis
s just as the guys start to whistle and the girls begin to giggle.
As badly as I want to make out with Char, this is not the time or place.
We pull away from one another and I flip the middle finger up to our company.
“Thanks a lot, dickheads. This is my wedding day, and I can’t even kiss my girl without y’all acting like a bunch of assholes,” I say while rolling my eyes.
“Don’t be such a spoiled brat, Riley. You’ll have plenty of time to have your way with my new favorite sister-in-law later tonight,” Emma replies just before Pete pulls her into his side.
“Maybe you two should be the ones getting a room,” I say with a smirk.
“Shh, babe, don’t worry. We have all night to have fun together. Don’t let their teasing get to you. Come here,” Char says, pulling my face toward hers.
She licks my bottom lip and slides her tongue into my mouth. She tastes like champagne, and as much as I hate to drink it, it takes amazing coming from her.
I feel the limo come to a stop, but don’t pull away from our kiss for a second. I pull Char’s body in closer to mine and kiss her back with as much passion as I can.
I love this woman, she’s everything to me and we are about to start a crazy-ass ride of a life together.
“Come on, you two lovebirds, we need you both to break the lip lock and come on out for some pictures,” Derrick says from outside the limo.
Char starts to giggle and pulls away from me.
“We should go, babe, we don’t want to be missing from our own wedding photos.”
“Oh, I have plenty of ideas for how we can make our own wedding photos later,” I say with a sexy smirk.
She bats her long lashes at me and lifts her dress to move toward the door.
“Hang on girl, let me help you out of there. Your dress is killer, and if you’re not careful you’ll trip over it,” Chloe says, reaching her arm in to grab the bottom of Char’s dress.
Fuck, I can’t wait to get her out of that thing later.
I watch as she tries to gracefully get out of the limo and I grab her hand as I get out. We follow the photographer and the rest of the gang over to the water at Pier Park. It’s just starting to snow and I can see the little flakes falling onto Char’s dark hair.
“We better hurry before we all get wet,” Char says.
“Or before we freeze our asses off,” Chloe responds as Derrick wraps his arms around her.
I swing my arm around Char and walk over to where the photographer is trying to set us up.
For the next ten minutes we pose, smile, and even throw in a corny shot here and there. I don’t know that I’ve ever smiled so much in my life in front of a camera. But I do know that it will all be well worth it when we have the wedding album in our hands to remember this day.
The ten of us hurry back to the limo, and thankfully, the driver kept the engine running and it’s warm inside. Once we all get back into our seats, the snow is falling faster and we are all covered in white. I wrap my arms around Char and rub her back to keep her warm. She nuzzles her face into my neck and we hold on to one another the rest of the way over to the club.
I watch out the side window as we drive the short distance to our reception. I’d like to think that I’m a manly man, but today there’s an emotional side of me that’s taking over.
I couldn’t wait to make Char my wife, to start our lives together, and I’ll never let her go. I need to let her know that I’ll never let her go, never hurt her, and never waste a moment that we share as husband and wife. After all we’ve been through since the day we met, we’ve grown stronger together as a couple. There have been good times and those that we’ve struggled through. The day of the accident, I thought I’d lost her forever, but I thank God my prayers were answered and she came back to me.
I lightly kiss her forehead and pull her in closer to me as we reach our destination.
“It’s party time,” Derrick says, sitting up straight in his seat.
“It sure as hell is! The stress of the ceremony is over, so now we can all let our hair down,” I reply, giving a wink to Char.
I look over to her as her smile turns into a frown.
“You okay, babe?”
“Umm, no, not really.”
“Char, are you going to be sick again?” Emma asks.
“Wait, what? When were you sick?” I ask, looking into her eyes.
She shakes her head and grabs for her stomach.
“Here, give this to her ‘til we can get her inside,” Angie says, passing the ice bucket to me.
“Are you going to be sick?” I ask, pulling Char’s face into my hands.
She lets out a deep breath and shakes her head again.
“I think I’ll be okay, but should probably get into the restroom as soon as I can. I don’t want to get sick in here.”
“Okay, babe, let’s get you inside.”
I get out the limo bus first, and then the girls help Char with the back of her dress. We all rush into the side door of the club, and Emma and Chloe pull Char into the nearest restroom. I start to walk in behind them, but they ask for me to stay out.
Emma and Chloe rush me into the bathroom and pretty much slam the door in Riley’s face. I can’t believe this is happening to me. The wedding is over, my nerves should’ve straightened themselves out by now.
I push my way past my two best friends and into the bathroom stall. Before I can even make it to the toilet, I can feel the champagne coming up my throat. It burns and my stomach begins to churn. Chloe is right behind me, grabbing for my hair as my knees hit the tile floor.
“Oh shit, Char, we need to make this stop,” Chloe says, rubbing my back.
My head starts to spin as another wave of nausea hits me and I stick my head back over the porcelain god.
“I’ll be right back, let me see if I can find some saltine crackers and ginger ale,” I hear Emma say before the bathroom door bangs closed.
“Do you think you’re okay to get up and move to the sink?” Chloe asks.
Nodding my head, I try to stand while holding on to the wall.
I walk over to the sink and grab a handful of paper towels. Chloe turns the water to warm and I try my best to swallow hard and not get sick all over myself.
Emma walks back into the bathroom with a glass of soda and a small plate of crackers.
“Girl, what the fuck is going on with you today? You are rarely ever sick, and by now your nerves should be calmed down from the ceremony. Are you still feeling anxious?” Emma asks.
“No, I don’t get it either, and to be honest, it’s starting to piss me off.”
“I’d be a bit mad, too, if I was puking on my wedding day. I mean, seriously, Char, I haven’t even puked this much in one day during my pregnancy.”
I look up into the mirror at both girls’ reflections.
Shaking my head, I chant ‘no’ in my head over and over again.
The door swings open and Riley is standing in the door way. I turn around with my wad of paper towels in hand.
“Baby, you look like you don’t feel so hot. What’s wrong?”
He walks toward me and reaches for my face with his hands. I shake my head and turn back to the sink.
“Ugh, Riley, don’t come too close. I just puked…twice,” I say before splashing water into my mouth.
“Char, I couldn’t care less if you got sick or not. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and I was getting antsy standing out in the hallway.”
“I’ll be fine, I’ve been getting sick on and off all day. I thought it was my nerves, but I guess I have a stomach bug or something.”
“Yeah, or something,” Emma says, pointing to Chloe’s belly.
I roll my eyes at her and wipe my face with the paper towels.
“Chloe, do you still have that bag with the toothbrush and stuff?” I ask.
“Yep, hang on and I’ll dig it out for you.”
Chloe sets the tote bag down on the counter next to the s
ink and hands me the tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush.
“Thank you.”
“Ladies, I got it from here. Go on out with the rest of the bridal party and get something to eat. Char and I will be right out.”
“Are you sure?” Emma asks with a questionable smirk.
“Yeah, I can handle it. In sickness and health, right?” he says, turning to face me and giving me a wink.
“Okay, lover boy, just remember to hold her hair back if she pukes again.”
Letting out a giggle, I watch as Riley eyes my two best friends and pushes them out the bathroom door.
He comes back toward me as I begin to load the toothbrush with some paste. As I start to brush, he starts to caress my back while watching me in the mirror.
I give him a look and raise my eyebrows.
“You are still beautiful, Char, even with the snow and getting sick. You’ll always be beautiful to me,” Riley says, leaning in to kiss my forehead.
This man, my man, is too perfect. He was right when he said in sickness and health. No matter how ill I am, even after the accident, he’s always been right there to pick me up and make me feel better.
I finish brushing my teeth and spit the toothpaste into the sink. While rinsing my mouth, I look at myself in the mirror. I need some color to my face and a little makeup, but other than that, I don’t think too many people will notice that I’ve been in here puking.
“You okay to meet up with the rest of the crew?” Riley asks.
“Yeah, I just need a few more minutes to pull myself together. I hate that this stomach thing just comes and goes. I never really know when it’s going to hit me.”