Dad clears his throat. He stands in front of me and takes my hands in his. Tears make his eyes glisten and I can tell that he's holding his emotion back. I hug him, pulling him close. He wraps his arms around me, holding his breath. I feel like a little girl for a moment, cradled and safe with my father.
“Your mother asked me to give this to you on your wedding day,” Dad says, slowly releasing me. A tear trickles down his cheek and I know I'm about to start bawling at any moment. He reaches into his suit jacket pocket and pulls out an envelope. “She made me promise.”
My hands tremble and it's taking everything I have not to cry. Charlotte hands me a tissue.
“It's okay,” she whispers. “There's a reason they make waterproof mascara.”
The envelope is wrinkled and there's a small tear in the corner, but my name is on the front in my mother's hand. I trace the letters, imagining her writing it and smiling. I open it.
Dearest Ava,
I wish I could be there today to cry at your wedding. Instead, I will be watching you from above and loving you with all my heart. I love you so much and I'm so incredibly proud to have called you mine.
Love you more than words
-Mom
I dab at my eyes and I don't dare look over at Dad because I know I'll lose it. There's something else in the envelope. I shake out a thin silver chain with several petite charms dangling from it. There's a replica of the Eiffel Tower, a paintbrush, a heart, and tiny angel.
I smile and turn to Dad. His cheeks shine in the pale light as he helps attach the delicate bracelet to my wrist. It's perfect.
“It's time,” Charlotte says quietly. She hands me another tissue and takes my used one. “It's a good thing I stocked up on these.”
I chuckle. I was right to pick her as my maid of honor. She certainly has become my best friend in the past year. Though, Bastian and I did have a small squabble over which one of us got her, I had won the argument since he had Gabe and Leo.
Charlotte and my best friend from high school walk out the door. Dad offers me his arm and I thread mine into his. He smiles and guides me out the door and out onto the sand.
The sky is alight with pink clouds and golden promise of the coming dawn, but I don't see it. I don't see the ocean's beauty reflecting the colors of the sky or the people I love standing on the beach. There are three men waiting, but I just see Bastian.
He's wearing a light gray suit that matches his eyes. His face splits into the biggest grin I have ever seen as I approach. I'm not nervous anymore. I'm not scared. I'm excited and incredibly happy. I don't care about the rest.
“Who gives this woman to be with this man?” The minister asks.
“I do,” Dad replies. His voice cracks slightly. I turn to say goodbye to him. He hugs me close and kisses my cheek before carefully placing my hand in Bastian's.
“Take care of her,” Dad says quietly.
“Always and forever,” Bastian assures him. Dad smiles at us both and then steps back to join the small crowd gathered on the beach.
The world fades away as I look into Bastian's eyes. The words come easily. I've already made the promise to love him forever. I made that promise a long time ago without ever having to say the words out loud.
The sun starts to rise. Yellow gold light spills across the ocean, starting our new life together with the dawn. Bastian's eyes sparkle with joy and his scars seem to fade into the light.
“Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do.” Bastian's voice is calm and controlled, but his hands are shaking in mine.
“Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.” I don't falter. I don't have to think. I want Bastian to be mine forever. I want to be his forever.
I promise my heart and soul to him as Bastian promises his to me. I hear someone sniffle. Charlotte is using the tissues she is supposed to be holding for me. There are more words and more promises, but the meaning is all the same.
&nbs
p; I love him. He loves me.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife!”