He picks up the box of tissues off the table and hands it to me. “I can say without a doubt that he is going to lose it because today he is marrying his dream girl.”
“I love you, Nash, but I’m kind of mad you’re making me cry.”
“I love you too. Let’s get you hitched,” he says, leading me out the door where Lauren and the girls are waiting.
They help carry my train and my dad takes my arm as we walk down the stairs. “Where’s Mom?” I ask, once we get downstairs.
“Wyatt escorted her to her seat. She’s in the front row waiting for you,” Wren informs me. I nod and swallowback tears.
“You can keep crying if you want,” Lauren says, fixing a few of my curls that have migrated out of place. “Your makeup is top of the line. It’s completely waterproof. Trust me. I put it to the test every day.” She winks.
We’re all wearing my brand Glamour & Grace. I named it after my love of fantasy and all things fae. Their ability to glamour themselves is similar to the magic of makeup.
We walk outside and wait off to the side out of sight. The sun has set and the backyard is lit up with hundreds, if not thousands, of fairy lights. We have put them in every tree and along the fence line.
Guests sit at round tables strategically placed around the back yard with a walkway of white rose petals down the center leading to the altar.
One by one Charlie, Wren, and Lauren make their way down the aisle. The instrumental version of one of our songs begins to play. “That’s our cue,” I tell my dad. He locks his arm with mine.
Step by step I walk toward my future husband.
Koa stands in front of our willow tree. We’ve pulled back the branches and added white hydrangeas to an arch to create a whimsical backdrop.
His gray suit is fitted over his broad shoulders and the purple tie is the perfect pop of color. I can’t take my eyes off of him. He shamelessly wipes at his eyes, and one of my own tears manages to escape. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold it together much longer.
Ididn’t think walking toward him would make me so emotional. We’ve been living together for two years but there’s something about having him promise to love me forever in front of all of our family and friends that has me disintegrating.
“Hi,” Koa greets me we’re close enough to touch.
“Hi,” I whisper back.
“Take care of my little girl,” my dad says, shaking his hand. He kisses me on the cheek, then he takes my bouquet and passes it to Lauren before placing my trembling hands in Koa’s.
The officiant addresses our guests and welcomes all of our family. We decided against a traditional ceremony. That has never been our style.
“Koa and Sydney have both prepared their own vows. Koa, if you’d like to go first.”
He squeezes my hands and exhales a deep breath.
“You look beautiful, baby,” he murmurs, making me smile. “I thought a lot about this moment and what I wanted to say. Nothing seemed like enough. Do I promise to love you? Until my last breath. Protect you? With everything that I have. Cherish you? I will get on my knees every day and show you how much,” he says, making Wyatt snicker. I shake my head. “I love you more today than I did yesterday and I will love you even more tomorrow. That isn’t a promise but a guarantee.”
“I love you too. I have since the moment we met. Even when I didn’t want to love you, I loved you with all my heart.” I squeeze his hands to let him know I’m teasing.It isn’t often we bring up the time we weren’t together but we both know it’s a part of our story and it got us where we are now.
“The kind of love we have doesn’t just exist in this world. There is no beginning and no end. It transcends other dimensions and realms. We were always going to find each other again because you are my best friend, my other half, my fated mate,” I tell him.
Koa tightens his grip on my hands and smiles. A lot of our friends may not understand why I would mention realms and dimensions but he does. Because he knows me. He understands me. He always has.
With shaky hands we exchange rings and sayI do.
“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Mahina. You may kiss your bride,” the officiant announces.
Koa wraps a hand around my waist and cups my cheek. He pulls me tight against his chest and presses his lips into mine. My hands wrap around his neck and I push my fingers into the hair at his neck. This kiss brings me back to our first kiss in the photobooth but this time he's claiming me as his wife.
Our friends and family clapping and cheering brings us back to reality. I break the kiss and giggle at his disappointment.
Music starts back up again and we walk down the aisle hand in hand. This time as husband and wife. Koa doesn’t stop walking until we are completely out of view from our guests.
“My wife,” he says, pulling close to him again. “You are absolutely stunning. This dress…” his voice trails off as he kisses down my neck and over my cleavage.
