Page 104 of Loved By You

“Right, fuckers, have these,” Brads says pouring four shots of bourbon into glasses.

“Brad, I can't,” I say, pleading. “And why four?”

“Unless you have become a complete pussy, one shot isn’t gonna make you drunk, plus it's tradition, remember?” I give him a knowing nod. Before any major event, tour, wedding or funeral, we have always done a toast and today it’ll be no different.

The door opens and both Brad and Harry don't seem shocked to see Noah, standing in the doorway, dressed in the sameuniform we used to wear and an overwhelming surge of emotion courses through me. He made it back in time, for her, for us.

“I’ve got to be quick; I need to get to Ria, but I wanted to see you all before the main event,” he says, walking towards us.

“Right on time, my brother, come join us,” Harry says, waving him over. The guys hug and greet each other. It’s been a long time since the four of us stood in the same room. The last time was at the funeral of our friend, Scotty..

I hug and pat him on the back, and we give a knowing nod. No words needed. We've spoken many times before today and the night I called him telling him I wanted to marry his sister was the most nerve-wracking day of my life. But it didn't feel right to do it without his blessing.

Brad hands us all a shot and we raise the in the in the air as Brad says, “To Jack and Ria. May your life be full of good health, wealth and love. To the friends we wish were here but aren't. May they watch over us and protect us and may we always look out for each other no matter what paths life takes us on.”

Harry continues with our tradition, adding something we would say before we left for patrol.

“No bullet, no shell, no demon in hell shall break this bond called brothers.”

We raise our glasses a little higher and clink them together, saying together, “Semper fi.”

I stand at the altar facing the man who will be marrying us, anxiously anticipating the music. The only thing Ria asked forwas a quartet at the ceremony and I’ll be damned if she didn't get it.

The violinist begins to play “Until I Found You” and the guests rise. I know Lexi and Elle, along with Ali and Gabby, will be walking down first. I turn to see the girls throwing rose petals perfectly, the biggest grins on their faces. A little giggle escapes Lexi’s mouth as she throws the petals a little too high and they fall onto Elle. I let out a little chuckle. Ali and Gabby walk behind them a few steps apart, looking beautiful.

I turn back around to take a deep breath; I need a moment to just get it together before she appears. The music changes pace and gets louder and Harry leans in to whisper, “You’re gonna wanna turn around, my man.”

As my eyes land on her, the wind is knocked out of me. Ria glides down the aisle, arm linked with her brother, looking utterly breathtaking. No worry or nerves show on her face. Just pure happiness. Our eyes lock and the smile that beams across her face has me doing the same.

This incredible, strong, beautiful woman is about to become my wife, and I feel like the luckiest man alive.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Ria

We reach the altar, Noah kissing me on my cheek and then reaching over to place my hand in Jack's. When asked who gives this woman, my brother proudly answers, “I do”.

Ali takes my bouquet and I blow a kiss to the girls who are standing so nicely, holding Gabby’s hands. Hand in hand, Jack and I walk up the few steps to the top of the altar.

The minister welcomes our guests and talks about the meaning of love and marriage, but I hear none of it. All I can do is hold Jack's hands, feeling his thumbs caress the palms of my hands as we stare into each other's eyes with what most would describe as love-sick looks on our faces.

It’s announced that we have prepared our own vows and Jack is asked to go first. My stomach somersault at the thought of the words he may say.

“Ria, two years ago today you came back into my life so unexpectedly, bringing with you all your beautiful chaos. You were everything I didn't know I needed but secretly longed for in the quiet for so many years. Once in a lifetime, if you are truly lucky, we get to meet someone who ignites a fire within us. Someone who makes us smile, someone who makes us love harder and makes us want to be better. Someone that captures your heart and you know in that moment they are your person and that’s exactly who you are for me. You are my person, my once in a lifetime love, and I will spend the rest of my life showing you Lexi and Elle and any other children we may be blessed with, just how lucky I am to have you all. Ria, you are worth loving, worth saving, worth staying for. I waited so long to be loved by you, to call you mine, and I thank the universe every day for finding a way to bring you back to me. You are everything to me and I will spend forever loving you.”

I take a deep breath, knowing I need to find the strength to say my vows.

“Jack, when you came back into my life, I had no idea how much my life was about to change. You are right, a love like ours only happens once in a lifetime. You were a constant amongst my chaos. It takes a special person to fix a heart they didn't break and love children they didn't make, but you, Jack, did just that. You are the most selfless and incredible man I have ever known. I always thought it would be difficult to love someone like me, but you showed me love can exist and thrive in the broken and the lost. You helped piece my broken parts back together. You walked into my life like you were always meant to be there and I’m forever thankful for that night we met again because it was the beginning of our love story and I didn’t even know it. Thank you for loving me, for loving us. My heart has waited so long to be loved by you, but it was worth the wait. You are everything to me and I will spend forever loving you.”

I know we are meant to wait but to hell with tradition and Jack is thankfully on the same page because he pulls me to him and plants a kiss on my lips and the room erupts.

We break the kiss, and the minister informs us that we need to exchange rings. We repeat after the minister and exchange simple platinum bands.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride… again.”

“Hell, yeah, I will.” Jack laughs, crashing his lips to mine and dipping me. The room erupts again, cheering and clapping, but they fade into the distance as he kisses me like the world around us disappears and we are the only ones left. We break the kiss, linking hands as the violinist starts, we raise our adjoining hands in the air, earning whistles and clapping from our friends and family. The girls rush over to us and Jack leans down to pick Elle up and Lexi places her hand in mine. The four of us walk through the church hand in hand, united together as one perfectly imperfect family.

Jack came into our lives so unexpectedly, picking up all our broken pieces, and put us back together in a way that made us unbreakable, and now I get to spend the rest of my life loving, and being loved by him.

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