Page 79 of Deception and New Direction

There was a knock on the door, andValwent to open to see who it was.

“Hi,Hank.Comeon in.She’snearly ready.”

“Good,” he responded as he walked into the room. “I’vegot something for her.”

He held up a small box as he walked toward me.

“We’ll give you guys some privacy and meet you outside,”Catsaid.

Ellie turned to me and grabbed my face in her hands. “I’venever had a sister, andIam so happy you get to be mine.”

“Thank you,”Iwhispered.

Val turned toGranddad, pointing her finger at him. “Don’tyou dare make her cryIjust finished perfecting her makeup.”

He just grinned back at her.

They all left the room, andGranddadwalked up to me and handed me the box.

“This was your grandma’s,” he said quietly. “Shewould want you to have it on this special day, and so doI.”

I opened it up to see a beautiful diamond bracelet.

My eyes filled up, andIsniffled. “Granddad, thank you.”

“Now, don’t go gettin’ all sappy on me, or those lady friends of yours’ll be all pissed at me for messin’ up your face,” he said and pulled me in for a hug. “She’dbe real proud of ya, sweetheart.Bothyer mom and grandma.”Hepaused a moment before speaking again, a little quieter. “I’mproud of you too.”

He didn’t say it, butIknew what he meant without the words.

“I love you too, old man,”Iwhispered back to him, not trusting myself to say it louder without crying.

“I haven’t said it since your gran died,” he spoke quietly. “ButIreckonIneed to say it more.Ilove you too.”

Don’t cry.Donot cry.Donot mess up your makeup.

“Alright, let’s go get ya hitched,” he said, stepping back and pulling the bracelet out to help me put it on.Thenhe grabbed my hand, and led us to the door.

We made it outside and to the point whereIwould walk down the aisle, with my granddad walking me down it toJack.

While we waited for the music to begin playing, myGranddadleaned down to whisper in my ear. “Justlettin’ you know,Itold himIwas mighty happy you picked him over the pretty boy—andImade sure to tell him that real loud so the pretty boy would hear me say it.”

I threw my head back and laughed at how ornery he was. “You’rethe best,”Itold him.

“I know,” he confirmed, causing me to smile even bigger.

It was with that huge smileIwalked down the aisle toJack.Hewas in his full dress uniform and had never looked better.Heliterally looked like sex on a stick—and he was all mine.Mybreathing started to pick up asIwalked closer toJack, realizing how luckyIwas thatIwas marrying this wonderful man.

At the end of the aisle,Jackcame to collect me from my granddad.

“You look incredible,” he said to me, a huge grin on his face.

“Keep it in your pants until the ceremony is over, son,”Granddadsaid—perhaps a little too loudly, since everyone in the crowd laughed—then slapped him on the back as he took his seat.

Axel had offered to be our officiant.Hesaid becoming an officiant inSwedenwas way harder than in theUSso he wanted to have this experience.Honestly,Ifound it more meaningful to have someone we knew perform the ceremony as opposed to a ministerIbarely knew.

Plus,Axelhadn’t sent over anything he was planning to say beforehand, which meant that unless he askedArcheror someone else to read it, there would likely be a few phrases wrong—whichIlooked forward to.

The ceremony began andIfound myself in a moment of awe that this was all real.Marryinga manIloved, surrounded by friends and my grandfather, on the property whereIwould hopefully live out the rest of my life.

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