Page 85 of Let It Be Me
“Thank you buddy. You look handsome yourself.”
Adam walks over to us sans Emily. “Hey, you two.”
Sarah greets him with a kiss on the cheek and steps back to my side. “Are you finally ready to watch these two get hitched?”
“Yeah. Em has been stressing over the musical choices since they asked her to help them choose the playlist.”
The love in his voice when he talks about Emily is what I imagine I look like.
“I’m sure the playlist is perfect,” I tell him.
We mingle with some of the guests before Sarah lets me know she has to head to the makeshift bridal suite. She excuses us from some of Mason’s former teammates and I walk her to the elevator bay.
“I’ll see you in a few. Go have fun,” Sarah says and kisses me before disappearing into the elevator.
With her, being around new people has made being around them easier. Especially since most of these are athletes. I shake out my hands and head back into the room.
I slidemy sunglasses on my face as the late afternoon sun shines in the stadium. I’m sitting in the second row with Adam next to me. Dylan is the ring bearer and Nina’s daughter, Kamryn’s friend from college and co-designer, is the flower girl.
Sarah steps onto the altar first, followed by Mason and his groomsmen. Our eyes clash and she sends me a wink and an air kiss. An instrumental version of an Ed Sheeransong starts playing and the first bridesmaid walks down the aisle. One by one until the kids come down the aisle and then the song switches toCan’t Help Falling in Love. Sarah signals us guests to rise from our seats as Kamryn makes her grand entrance.
A vision in white with lace and beads covering her dress. Thin straps hold her dress in place and a white veil trails behind her as her Dad walks her down the aisle. Her joy is evident based on the smile that hasn’t left her face since she took her first step. And when she gets to Mason, their combined joy is enough to make any doubter believe that they’re meant to be.
“Who gives this woman away?” Sarah asks, her question amplified based on the tiny microphone that’s clipped onto her dress.
“Her mother and I.” Kamryn’s Dad responds and kisses his daughter’s cheek before placing her hand in Mason’s.
Kamryn hands her bouquet to Emily and then steps up onto the altar with Mason.
“Please be seated,” Sarah instructs us.
The music ends and we settle in our seats. The energy in this stadium is unlike one I’ve ever experienced. And it all comes back to love.
Sarah’s hands are clasped in front of her, a microphone placed in front of her, but her position is as poised as ever. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Kamryn Rawlins and Mason Brooks. And as their closest and dearest friend, finally!” The crowd laughs and some even nod their heads. “When you two asked me to be the one to marry you, I thought ‘why me?’ because I’m sure there was a better option. Like an actual minister.” Kamryn and Mason both roll their eyes and laugh. “But then when I snapped out of that daze, I found it an honor that you two would allow me to be a part of this special day and in this way. Eleven years ago you two met and I knew it then, that you two were meant to be. Mason, your calm and quiet presence made you a force to be reckoned with on the field. Which then helped you balance out your other half.Kamryn, your wild and chaotic aura made everyone marvel at your energy. You two together were a couple that most were envious of. You loved with a love that was bigger than most at that young age experienced. You both hurt in the way that no one should have to. Most of us know your story, but for those who don’t; these two are proof that second chances can work when the one you love is willing to work just as hard.” The three of them look at each other with fond expressions. “These two have written their own vows. So, ladies first. Sorry, Mason.”
Sarah steps back and hands Kamryn the microphone. “You swept me off my feet when I was eighteen, we hit a big pause a couple of years later, and when I least expected it you showed back up and would not leave me alone.” Sarah, Mason, Emily, and Jax bark out laughter as do the rest of us in attendance. “You see me, the way no one ever has. You challenge me, the way no one ever has. You love me, the way no one ever has. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. Laughing with you. Fighting with you. Making up with you. Having babies with you. I love you.” She ends with a watery laugh.
She passes the microphone to Mason who blows out a breath. “Thank you, baby. I’m not sure how I’m going to top that. The first day I saw you, I knew then that I would give up everything to spend the rest of my life with you. While we faced a major obstacle that forced me to lose you, I thank fate and even destiny, that we landed in the same city after all those years. Kamryn, I promise to be your biggest fan, your number one motivator, and the one you always lean on when the going gets tough. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, and that includes babies. Lots and lots of babies. I love you.” He ends with a smile that takes up his whole face.
Sarah steps back up to the center. “Well, by the power vested in me, and the state of Ohio, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mason, you may kiss your beautiful bride.”
He steps forward and cradles Kamryn’s face in his hands like she’s the most delicate flower. They share whispered words and a smile before he’s claiming her in front of all of us. Cheers, hoots, and whistles from us are loud enough to be heard from outside of the stadium. Love is a powerful thing. And when it’s between two people who would do anything for each other, nothing can break what they have.
31
SARAH
Riley finds me in the tunnel after the last of the guests leave the ceremony. “You did great, Blue.”
“Not too nervous?” I ask and wrap my arms around his waist and look up into his eyes. The ones I honed in on when I felt myself get a little nervous speaking in front of so many people. The eyes that never left me the entire time I was giving the minister's speech. The eyes I love waking up to every morning.
“Not at all.” He says and dips down to take my lips with his. I lift up on my toes and try to deepen the kiss but he lightly brings me back down.
“We’ll have all night for me to bury myself in you.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” I tell him and raise my eyebrows jokingly.
He shakes his head and I love the way he looks at me. Noise from the end of the tunnel signals that people are headed over to the reception. I love that Kam and Mason chose a place where we could walk to. If I know these two it’s that they spared no expense and everything from the drapery to the flowers and what we’ll eat is picked with care.
