Page 108 of Then Came You

“I love you, Xan. I’m so happy you found me all those years ago. I was destined to meet you. Destined to go through so much just so I could be here today. You and Haven are my world with your dad. I swear, I’m going to love him until the day I die with everything I have. I’m going to make him so happy.” I squeeze his hand, hoping he knows how important he is to me.

“Row!” Haven gasps. “You can’t swear!” she chastises me, throwing me a dirty look. I chuckle at her outrage.

“Yeah, Row.” Xan starts picking on me too, before kissing my head. “I love you too, Row. We’re the lucky ones.”

There’s a beat of silence before Haven jumps in again. “Can we get married now?”

On the way out the door, Xan takes one last look at me before I marry his father. “You look beautiful, step mommy.” With that I slap his chest with the back of my hand, pissing myself laughing at his stupidity.

“Never, and I repeat, never call me that,” I laugh, linking arms with him as we walk toward some fancy-ass wedding cars Blade organised.

“Seriously, Dad is going to think you look perfect.”

“Thanks, Xan.”

“I like your hair too.”

Eventually, I will dye it back to as close to my natural colour, which is caramel with honey highlights, but today is not the day. Over the past two years, I’ve had purple, blue, rainbow, aqua, and even grey, but today I’ve dyed it back to an ombre pink and styled it in gentle textured waves, which accentuates my dress and complements my cherry blossom tattoo perfectly.

The ceremony is everything I dreamed of. We chose to marry at dusk at the Sydney Observatory underneath the twinkling night sky. The full moon adds to the wonder of the enchanting evening. As I walk down the aisle on Xan’s arm, my eyes are laser beam focused on my future husband. His eyes are red and wet as tears slip down his cheeks. It’s a magical moment to see how moved he is by me.

With Xan and Haven by my side, Alex and Syd next to Blade and Grant officiating the service, nothing could ever feel more right.

“You amaze me,” Blade breathes as he pulls me against his chest.

Grant karate chops us apart. “Not yet, son, for goodness sake.” Every guest is in stitches, including me, as I giggle and step back.

Linking fingers, I can’t help but mouth an ‘I love you’ to him.

The ceremony is short and simple, with only our vows and ring exchange left.

Blade goes first, which I’m certain isn’t a good thing for my makeup.

“Row, my Tinker Bell, I don’t know how you found me, but you’re everything I want, wished for, prayed for, hoped for, and everything I can’t and don’t ever want to live without. I’m breathless when I look at you. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met inside and out. You’re wildly gorgeous, faultlessly generous, fearless, fun, capable, and incredibly intelligent. I look at you, and I see my whole future. You blow me away, baby. You have from the moment I laid eyes on you. It was physically impossible to stay away from you, from the late nights when I’d make excuses to see you at the salon, to hiring you at the foundation. Every minute spent with you was and never will be enough. I look at you and see the other half of my soul. I promise for the rest of my life to make you as happy as you make me. I’m going to give you the world, baby, and find you in every lifetime. I love you.”

It’s a good thing I didn’t spend too much time on my face because there isn’t a skerrick of foundation or mascara left. I’m sniffling and finding it hard to swallow. I must look like a vision. Yeah, a vision of the bride of Frankenstein.

I don’t know how I’m going to articulate what he means to me.

He thumbs the tears away from my cheeks, cupping my face and giving me a blubbering kiss on the lips.

I compose myself enough to bare my soul to this man.

“Blade, I look at you and see the first place I’ve ever called home. I knew from the first time I saw you that you were who I belonged to. You unlocked the key to my heart and gave me a new beginning I didn’t even know I was looking for. Before you, my life was dim, but you came along with Xan and Haven and lit up my world. You saved me in my darkest hours and made me believe in hope again. You are everything I ever wanted in a partner, and I’m honoured to be your wife. I am so proud of the person you are. You are the love of my life, my soul, and everything to me. An eternity with you will never be enough. I love you.”

We don’t wait for Grant to officially announce us as husband and wife, sealing our vows with a searing kiss. A ruckus of cheers and hollering rings around us, celebrating our union.

Clearly, our kiss goes on for too long for Haven’s liking because she tugs on the skirt of my dress. Breaking apart with my arms still wrapped around her dad’s neck, I crane my neck to see what she wants.

“Yes, princess?” Blade chuckles. I see she’s bursting at the seams like she wants to go to the bathroom.

“Tell him. Tell him!” she continues to tug.

I shake my head at her inability to keep a secret for less than an hour. I’m not mad. She's a kid. It’s just as much her news as it is ours. I couldn’t think of a more perfect time or way to announce it.

Kneeling so I’m face to face with her, I task her with her first big sister job.

Whispering in her ear, I say, “How about you make the announcement?” She pulls back, staring me in the eyes to see if I’m serious. I am. Giving her an encouraging nod, I rise and reach for her faux fur jacket and place it on her shoulders. The wind is picking up, and I don’t want her catching a cold. When I’m done, I tuck myself into Blade’s side.

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