Bonus – SYS wedding 

 

Chapter 1 

 

Ari 

The room is alive with laughter, soft music playing from someone’s phone on the vanity, the smell of hairspray thick in the air. My friends move around me like a whirlwind, hands fussing with the lace of my gown, voices overlapping in a chorus of chaos. You’d think it would be stressful, everyone running around talking over each other but it’s more comforting than anything else. If it weren’t them I’d be a mess right now. 

“Hold still,” Payton scolds, tugging at the tiny row of buttons on my back. “If you don’t, this dress is going to swallow you whole before Noah even sees you.”

I laugh, though it’s thin, shaky, caught somewhere between nerves and joy. “Maybe that’s not the worst thing,” I whisper.

“Don’t even joke like that,” Cameron cuts in, crouched at my feet, smoothing the hem where the silk meets my toes. She peers up at me, eyes warm. “You’ve waited your whole life for this. He’s waited his whole life for you.”

Paige is in front of me, hairpins clutched in her hand, her smile soft. “You’re literally going to break that man the moment he sees you, and put him back together a single breath later.” 

I bite down on my lip, trying to steady the beat of my heart. “I just want today to be perfect for him. He deserves …” my throat grows thick.  

“Honey,” my mom bends in front of me, her eyes swimming with tears. “In that man’s mind, you are already his wife. You’re his everything. He’s not going to notice that your dress is a little too tight or that your hair isn’t curling the way you want it to. To him, you are utter perfection.”

“I know.” I swallow, my smile breaking free. “I know I’m just …”

“A bride on her wedding day.” She smiles, reaching out to touch my cheek. “I think I know what you need.”

My mom slips out of the room and not a moment later, my dad’s slips inside, Ian in his arms. My baby boy’s lashes flutter against his cheeks, the faintest little sigh spilling from his parted lips. My heart clenches so sharply, I press a hand against my stomach as a wave of nausea rolls in. For a moment, the past collides with the present—the baby we never got to hold, the guilt from not knowing there was a little life growing inside of me until it was gone. 

And then Ian stirs, tiny fists curling in the air before he settles again, and love flows through my veins. 

“I heard someone needed a little pick me up,” dad says quietly, coming to stand in front of me and I climb to my feet, running my palm along my son’s little head. “He was up for almost two hours. I had to bribe his cousin with M&M’s to get him to close his eyes.”

I smile, letting my thumb brush his tiny cheek. “I was wondering why Deaton hadn’t come looking for his mama by now.”

“Honestly, I’m starting to get a little jealous,” Payton teases. “I swear, the older he gets, the more of a daddy’s boy he’s becoming.”

“I think Ian will be, too.” 

“That’s why we’re gonna adopt a boy and a girl. I am not getting left behind because Brady is a massive man child.” Cameron smirks, but then her hip pops out and she points a curling iron at my dad. “Love you, but you gotta go.”

My dad chuckles softly and Ian stirs a little. 

Pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, I say a silent prayer and lean in to hug my dad. “Thanks dad.”

“Of course, sweetheart. We’re headed to the venue in about five minutes, so I won’t see you again until we’re out there.” I open my mouth, but he cuts me off with a gentle hand to my shoulder. “Noah already has everything packed. Diaper bag, playpen, stroller, and a million other things you won’t need but he knows you’d be worried without.”

A long breath leaves me, and I nod. “Love you.”

“Love you. Girls, love you all. See you in a bit.”

They waive their goodbyes, and he slips out of the room just as Lolli pops in, her daughter on her hip. 

Payton forgets all about me and rushes for her, taking her from her mama’s hands. “There’s my future daughter in law,” she coos kissing her chubby cheeks. 

“Seriously, Payton.” Cameron rolls her eyes. “You can’t claim her for Deaton already. So unfair to mine and Brady’s non-existent children.”

“Your daughter can marry Cole.” She argues. 

“My son’s name is Ian Cole. Not just Cole.”

“Ari, come on.” Cam rolls her eyes again. “We all know he’s going to go by his middle name when he’s older. And duh, one of my children will end up with one or Ari’s. We planned that shit when we were twelve, but you can’t claim the unexpected girl in the group before our boys have a chance.”

“You don’t even have a kid yet!” Payton laughs. “And sorry, but baby Cole is Leilani’s cousin, so he’s out. I win”

“Hey, what about mine?” Paige pipes up, moving in to put the little clip in my hair that the veil will attach to. “I could have a boy too, you know.” 

“You could, but Deaton will be four, and none of you are pregnant or have one yet.” Payton smirks in triumph, kissing Leilani’s cheek. “So, Laya and Deaton it is. It’s totally going to be one of those, he goes off to college and when he gets home, she’s all grown up insta love things.”

“Okay. You,” Lolli points at me. “We need you to get in your shoes. You.” She points at Cam. “Get the lipstick in the bag so we can put it on her right before we climb out. And you.” She glares at Payton. “Chill with the whole betrothal at birth thing. Nate’s already made a literal list of all the reasons she’ll never be allowed to date and she’s only four months old. If he finds out the literal boy who lives next door is a potential contender, he’ll ask for a trade to the freaking Dolphins or something just to get as far away as possible and I own the damn team he plays on.”

“Okay we are way off topic right now. Reign it in ladies!” Cameron’s mom claps her hands, reminding us that she’s even in the room as she lifts the iron in the air, steam bellowing from the ends of it. “We leave in ten minutes.”

My eyes widen and I start to panic, my mind running trying to figure out what I need to take with me. “Okay, I need shoes and my veil and oh my god I don’t have a garter or–”

“Hey.” Cameron grips my shoulders. “Breathe, bitch. We’ve got you.”

“What if my dad forgot to set the photo up like I wanted?” 

“He didn’t. Me and Paige were already out there this morning. Everything is there and ready, all that’s missing is us and all the people we care about.”

“Really?” I grip her forearm. “How’s it look?”

Cameron’s eyes grow misty, and her lips tremble slightly. “It’s perfect.”

“Yeah?” I chuckle, a slight sob breaking through. 

“Yeah.” she nods back, and we hug each other tight. 

“Oh my god, you two! Don’t you dare,” Payton warns, tugging us apart, and waving a mascara wand at me like it’s a weapon. “If I have to redo your eyeliner, I’m charging extra.”

That draws another watery laugh from me, and I nod, turning toward the mirror. Smoothing my hands down the front of my gown, anticipation filling me mixed with this wild, terrifying knowledge that somehow, after everything—memory loss, heartbreak, saying goodbye to our baby that we never got to meet—I get to walk toward Noah and the start of our forever.

The girls fuss a final time, tucking a strand of hair, fluffing the veil and then it’s time to go. 

I turn toward my girls, and a massive smile breaks free. “I’m getting freaking married!” 

They all scream and squeal and jump up and down with me and then my mom opens the door. 

“The car is here,” she smiles warmly.

We file into the limo, and its giggles and laughs all the way to the destination. 

The moms climb out, then the girls, and then my dad’s hand appears in the doorway, his head a moment later. 

With a shaky breath, I slip my hand into his, letting him help me from the car and his hands close around my shoulders, tears in his eyes. 

“You are the most beautiful bride, my beautiful daughter.”

“Thank you, dad.” 

“Ready?”

Nodding, I take one shaky step toward the little path set out for me, the sound of the ocean filling my ears. For a single, fleeting second, I press my palm over my heart.

Please don’t let me ever forget this.

The music begins, my eyes open, and the whole world falls away.

I’m about to marry the love of my life. 

 

Chapter 2 

Noah 

The grass shifts under my shoes as I step out toward the cliff’s edge, the arch decorated with every shade of peonies Ari’s mom could find staring back at me. The sun hangs just above it, on its way down. It hovers there like it’s waiting for us, ready to close out the night and lead us into the first day of the rest of our lives.

My babies and me.

I look across the people gathered, every face a piece of our story. Parents of our friends, the ones who watched my beautiful bride grow up, saw us stumble, and somehow make it here. Old coaches, teammates, the handful of others who stood by us when things were rough. Their smiles are soft and watery, pride shining through, and when I look ahead, I see my friend Trey, Chase, Brady, and Mason waiting for me at the front.

Mason’s chin lifts in that small, steady nod, his eyes already glassy, and I have to breathe deep just to keep my composure. These people… they gave me something I never had before. A family.

My mom would’ve given anything to see this, to know what I gained after losing her. A home. People to love. Someone to spend forever with.

And one of the things I’ll always be most grateful for in this life is that she got to love the woman I do. She saw it long before either of us were ready for it. That girl’s gonna change your world, baby, she told me once.

She didn’t just change my world. 

She became it. 

I take my place beside the guys, the ocean wind brushing my collar, and I turn to face the aisle. That’s when a flash of light catches at the edge of my vision. It’s just a glint, like sunlight off glass.

I glance over and every bit of air in my lungs leaves my body.

There, on the seat closest to the aisle on the groom’s side, is a framed photograph I’m not sure I’ve ever even seen before.

Mom…

Her big, beautiful smile is aimed right at me, frozen in time but so alive it knocks the air from my lungs. My throat closes, my jaw tightens, and before I can stop it, tears sting the corners of my eyes.

She’s here.

Ari did this, I have no doubt. 

Because she knows what I need before I know it myself. And seeing this, seeing my mama right up front, ready to witness the moment she hoped and prayed I would be blessed enough to have, the moment she was so sure I would, it damn near knocks me to my knees. 

She left this world before I could tell her my girl came back to me, but even up until the day she took her very last breathe, she never had any doubts. 

Fear not the fall, mama. I’d fall a thousand times, on a thousand blades, if it led me right here to this moment.

My chest cracks open, the ache and love colliding so hard I can barely stand upright. 

The photo catches the light again, the frame glowing like it’s lit from within, and I can almost hear her laugh, soft and knowing. You’ve got her, baby. Don’t waste it.

My eyes blur, and I wipe at them uselessly, because the second I blink, a tear falls anyway. 

Filling my lungs with the familiar, salty air, I look down at the tiny bassinet positioned right beside me, and reach down, running my fingers over the edge. 

It’s a full circle moment, being out here today. It’s why we chose this place, the very spot she came back to me.

Today, it’s the place she’ll become mine forever.

She would’ve been regardless, memory returning or not.

My girl. My baby.

My every fucking thing.

Her and our little boy. They are all I need in this world. 

I steady my breathing, drag a shaky hand down my tie, and lift my eyes just as the first notes of the song start. The air shifts. The crowd rises.

And my world just stops. 

Ari steps into view, arm looped through her dad’s, the veil catching in the breeze. The light hits her like it was made for her, scattering across the lace, painting her in gold. My entire body starts to shake. 

She is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and somehow, every single time I set eyes on her, the beauty continues to grow. 

Every piece of my life—every mistake, every loss, every hit that took me down—was leading me here, to this. To her. To them.

Her dad’s holding Ian close, our little boy tucked against his chest, and it’s too much. The photo of my mom. The woman walking toward me. The baby we prayed for.

Tears slide freely now, no point in pretending I’m not falling apart.

When her eyes meet mine, everything else fades. All I see is her. 

All I’ll ever see is her.

I mouth it without thinking, Hurry, baby.

The crowd laughs softly, her lips curve through the veil. 

I can’t help myself, when she’s a few feet away, I step down, closing the distance and gently take my son from his arms, hugging him against me. 

Her dad smiles softy, and I press a gentle kiss to my son’s head, whispering for only him to hear, “Daddy loves you, Ian Cole. I’m going to marry your mama now, little man, and I’m so proud you’re here to see it.” I move back, lowering him into the waiting bassinet and turn back to my bride. 

When her dad places her hand in mine, I let out a shuttered breath, swearing to never let her go.

The officiant starts to speak, but I barely hear a word. All I can do is look at her, memorize every inch of her face, the curve of her smile, the way her fingers tremble against mine.

When it’s time, I don’t need to look at a piece of paper. I already know what to say.

“I don’t know how to promise you anything new, my Juliet,” I tell her, my voice thick, raw.

“There’s… there’s nothing I could say right now that you don’t already know. You’re it for me and you always have been. I felt it that very first time you looked into my eyes. I don’t really know how to explain it other than the moment you looked up at me on the beach that day, it was like the second your eyes met mine, the world around me just … stopped. Every thought left my body, and all that was left was you. That hasn’t changed since that day and I stand here today, in front of everyone we love to promise you that it never, ever will.”

Her chin wobbles, tears spilling down, and I reach up, brushing them away with my thumb.

“You’re my calm. My chaos. My reason for every good thing I’ve ever done. I love you so much that sometimes, I don’t even know what to do with the feeling. You’re not a choice I’m making. You and that little boy you’ve blessed me with are quite literally the reason for the air that I breathe, and I will be here in any and every way you could ever possibly need me to. For you, and for him.” I glance at our son, sleeping peacefully beside us. “You two are my life. My home. My reason. And I’ll never stop trying to deserve what you’ve given me, though I doubt I ever. will.” Her eyes shine as they hold mine. “I stand here today to vow to you that I will not only love you for our entire lives, because even when it’s over… I will find you again.”

Ari’s body trembles, her whisper only for me. “Say you swear.”

“I swear.”

Ari’s vows follow soft and trembling.

When we slip the rings from the small white football that carries the weight of everything we lost and everything we’ve gained, I slide the band onto her finger, kiss it, and breath against her skin, “Mine.”

Her lips curve. “Yours.”

The crowd rises as one. The officiant barely finishes before I pull her close, my mouth finding hers, the cheers of our friends and the crash of the ocean folding into a sound I’ll never forget.

My wife. My world. 

My forever.