The Commitment (27 page)

“Did that bastard make you cry?” she asks, pulling me from my warming thoughts. “I told him not to make you cry until after pictures! Let me see your eyes.” Looking up to her with a soft smile, she examines me carefully and after a few touches, she lets out a sigh. “Okay, you did good. You ready to see?”

“Yes,” I nod, standing up and following her to the mirror.

As I take in my reflection, I’m floored. I’d seen my hair at the salon, intricately braided off to the side with loose tendrils framing my face the way Chase always said he liked it best. Ana’s added small hairpins with rhinestones to the elaborate braid, tying it in with the tiny embellishments on the rest of my attire. Not wanting to take away from the beauty of the dress, she did as she promised and kept my makeup simple. Although it’s natural, she’s managed to make me look flawless, the subtle accents making the color of my eyes pop dramatically from beneath my thick lashes.

Over my hair and skimming my shoulders is the long, sheer veil with crystals, so delicate they only just shimmer in the light. Lowering my gaze, I see the A-line gown she’s chosen for me, sheer cuffs resting slightly off the shoulder with a slight dip toward my cleavage. It flows freely, just barely touching the ground as a short train tapers off behind me. It’s simple, yet undeniably elegant and feminine. The end results of her meticulous planning where I’m concerned render me speechless for a moment, just staring at my own reflection in awe.

“Well?” she eventually asks impatiently. “What do you think?”

“It’s perfect,” I whisper, slowly shaking my head as I turn to face her, still shocked. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

“I had amazing material to work with,” she winks. “You make a stunning bride, Soph.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” she smiles. “Now, I’m going to get dressed super fast because the photographer is ready.”

When she rejoins me, she looks amazing as usual in the lace, Tiffany blue bridesmaid gown she’d chosen for herself and the others.

“You look beautiful,” I tell her. “I still think you should have gotten something different from the other girls since you’re the maid of honor, something to set yourself apart.”

“I’ve already got you as a best friend and first dibs on booze and pictures,” she laughs. “I’m good.”

As we’re finishing up with the photographer, I feel eyes on my and glance over to find Jack watching silently, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

“Hey,” I smile, slowly making my way to him as I admire him in his suit. “You look so handsome.”

“Wow Soph,” he says, shaking his head as he takes me in. “I always knew you’d make a beautiful bride, but you… you’re breathtaking.”

“Thanks,” I blush, squeezing his hand in mine as I hold his eyes. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he says softly, leaning to kiss my forehead. “It’s about to start, you ready?”

“Yeah,” I nod.

“I really hope he knows what he’s got,” he says with a gentle sigh as he studies my features, coming back to my eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Seconds after he leaves me, my aunt approaches and gives me a hug, placing something small in my hand.

“What’s this?” I ask, glancing down at the small coin in my hand.

“It’s a sixpence,” she whispers. “It’s from your Daddy, Sweet Girl. He asked me to make sure you got it and tell you that he loves you.”

“Aunt Deb,” I say, tears threatening yet again.

“He’d be so proud of you, Honey,” she says, kissing my cheek. “You look like an angel. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Aunt Deb,” Ana says, coming around the corner with a handful of bouquets. “Please don’t make her cry!”

“See you out there, Kiddo,” Aunt Deb smiles, kissing my cheek and hurrying out to her seat.

“Oh!” I say, causing everyone to turn to face me. “JT!”

“Yeah?” he says, walking over to me in the cutest suit and tie I’ve ever seen.

“Hey Sweet Pea,” I smile, bending slightly to meet his eyes. “I have a special job for you. When you get to Uncle Chase, I want you to give him this. Don’t forget and don’t let anyone see. It’s a secret, okay?”

“Okay,” he grins, happy to be part of a secret as he takes the small piece of paper from my hand and squeezes it tightly in his little fist.

“Thank you,” I smile. “I love you, you look very handsome.”

“You, too!” he says, making me laugh.

“He’s right, you know,” Drake says with a grin, leaning in to kiss my cheek when I stand. “You look very handsome.”

“Gee thanks,” I chuckle. “How’s Chase?”

“He’s…” he starts with a playful look in his eyes. “You’ll just have to see for yourself.”

Before I can ask what he means, Ana’s voice cuts me off.

“Come on, ladies! Find your groomsman and get in line! It’s go time!”

Slowly, they begin making their way out onto the deck as ‘Falling Slowly’ by Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti begins to play. When JT, Drake and Ana are the last two in the house with me, my best friend turns and pulls me in for another hug.

“Once we walk out, count to fifteen and then you’ll hear the music change. That’s your cue, okay?” she says through her tears, causing me to nod. “I love you, Sis.”

“I love you, too.”

I watch them go through the doorway with JT following closely after, my note still in tow and leaving me standing alone in the empty house. We’ve been planning for this day for weeks, but as I stand there waiting, I’m flooded with emotion. My attempt at counting is lost in the whirlwind of my thoughts, but as I hear the familiar notes of the piano over the speakers, my feet move forward without being told.

It’s nearly dusk outside. The sun setting on the gulf behind us casts the most beautiful glow on the altar they’d put up yesterday. Thousands of twinkly lights dance above us, placed so perfectly they’re sure to put the stars to shame. Tropical flowers are placed all over, adding a gorgeous pop of color to the décor Ana’s been tirelessly obsessing over for weeks.

‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ by Sleeping at Last is mixing in beautifully with the romantic sound of the waves as they crash upon the shore. As my foot touches the sand at the base of the steps taking me toward the aisle, I hear the lyrics that forever changed my heart the moment I heard them leave his lips.

Everyone we love is here, but as I look at the end of the delicate, sheer aisle I’ve come to, he’s reading the note I handed to JT and he reveals my favorite, heart stopping smile. As his teary eyes find mine, everything else falls away and all that’s left is us.

For the first time, my heart doesn’t have to remind me that it’s time to jump.

Chase

As the music starts, my already erratic heartbeat begins to drum even harder in my chest. I’ve been a mess of nerves all day, but not because I’m having second thoughts… quite the opposite actually. The reason I’ve been such a wreck is the waiting. It seems like I’ve been waiting an eternity for this woman and now that she’s officially about to be mine, I’m done waiting.

The shift of the guests as they turn to watch the wedding party descend down the dimly lit aisle is drowned out by the sound of my own beating heart. As my parents make their way to the front, Pops shows my mom to her seat before taking his place beside me.

“You ready, Kid?” he leans over and asks me quietly.

“Beyond,” I tell him with a sigh. “I feel like she’s never going to get here. These last few minutes are going to be the longest of my life.”

“Well, you enjoy the slow moments while you have them,” he tells me, affectionately patting me on the back. “You’ve got a lot of great ones ahead of you, but my God do they fly by fast.” As I glance over to meet eyes identical to my own, I’m surprised to see them shimmering with tears. “I’m real proud of you, Son.”

“Thanks Pops,” I tell him, swallowing the knot in my throat. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Kid,” he says, discreetly swiping the traitor tear away before he clears his throat. “Don’t let your mom see us having a moment. She’s already a freakin’ wreck, she’ll lose her shit.”

“Okay,” I chuckle, giving the pastor a wide smile as I see him approaching.

“I’ve just spoken to Miss Walker,” he tells me quietly. “We’re about to get started if that’s al-.”

“Absolutely,” I tell him immediately, cutting him off and causing him to smirk at me in amusement before he gestures toward the house.

Just a moment later, the first song I chose for the ceremony begins and I see Charlotte and Nick, our two best friends from high school, emerging from the house.  The knot returns to my throat knowing at the end of this song, I’ll see her. It’s been less than eighteen hours since Ana kicked me out of our room and less than two since I heard her voice. Although Drake had done his best to keep me busy, my thoughts stayed on Sophie all day. Knowing she’s only a few feet away, about to walk down the aisle to me, has me shifting impatiently.

“Take a breath, Kiddo,” my dad chuckles from my side as Nick and Charlotte take their places. “She’s comin’.”

I nod my reply, unable to do much else as I see Emily and Brad approaching us, my sister sneaking to our side for a quick hug before she joins Charlotte.

“I love you, Bubba,” she whispers.

“Love you, too, Squirt,” I say squeezing her tightly before looking up to see Heather and Jack, slowly making their way toward us.

Although Jack and I had become friends over the past couple of months, to say I was surprised when he agreed to stand beside me tonight would be an understatement. If I’m being honest, it’s been a little awkward for both of us, but I knew how much it would mean to my girl. I’d meant everything I’d said to her before, though. Jack’s a good man and even when we didn’t see eye to eye, he’d always kept her best interest at heart. He’d taken care of her when no one else did, helped her become the amazing woman she is. The fact that he’s sacrificed his own happiness to see Sophie find hers proves what kind of man he is.

Shooting me a playful wink, Heather falls in line with Emily and Charlotte as Jack approaches me, holding my eyes.

“Thank you for standing with me,” I tell him.

“Yep,” he says, giving me a small nod as he shakes my proffered hand and gives me a brotherly pat on the shoulder, holding my eyes. “You take care of her.”

“I will, man,” I tell him, both of us surprising each other when we exchange a quick hug. “I’m still watching your ass,” he says in my ear, causing me to chuckle.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I say as I let him go and he gives me an amused nod and stands beside Brad.

When Drake and Ana make their way toward us, although her eyes are filled with tears, they’re both beaming. Kissing her hair, he releases her and makes a beeline for me, pulling me in for a tight, brotherly hug.

“Congrats, man. You got yourself a good girl,” he says. “I love you.”

“Love you, too, Cuz,” I reply, returning his hug before he takes his place beside me and my dad.

Finally, I see JT making his way out of the door, looking around nervously as he faces the aisle. He chews on his lip in deliberation for a moment before letting out a deep breath and grabbing the railing to the steps, slowly descending. When he realizes everyone is looking directly at him, he blushes shyly and pulls a quiet wave of collective chuckles from everyone. Just when I think I couldn’t love this kid any more, he walks faster toward me once he makes it about halfway, speeding everything up.

“Uncle Chase, that was so scary,” he whispers loudly as he lets out an exhausted sigh, making me laugh.

“You did a great job, Buddy,” I tell him, extending my hand. “Gimme a high five.” When his little hand smacks mine, I feign pain at the force and pull a laugh from him before I watch a piece of paper fall from his hand. “What’s that?”

“Oh!” he says, bending to pick it up and offering it to me. “It’s from my Aunt Sophie. She says it’s a secret! You wanna know it?”

“Heck yeah,” I tell him, chuckling at his excitement as I take the paper from his hand. “Is it a good one?”

“I don’t know,” he admits with a little squeal as he moves to stand beside Jack. “I think so!”

With a laugh, I unfold the small piece of paper and see Sophie’s familiar script flowing across the page.

God, I just can’t wait to kiss you.

“Was it a good one?” JT whispers from his place beside Jack, making me smile and nod.

“Yeah,” I tell him, still staring at the eight simple words that have a knot forming in my throat. “It was a really good one, Little Dude.”

“I knew it!” he says softly, pulling my attention away from the paper I’m still staring at, grinning at like an idiot and not caring who sees me.

It’s not until now that I realize the music has changed and I hear the slight gasps from around me. When I raise my eyes, they instinctively know exactly where they belong as they fall on her.

She stands still for a moment as her eyes lock onto mine and she releases a deep breath of relief, slowly starting down the steps toward me. I internally curse our guests as they slowly begin to rise, blocking my view of her. When I can see her again, I let out my own breath of relief I hadn’t realized I was holding.

Sophie is always beautiful. From the very first time I set my eyes on her, I’ve always believed she’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. As I stare at her through the haze of my tears tonight though, she’s absolutely breathtaking.

The lights bring out the warm glow of her bronzed skin, her dress and hair sparkling occasionally. The long veil flowing down her back blows gently in the breeze, making her look angelic. As she slowly makes her way down the aisle toward me, her emerald eyes are beginning to shimmer with fresh tears. Her lips turn up slightly into a shy smile, silently begging to be kissed. It takes everything inside me to not rush forward and cater to their every whim.

I’ve spent all day wanting nothing more than to see her face, to finally get to this moment. Now that it’s finally here, I realize nothing could have properly prepared me. I’ve always heard that building something up too much often causes you to be disappointed with the end result. Whoever said that obviously hadn’t seen my girl tonight.

Sophie’s absolutely perfect.

All eyes are on her, but she never diverts her gaze from me once. As she finally makes her way to me, she comes to a slow stop and we both let out a sigh. We study each other silently for a moment, neither of us ready to break the spell we’ve weaved on the other.

As she skims the edge of my blue tie with her fingertips, I allow my own to gently trace the braid I know she put in her hair for me and me alone. My eyes are locked on her lips when a tear begins to make its slow escape. When I brush the pad of my thumb across her skin, blush stains her cheeks as she rests against my palm with a gentle sigh. Flashing me a rogue dimple, her thick eyelashes flutter slightly before she returns her emerald gaze to mine, causing my breathing to falter. Slowly, she turns her head, pressing her lips to my wrist before she takes my other hand in hers and faces me again.

“Hi Babysaurus,” she whispers, her soft voice breaking slightly with emotion. “You look so handsome.”

“Hey Princess,” I say softly as I place my hand on her belly with a sigh. “Hi Peanut,” I whisper, returning my eyes to hers in time to find her smiling wide. “You’re so fucking pretty, Baby,” I breathe, getting drunk on the sound of her quiet laughter. “You’re absolutely flawless, Sophie.”

“Thank you,” she smiles, taking her lower lip in between her teeth and blushing further when I gently touch her chin to release her grip.

“Are you two ready to get started?” Pastor Henry’s gentle voice interrupts our quiet interaction.

“God yes,” I say dramatically at the same time Sophie nods, causing those around us to chuckle.

“Very well,” he smiles as he faces our guests. “Tonight, we are gathered here on this blessed occasion to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony,” he begins, his words already causing a knot in my chest. “
Marriage is a solemn institution to be held in honor by all. It requires of those who undertake it a complete and unreserved giving of one's self. It is not to be entered into lightly, as marriage is a sincere and mutual commitment to love one another. This commitment symbolizes the intimate sharing of two lives and still enhances the individuality of each of you. In honor of the commitment Chase and Sophie are making to one another tonight, they’ve decided to exchange vows they’ve written themselves before exchanging those of tradition. Sophie, if you’d like to start,” he says, giving her a polite smile as she turns to a tearful Ana to exchange her bouquet for her handwritten vows.

Glancing down at them once, her teary gaze returns to me as she takes my hands in hers.

“Chase,” she starts, her voice full of emotion. “I vow to love you unconditionally, to always put our marriage first, to be honorable, faithful, truthful and loyal to you.”

“Sophie,” I sigh, holding her eyes. “I vow to love, honor and cherish you. To think of you first in all things and to always give you the honesty and respect you deserve.”

“I vow to always take care of you and our children, to be the best wife and mother I can be every second of every day.”

“I vow to devote my life to your happiness and well-being, to love, defend and support you in everything. If ever there comes a time where you’re lost, I vow to always come for you,” I say as I watch her lower lip begin to quiver slightly at the words I’ve said to her so many times before. “I promise to never leave your side, to never stop trying to win you over, to never stop fighting for us.”

“I vow to stand by you in everything you do and to never take you for granted. To always honor the place within my heart that belongs to you alone and never share that part of myself with anyone else.”

“I vow to tell you every single day how much you mean to me, to constantly remind you how beautiful you are, to only bring you red roses and to make you smile every day.”

“I vow to never turn down a kitchen dance, to sing to you whenever you like, to let you win at least ten percent of our arguments and to lose eighty percent of the baby weight our first year,” she says, making everyone chuckle.

“I vow to love you just as much if you don’t,” I beam, shooting her a wink. “I vow to give you as many of your favorite days as possible and to feed you rocky road on all the rest.”

“I vow to be your best friend and to always remember the reasons I fell in love with you,” she says quietly, her eyes brimming with fresh tears.

“I vow to never give you any reasons to forget,” I promise, gently wiping her cheek clean before replacing my hand in hers. “I love you, Sophie.”

Sophie

“I love you, Chase,” I whisper, squeezing his hand tightly in mine as I hold his eyes for a moment before watching him face Pastor Henry and give him a nod.

“Do we have the rings?” Pastor Henry asks, signaling for Drake and Ana to step forward with our wedding bands.

Releasing a deep breath, I turn back to find his eyes already on mine. He’s so handsome, the light dancing against his perfect complexion and the tie that brings out his azure eyes are proof of that. As I hold his gaze, I see into his soul as every ounce of his love and devotion comes pouring out in spades. As the pastor’s voice breaks the silence, it finally hits me that I don’t just belong completely to this perfect man, in a few short moments he’ll completely belong to me as well.

“
Do you, Chase Benjamin Mitchell take Sophia Paige Ryan to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” he says in a soft voice.

As he slides the wedding band onto my finger, he holds my eyes captive as the weight of those two little words cause tears to fall shamelessly down my cheeks.
“Sophia Paige Ryan, do you take Chase Benjamin Mitchell to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”