She laughed and shook her head. “You’ll look after my daughter, won’t you?”
“We’re just down the road, you know?”
Tegan didn’t want to move in with me until we were married, although she stayed at mine most nights. She needed as much time as possible with her mum and sister. They’d finally gotten a good relationship where she didn’t feel like a third wheel and I knew that when she moved away she wanted good memories of living with them.
“I know, I know. I’ll miss her, though. She’s my baby.”
I grinned. “Soon you’ll have plenty grandbabies to keep you busy.”
“Promises, promises,” she muttered playfully and took her seat beside my parents. Honestly though, we were in no rush to have children. Tegan couldn’t keep a goldfish alive and I’d probably put a nappy on upside down and inside out.
Our guests started to arrive. We had forty people and it was only close family and friends, the people that meant the most to us, attending. Although she’d invited practically the entire town to the evening reception.
Alison had asked if Tegan wanted her or her grandad to walk her down the aisle but she refused both. I think if it couldn’t be Simon she didn’t want it to be anyone, so she was walking alone. I hated that thought but I knew when she left that ceremony room it would be with me.
I watched the room fill up with people that were smiling a little too much at me. It was one of those eek smiles, like I didn’t understand how much of a big deal it was to get married.
My mum was the last person to sit down, because she’d been talking to everyone about how happy she was, and she was already crying. I expected tears but I thought she’d at least be able to hold off until we were saying our vows.
An acoustic version of Wherever You Will Go started playing and I knew this was it. I was so ready to make her Tegan Zoe Chambers it was unreal.
Elle, Carly and Ava walked down the aisle, one after the other and all looked stunning in full-length chocolate brown dresses with wild orange and white flowers. I took a deep breath as Ava reached the point that meant the next person had to walk. The next person was my fiancée.
Tegan walked through the door and I felt like I’d been hit in the gut by a sledgehammer. She was everything I wanted. Every imperfect part of her was perfect to me. Her dress was all lace and strapless with a matching chocolate brown sash around her waist. Her hair, hair that I loved tickling my thighs and chest, was curled loosely down her back.
She walked towards me, green eyes glowing and never leaving mine. The hand that didn’t hold her flowers was wrapped around the necklace her dad gave her for her sixteenth birthday.
I was so proud of her I could’ve fucking cried. I felt my throat tighten and cursed Mum for her overemotional genes. She smiled wider the closer she got to me and I wasn’t sure if she was amused that I was gawping at her like an idiot or if she was just as happy as I was. It was likely to be both.
She reached me and I felt like asking her to go back and walk again, I needed a minute. “Fancy seeing you here,” she whispered.
Fuck rules, I kissed her.
The registrar cleared her throat and when I pulled back she kicked off the ceremony. We’d chosen to stick with the words provided – and when I said we I meant she – because after telling her how I felt through karaoke she didn’t trust me not to embarrass her again. Smart girl. She’d also vetted my speech.
The ceremony seemed to take no time at all. We had no extras, no songs or readings, so in less than twenty minutes we were married and I was kissing my wife. Tegan put her hand on my chest to push me away and copped a feel at the same time. That’s my wife!
I tucked her under my arm as the registrar announced we were Mr and Mrs Chambers and the applause lasted until we’d left the room. Nothing had ever felt as good as when she was announced as my wife. I felt safe, happy and secure. As long as I had her we’d be fine. Whatever the world lobbed at us we’d get through it together.
“What do we do now?” I asked, kissing her. I knew we had to have a million photos taken before we got fed but I wasn’t sure where all that was happening and where we needed to be. All I wanted was to go to our room and peel that white dress off her.
“Gardens for drinks and photos,” she replied, leaning into me. “I could really do with a drink right now.”
“Drowning your sorrows already, baby?” I asked, tightening my arms around her.
Biting her lip, she nodded. “Mmm hmm.”
I was about to kiss her again but people wanted to fucking congratulate us. It felt like an eternity before we got any time alone again. After photos we talked to our guests and then we were called for dinner. But as everyone chatted among themselves I managed to throw my arm over her chair and speak to her in private.
“I want to get married again,” she said. She looked so happy it made my heart ache.
“Can you at least wait until this one is over?”