“Don’t make me cry!” Meg whines. “It took forever to get my makeup like this.”
There’s another knock on the door, and then Leo walks in and stops in his tracks, his eyes wide as he takes Meg in from head to toe. And then a slow smile spreads over his mouth as he tucks his hands in both of his pockets and rocks on his heels.
“Ah, Meg-pie,” he whispers.
“Does the dress suck?” she asks, making both Nat and Alecia roll their eyes.
Leo crosses to her, gently folds her into his arms and rocks her back and forth slowly.
“You are so beautiful, Meg-pie.”
“You’re going to wrinkle me,” she says against his chest.
“No, I’m not.” There are tears in his eyes as he presses his cheek to her hair. “I love you so damn much. You know that, right? There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, Meg.”
“I know.”
“You’re my sister in every way that matters. You’re my constant. Before Sam, it was you and music, and I need you to know that I haven’t forgotten that, Meg.”
“Leo,” she whispers, and I nod at Alecia as Natalie quickly snaps pictures.
Alecia and I slip out the door, leaving Meg and Leo to have their special moment. She leans her back against the wall and closes her eyes tightly.
“Hey, are you okay?” I cup her smooth cheek in my palm and watch as she turns tear-filled eyes up to mine.
“I don’t know what it feels like to be loved like that,” she whispers, breaking my heart.
“Holy crap,” Natalie says as she sneaks out of the room and closes the door behind her. “That was the sweetest moment I’ve ever witnessed. I’m so glad I captured it.”
“Those photos are going to rock,” Alecia agrees, and wipes the tears from her eyes. My gut hurts from seeing the pain in her beautiful brown eyes.
“Alecia.”
She shakes her head and offers me a shy smile. “I’m fine. It was just a really emotional moment. Can you please go check on the boys?” Her eyes are begging me to drop it, so I do, but I lean in and kiss her cheek.
“We’ll talk later,” I murmur, and kiss Nat’s forehead as I walk back down the hall.
She’s going to know what it feels like to be loved like that if it’s the last thing I do.
***
I clasp Alecia’s hand tightly as Leo walks a nervous Meg down the aisle. I talked Alecia into sitting next to me during the ceremony as my date last night while I was buried inside her and she couldn’t even remember her name.
Playing dirty? Damn right.
It worked.
The sun is setting behind us, casting everything in gold, making Meg’s auburn hair shine. She’s on Leo’s arm, walking to “Baby, I Love Your Way” being played by Leo’s band, Nash.
The guitarist, Jake, is singing the lyrics in his rough voice, perfect for the song, and for Meg.
She’s smiling brilliantly, her eyes pinned to my youngest brother, whose eyes have gone glassy.
Of all of my brothers, I’ve come to learn that Will is the one that isn’t afraid to show his emotions. Whether he’s happy, sad, hungry, angry, it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t hold back.
I couldn’t respect him more.
“Who gives this woman to this man?” The pastor asks when the music ends.
“I do,” Leo responds, kisses Meg, then joins his own wife next to me.
“Unca Will!” Olivia exclaims and points to Will excitedly.
“Yes, baby,” Nat whispers in her daughter’s ear as Will turns and winks at the toddler.
“Dearly beloved.”
The pastor speaks of love. Commitment. The sanctity of marriage.
The promise.
And I can hear him, but all I can focus on is this woman at my side, with her hand in mine, and all of the promises I want to make to her. Telling her this now would send her running into the hills, but Alecia is it for me. I love her. I can’t imagine my life without her.
If that’s not commitment, I don’t know what is.
“And now, the vows. Megan, I’ll ask you to recite your vows first, please.”
The pastor steps back and all our eyes are pinned to Meg as she takes a deep breath and stares up into Will’s eyes. She grins.
“I wrote it all down, but I just realized that I don’t need to read a piece of paper to tell you how I feel about you.” She swallows hard and her face sobers. “I take you, Will, to be my husband. I vow to always be honest, to be fair, to be spontaneous, and to always hold you in the highest regard. I promise to dream with you, to support you, and to always be your biggest fan. I will be your faithful partner, your unyielding encouragement, and your forever love.” She blinks and one tear falls down her cheek, but Will catches it with his thumb and rubs the apple of her cheek tenderly. “I promise you this today, and every day, for the rest of my life.”
“Will, your vows, please,” the pastor says kindly, as Will brushes a tear of his own away.
“Megan,” he begins and has to pause to swallow hard. “I hope you understand today how very much I love you. I wonder if you’ll ever truly understand how much of me belongs to you. You are the delight of my life. Loving you is an adventure that I wouldn’t miss for the world. I’m honored, my love, to take you as my wife today. I vow to spend the rest of my life giving back to you what you give to me every day. To be your constant companion, your most trusted confidant, and your truest friend. I vow to never keep score. I vow to accept you, to honor you, as you are, for the rest of my life. I will be faithful to you, forsaking all others. I will choose you, always.”
“Wow,” Jules whispers, and wipes the tears from her face.
Meg and Will exchange their rings, their faces bright with smiles and tears, and finally, the pastor says, “You may now kiss your bride.”
Will sweeps Meg right off her feet and into his arms, kissing her soundly, and making us all laugh.
“Atta boy, Montgomery!” his teammate yells, as we all stand and applaud.
“It’s my honor to present Mr. and Mrs. Will Montgomery!”
***