Together, we both lit the candle as the priest read the final prayer of the ceremony. We placed the candle on a stand next to us, then took one another’s hands once more.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the priest joyfully announced, his voice echoing around the hall. “You may kiss your bride, Mr Slater.”
“Thank God,” Ryder breathed.
I cried and laughed as he came at me, grabbed hold of my face and covered his mouth with mine. I thought I saw a flash, but I wasn’t sure if I did, or if Ryder was just blowing my mind.
My sister and friends cheered, and my brothers in law whooped and whistled.
We broke apart, hugged everyone, and then had to sign our names onto our marriage license that I had no knowledge of Ryder ever obtaining. I got a fright when a strange man took a picture of us signing the document, and Ryder filled me in that he was a professional wedding photographer.
He had been out of sight when I came into the church, but Ryder said he took pictures from the moment I began to walk down the aisle, he had tripods set up around the hall, too, with cameras recording the wedding at different angles that he would later edit and send to us.
After we signed the official document binding us together as husband and wife, the photographer snapped several pictures of Ryder and me. When he got what he needed of us, he took pictures of just me and my bridesmaids, then Ryder and his groomsmen, the kids with me and Ryder, then all of us together and finally us with Ash, Sally, and Doctor Harris.
By the time picture time was over my cheeks felt like they were about to split in two, but the slight pain was overshadowed by the warmth that filled my heart when I turned and looked up at Ryder.
“You’re me husband,” I whispered in awe.
He smiled with pride. “And you’re my wife.”
Holy. Shite.
“We’re so grown up,” I replied making him laugh.
“We’ve so much to look forward to together,” he beamed.
I nodded. “I know, and I can’t wait to spend every second of me life with you.”
Ryder growled as he lowered his head to mine. “Right now, I’m thinking of a week in a secluded cabin, and you naked day and night in my bed.”
A week in a secluded cabin?
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
Ryder’s eyes gleamed. “You think we’d get married and not have a honeymoon?”
“A honeymoon?” I gasped.
Ryder nodded. “Yes, you and me. A week away. Sex, relaxing, sex, sleeping with no alarms, sex, peace, sex, nature—”
“You said sex four times,” I cut him off, laughing.
His lip twitched. “Well, we need to have a lot of sex for two reasons. One, I love being inside of you and two, I need to put a baby in you.”
My heart stopped.
“Really?” I whispered. “A baby, Ryder?”
Say yes.
“Really, really,” he smiled.
I stared up at him in disbelief. “You want us to have a baby?”
“I want us to have a baby.” He nodded.
When I had the confirmation I needed, I silently lifted his left hand that I just put a ring on binding him to me forever, and placed it over my stomach. Ryder stared down at his hand for a few seconds, then he looked back and forth from his hand to me and back again.
“Branna.”
I smiled. “I found out a few days ago and was waitin’ for the perfect moment to tell you, and this was it.”
“You’re pregnant?” he asked, the shock he felt was obvious in his tone.
I nodded. “I’m twelve weeks exactly.”
He sucked in a huge breath before he encased me in his arms and hugged me like his life depended on it. When he pulled back, he stared at me then looked around and shouted, “She’s pregnant!”
Gasps and excited squeals filled the church and even a “No fucking way” followed by a quick “Sorry, Jesus” was heard.
“Branna!”
I turned my attention to my sister. Bronagh was right next to me, with my beautiful niece in her arms. I hugged both of them and smiled.
“This little chubster is gettin’ another cousin,” I gushed.
Bronagh began to jump up and down and scream. Georgie laughed at the movement, but because she was still very young, Dominic came over and took his daughter so Bronagh could continue her jumping and screaming.
She all but dove on Ryder and me when she was baby free.
“Can you believe all this?” she asked.
“No,” I replied. “I really can’t. I had no clue what the hell was happenin’, Ash would barely talk to me on the way here.”
“This has been in motion for weeks, I helped get your dress.” My sister beamed.
“You sneaky bitch!” I laughed and hugged her.
Georgie began to cry so Bronagh moved over to Dominic who was soothing her and swaying her from side to side.
“Here’s mama,” he said when Bronagh approached.
I looked from them with a smile and turned my focus back on Ryder.
“While you were in work, we spent the day putting up a white tent out in the back yard. We decorated it, too.”
“You mean… like a reception too?
“Yeah. We put up twinkling lights, more flower arrangements, and I have that restaurant from the village that you love so much catering.”
My lower lip wobbled, and I lifted my fingers to my eyes, and carefully wiped under them.