My eyes meet Reid’s as I say, “Yes, he does. His name is Braden Shane.”
“That’s a beautiful name. I’m very happy for you guys.” She smiles warmly at us and gently pats my leg.
When all of the nurses have left, and Dr. Trivedi has finished cleaning and stitching me up, she leaves the room to get the rest of our family who I’m sure are all anxiously waiting to meet our new bundle of joy.
“I love you, Maddy. Thank you for giving me my son,” he says as he brushes a stray tear from my cheek.
“I love you too, Reid. More than you’ll ever know.”
Lost in the memory of Braden’s birth, Melanie snaps her fingers in front of my face. “Hey, where’d you go? It’s just about time to start.”
I feel Momma at my side as Mel makes her final adjustments to her dress and then mine. “Yeah, of course I’m ready. Sorry, I was just thinking about the day Braden was born. Who would have known that I would have gotten a wedding dress and a son on the same day?” We share a small laugh before Momma comes to our side.
Immediately as she kisses my cheek, the church coordinator hands Mel her bouquet and pushes her close to the door. Mel takes once last glance over her shoulder and blows a kiss to me as she walks through the doors. The deep crimson satin of her maid-of-honor dress shines as she makes her way down the candle-lit aisle towards Cammie, Lia and Katie who have already walked the same path.
Once the doors are closed again, I hear the Priest say, “Please rise.” Even though there aren’t all that many guests – we decided to keep it to just close friends and family – I can still hear the shuffle of everyone’s dress shoes along the tiled floor of the church.
Momma adjusts my veil in front of my face and then loops her arm through mine. “Are you ready, sweetie?” I can hear the emotion in her voice. Her words are wrought with happiness, and there’s a lump of pure joy lodged in her throat.
Afraid that I’ll burst into tears if I say anything, I just nod at her and smile through the shimmering tulle.
When the doors open, the music begins playing. Rather than the traditional wedding march, I decided to walk down the aisle to David Gray’s ‘This Year’s Love’. As the lyrics about not being alone anymore ring out through the church, I think back to my life before Reid. We both spent way too much time alone in our pasts, and right here in this moment, as the soulful words accompanying Momma and me, I know that I am walking away from those dark times, into the arms of my love. We will most certainly make our love last.
I wave at Nikki and my other co-workers as they wipe away a few stray happy tears. Momma’s best friend, Linda, is sitting close to the front cradling our son in her arms. Luckily, it’s been a crazy day, and little Braden Shane is blissfully unaware of everything going on around him as he naps quietly in Linda’s arms.
As I get closer to the altar, my eyes lock with Reid’s. I know it’s wrong to think this in church, but he looks fucking hot. His traditional black tuxedo is perfectly molded to his muscled arms and chest. There’s only one place on Earth that tux would look better – the floor.
I hand my bouquet off to Melanie and quickly smile at Dylan, Jack, Logan and Joe who are standing on the stairs at Reid’s side. Reid reaches into his pocket and hands me a tissue so that I can wipe away my tears. We join our hands and smile at one another.
As the Priest begins addressing the guests, Reid leans in close to me. “You look absolutely beautiful. You’re breathtaking, actually.”
Before I can tell him just how beautiful he looks, the Priest asks for the rings from Dylan and Melanie. After he blesses them, we say the traditional wedding vows. There’s something so significant about saying the same words that my parents vowed to one another all those years ago. It’s just one simple thing that we chose to do on this very simple day to make sure that our declaration of love is as meaningful as possible.
Before being pronounced husband and wife, Reid steps down from his spot and crosses over to Linda. Cradling Braden in his arms, he stands next to me once again. Clearly his throat, the Priest resumes what he was just about to say, with one slight addition.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife…I now pronounce you a family.” On his last words, the small crowd erupts into cheers and begins clapping loudly, so loudly that they wake Braden.
Cupping his large hand over Braden’s sensitive ears, he shushes him and Braden calms down almost instantly. I take my flowers from Mel who smiles brightly at me through her happy tears. Then, Reid, Braden and I walk out of the church as U2’s ‘It’s a Beautiful Day’ plays softly in the background.
Our small reception is held at a local restaurant. The place is beautifully decorated for Christmas. Large silver and red shimmering bows adorn the banisters leading up to the small dining room where our friends and family await our entrance.
As we walk through the doors, the cheers and claps ensue again. Our first dance as husband and wife is to a Dave Matthews cover of The Beatles ‘In My Life’. Of course, we dance with Braden sleeping in our arms.
The night passes by in a blur of toasts, eating, dancing and cake cutting. While a ‘couples only’ song is playing, I notice Mel sitting at a table by herself, quietly lost in thought. “Hey, sweetie.” I say as I pull up a chair next to her. She smiles weakly at me and I know she’s sad.
“Are you okay, Mel?” I ask tentatively.
She just offers up another weak smile and sighs. “Of course I am. But let’s not talk about me. You look beautiful today, you know?” She’s a master subject changer, and on most days I wouldn’t let her get away with it, but today I’m not going to push.
“Thanks, girl. You look pretty good yourself, Ms. Maid of Honor slash Godmother.” I elbow her in the side and she finally smiles a genuine smile at me.
“Thanks, Maddy. Why don’t you go out there and dance. I don’t want to bring you down. I just miss Bryan, that’s all.” Averting eye contact, she starts picking at the corners of a napkin on the table.
“I know, Mel. I wish he could be here too. It’ll all work out.” I want my words to be true, but their road has been such a bumpy one, I’m just not sure anymore.
As she offers up one last lame-ass smile, Dylan comes up behind her. “Would you care to dance with me?” he asks as he stretches out his hand.
She stands from her chair and places her hand in his. “I would love to, Best Man slash Godfather.” She winks at me as they make their way to the dance floor. I want so badly for both of them to find their happiness. I can’t think of two people who deserve it more.
