“There’s a difference between a boy and a man. You needed to learn that lesson on your own, though. The difference is, I know Cash will take care of you forever,” he kissed the top of my head as we reached Cash.
The tears fell with reckless abandon, make-up be damned, as Cash took my hand from Pa, shaking his and Eddie’s hands. We turned toward the minister and looked over the scene before us.
That night, as the sun was setting over Northern Ireland, on the property where my grandparents and other generations had promised to love each other, and built a life here, I made the same promise. To a man who’d proved over and over again that he’d always put me first. That he’d love me more than anyone else ever could.
I promised to love and cherish him, as he promised the same. We promised to work hard at us, at choosing to love each other, until our dying breath.
Everyone cheered as he picked me up, spinning me around while kissing me, lost in our moment.
*****
Cash’s POV
Seeing Devin as she walked down the aisle towards me, she lived up to her middle name.Wild. Her hair was blowing, bright red curls wildly dancing in the wind. The way her eyes sparkled impossibly brighter in Ireland than back home, had to be a trick of the eye. The words in her vows to me were pure poetry, showing her parents picked the perfect names for her. The love that poured out of her as she promised to always try her best, but knowing there would be days she fell short because she was human, was overwhelming. She didn’t know yet that even on those days, the ones where she’d convince herself she had somehow fallen short, I already loved her more than I’d ever loved anyone.
Kissing her as the minister pronounced us to everyone, and finally being able to call her mine, my wife, was everything. It felt like time had slowed down, cementing that moment permanently into my soul. This was the moment I wanted to come back to when I was old and senile. This moment where I’d never felt more loved and at peace, where we were young and in love.
Marrying her, hands down, had to be my single greatest achievement in life. My mom was a sobbing mess with both of Devin’s parents not even halfway through the ceremony. I didn’t think there was a dry eye in the whole crowd.
We made it back and the formal dining room, which was previously used for balls and galas and the like, had been transformed into something similar. There were tables, candles, lanterns, a DJ, and desserts everywhere. It looked wonderful, and everyone flooded in, sitting wherever and talking with everyone. We danced and were able to talk with each guest that was there. We got to know my siblings better, the younger one’s mother’s better so we could still try to maintain some kind of relationship, even if it wasn’t as close siblings with the huge age gaps.
Over the months, I had come to really like Jason, and invited him to visit us anytime, the same with Bodhi and Lennon and their significant others. They all seemed to like Calen too, who had been unusually quiet for the whole day. I noticed him fidgeting and poking around at his food. I excused us, mid-conversation, to have a chat with him.
We walked outside at 11:50 to talk, but he still wasn’t saying much. I kept trying to figure out what was going on, but he wasn’t giving me anything to work with. The only hint I gotwas it had something to do with Devin. That’s when it clicked. Those two sneaks planned something I wasn’t in on.
“You’ll see soon enough,” was all he said before walking back in, zipping his lips and tossing away the key. I followed behind him, confused as hell, straight to my wife.
“There he is!” The DJ boomed into the microphone as soon as I stepped onto the dance floor, before handing it to my lovely wife.
My wife. I’ll never tire of saying that.
She motioned for me to come over to stand next to her as she started thanking everyone for coming.
“I know you all flew from various parts of the States to be here with us tonight. I hope you all enjoy our family home and have a great time exploring Ireland while you’re here. It was home to me many summers growing up with my grandparents. I’m hoping that” her voice choked as she held my hand, looking up at me with tears in her eyes, “We get to spend many more summers here with our child. And I’m hoping that next year we can all make that first trip out. All four of us. Together.” I smiled, unsure what she was saying as gasps and screams rang out. I was confused.
Who was screaming and why?
I looked at her, more confused than ever. She rolled her eyes, smiling with tears in her eyes as she grabbed my hand and put it on her belly. Calen came up and took off his dress shirt in front of everyone to reveal a completely different shirt underneath.
“World’s Best Uncle” and he was beaming.
No.
No fucking way!
I looked at her, mouth open, looking between my hand on her belly and the tears streaming down her face. I pulled her against me, kissing her like a thirsty man because I would never get enough of her. Our families came rushing up to congratulate us. Our mothers wrapped us in a hug and sobbed into us. Happy to be grandmothers.
Devin didn’t let go of my hand, not once the whole time we hugged people. This woman couldn’t be any more amazing if she tried.
*****
But of course, I was wrong.
She was more amazing than ever, all these years later. She gave me three beautiful children and we raised them well. We took trips every year out to Ireland. We took them to where we were married, and where Fia grew up. When the time came, we buried her parents next to her grandparents, and visited them when we came. We had some good years, some hard years, some years I thought she might be done with me. But throughout it all, and most importantly of all, we loved each other.
We loved harder than the day before and never gave up on that love. Never letting anything come between us, always putting each other first, being completely transparent with each other. It was our saving grace some days, others, was finding the humor in the things that used to piss us off.
We retired early and moved to Ireland to live here full-time. Our kids joined us every year, every summer, without fail. Eventually bringing their significant others, and the little ones.
