Emmie had left the choosing of the music to me, and at first I had thought that writing a song would be the best thing. But after trying to find the words that described how I felt about Emmie, trying to put those words to music without breaking down and crying like a little girl, I had given up and set out to find something else. It had been by happenstance that I heard The Goo Goo Dolls’ song, Come To Me on the radio on my way home with Mia one evening. I had stopped in the middle of late evening traffic as soon as the words of the song had registered in my mind. It had been as if the song was written with me and Emmie in mind.

Now, as the song began to play through the speakers set up discreetly in the tent, I raised my eyes to wait for my bride to come to me.

Harper, followed by Lana, came down the aisle looking beautiful as ever in the pink and black dresses Emmie and Layla had commissioned a new designer to make for the bridesmaids. The pink silk trimmed in black lace ended at their knees, and they wore black ballet slippers. It was simple, classy, and so my Emmie’s style.

Next came Layla, her dress just a little longer than the other two girls. She caught my eye and gave me a wink as she walked toward us. For some reason that calmed me more than the deep breath had and I smiled back at her.

Lucy appeared at the end of the aisle with Mia right beside of her. Both girls wore silver dresses that looked like they should have had wings sprouting from their backs. Lucy held onto a little basket and walked patiently beside of her cousin as Mia took pink and black rose petals from the basket and carefully dropped them along the path they walked.

When the girls reached us, Mia gave me one of her chubby fingered waves before running toward Drake, whom she had attached herself to more so than the other two. Drake swung Mia up into his arms and gave her a smack of a kiss on the cheek, telling her what a good job she had done.

Meanwhile, I was anxiously watching the end of the aisle. Emmie hadn’t appeared yet and I was starting to shake all over again. But even as I started to take a step to go in search of her, my beautiful bride appeared at the back of the tent.

My breath froze in my throat. My heart, having been racing away in my chest, completely stopped as the most exquisitely beautiful woman came into my line of vision. Everyone around us disappeared. All I could see was Emmie. Her silky auburn hair was hanging down around her shoulders and was delicately curled to perfection. The dress she had finally found after months of searching was off the shoulders with a neckline that dipped and showed off her breasts in an alluringly sexy way. Black lace accented her waist, drawing my eyes to how tightly the cloth clung to her. The skirt was what I had heard Layla call a mermaid tail.

Maybe it was just me, but I was sure I was marrying the most beautiful creature I had ever set eyes on. Fuck, I was a lucky bastard!

Even though I hadn’t wanted to cry and had promised myself that I wouldn’t, I felt the tears sting my eyes. Emotion clogged my throat at how beautiful she was and I swallowed hard so that I could breathe once more.

Emmie took two steps down the aisle. That’s as far as she got before I found myself moving toward her, not even realizing I was doing so until I heard Shane asking me where I was going. Emmie stopped, watching me with eyes filled with her own happy tears as I closed the distance between us.

I was going to ruin her makeup, but I didn’t give a fuck. As soon as I reached her I wrapped my arms around her waist and lowered my head. I needed her kiss more than I needed air. She made a little whimpering sound in the back of her throat as we tasted each other for the first time in two days.

When I finally had the sense to pull back, I found her smiling up at me. “I think that was supposed to wait until after the minister pronounced us man and wife,” she whispered.

I dropped a kiss on the end of her nose. “I couldn’t wait that long.”

“Do you think we should get married now?” she asked with a grin that melted my heart and made me wonder why I had been so anxious in the first place.

“Only if you kiss me again.” My lips where already teasing her own. “And tell me that you love me.”

She dropped her bouquet, delicate pink and black roses falling to the sand, as she cupped my face with both hands and kissed me. Even as her lips caressed my own, I heard her whisper the words I would never tire of hearing.

“I love you, Nik.”