Page 106 of Waiting for Her

“Let her come to you. This is her moment.”

I rub the tattoo on my wrist to bring a small amount of comfort. I got mine matching hers right after we got engaged. I blow out a breath, feeling my throat tighten. I always wondered what I would think when I saw Bri walking down the aisle to me. If she had been here for Mia and Cole’s wedding, this moment right here would be the second time I saw her walking down an aisle at a wedding.

Once again, I’m grateful life stepped in, allowed the twists and turns to come, because this moment right now… I’ll never in my entire life forget it.

My dad sees me jittery and shakes his head slightly, silently telling me to relax.

I was a little surprised she didn’t have her mom walk her down the aisle. When she asked Andy and my dad if they’d do her the honor of giving her away, I’m pretty sure they both teared up. She told my dad she wouldn’t be who she was today without his support, and since Andy was there for her during some of the hardest times in her life, treating her as his own, she felt there were no two better men for the job.

Bri’s smile is breathtaking, her green eyes shimmering.

When they (finally) reach the end of the aisle, I take a step but am stopped (once again) when the preacher asks, “Who gives this woman to this man?”

Christine and Andy along with my dad all say at once, “We do.”

My mom raises her hand. “I do, too! In case y’all wondered.”

The audience chuckles, but it does nothing to distract me from who’s standing before me.

My dad leans down, kissing Bri on the cheek. “Welcome to the family, officially.”

Andy walks her the rest of the way, reaching out a hand to shake mine. “I got her here as quick as I could,” he jokes.

I smile in his direction before locking eyes once again with the one who I always knew would standing beside me at the altar.

And then…

“We are gathered here today…”

I squeeze Bri’s hands, listening, but not really listening. Doing my best not to miss a thing but it’s like I have tunnel vision, and all I see and hear is her.

Head to toe, I look her over and over, cataloging everything I see so I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. Her off-the-shoulder white dress fits so perfectly it looks like it was made just for her. There’s lace covering every inch of fabric, all the way down to the short train behind her. It’s simplicity at its finest.

I look behind my bride to a beaming Maggie who winks, and it hits me that itwasmade for her. My little sister made my wife’s wedding dress.

And then something catches my eye. A really pale greenWarriorlogo is embroidered into the satin sash around her waist.

I almost laugh at the perfectness of it. The twinkle in Bri’s eyes tells me she feels the same.

When it’s time to say our vows, I begin speaking off the cuff. We went back and forth about writing our own—part of me said no, because those thoughts were for us and us alone, but in the end, we wanted the ceremony to be personal. The only thing was we decided not to pressure ourselves with writing them ahead of time.

“B, you were mine before we knew each other. I know this deep in my heart. There’s no one on this earth who is more right for me than you. You know by now how I feel about you, so right now I’m going to promise you something. Forever. You have my forever. The ugly days, the good ones, and everything in between. Until I take my last breath and even after, I promise you that you’ll feel my love for you. Always.”

I take a deep breath as Cole hands me the ring. “This ring, just like the tattoos on our skin, is a symbol of my promise.”

I slide her wedding ring on her finger and stare at it for a few moments before the preacher gains my attention again to let us know it’s Bri’s turn.

“Grady, I know you’ll be mad I’m saying this in our wedding vows, but I don’t deserve you. And it’s not because of why you think. It’s because there is no one better than you. That day I intercepted the football from you, you intercepted my heart. I took one look at you, and knew everything was about to change. You said you promise me your forever. Ditto,” she giggles. “I’m never letting you go again, and no matter what life throws at us, I’ll be by your side. Until I take my last breath and even after, I promise you that you’ll feel my love for you. Always.”

She smiles and bites her lip. “You stole my line,” I tease.

She shrugs. “It was a good line.”

Mia clears her throat and hands Bri my ring. As she slides it onto my finger, she says, “This is a symbol of my promise to you. I’ll love you forever and never leave your side.”

When I finally hear I can kiss my bride, I snap back to full attention. I bend her over backward, not giving one single thought to everyone around us.

Everyone claps and cheers, a few catcalls are thrown out—probably from my players.

I hear Hazel giggle and tug on my gray suit jacket. “Alright, enough, Grady!”

I look down at her and cup her sweet cheek. “Never, sweet girl, never.”

Still smiling, she turns to her big sister. “It’s okay if we share, Bri. That’s what sisters do.”

Bri laughs, and I tuck her in close, kissing mywifeon top of the head once again.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s my honor tofinallyintroduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Grady Ryan.”

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