Page 167 of Harrison's Wedding

Ally smiles at us all before she takes her place opposite Hayden, while Ariana appears at the end of the red carpet. I glance at Gabriel, who is staring at Ariana with a big grin on his face. They really are happy together, and I’m happy for them both. It won’t be long before we’ll be celebrating their wedding, either.

Ariana reaches her spot across from Gabriel, and the musicians soften the music before letting it stop. There’s silence for a few seconds, and I can hear the rustling of wedding programs and people moving in their seats.

Finally, the celebrant says, “The bride is about to enter. Will you please stand.”

Our guests stand, and my heart is racing a thousand miles a minute in my chest. The musicians begin to play the “Wedding March,” and then Heather appears, her arm linked with Jake’s as he walks her down the aisle.

Her dress has a plunging neckline in the intricate lace-detailed bodice, and a full tulle skirt that flares out with the lace detailing carried down the skirt. Underneath the tulle is a skirt in baby blue fabric, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look more radiant.

The dress is her ‘something blue.’ She has the necklace for her ‘something new’, a pair of her grandmother’s pearl earrings on as her ‘something old’, and the tiara placed neatly in the elegant updo her hair has been done into was loaned to her from an exclusive jewelry designer in New York City, making it her ‘something borrowed.’

Heather’s eyes meet mine, and all of the butterflies fly away. All that’s left inside me is my love for Heather. She reaches her place next to me at the front of the aisle, with Jake standing between us before he ‘gives her away’ to me.

Jake gives her a hug before he takes his place, sitting down next to her mom in the front row. Finally, we’re together again, and as we move closer to one another, I hold her hand in mine, and her breath catches.

“Hi, angel,” I say quietly to her in an undertone that hopefully only she will hear.

“Hi, honey,” she smiles back at me.

The celebrant starts talking again, about love and what it means. I think about his words, and consider them against my knowledge of love. I know it as something all-consuming, something completely indestructible, even when tested in ways I could never have imagined. Most of all, I know it as something that I will always have in excess, both to give and receive, and for that, I’m truly grateful.

It isn’t long before the celebrant asks me to say my vows. Unlike when I proposed, I didn’t dare risk messing this up today, so I let go of Heather’s hand and retrieve my vows from the inside pocket of my tuxedo. I unfold the sheet of paper and begin to read.

“I’ve thought a lot about what to swear to you in my vows today, angel. Heather York, I promise to be the person who will love you more than anyone else in the world. I promise to be the person who will support your dreams, no matter what they are. I promise to spend every day of the rest of our lives proving to you that I am worthy of loving you. I promise to do my best to make you laugh and to try never to make you cry.”

Tears start to stream down Heather's face as I’m talking.

“I see that I’m off to a terrible start,” I say, and our guests all laugh, along with Heather, who dabs at her tears with a tissue that Ariana hands to her, “I can’t promise that there won’t be tough times. I can promise, though, that I will hold your hand through those times. I promise these things to you, Heather York, with every part of my heart and soul, which have always belonged to you.”

I slip the vows back into my pocket and beam at Heather, who is glowing with pride and love. It won’t be long, and I’ll officially be able to call her my wife. The celebrant asks her to give me her vows and her voice is strong and sure when she speaks.

“Harrison Fletcher, you are my constant. When I’m with you, I’m home. I know that you will be everything that I need you to be. What I promise to you is to love you with everything that I am, to be by your side even when the world tries to tear us apart. I will never forget that you love me. I will rinse all dishes immediately and always use a coaster and only eat in my car sometimes but never, ever in yours,” I laugh at her.

“I will accept all of the love that you deign to give me. I will be the angel you desire and also the one that you need. I will do everything in my power to bring as much happiness and joy to your life as I possibly can, every day, for the rest of our lives.”

I can barely breathe as I take in her promises. The most beautiful woman in the world is going to be my wife. I get to spend every day of the rest of our lives with her, and I couldn’t be happier.

The celebrant leads us through exchanging our rings, and I tell her earnestly, “I give you this ring as a sign of my faithful devotion. I will always love you, cherish you, and honor the vows spoken here today.”

I slip the wedding ring onto her finger, and a sense of fulfillment comes over me. She’s mine. Heather makes the same declaration before she slips the wedding ring onto my finger. I’m hers.

We look into each other’s eyes and I can see Heather’s glistening with tears of joy as our celebrant says, “You have kissed a thousand times, maybe more. But today, the feeling is new. No longer simply partners and best friends, you have become husband and wife, and can now seal the agreement with a kiss.”

I lift her veil over her head, and she’s no longer hidden away from me. I can see her with perfect clarity—the angel sent from heaven to grace me with her presence. I lean down and press my lips against my wife’s. I can barely believe she’s actually my wife, and I don’t want our first kiss to end. So I slide my arms around her waist and pull her closer to me, continuing to kiss her for another few seconds as our guests cheer before I reluctantly let her go.

“Honored guests, if you could all please stand, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher!”

Our guests all cheer as we make out way back down the aisle, hugging people here and there on the way. Eventually, we reach the back and begin greeting friends and family before we’re whisked away by our photographer to have pictures taken.

“Heather Fox, isn’t it?” Sebastian grins as we’re having bridal party photos taken.

“Wrong ‘F’ name, darling,” Heather pokes her tongue out at him.

I press my lips to her ear and whisper, “I’ve got an ‘F’ word that describes exactly what I’ll be doing to you later, wife.”

Heather shivers as she looks up at me, and I smile down at her. I love my wife more than I ever could have imagined, and I look forward to waking up with her in my arms every day for the rest of our lives.

Once the photos are all done, we make our way to a massive marquee that’s been set up on the expansive lawn area, where our guests are waiting for us. Heather asks me to get her a drink, so I head toward the bar when I’m stopped by Xavier Reid and Felicity Perez.

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