Page 84 of Loving London

“They do, and that’s our cue.” Kate grins.

Butterflies are dancing with glee within my belly. “Okay, let’s grab bouquets.”

We take our bundles of beautiful flowers out of their vases. The multihued pink bouquets look great up against the bridesmaid dresses. Georgia hands me mine as my dad joins us.

He smiles down at me, his eyes shining with joy. He extends his bent elbow out, and I thread my arm through it.

“We’ll see you at the end,” Georgia says as the girls line up to start their procession down the aisle.

“Okay.” I nod.

After a moment, when it’s just me and my dad, he turns to the side and kisses me on the cheek. “You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen, and I’m so happy for you.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you, too,” he answers.

We exit the room and position ourselves at the center of the aisle.

I pull in a deep breath. My lips quiver as I attempt to hold back the tears. At the end of the shell-lined aisle, across the sand, Loïc is standing proudly in his military dress uniform. The beach behind our cottage, here in England, is the perfect backdrop for our wedding.

The string quartet changes songs, indicating my turn to venture down the aisle. As I pass our closest family and friends in one of our most favorite places on earth, I just can’t wrap my mind around how fortunate I am. But it’s Loïc’s face that breaks the dam keeping my tears at bay. I can no longer hold in the emotion as it floods from me.

We made it. After so much heartache…we’ve arrived to our happily ever after. It’s real. It’s happening. It’s such a gift.

I don’t know if Loïc and I were fated to be with each other. Perhaps it was destiny and meant to be all along. Or maybe we are just two imperfect people who fit together perfectly. It could have been fate or plain luck that brought us together, but regardless, it was Loïc and I that kept us together.

Ours isn’t a fairy-tale romance, but it is a love story. No one can help the way they were raised. Our life together didn’t come easy. We had to work for it. But maybe that’s why I value it so much. I know where we came from, and I know what it took to get here. And I know, now that I have this love, I’ll never let it go.

So, when I look to Loïc now, it’s with all of that knowledge in my heart. As his beautiful eyes gleam with unconditional love, I feel a mountain of gratitude weighing on my soul.

My dad places my hand in Loïc’s, and our eyes lock together. I could get lost in his eyes. I could dive right in and never surface from their blue depths. Right now, they burn through me with the intensity of a love that promises forever.

Loïc rubs his thumb across the skin of my hand in small circles. He smiles, and it’s a full-on devastating event that renders me helpless to take in anything else but him, my guy.

We exchange vows.

We slide on rings.

We get lost in our bubble of bliss, oblivious to those around us.

Loïc leans in to kiss me. When he’s a mere breath away, he halts and whispers against my lips, “I’ve discovered a new flaw.”

“What’s that?”

“I can never function again in a world where you aren’t mine.” His low voice is raspy and full of emotion.

“From the moment I met you, I’ve been yours. My greatest flaw is that my heart will never be able to love anyone else the way I love you.”

His fingers splay across the small of my back as he pulls me closer to him. “Good thing you’ll never have to,” he answers huskily.

“Damn good thing.” I inhale his breath. “Now, kiss me, husband.”

“Gladly, wife.”

Loïc captures my mouth with his. I pour everything into the kiss because that’s what Loïc is to me…everything.

Loïc

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