Page 70 of One Night Bride
“Whoa. That man should model. Seriously,” Vee whispered, her nose nearly plastered to the glass.
I elbowed her in the ribs. “Stop perving over my husband.”
She turned to me and grinned. I returned it, feeling giddy like I hadn’t felt the first time around when I married Remington. Oakley grabbed Vee and ushered her out the door, blowing a kiss over her shoulder at me. Amelia fussed over Lily’s tiny white dress. Lily would walk down the aisle with her daddy—Titus throwing flower petals for her—as our official flower girl. Izzy took my hand and squeezed.
“Proud of you, E,” she said quietly, her eyes already brimming with tears. We had a special bond that only twins had. I knew me getting married was making her feel like we were losing something, but I had to set her straight.
I squeezed her back. “Remember, I’m not going anywhere. You’re just gaining a brother.”
She gave me a watery smile and let go as Dad walked into the room. The chatter between the remaining ladies went silent as he strode across the living room in his gray suit and black boots. He’d even waxed his mustache for the occasion.
“Darlin’.” He held his hand out and I took it, doing a slow spin for him, like he’d been doing for every special occasion over the years when his girls got dressed up. “You’re pretty as a peach.”
The tears hit my eyes, remembering all the times he’d said those exact words to each of us girls, shaping my idea of what a man should be to a woman.
“My girls are everything to me, you know that,” he said gruffly. “When I dreamed about this day, I always envisioned you with a man exactly like Remington. A man able to get you to put down the damn phone and live a little.”
He guffawed at his own joke and I rolled my eyes.
“He’ll be your priority now, but just know I’m always your dad. If he needs a talking to, I’d be happy to set him straight. If he’s not pulling his weight in this marriage, I’ll step in and help you out.” Dad’s voice went rough, and I had to swallow hard to keep it together. “He may love you more than he’s ever loved anyone before, but he’s never been a father. That kind of love outlasts lifetimes. You got me?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice to work properly. Dad leaned in and kissed my cheek, the scent of his aftershave a memory I’d always treasure. Then he held his elbow out, and I tucked my hand in his, lining up to exit the house and walk toward my husband.
Mom walked down the aisle, then Julie and Grant. Next came my bridesmaids: Oakley, Amelia, Izzy, and Vee. Last was Titus, carrying little Lily, who was fast asleep. Leave it to Titus to do a bang-up job scattering the flowers with a flourish. The crowd laughed at his antics and Amelia rolled her eyes. The music changed, and it was my turn.
“You may think you’re marrying me off, but you can’t get rid of me that easily, you know,” I whispered, teasing, but meaning every word.
Dad huffed. “Don’t I know it.”
And then we were stepping out of the house and into the stream of sunlight that lit the backyard. Everyone stood and smiled, cell phones out to capture every single moment. The irony was not lost on me that here, on my biggest day, my cell phone was nowhere in sight. Today was all about Remington and me, creating a future together. I’d remember every moment in my head for as long as I lived.
I locked gazes with Remington, who mouthed “I love you.” Dad had to practically pull me back to keep me from sprinting down the aisle. Right before we got to the end of the aisle, Remington had to swipe his wrist across his eyes. My big cowboy was a crybaby after all.
Dad kissed my cheek again and pressed my hand into Remington’s. Dad sat down next to Mom and held out his handkerchief to her. Izzy took the bouquet from my hand and Pastor Murphy began the ceremony.
We purposely kept the ceremony short, having been down this road once before, but made sure we spoke our own vows. We’d spent weeks writing them to get them perfect. I hadn’t seen what he wrote yet, and I was dying to hear the words.
Remington held my hands and couldn’t stop smiling as he said his vows. “I’m just a simple rancher, so I don’t have the beautiful words you deserve. What I do have is my whole heart that’s been yours since the day I saw you in Tahoe. I don’t always do things right, but I promise to keep trying. I promise to make you laugh when you’re taking life too seriously. I promise to keep surprising you—though not like that first surprise.” He winked, and I blushed, wondering if he meant the surprise trip to the bathroom in Tahoe or finding out we’d gotten married.
“I promise to keep supporting you in whatever capacity you need. I also promise to stay the heck out of your way and let you do your thing.” The audience laughed at that one. “I promise to let you fly, as long as I can be right there beside you to watch you do great things. I love you, Esme Waldo. Now and forever.”
He pulled my hands up to his face and kissed the backs of both of them. Ever my gentleman. Pastor Murphy turned to me and my heart started pounding. Anything I could say would pale in comparison to all of that.
“For a cowboy who doesn’t have words, they sure pack a punch!” Again, the audience laughed and I had to focus on Remington’s eyes to get the words out I’d practiced over and over again. “I won’t lie. The first thing that drew me to you was the way you fill out a pair of Levi’s. Sorry, Mom and Dad. Then I discovered what a gentleman you were, and it reminded me of the greatest man I know: my dad.” I heard Mom cry harder into his handkerchief.
“Then we went through some troubles that had me disliking you very much. You annoyed me on purpose, it seemed. You brought me to Wyoming to meet your family, and I was a fish out of water. Your family welcomed me with open arms and I got my first glimpse of the real Remington Roth. A man with honor, integrity, and a wicked sense of humor. You think of others first always, a trait I admire and wish I was more like. You love without limits or conditions. You naturally like to control the situation, but you let me fly in all directions because you simply love me. Only the most confident of leaders would be able to deal with that kind of wife. For those reasons and so many more I get to discover as we grow old together, I love you.”
“Let’s exchange the rings, a symbol of your unending love for each other,” Pastor Murphy continued.
Izzy handed me the ring I’d special ordered for Remington with some help from his father. I slid it on his finger.
“With this ring made from wood collected from Roth River Ranch and Tungsten metal that can’t be destroyed, I thee wed.”
Remington stared down at the ring, the strip of brown wood through the center making his eyes tear back up. Ruger handed him my ring, reminding him he still needed to make his own vow. He slipped it on my finger, a simple band of diamonds that probably cost a fortune, knowing Remington.
“With this ring of precious gems, but none as precious as you, I thee wed.”
He smiled at me and I grinned back just as big. It was official now that we’d said our vows in front of family.
