Page 43 of Thanksgiving With Dad's Best Friend

In the dim light of the church candlelight, she looks so perfect. I barely hear a word of what the priest says as I take her hands in mine. I want to kiss her so bad. This ceremony is about joining us together forever, but each time I make love to her, it’s like saying a vow to be with her forever anyway. As perfect as this is, I just want to be alone with her, doing what we do best. And yet, there’s also so much I want to say to her in my vows. I want to tell her how much she means to me, and I want to hear her returning those sentiments.

She’s due to go first. She has several cards with her to prompt her, but she looks me in the eyes as she starts to speak.

“Flynn…my Flynn. I never expected this day to come so soon. I expected to be older and wiser when I got married. But meeting you was like discovering a gold mine. I knew I’d found everything I ever wanted when I looked into your eyes. You’ve made me feel like I’ve cracked the code of this strange and scary world, just by being around. I knew from the start of our relationship that I wanted to be with you forever, and I know that’s never going to change.”

I hear an audible sigh in the crowd. I can tell how much they’ve invested in this sweet speech of hers, but she’s not interested in them. She only has eyes for me.

“I told myself I’d be patient in love. I told myself to be certain of everything before I dived in the deep end. But right from the start, you’ve shown me that I don’t have to worry. Despite my insecurities, despite my doubts, you’ve proved to me time and time again that I don’t need to worry. You’ve made me feel so loved…and that’s all I could ever ask for. Even when we spent those long weeks and months apart, you made me feel like I was home every time I saw your face. You made me feel warm even on the cold nights I had to sleep alone. Now, I get to spend the rest of my life by your side…and I know that I’m the luckiest woman in the world in that respect. I love you, Flynn…and I’m so proud to be able to call you my husband so soon.”

The audience makes a collective aww noise and I smile. It’s going to be a hard speech to beat or even match, but I have a lot to say to the woman of my dreams. Despite all our physical connection, I’ve never been much of a talker when it comes to deep feelings. I tell her I love her all the time, but I know today is an opportunity to tell her exactly what my love means. I clear my throat. I don’t have any cards to prompt me, but I know exactly what I need to say. Every word I’ve planned is from the heart. I’m nervous, but I tell myself to put on a brave face. An actor like me should be able to hide my nerves, even though I feel vulnerable saying these things in front of everyone. Then again, when I look into her eyes, it’s almost like it’s just me and her here.

“Baby…I’ve waited for this day for a really long time. Before I knew you, my life was fine. But as soon as I saw you arrive at my house that first time…I knew life would never be the same again. You’ve changed me so much. You’ve made me so protective, so caring, so desperate to please…because I’ve never been in love before you. I knew from the start that I had to do whatever it took to be with you. I knew my life would never be complete if you weren’t a part of it.”

Lexi blushes at my comments, as though we’re still back in the first few days of our relationship. It makes me smile. I love how she’s still got her shyness about her, even though we’ve been committed to each other all this time.

“Life has thrown obstacles our way…I knew that being with you wouldn’t necessarily be easy. It’s meant sacrifices for both of us. It’s meant uncertainty sometimes. But knowing that you’ll always be my partner keeps me going on difficult days. Knowing that we’re a team makes bad days seem brighter. I can honestly say that I’m certain no one else on this planet can make me as happy as you do. And now, I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life proving to you how much your worth and how much I love you. I can’t wait to wake up to your pretty face every morning. And I can’t wait to face every obstacle we might have as a partnership. Because even when the going gets tough, I know that we’re tougher. I’m stronger with you by my side, and weak when we’re apart…so it’s a good job every day we have can be spent together. I love you, baby. Let’s take the next step right now…let’s do this together.”

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