“Not so long ago,” he began, “I thought I had a good life. Of course, it wasn’t perfect, but I was content. Then I met you and realized just how much my life was missing. Since the day I met you–even with our unfortunate first meeting…” He paused and watched her blush as everyone softly laughed. “You opened my eyes to things I never thought of, and you made me feel things I never felt before. You give me love and acceptance, but more than anything, you give me joy, laughter, and a sense of completeness. You are everything to me, Mia, and I love you.” Austin noticed the tears brimming in her eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger and quickly reached up to wipe them away before they ruined her makeup.
“Mia,” Steve prompted.
“I’m good with putting words down on a page, but I struggle with voicing them–except with you. From the moment we met, I felt like I could say anything and finally be the person I always wanted to be. You did that for me. And like you, I feel like you opened me up to a world I never knew existed. Looking back at my life, I thought I was a success, but that was only because I didn’t know what that word truly meant. With you, Austin, I feel like a better version of myself. You’ve shown me love, laughter, and friendship; you introduced me to a version of a family I’ve never known. And the fact that they went through all of this for us is almost more than my heart can take.” She paused. “By loving me, you’ve given me the world and all that is good and sweet and kind and wonderful, and I love you so much for it.”
Austin stared down as she slid the ring on his finger. And though he was never one for jewelry, he found he loved seeing it there.
“Austin and Mia,” Pastor Steve said. “You have each chosen to be joined in marriage today. The Bible states that ‘two are better than one; they receive a good reward for their toil, because, if one fails, the other can help the companion up again.’” He paused and smiled at them both. “Here, in the presence of your family and friends, you have exchanged vows and made promises. You have opened your hearts to each other, declared your love and friendship, and have united yourself with the exchanging of rings.” Another pause. “Therefore, with the blessings of God, it is my pleasure to now pronounce you husband and wife.” He looked at Austin. “You may now kiss the bride!”
It seemed crazy that he was so desperate to do just that–they’d kissed thousands of times before–but this kiss meant everything.
It meant they were finally one.
Gently, he cupped her face and captured her lips with his in a kiss that was chaste enough not to embarrass anyone and yet full of promise for everything he wanted from her when they were alone. When he forced himself to end the kiss and lift his head and saw the very satisfied look on Mia’s face, he knew they were thinking the same thing.
This was why she was his person.
“Friends and family,” Pastor Steve called out, “I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Austin Coleman!”
Everyone stood and clapped as they made their way back up the small aisle, and when they reached the entryway, and he looked up at the grand staircase, for a moment, he imagined his great-grandfather standing there smiling. It was an image he had seen dozens of times as a kid, and right now, it felt so real that he almost walked over to touch him.
“You okay?” Mia asked.
This time when he glanced back, it was just the staircase. But he knew somewhere Pops was smiling down right now because this is what he cherished most–his family. And knowing that his great-grandchildren were all coming home and how some of them were getting married right here in the house he loved so much would give him nothing but pride.
Smiling, he looked down at his bride. “Never better.” And he kissed her again, just because he could.
People started walking toward them to congratulate them, and after that, it was a whirlwind of activity. There was food everywhere–plates and platters on every surface. Of course, with so many people, there was no way they could have a formal sit-down dinner, but for right now, there were appetizers for everyone to nosh on.
“Oh my goodness,” Mia said from beside him. “Look at all of this!”
“I can’t believe Peyton was able to do all of this,” he said as he handed Mia a plate and took one for himself. They strolled around the massive dining room and helped themselves to mini crab cakes, stuffed mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, bruschetta, bacon-wrapped scallops, and…
“What are those?” she asked.
“They are mini lobster grilled cheeses,” Peyton said as she came up beside them and hugged them. “Is all of this okay? I know I didn’t get to run a menu by you, so I hope I made the right choices!”
“Are you kidding me?” Mia asked with a laugh. “This is amazing! I can’t believe you were able to pull all this off on such short notice!”
With a blush, Peyton waved her off. “Are you kidding? I love this sort of thing. I thrive on a challenge. Just ask Ryder.” And with a laugh, she kissed them both and excused herself to go check on more of the food.
“I love how it’s all finger food so it’s easy to walk around and eat,” Mia told him, and Austin wasn’t so sure he agreed.
They did a lot of walking around but got to eat very little because everyone was coming over to talk with them. However, he did manage to eat about three bites before Scarlett came and grabbed them for pictures.
By the time they did shots of just the two of them and then with their small bridal party and then the family shots, more than an hour had passed and all the appetizers were gone.
“Dammit,” he murmured, because there were so many that he had wanted to try.
Plus, he was starving.
Somehow, the dining room and family room–which were connected–had been transformed during the time they were taking pictures so there were now a dozen tables set up for them to eat dinner.
At least…he hoped they’d get to eat.
As if reading his mind, his mother walked over and pulled them in close. “Okay, there is a table set just for the two of you at the front of the room–where you said your vows–and Susannah and I will make your plates and bring you your dinners. Just tell me what you want and it’s yours.”
“Um…”
“We have no idea what the options are, Mom,” he gently reminded her.
“Oh!” Grace laughed. “We went with a traditional Southern comfort food menu.” She looked at them both. “It was the best we could do on such short notice.”
“Southern comfort food…?” Mia asked, looking adorably confused.
“Don’t let the name throw you,” Grace explained. “We’ve got ham, turkey, and prime rib to start.” She glanced at her son. “I already know you want the prime rib, so…no worries.”
He kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Then there’s mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, oyster dressing, green bean casserole, glazed baby carrots…”
“Oh my goodness,” Mia whispered.
“Biscuits and yeast rolls,” Grace went on. “Oh, and there’s a nice relish tray on your table too. So tell me what you’d like and go and take your seats.”
“Is it wrong that I want a little of everything?” he asked with a laugh.