Every Little Thing

Chapter 22

Here I am, standing in the same church that I stood in just six months earlier as a bridesmaid. This time, I'm the bride, waiting to walk to Sam to become his wife.

My father is at my side with my arm hooked around his. "Mallory, you look beautiful."

"Thanks, Dad." The music changes, telling us that it's time to go.

Dad pats my hand. "Are you ready?"

"Yes! More than ever!"

My dad kisses the top of my head, and we turn to walk up the aisle. My eyes lock with Sam's. He's the only one in the room. As I get closer, I see tears in Sam's eyes. I smile and mouth "love you" to him. He mouthed "beautiful" to me. When I reach Sam, my dad kisses my cheek.

He shakes Sam's hand. "Take care of my girl."

"I promise that I will."

My dad sits beside my mom, and Sam takes both of my hands into his. We get lost in each other's eyes.

Sam recites his vows to me. "Mallory, my love for you is everlasting. When I first laid eyes on you, I knew that I wanted to be the man to make you laugh, keep you safe, and be there for you no matter what life throws our way. I want to fill our home with the laughter of our children. My heart desires to grow old with you, letting you know daily how much I love you. I'll always be at the door with a glass of wine when you've had a bad day. I promise to always put you first. You are my life. I love you!"

Tears stream down my cheeks, my heart exploding with my love for this man.

I take a deep breath to control my emotions. Sam, your patience and willingness to wait for my heart to catch up with yours shows me the depth of your love for me. I'm in awe of your love for me every day. You have given me back my laughter, and you have healed my broken heart. I promise to spend my remaining days on this earth pouring my love on you. I also am looking forward to having the laughter of our children fill up our home. You are my love, my life, my everything! I vow to be there for you. I love you with my entire heart!"

After saying our vows, the pastor performs the ring ceremony, and then pronounces us man and wife. The moment comes when he tells Sam to kiss his bride, and he takes me into a strong embrace and kisses me passionately. When he pulls away, I feel weak in the knees. I hear the applause of the guests, and we both turn to face them, smiling. We opted to dismiss by rows to greet every one of our family and friends attending.

When we get to the back row, I feel Sam stiffen. "Babe, what's wrong?"

My eyes follow where he's looking. "What the hell is she doing here?" he says, frowning.

"Halie? Seriously." I say, surprised.

"She must have come with my cousin Tadd; they've been on and off again for years. Unbelievable!" Sam shakes his head in irritation.

"Yeah, remember that I told you he had a plus one," I respond.

"It never even occurred to me that it would be her. I thought that Tadd was over her. I'm sorry, Mal," Sam apologizes.

We continue to smile while we dismiss the back row on the side across from Halie.

"Don't be sorry, Halie does not bother me anymore," I assure him.

Sam kisses my cheek. "I love you, Mrs. Daniels."

I can't help the huge grin that spreads across my face hearing Sam call me Mrs. Daniels. We get to Halie's row, and the guests start exiting, congratulating us.

Halie steps out of the row. "Congratulations! You look beautiful."

"Thank you," I reply sincerely.

Sam steps up beside me. "Tadd, Halie, thank you for coming."