Chapter 20

I’m going to throw up.

It’s stupid when I think about it. There’s no logical reason to be nervous. I’m about to marry my best friend. I’ve wanted this to happen since I was fifteen and gave her my hoodie for the first time. Gabi wearing something of mine on her made me want to give her everything that’s mine. My clothes, my heart, my last name.

And now it’s about to happen.

And yet my hands are shaking, and my brows are sweating. I didn’t even know brows could sweat.

Fuck.

I turn my head when I feel a hand on my shoulder and meet Grayson’s eyes. “Calm down, man. I can see you shake,” he says with a hint of a smirk.

I nod, turning my head back to the entrance and try to calm down. My eyes meet my mom’s as she smiles warmly at me, her husband sits beside her. Out family, and friends are all gathered here, for us, for me. And they’re all looking right at me.

Christ . I run a hand through my hair as my tongue darts out, running along my lips, still tasting her sweet strawberry lip gloss. I almost want to reach my hand up and trace where her lips last were. That’s my last kiss with my girlfriend. The next time I kiss her, she’s going to be my wife .

The smile on my face slips, and panic settles over my body when I hear the music start as everyone stands from the white chairs with round gold borders Gabi and I picked out months ago.

Fuck. It’s happening.

I shake my hands, glad that everyone is looking toward the door instead of at me. I’m not really a big people person, and standing up here, while everyone’s eyes are on me makes me fucking twitch.

I just want my girl here.

I’m always okay when she’s with me.

I shake my hands, blowing out a hard breath as I look toward the entrance of the venue, anticipating seeing her for the first time. Being in a blindfold nearly killed me when I finally turned around and felt her in that dress. All I wanted to do was see it, but damn if I was going to take any chances of bad luck for us.

I want all the luck and chances in the world when it comes to her. I never, in a million years, would have thought I’d be standing here with my best friend, the love of my life, about to marry her, ten years ago. And every day I pinch myself that it’s real. That she’s with me. That we’re finally together.

So, hell no. I’m not taking any chances.

Rosie steps out, walking down the pathway, wearing a long muted pink dress, in a soft silk material, holding a bouquet of pink flowers. I turn my head, seeing Grayson watching her in awe. His smile is so wide, so bright, it catches me off guard. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile like that in the years that I’ve known him. I have no doubt that he’s thinking about what his own wedding will be like. What seeing Rosie in her wedding dress will feel like.

Rosie walks toward the left side, opposite us, as Leila walks out in a matching dress and bouquet, her eyes locked onto Aiden’s. I don’t even have to look to know his eyes are on her, too. They’re always on her. I watch as her face lights up with a smile before she stands behind Rosie.

Madeline is next to walk out in the same dress and bouquet, and I’ve got to give her props for this whole thing. She’s the reason this wedding is as beautiful as it is. I promised Gabi I’d always give her exactly what she wanted, and that included her dream wedding. I don’t even know how many texts Madi received from Gabi over the last year about this wedding, but I’ve got to thank her for putting up with all of it, because it turned out so fucking great. It’s perfect.

Madeline takes her place behind Leila, and my body tenses up. My bones freeze, my blood stops pumping and the heart beating in my chest comes to a halt.

And then I see her.

Holy fuck.

I feel the blood slowly pumping back into my veins as my heart bangs against my chest, beating back to life when she rounds the corner, and lifts her head.

Her blue eyes are immediately lock onto mine, and… fuck.

I told her I wouldn’t cry, but there’s nothing I can do to stop the tears falling down my face as I watch my best friend walking down the aisle toward me, taking step by step on top of the pink petals scattered on the ground .

I can see her sister guiding her from the corner of my eye, but I can’t seem to look at anyone but Gabi. It’s been like that since I was twelve, unable to understand why my heart would beat extra fast whenever she was around.

It’s hard to look at anywhere but those gorgeous glassy blue eyes, but fuck. That dress. I can’t help but look at the dress on her body. It’s been such a mystery to me. Gabi kept teasing me, telling me I’d go crazy when I saw it, and holy shit, she was right.

I reach up, wiping a hand over my mouth as I watch her gorgeous white dress wrapped tightly around her body, and flow outward beautifully, covered in lace flower details. The neckline is teasing and fucking mouthwatering as her tits poke out of the strapless dress, curving slightly in the middle. Her hair is curled around her face, and a simple white veil flows behind her back.

Jesus.

Rosie fucking killed it at the design of the dress.

Gabi has always been beautiful. But today, she looks regal, angelic.

I can’t fucking wait to rip that dress off—or gently take it off—her later tonight.

Fuck, how did I get so lucky?

I wipe my eyes as she reaches me, and I hold out my hand, guiding her to stand in front of me.

Her eyes are glassy as they meet mine. “You made me cry,” she whispers, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I shake my head, apologetically. “I couldn’t help it,” I reply, swallowing down the hard rock lodged in my throat. “ You look so beautiful, pretty girl,” I say, gently wiping her under eyes before I lean in and press my lips to her forehead.

I’m aware everyone here is watching us, but right now, it’s just me and her, and I really needed to kiss my girl.

“Ladies and gentlemen, friends, and family,” the officiant starts, and I reach for Gabi’s hands, holding them in mine. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Gabriella Miller and Christopher Hudson…”

The officiant trails off as I look into Gabi’s eyes, unable to keep the smile off my face. Her eyes are magical, I swear. I look into them, and everything bad in my life is completely erased. Even back when I was a scared teenager, running away from my dad, as soon as she looked at me, he completely ceased to exist. I wasn’t getting beaten, I wasn’t scared, and I wasn’t running away. I was just me. And she… was everything.

And even now, when my eyes are on hers, no one but us exists. The whole place is empty. There’s no one else here, not even the officiant. It’s just me and her.

Just us.

I squeeze her hand in mine, trying my hardest to tell her with my eyes that she is the best thing that ever happened to a kid like me. I wonder what would have happened if we never met that day in the skate park. If we’d never met at all. I genuinely think a part of me wouldn’t exist. Not without her.

I would go back to that very first time and scrape my knee every chance I could if it meant we got to be here together in the end .

Gabi is my beginning and my end. She’s my heaven and my earth. She’s the stars in the sky and the sun when it shines. She’s everything. My whole life.

“Gabriella Miller,” the officiant says, snapping me out of our moment. “Do you take Christopher Hudson to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

She holds my eyes, her gorgeous glossy pink lips curving when she says, “I do.”

“And do you, Christopher Hudson, take Gabriella Miller to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

I run my thumb over her engagement ring, before I scoot my hand up, tracing our matching tattoo on the inside of her wrist. “I do.”

“It is my honor to pronounce you as husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

I slide a hand across her neck, cupping her face in my hand before I lean forward and kiss my wife for the very first time, in a way that’s definitely indecent, considering we’re standing in front of our family. But I couldn’t give a fuck.

I’ve waited for this moment way too long to care about what anyone else thinks.

Gabi is my wife .

My hands tug at her waist until I wrap them around her and lift her into my arms, a soft yelp leaving her lips before she laughs into my mouth, wrapping her legs around my waist.

I kiss her like it’s the first time. I kiss her like I’ll never kiss her again. I kiss her with everything I have, and everything I am, and everything we’re going to be.

When we pull apart, she throws her head back letting out a laugh that knocks me in the chest. It’s still my favorite sound in the world. I want her to be this happy every second of the day, and I will do anything I can to make that possible. All I want is her happiness.

“I love you, pretty girl,” I murmur, clutching her face in my hand as I press our foreheads together, wanting to be as close to her as physically possible.

“I love you,” Gabi replies, pulling back to meet my eyes, a smirk twitching on her lips. “ Husband .”

Fuck.

I pull her into me, kissing her hard, again, a need building up inside of me for her.

“Alright,” Aiden says with a chuckle, patting me on my back, causing up to break apart. “You kids better calm down before you end up conceiving a baby right here.”

Gabi rolls her eyes, her hands still wrapped around my neck, and her legs around my waist. “That would never happen.”

His chest shakes with a laugh, and he shakes his head. “With you guys?” he says, tilting his head at us. “Anything is possible. ”

He walks away, sneaking up behind Leila to wrap his arms around her, and I turn back around to face my beautiful wife, best friend, and the love of my life, all in one amazing person.

“Did you hear that?” I say, arching a brow teasingly as I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Anything is possible.”