Holy fuck, I’m getting married.
“Gun, were you scared?”
Gunner smiled at me.
“Let’s go for a walk outside. ”
Once we got outside, I felt like I could breathe again. The day was beautiful, and I was so thankful. With an outdoor wedding, we had all feared having bad weather. Ya never know what the weather in Austin is going to be like in December.
Gunner and I sat down on two chairs and didn’t talk for about five minutes.
“How much do you love Ari, Jeff?”
I snapped my head over at him and just stared at him. What the fuck kind of question is that?
“I love her more than life itself. I wouldn’t be able to breathe without her. I wouldn’t want to breathe without her. It amazes me that she can just look at me from across a room, and I have to catch my breath. The sound of her voice just about brings me to my knees. Her smile… damn, her smile…. makes me want to keep her happy every second of the day just so I can see that smile. ”
Gunner let out a gruff laugh. “That pretty much sums up how I feel about your sister. ”
Then, he slapped me on the back again and stood up. “You ready to marry the love of your life?”
I looked up at him and smi
led. The sense of calm that swept over my body was unreal. I loved Gunner like a brother. The fact that he just eased my panic without even saying a damn word just showed me how lucky I was to have him in my life… and in my sister’s life.
I stood up and slapped the living shit out of his back. “Let’s do this thing!”
“Fuck! Why the hell did you hit me so hard, you bastard?”
“Because you’ve been doing it to me for days now. Payback, bro. ”
Jenny came walking up to us. I could tell by the look on her face that we were about to be told to go get ready.
“Alright, guys, show-time in less than two hours. Let’s go. Ari wants to take a walk around before she gets dressed. So help me, Jeff, if you look out a window and see her, I’ll break both your legs. ”
“Wow, does Aaron know you have this side to you, Jen?” I asked.
“Yes, yes, he does. Now, let’s go. ”
I looked up one more time before I walked in, and there Ari was, smiling down at me. I waved to her, and she waved back.
In less than two hours, she would be forever mine.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
ARI
I had walked up to the window to see Jeff and Gunner sitting down in the court yard. For a few minutes, it’d looked like they weren’t talking. Is Jeff nervous? Maybe he was having second thoughts. Oh shit.
Just then, I felt that fluttery feeling again. I put my hand to my stomach and smiled. It was the three of us now. For some reason, thoughts of Rebecca popped into my head. Things could have turned out so differently if that baby had been Jeff’s.
“He loves you so much. You know that, right?” Ellie said from behind me.
I smiled as I watched Jeff and Gunner together. They both loved each other just like Ellie and I loved each other. I turned to look at my best friend. She was also smiling while she looked down at Gunner and Jeff.
“Thank you, Ellie. ”
Ellie glanced over at me, still smiling. “For what?”