Cherished (Wanted #4)(88)
Author: Kelly Elliott

“Today, standing here in front of you, knowing that you’re about to become my wife and that I get to wake up every day to your beautiful smile for the rest of my life…today is the happiest day of my life because I know it’s me and you, forever and always. Without you, I’d be nothing, Jessie. You’re my entire world. My reason for being is to love you, protect you, and make you feel nothing but…cherished,” I vowed, my voice cracking. I barely got out the word cherished before I felt the tears running down my face.

Jessie was smiling at me as tears rolled down her cheeks in what looked like one endless stream.

She wiped the tears away and gave my hands a quick squeeze. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out before she began talking.

The Wedding

I knew my hands were shaking, and I was still trying to recover from what Scott had just said to me. When his voice had cracked, it had been my breaking point, and I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer.

Now, it was my turn to try and express to him how much he meant to me, how he made me feel every day of our lives.

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Scott, since the first day you ever smiled at me, I knew my heart would always belong to you. Then, you kissed me, and I really knew I was yours. The road we traveled to get to where we are today was not an easy one. We both took a few wrong turns and had some pretty big hills to climb, but we did it. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You are the air that I breathe, the light in my darkness, and the hope of my future. I never in my life imagined that you could make me as happy as you have or make me feel as loved as you do. I love you, and I’ll always love you with every ounce of my being. Thank you for loving me and never giving up on our love.”

I reached up and lightly brushed the tear away that was slowly moving down his cheek.

Everyone let out an, “Aww…”

Scott grabbed my hand and kissed my wrist. “I love you to the moon and back, baby.”

I laughed. “I love you to the moon and back and then to the moon and back again.”

“One-upper,” he whispered.

Everyone laughed.

When the pastor said it was time to kiss the bride, I couldn’t wait to feel his lips on mine. I would never get tired of him kissing me. I longed for his touch twenty-four hours a day.

The kiss was sweet yet passionate.

Before he pulled away, he whispered against my lips, “You look breathtaking in that dress, baby, but damn, I can’t wait to get you out of it.”

I moved my lips to his ear. “Neither can I. Wait till you see what I have underneath the dress.”

He pulled back and looked at me. His eyes became filled with nothing but passion. I had to bite down on my lip to distract myself from the aching pulse between my legs.

The pastor pulled us both out of our trance by announcing us as husband and wife. “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Scott Reynolds.”

As we began walking down the aisle, we both stopped and kissed Melody and Scott, Senior. Then, we walked over to my father, Dew, and Aaron. I kissed each of them. I was still upset that my brothers hadn’t wanted to be a part of the wedding party, but I understood their reasons. They had known Scott wanted his friends, and they hadn’t wanted us to have a huge wedding party. I smiled and punched Dewey in the arm. I quickly smiled and said hello to his new girlfriend, Rachael.

As we walked down the aisle, I couldn’t help but feel like I was walking on cloud nine. I never thought the birth of my child could ever be topped, but I did believe this day just tied for first place.

As the night went on, kids ran around on nothing but sugar highs. Games were played, new memories were made, and lots of dancing happened. One by one, the kids crashed throughout the house in beds, sofas, and portable cribs.

I’d never laughed so hard in my life, and being surrounded by our family and friends just made it all the more special. Melody had a blast playing hostess, and Jenny kept everything moving along.

When it came time for the bride-and-groom dance, I started shaking. Scott had left it up to me to pick the song, and I couldn’t pick just one. I had narrowed it down to Mark Wills’s “I Do” and Kenny Chesney’s “Me and You.” I had been stressing about it for two weeks until Ellie and I had gone out for a ride one morning.

She had said, “Play each song by yourself with no one around. Whichever song moves you the most is the right song.”

That evening, I’d asked Scott for a few minutes alone. I’d grabbed my iPod and made my way to the main barn right behind the house. I’d sat there and listened to both songs, and one of them had clearly spoken to me. Every word in it had screamed Scott and me.

I closed my eyes and prayed that he would agree with the song choice. As we made our way to the dance floor, Dewey and Aaron each took turns saying a little something. It mostly consisted of threatening poor Scott with bodily harm if he ever hurt Lauren or me.

Scott had taken it like a trooper, but as he took me in his arms, he said, “Jesus H. Christ…I don’t know who to be more scared of—your father or your brothers.”

I laughed as I kissed him quickly on the lips.

The DJ announced we were about to dance our first dance as a married couple.

I looked into Scott’s eyes and smiled. “I love you, Scott,” I said with a shaky voice.

He placed his hand on the side of my face and brushed his thumb across my cheek. I leaned my head into his hand and closed my eyes. He slowly moved his hand to the back of my neck and pulled me to him for a kiss.

Kenny Chesney’s “Me and You” began playing, and I felt him smile against my lips.

He barely pulled away. “How did you know?” he asked me.

I shook my head. “How did I know, what?”

“The first time I ever heard this song, I thought of you. I thought if we ever got married, this would be our song. I used to have dreams of dancing with you to this song.”

I sucked in a breath of air and began crying as I buried my head into his chest. The way he was running his hand up and down my back while softly singing the words to me only caused me to cry harder.

Any doubts and bad memories I ever had about our relationship completely melted away with every word he sang to me. I had no doubt in my mind that this man would always love and be faithful to both Lauren and me with everything he had.

I looked up into his beautiful blue eyes and smiled. “Scott, I’ve never in my life felt so incredibly loved and cherished. Thank you for making this one of the happiest days of my life.”