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"We’ll just have to make sure to take plenty of photos for him to look at when he’s older"
I lean over and kiss his cheek
"What was that for? Not that your old irl"
"Just to say thank you…for everything, Daddy"
He stares intoYou were the best kid a dad could ask for Really, I’ to be thankful for, to have you standing here before me now" A sob catches in his throat, and he presses his fist to hison me" I wrap o entle nod and lowers his hand fro him
"You kno much I love you?" he says into ht back"
He leans back fro onyou down the aisle, and that Jake would be the one standing there waiting to marry you"
"You did?" I s past the tears creeping in
He nods "The way he always looked at you, and you him…it was inevitable" He smiles "Coiveon to the material of his jacket
Weto take her place behind ht, but our walk is lit with lanterns
Sihtens lance back at her, and then to my dad "For the last twenty-four years" I smile
Dad puts his hand over mine on his arm, and we start the short walk to Jake
As we in to lilt softly into the air
We step out of the trees into the clearing I feel Jake’s eyes on me immediately, but I don’t look at him
I want to wait until I reach the start of the aisle, because I want a full, unrestricted view of hiht noill be etched into my mind forever, and I want it to be perfect
Daddy walks in our walk down the aisle Then I lift my eyes to Jake
He looks as beautiful as I kneould
He’s wearing a dark grey suit exactly like my dad’s, except that Jake’s tie is dark pink, just like the two roses in the middle of my bouquet
Then the world melts away, and there’s only him There has only ever been hiht now, I can see in his beautiful eyes that he feels exactly the saentle squeeze and starts to walk me up the aisle toward Jake, and I don’t for one mo," Jake says when I reach him
"So do you"
I can’t take my eyes off him I’m mesmerised
Jake moves his eyes from mine to my dad’s "Thanks, Billy," he says
I kissmy arm from his, and take Jake’s hand
Dad leans into Jake and says so into his ear Jake looks him in the eye and nods My dad pats him on the back, and then heads toJJ in her arms
She smiles proudly at me and mouths, You look beautiful
I smile back and whisper, "So do you"
I look to Jake, and I’m about to ask what istrar begins to speak
"I welco of Jacob David Wethers and Trudy Consuela Bennett…"
I listen as the registrar speaks,to look away fro he wishes to say to Trudy before we do the official vows The floor is all yours," the registrar says with a smile to Jake
My face prickles,to say
Jake clears his throat, running his finger into his shirt collar He’s nervous Thishis heart out in front of a hundred thousand people, but here, before me, he’s nervous I love that
He steps closer to ht we moved into our house? What you asked me to say as my vows?"
"Yes," I whisper
"It still stands, Tru It will always stand My love for you is limitless, it knows no bounds You’re into you…I always have and I alill" He takes a deep breath "You will always be oes back to that poignant moment Jake and I had, the one that defined us, the one that told s for me, how he’d always seen me
"Reznor’s version or Johnny Cash’s?" I asked quietly, trying to conceal the pain from my voice
"Johnny Cash"
"Why?"
He closed his eyes briefly "Because I have a few things in co his eyes
"Like?"