~Three Months Later~
Kieran nervously adjusted his tie as he looked himself over in the mirror for the hundredth time that morning. He wasn't used to wearing suits; in fact, he could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he'd worn a suit before and still have one or two fingers to spare. They usually felt stiff and uncomfortable and he always thought they made him look rather silly.
Not today.
The suit he was wearing today fit him like a second skin. Hardly a surprise, since his new bride had personally taken him to her father's longtime personal tailor to have it made. Not purchased, but made. By hand. And of the finest materials, too. Katie refused to settle for anything but the absolute best, and Kieran privately suspected she'd spent more time making sure his suit was perfect than she did picking out her wedding gown. Still, he couldn't deny that her efforts paid off. It was the most comfortable thing he'd ever worn, soft and breathable rather than stifling. He thought the tails were a little much, but he as he gazed at himself, he knew he cut a rather dashing figure.
"Ready, son?"
The voice of his father jarred him from his thoughts. Kieran turned and nodded. "Yes," he said simply. "I am."
Sean Callaway put a proud hand on Kieran's shoulder. "I'm proud of you. And somewhere, your mother is too. I only wish she were here to see this." His eyes watered with unshed tears--not a very common occurrence for him.
Kieran turned and embraced him. "I think she is," he replied quietly. "I think she's here, Dad. We just can't see her. But she's here. I can feel it."
"My boy." Sean gazed down at his only child. "You're all grown up now. A man, with a wife and soon a child of your own. I am so, so honored to call you my son."
They embraced once more in a fierce hug as the sound of orchestral music began to swell outside the dressing room. Sean grinned. "Let's not keep them waiting, eh? This is your moment, Kieran. Yours and hers." He opened the door. "After you."
Kieran took a deep, deep breath and let it out slowly. He wasn't having second thoughts, but it was normal to be at least a little nervous on one's wedding day. So much had changed since the day Katie Petersen--now Katie Callaway--had strode so confidently into his life, yet all of those changes were for the better. His life was full where it once felt empty, his world filled with color and life where once it had been drab and gray. In a way, she'd saved him.
He steeled himself, squared his shoulders, and stepped out of the dressing room. The wedding venue was breathtaking--a beautiful, almost medieval-looking church with high vaulted ceilings, buttressed arches, soaring stained glass windows, and statues of cherubim and angels carved into the walls. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the panes of colored glass, casting rays of every color onto the stone floor.
And then Kieran saw her. Katie, his bride, his wife, standing there at the altar, waiting for him.
She looked radiant beyond description, a vision of angelic, heart-stopping beauty in a gorgeous white gown that seemed to sparkle even in the dim light of the church. The veil that framed her delicate features cascaded down her back, the lace and embroidery almost too intricate to believe. Her strawberry-blonde hair was swept up into a graceful updo, accentuating her elegant neck and shoulders. She wore no jewelry save for the simple wedding band that now adorned her ring finger, and the swell of her pregnancy, visible clearly beneath the dress, didn't detract from her loveliness at all. It only made her more beautiful to Kieran's eyes: she looked like an ethereal goddess of fertility, stepping down from the clouds to mingle among mortals.
Her eyes--those impossibly bright, robin's egg eyes--met his, and the smile she gave him was so full of love and happiness that it made his heart stutter. The music swelled louder, and everyone in attendance rose respectfully to their feet. Even Katie's father nodded at him as he walked by. Hannah Mayes gave a huge thumbs-up, and Katie's entire cheer squad clapped and whistled.
Kieran took his place by Katie's side, and the reverend glanced at each of them in turn before clearing his throat.
"Dearly beloved," the reverend began, his voice rich and full of warmth, "we are gathered here today to join Kieran and Katie in holy matrimony. These two young people have chosen to embark upon a journey together, one filled with laughter and tears, joy and sorrow, love and loss. They come before us, hand in hand, pledging their hearts and souls to one another, promising to be faithful, to cherish and protect, to comfort and console, in sickness and in health, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sadness as well as in gladness, to love and to cherish until parted by death." He smiled. "I can see in your eyes the love you two have for each other, and the bond you have forged. It is my honor to witness this union, to be a part of your story."
Katie took Kieran's hand in a firm grip.
"Katie," the reverend said, facing her. "Do you take Kieran to be your husband, your partner in this journey? Will you support him, love him, cherish him, comfort him, and protect him, through all the joys and sorrows that life may bring? Do you promise to be his faithful companion, his best friend, and his lover for as long as you both shall live? Will you declare before these witnesses and before God that you will be true to Kieran, that you will never forsake him, and that you will love him unconditionally, as he deserves to be loved?"
Tears rolled down Katie's face, tears of utter joy. "I do," she said, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own heart hammering in her chest. "I take you, Kieran, to be my husband, now and forever. Everything I am, everything I have, I give to you for the rest of my life. You are my husband and the father of our child, and I will love you, cherish you, and support you with every breath that I take."
"Kieran," the reverend said, turning now to him. "Do you take Katie to be your wife, your partner in this journey? Will you support her, protect her, and cherish her as a husband should? Will you promise to love her, honor her, and respect her, for all the days of your life?"