"Em," I call up the stairs. "Come on, Hanna will kill us if we're late!"
It's been ten years, three months and twelve days since our first date, and I'm just as in love with Emily as I always have been.
"Well then come up and help" Emily shouts back down.
I chuckle as I bound up the stairs to help Emily, who is currently trying to get a mini Tuxedo onto our two-year old son, Matthew, who seems intent on never ever wearing it.
I pick up Matthew and kiss the top of his head before kissing my wife of six years.
"Ewww," Alison, our four-year old daughter screams. She looks adorable in her pale-pink dress with a matching bow in her hair.
Emily and I can't help but laugh at her antics.
"Why don't you go get the twins," I tell her.
She kisses me one more time before going into the other room to get Connor and Cordelia.
"Come on Matty," I coax. "Aunt Hanna gave you a really important job, you don't wanna disappoint her do you?"
Matthew absolutely adored Hanna. He shook his head wildly and held his arms up in a kind of surrender as if to say "Just put the darn thing on me already."
I picked up Matthew in one arm and threw a giggling Alison over my other shoulder and met Emily in the hallway. We got the kids buckled into their carseats and I took a moment before we got into the SUV to really look at my wife.
Emily was beautiful as ever. Her long brown hair fell perfectly over her shoulders and she looked so sexy in the bridesmaids dress she was wearing. Thank God Hanna would never make us wear ugly dresses, though I'm sure Emily would still look beautiful.
As we drove to the church, Emily's hand in mine, I felt a contentedness that I was becoming familiar with. I loved Emily and our family and just being with them even just in the car on the way to Hanna's wedding was perfect.
Hanna was about to marry her boyfriend of three years, the identity of whom ended up surprising everybody.
As I stood next to Emily and Aria waiting for Hanna to walk down the aisle, I looked out over the congregation.
My father was holding Connor in his arms and Pam was holding Cordelia. Matthew was sitting on my mother's lap holding the box with the rings in it firmly in his hands. Determined not to let down his favorite aunt. Alison was sitting next to Taylor who held her baby brother on her lap. Melissa and Ian were holding hands. I saw Malcolm and Maggie sitting next to Ezra who was holding his and Aria's son, Chase. Mike was there with his new boyfriend Lionel. I saw Hanna's mom who was smiling brilliantly at her husband Ted, who would be officiating the wedding. And Hanna's dad with Isabel and Kate. Hanna's grandmother. Aria's mom with her younger husband Zack. And Aria's dad with his girlfriend Elizabeth. I saw Wayne sitting next to Pam. I saw Lucas and Sean and even Noel. Jenna and her girlfriend. Paige McCullers and her girlfriend. I saw Toby and his girlfriend. Mona and Lucas and their son.
And all I could think was, this is family.
As Hanna walked down the aisle, everyone stood and watched as she flitted down the aisle towards her fiancée.
Who was, much to everyone's initial surprise, Andrew Campbell, my old frenemy/academic rival.
The ceremony was beautiful. Taylor and Malcolm had volunteered to watch all the little kids and were currently at Aria and Ezra's place. I watched as Hanna danced with her father, and Emily danced with hers. I would have been dancing with mine, but I let Melissa have that dance. My eyes wandered back to Emily, where they stayed the majority of any time we were near each other.
"Hi," I heard somebody say as they sat down next to me. I looked to see who was talking to me, but I didn't recognize the girl.
"Hi," I said curtly as I turned my attention back to my wife.
I wasn't really listening to whatever she was saying but after a minute or two, I turned to her and said, "Listen, I know we don't know each other, so I'm just going to tell you now that I'm married and I haven't been paying attention to a word you've been saying."
I turned my attention back to Emily once more, who was looking at me with fire in her eyes. I loved how passionate she was.
When the song was over, Emily dragged me out on the dance floor. Well not dragged, I went willingly.
"I saw you talking to that girl," Emily said as we danced.
"The one who was babbling on while I was trying to watch my incredibly beautiful wife dance with her father?"
Emily blushed.
"Oh come on, Em," I said. "You know I only have eyes for you."
I put my cheek against hers and whispered in her ear. "I am thankful everyday that you've changed me into the woman I am today. That you love me and need me as much as I love and need you. That we have a beautiful family together. And I wouldn't change any of that for the world."
Emily connected her lips with mine. And it was gentle and passionate and it was home.
THE END.
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