"Daddy we missed you. I love you daddy." Holly said quickly.
"Me too daddy." Kate said right after her sister.
"I missed you all so much." Bryan said as he was hugging and kissing his girls even more on their cheeks.
"DADDY!" Hope said thrilled and hugged him tightly as she could for an almost three year old. Adrian smiled at the positive reactions from the girls as they each hugged and kissed their father and welcomed him home with all the love and happiness that they had been saving up since he had left all those months ago. Then Bryan pulled back and put down the girls and went over to Adrian. He pulled her close and held her tightly to him in an embrace. He took in her smell and her soft skin. Then he pulled back and kissed her passionately, and deeply his longing to be home shown with as much passion as he could.
Adrian pulled back out of breath. "Welcome home soldier." Adrian smiled and kissed him again but a soft quick kiss this time.
Bryan put both his hands on her cheeks and just held her their and stared into her eyes. He could see love and happiness within them. He knew she was glad he was home just as he was happy to be home too. Then Bryan picked up his bag and and he grabbed Adrian's hand with the other. And the girls held hands and then held Adrian's other hand and then they made their way back to the truck. Then they all drove home to their house.
After an hour passed they parked the truck and they and the kids went inside the house. Ricky and Amy were there taking care of Natalie and Noah. Lucy was there as well while Anna and John were at school for the day as Anna had just started recently. Lucy was in the swing asleep. While Amy was rocking and feeding Noah a bottle while Ricky was doing the same with Natalie.
Adrian grabbed Bryan's hand and took him over to where the babies were. Bryan felt tears come to his eyes as he was overcome with emotions as he saw his two newest children that he had never seen before. Adrian carefully took Natalie from Ricky and gently placed her into Bryan's arms. He cradled the small infant in his arms and admired her features. She looked so much like her mother. She even had Adrian's eyes. Bryan then looked over at his wife who was smiling at his reaction to their baby girl. He then leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss. Then Adrian took Natalie carefully from Byran and then Amy got up and also gently placed an almost sleeping Noah into his father's arms.
The little boy opened his eyes for a moment and then carefully closed them again. Bryan looked into the small face of his son that was an almost perfect replica of his own. He kissed Noah's forehead and then he went over to Adrian who was holding Natalie. He finally felt complete with his family all together agian since he had been gone for so many months and had missed so much in that time. But he would make the most out of the time he had with his family and his friends no matter how short it was. Starting with a wedding of course.
"Thank you Amy and Ricky for helping Adrian. It meant alot to me to know that you along with Adrian's parent's, Jack and Grace were taking care of my family. It allowed me to do my job without much worry for my family. Well I guess we will see you all this weekend." Bryan said.
"Yes we will and it was our pleasure to help in anyway we can. Well now the wedding..." Amy said and everyone all exchanged smiles.
Before everyone knew the next couple days flew by and they finally came upon the day of the wedding. It had been a beautiful day and Ashley and Toby had decided to get married at a beautiful horse farm at nighttime. All the guests had gathered and the wedding party had already made their way down the aisle and everyone now waited for the bride to make her appeareance.
Ashley stood at the end of the aisle in front of about twenty or so guests who were all standing next to their seats. Anne and George, Ashley's parents stood on either side of the aisle as all three made their way down the white carpet covered with yellow roses. At then end of the aisle stood on Amy, Adrian, and Carrie, Toby's sister-in-law on the bride side. They were pale yellow colored dresses that were strapless and were cut just below the knee. All three women had their hair down and curled. They all had bouquets of yellow and white roses. And on the other side were Ricky, Bryan, and Mike, Toby's brother on the groom's side next to Toby. The grounds of the horse farm that they were being married at were surrounded by white fencing which part of it had been decorated with white twinkle lights and white and yellow roses with green garland. And the sun had just set and white lights were hanging about the guest and it lit up the entire beautiful area outside where the ceremony was taking place.
The bride made her way slowly with her parents down the aisle. She wore a strapless ivory white gown. It had simple lace on the bodice. But the skirt in the back and the train were completely decorated with jewels and beautiful beading all the wasy down the six foot train. Her belly showed at five months but she had never looked more beautiful to Toby and her family then she had at the moment. Her hair was also down and decorated with a beautiful lace veil that had a little detail on the very edge. The veil was pulled back over her head. And she had just a slight bit of makeup to show off her beautiful features. After a few minutes they finally made their way to the end of the aisle.
Toby walked over and took Ashley's hand and then each of her parent's kissed her cheeks and then took their seats in the front they made their way in front of the minister. They stood before their family and friends to show their love for each other and join their lives together.
The minister started. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" he asked.
"Her mother and I do." George said after he and Anne stood again for a moment then were seated again as the minister motioned for everyone to take their seats for the ceremony.
"We are gathered here today to join Ashley Elizabeth and Toby Matthew in holy matrimony. Marriage is a joining of two souls and of two lives together. Marriage is not to be entered into lightly. Having spent the last day or so with Ashley and Toby I believe they truly love each other and are ready to take that step as husband and wife together. Ashley and Toby have written their own vows and will now share them before each other and all of the us gathered here today to witness this union of two people who you all love and care deeply for." the minister said.
And before family and friends Toby and Ashley said their own vows that they each had written. "Toby, I am the luckiest person in the world to have found you. You complete my heart, my soul, my very being of myself. My life would be incomplete witthout you. I know we have seen hard times. None more than recent events. But those things and those around me have taught me that life is fragile and that each moment we are given is a gift. But that each breath can be moment from when we are alive to when we are not. So I choose you as my husband. I will love you and cherish you and be faithful only to you as long as I take breath each moment of my life. I love you Toby and I am honored to be here before family and friends so that we can be joined always as husband and wife. It is the beginning of our own family. I love you." Ashley said and then she wiped a few tears away from her eyes.
"Ashley when I first met you I wasn't sure how I felt about you. But as the days and the years have passed by I have found that I love you deeply, and always will. When your gone I feel like my heart is broken, my life sad and lonely. But when you are with me I am a different person. You make me want to be a better person. I love you Ash. I always will and when I almost lost you I lost myself along with you. But we have been given a second chance to live together, to be together and I will do whatever it takes for us to have a happy life filled with loved and joy. I promise to stay with you and love you and raise our family together. And no matter who or what crosses are path I will be your strength and comfort as you are to me. And until we are called to another life I will be with you every moment of every day that we are given. Because as you said life is over in the blink of an eye and our moment to be together is now. I love you Ashley and I couldn't love anyone the way I love you. I take you to be my wife forever." Toby said as he choked back a few tears.
And then they exchanged rings and shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The crowd stood and cheered as they shared a very long kiss and passionite kiss bewteen them. And then they parted and turned to the ones they loved joined together as man and wife and joined hands and shared smiles and joy as everyone cheered and cameras were flashing in front of them. But there was only joy and happiness. No sadness or hurt could find them in the moment they were sharing. And everyone shared in their joy and happiness too and also seemed to be shielded from the bad things in the world around them at least for the moment.