Chapter Thirty-Three
(Two weeks later)
Chloe sat in the Java Cafe studying the receipt in her hand intently. She had not planned on buying a new dress, not with her stomach due to be showing her pregnancy any day now. But, Belle had practically forced her into it, telling her this was the last chance to shop for skinny clothes for a while.
Belle cleared her throat to break Chloe out of her trance. Chloe slipped the receipt back into her purse and smiled uneasily at her friend. "I just... don't know why I need a new dress... It's kind of silly."
"You need it because it's beautiful, it looks great on you, and you can wear it all the time after you have the baby."
"But, I feel kind of guilty... Everyone is taking care of me, and here I am out spending money that I don't have. I feel like I should get a job and have my own money before I go off shopping at Salem Place."
Belle smiled at her and leaned forward. "Chloe, don't even worry about it. My brother wants you to worry about taking care of yourself, and the baby and that's it. He's got plenty of money to take care of things. Besides, you give him so much more than bringing home a paycheck. You make him happy."
Chloe sighed softly and nodded. "You're right. I know he doesn't care if I work, especially during my pregnancy... I just... Well, I'll blame you for the new dress."
"Go for it. I'm used to being scolded by my big brother. But, don't worry; I have a feeling he won't care. He wants you to be happy, and if shopping makes you happy, then he wont mind at all."
Chloe shrugged and was about to reply when her cell phone began ringing loudly. She fished it out of her purse and grinned when she saw the number to Brady's office on her caller I.D. Chloe grinned at Belle and muttered quietly, "Speak of the devil..."
She hit the button and placed the phone up to her ear. "Hey Brady..."
"Hey there diva... What are you up to?"
"I'm uhhh... I'm at the Java Cafe with your sister."
"No doubt having a busy day of shopping."
Chloe cringed slightly and replied. "Something like that."
"Well, I hope you're out buying yourself something pretty. I've got dinner reservations for us tonight."
Chloe sat back in surprise. This was definitely unexpected. "You do? What's the occasion?"
"No occasion. I just want to take you out for a nice romantic dinner at Tuscany. Can you be ready to leave by six o'clock?"
"Uhhh, yeah. I can be ready by six. No problem."
"Alright, I'll see you at home. Say hello to Tink for me. I gotta run, I love you."
Chloe nodded, still a little surprised. "I love you too. Bye."
Chloe slipped her phone back into her purse and looked at Belle strangely. "Your brother says hello."
"Okay... Is something wrong?"
Chloe smiled happily and shook her head. "Nope, he wants to take me to a romantic dinner at Tuscany tonight."
Belle threw her arms up in victory. "HA! I told you, Chloe! I told you that you needed that dress, and now you do."
Chloe nodded in agreement and looked at her watch. "Yes, you were right. Now... We have just enough time for you to help me find a new pair of shoes. Come on."
Chloe hopped off her seat and Belle followed. Chloe smiled as they walked towards the shoe store. It wasn't at all unlike Brady to surprise her with something nice, but part of her had wondered what he was up to today.
***
(Later - At the Loft)
Chloe stood in front of her bathroom mirror, making the final touches to her hair. She had decided to leave it wavy tonight, pinning the sides away from her face. She paused long enough to admire her new dress, and the way that the pale blue material hugged her figure in all of the right places. The dress hit right above her knees, with spaghetti straps. It was simple, made of a somewhat gauzy material, but lovely and very appropriate for a summer evening.
She turned her head at the sound of the door downstairs. Slipping her new shoes on quickly, she went down the stairs to meet Brady. He was wearing a black suit she couldn't remember ever seeing before, with a white shirt and silver tie underneath. Chloe grinned at him slightly when she hit the bottom step.
Brady walked towards her with a smile on his face. "Chloe... you look amazing. Like an angel, or a goddess..."
Chloe rolled her eyes and chuckled out of embarrassment. "Oh Brady, stop... You're over-exaggerating."
"I'm not... You're beautiful, Chloe Lane."
"And you... Brady. I know you weren't wearing that when you left for work this morning."
"No, I changed into it before I left work. Do you like it?"
Chloe nodded and moved closer to him, straightening the top of his tie with one hand. "I love it. You look... pretty amazing yourself."
Brady leaned and kissed her sweetly, letting his hand rest in her wavy hair. "Are you all ready to go?"
"I am. So, what time is the reservation for?"
"Not until later, we have a couple of stops to make first."
Chloe looked at him with her eyebrows raised in curiosity. "A couple of stops?"
Brady nodded and grabbed her hand. "It's a beautiful day out. I thought we'd take a little drive first."
"Ooookay... Whatever you say. This is your plan after all."
"Yes, it is. Now, come on."
Chloe nodded and followed him out the door towards the elevator. She said nothing on the way downstairs, wondering what in the world Brady had up his sleeves tonight.
***
(Over an hour later.)
Chloe kept her eyes out the window of Brady's jeep, the sights of Salem passing her by. He had driven her around the outskirts of the town, chatting about insignificant things as she tried to figure out where he was taking her. After well over an hour, she still had no idea.
"Brady... Are we ever going to the restaurant?"
"Yes, we are. Just one stop, and then we'll go to dinner. But, you have to do something for me."
"What's that?"
Brady grabbed something from the inside pocket on his jacket and handed it to her. Chloe turned it over in her hands and laughed softly. "A blindfold? You want me to wear a blindfold?"
Brady nodded in the affirmative. "Yep. I want you to be surprised when we get to where we're going. So, please, just humor me."
"Okaaaaay. But, I still don't know why we had to drive around Salem for almost 90 minutes."
Chloe sighed and put the black blindfold over her eyes, waiting patiently as Brady drove them to their destination. She waited in silence until the jeep came to a stop and she heard the engine turn off.
"Stay right where you are, diva. I'll come around and help you out."
Chloe nodded and Brady walked around the car and opened her door for her. He lent a hand to her, so that she wouldn't fall on her face on the way out of the jeep. She had no clue what he was up to, but it didn't seem to matter. There was no one in the world she trusted more, and she didn't expect him to be leading her to her death or to something highly embarrassing.
They walked hand in hand together, the blonde leading the blind towards whatever destiny had in store for them. Wherever they were headed was fairly far away from their car, and Chloe tried to listen to the sounds around her, but still could not figure out where they were. They finally stopped and stood in one place together. Brady moved behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tightly.
He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Are you ready to see your surprise?"
"Oh, definitely."
Brady gently lifted her blindfold off and threw it aside. Chloe felt her knees go weak when she saw what was in front of her. He had brought her to their gazebo. It was lit up all over, the posts and railings draped with strings of white lilies, Chloe's favorite flower. Not only that, but her parents, John, Marlena, Shawn, Belle and Mimi were all standing inside dressed to the nines, accompanied by an older man in a suit that she didn't recognize. She now knew why Belle had been so insistent on her purchasing the new dress, because Belle was in on the surprise too.
Chloe turned to Brady, smiling widely at him. "Brady... What's going on?"
He didn't answer her, just looked into her eyes and smiled back at her. "Do you like it?"
"I love it... But what are we doing here? What are they doing here?"
Brady walked with her closer to the gazebo, as she looked at her friends and family, each of them smiling happily at her. Brady held on to both of her hands and kept the smile on his face. "Chloe... I need to ask you two questions."
Chloe was sure she was going to faint right there in front of everyone when Brady stooped to rest on one knee. She put one hand to her mouth in surprise as he held on to her other hand. Brady slipped his spare hand into his jacket pocket and pulled a beautiful silver ring with a sparkling diamond in the middle.
"Chloe... I love you and you know that. I know that I don't have to tell you this, because you already know. And, you also know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are the only one who makes me feel the way I feel right now. You are my heart, my soul, my spirit, and I want to make it my goal in life to make you happy. To be a great father to our child, and to be a great husband. So, I'm asking you, here in front of the people we love... if you will please do me the honor of marrying me?"
Chloe wiped away her tears that had started to fall, and nodded intently. "Of course I will. The answer is yes, Brady. Yes yes, yes, yes."
Brady slipped the ring on her finger quickly and stood to take her in his arms. Those assembled in the gazebo began to applaud and cheer for them, as Brady kissed her passionately. She smiled happily at him as they broke away, and couldn't help but giggle.
"Oh my God... I didn't expect this, that's for sure. I can't believe you did this."
"And that's not all. There's still the second question that I have to ask you." Brady motioned towards the man that Chloe didn't recognize, and he came forward so Brady could introduce him. "Chloe, this is Arthur Bennett. He's a justice of the peace. He's got all the papers drawn up; all you have to do is sign. So, the second questions is... Will you marry me TONIGHT?"
Chloe had to grab on to his arm to keep from toppling over. She knew that a life with Brady would be full of surprises, but she could have never expected all of this. "Tonight, here at the gazebo?"
Brady nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, tonight, here. That's another reason why all of them are here. Couldn't leave our family and friends out of this, could I? I figure, life is short, might as well do it now. Right? And, if you want to have one of those big huge weddings and invite the whole town... we can always do that later. But, tonight, I want to celebrate our love in front of these people behind us... and make it legal."
Chloe couldn't help herself; she hugged him tightly and sighed. "Brady, you are so unbelievable sometimes. And amazing..."
"So, what do you say diva? You want to do this with me?"
Chloe lifted her head from his shoulder and nodded. "There's nothing I want more."
Brady smiled at her and quickly kissed her. "Then let's go for it."
He led her up the steps and into the gazebo, where hugs were passed all around while the justice of the peace prepared the ceremony. Chloe hugged her mother, Marlena and then Belle, smiling at her soon to be sister-in-law as they separated.
"So, Belle... I guess that makes you my maid of honor."
"You got it. And, Shawn's the best man."
Chloe eyed Mimi who was grinning at her. "And Mimi?"
Mimi giggled and shrugged innocently. "I think I'm the flower girl. Only I don't have any flowers. I'm just here for moral support, and also if you guys hadn't invited me, I'd kill you both."
Chloe laughed and hugged Mimi in appreciation. "Well, thanks, Meems. I'm really glad you're here. I'm glad all of you are here."
Brady grabbed her hand and pulled her to where they were standing in front of the justice of the peace. He smiled all around at their small wedding party. "I think I speak for Chloe, when I say it's because of all of you that we're even standing here tonight. We couldn't have possibly done this without the support of all of you."
The justice smiled at them expectantly. "Are we ready?"
Brady held on to both of her hands and moved so that they were facing each other. "We're ready."
Chloe nodded in agreement. "Ready."
The justice nodded and began, cutting right to the chase. "I don't think I have to tell you all what we are gathered here for today. And, I believe it's safe to assume that no one here can find any reason why these two should not be joined in marriage."
The assembled group laughed softly, and he continued. "Very well then. Let's get right to it. Do you Brady Victor Black take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, to honor and cherish, in sickness and in health, in richer and in poorer, for all the days of your lives."
Brady smiled sweetly at her, and Chloe could feel her heart beating faster. "I do."
"You've already slipped the ring on her finger, so that's taken care of. Brady, you have something you'd like to say to Chloe."
Brady glanced at him and nodded, and then turned his loving gaze back to Chloe. "Chloe... My diva. I'm not a poet, or a writer, so finding the words to describe the way I feel about you is very difficult. The only thing I can do is show you how much I love you with every touch, every kiss and every smile. To hold you in my arms every day for the rest of our lives and prove to you that you are everything to me is how I can show you my love. We've come so far, and we've beaten every obstacle that has stood in our way. And as long as you are with me, I know we can handle anything that happens in our future. I love you with every fiber of my being, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you the happiest woman on earth, because you make me the happiest man on earth."
Chloe held her tears at bay, not wanting to turn into a sopping puddle at her wedding. Brady smiled at her and then motioned for the justice to continue. The justice turned to Chloe and continued the ceremony.
"Alright. Do you, Chloe Michelle Lane, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to honor and cherish, in sickness and in health, in richer and poorer, for all the days of your lives."
Chloe nodded excitedly. "I do. But, I don't have a ring or vows prepared."
Brady chuckled softly and reached into his pocket, handing her a silver wedding band to match her ring. Chloe smiled gratefully and slipped the ring on to Brady's finger.
"Brady... This is sort of unfair, you know. I didn't know I was getting married tonight, so I couldn't really prepare anything to say. So, I'm just going to have to speak from my heart and hope it makes sense. You, Brady, have nothing to worry about. You don't have to try very hard at all to make me the happiest woman on earth, because I already am. Nobody has ever known me the way that you do, or understood me like you do. You prove to me that anything and everything is possible, no matter how hard life may seem at times. You love me with no conditions, no strings, just with your full heart... completely and unselfishly. I love you, and I am so happy to be standing here right now getting married to you."
Chloe squeezed his hand tightly, wondering when the disbelief of what was going on would wear off and reality would start to set in. The justice nodded as she ended her vows, and finished the ceremony.
"Well... By the power invested in me by the great state of Illinois, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Let no one put asunder what God has brought together."
Brady looked at him with one eyebrow raised expectantly. "Well?"
"You may kiss your bride."
Chloe giggled softly as Brady laid his hand on her cheek, moving forward to kiss her gently and sweetly. They had now confirmed legally and in front of their families, what they had felt in the hearts already. Love, devotion and a lifetime commitment. Never to be torn apart again.
***
(More wedding stuff in the next chapter.
I'm so bad at writing vows, because I live in Vegas, and all of the weddings I go to here are totally cornball weddings without GOOD romantic vows.)
(Two weeks later)
Chloe sat in the Java Cafe studying the receipt in her hand intently. She had not planned on buying a new dress, not with her stomach due to be showing her pregnancy any day now. But, Belle had practically forced her into it, telling her this was the last chance to shop for skinny clothes for a while.
Belle cleared her throat to break Chloe out of her trance. Chloe slipped the receipt back into her purse and smiled uneasily at her friend. "I just... don't know why I need a new dress... It's kind of silly."
"You need it because it's beautiful, it looks great on you, and you can wear it all the time after you have the baby."
"But, I feel kind of guilty... Everyone is taking care of me, and here I am out spending money that I don't have. I feel like I should get a job and have my own money before I go off shopping at Salem Place."
Belle smiled at her and leaned forward. "Chloe, don't even worry about it. My brother wants you to worry about taking care of yourself, and the baby and that's it. He's got plenty of money to take care of things. Besides, you give him so much more than bringing home a paycheck. You make him happy."
Chloe sighed softly and nodded. "You're right. I know he doesn't care if I work, especially during my pregnancy... I just... Well, I'll blame you for the new dress."
"Go for it. I'm used to being scolded by my big brother. But, don't worry; I have a feeling he won't care. He wants you to be happy, and if shopping makes you happy, then he wont mind at all."
Chloe shrugged and was about to reply when her cell phone began ringing loudly. She fished it out of her purse and grinned when she saw the number to Brady's office on her caller I.D. Chloe grinned at Belle and muttered quietly, "Speak of the devil..."
She hit the button and placed the phone up to her ear. "Hey Brady..."
"Hey there diva... What are you up to?"
"I'm uhhh... I'm at the Java Cafe with your sister."
"No doubt having a busy day of shopping."
Chloe cringed slightly and replied. "Something like that."
"Well, I hope you're out buying yourself something pretty. I've got dinner reservations for us tonight."
Chloe sat back in surprise. This was definitely unexpected. "You do? What's the occasion?"
"No occasion. I just want to take you out for a nice romantic dinner at Tuscany. Can you be ready to leave by six o'clock?"
"Uhhh, yeah. I can be ready by six. No problem."
"Alright, I'll see you at home. Say hello to Tink for me. I gotta run, I love you."
Chloe nodded, still a little surprised. "I love you too. Bye."
Chloe slipped her phone back into her purse and looked at Belle strangely. "Your brother says hello."
"Okay... Is something wrong?"
Chloe smiled happily and shook her head. "Nope, he wants to take me to a romantic dinner at Tuscany tonight."
Belle threw her arms up in victory. "HA! I told you, Chloe! I told you that you needed that dress, and now you do."
Chloe nodded in agreement and looked at her watch. "Yes, you were right. Now... We have just enough time for you to help me find a new pair of shoes. Come on."
Chloe hopped off her seat and Belle followed. Chloe smiled as they walked towards the shoe store. It wasn't at all unlike Brady to surprise her with something nice, but part of her had wondered what he was up to today.
***
(Later - At the Loft)
Chloe stood in front of her bathroom mirror, making the final touches to her hair. She had decided to leave it wavy tonight, pinning the sides away from her face. She paused long enough to admire her new dress, and the way that the pale blue material hugged her figure in all of the right places. The dress hit right above her knees, with spaghetti straps. It was simple, made of a somewhat gauzy material, but lovely and very appropriate for a summer evening.
She turned her head at the sound of the door downstairs. Slipping her new shoes on quickly, she went down the stairs to meet Brady. He was wearing a black suit she couldn't remember ever seeing before, with a white shirt and silver tie underneath. Chloe grinned at him slightly when she hit the bottom step.
Brady walked towards her with a smile on his face. "Chloe... you look amazing. Like an angel, or a goddess..."
Chloe rolled her eyes and chuckled out of embarrassment. "Oh Brady, stop... You're over-exaggerating."
"I'm not... You're beautiful, Chloe Lane."
"And you... Brady. I know you weren't wearing that when you left for work this morning."
"No, I changed into it before I left work. Do you like it?"
Chloe nodded and moved closer to him, straightening the top of his tie with one hand. "I love it. You look... pretty amazing yourself."
Brady leaned and kissed her sweetly, letting his hand rest in her wavy hair. "Are you all ready to go?"
"I am. So, what time is the reservation for?"
"Not until later, we have a couple of stops to make first."
Chloe looked at him with her eyebrows raised in curiosity. "A couple of stops?"
Brady nodded and grabbed her hand. "It's a beautiful day out. I thought we'd take a little drive first."
"Ooookay... Whatever you say. This is your plan after all."
"Yes, it is. Now, come on."
Chloe nodded and followed him out the door towards the elevator. She said nothing on the way downstairs, wondering what in the world Brady had up his sleeves tonight.
***
(Over an hour later.)
Chloe kept her eyes out the window of Brady's jeep, the sights of Salem passing her by. He had driven her around the outskirts of the town, chatting about insignificant things as she tried to figure out where he was taking her. After well over an hour, she still had no idea.
"Brady... Are we ever going to the restaurant?"
"Yes, we are. Just one stop, and then we'll go to dinner. But, you have to do something for me."
"What's that?"
Brady grabbed something from the inside pocket on his jacket and handed it to her. Chloe turned it over in her hands and laughed softly. "A blindfold? You want me to wear a blindfold?"
Brady nodded in the affirmative. "Yep. I want you to be surprised when we get to where we're going. So, please, just humor me."
"Okaaaaay. But, I still don't know why we had to drive around Salem for almost 90 minutes."
Chloe sighed and put the black blindfold over her eyes, waiting patiently as Brady drove them to their destination. She waited in silence until the jeep came to a stop and she heard the engine turn off.
"Stay right where you are, diva. I'll come around and help you out."
Chloe nodded and Brady walked around the car and opened her door for her. He lent a hand to her, so that she wouldn't fall on her face on the way out of the jeep. She had no clue what he was up to, but it didn't seem to matter. There was no one in the world she trusted more, and she didn't expect him to be leading her to her death or to something highly embarrassing.
They walked hand in hand together, the blonde leading the blind towards whatever destiny had in store for them. Wherever they were headed was fairly far away from their car, and Chloe tried to listen to the sounds around her, but still could not figure out where they were. They finally stopped and stood in one place together. Brady moved behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tightly.
He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Are you ready to see your surprise?"
"Oh, definitely."
Brady gently lifted her blindfold off and threw it aside. Chloe felt her knees go weak when she saw what was in front of her. He had brought her to their gazebo. It was lit up all over, the posts and railings draped with strings of white lilies, Chloe's favorite flower. Not only that, but her parents, John, Marlena, Shawn, Belle and Mimi were all standing inside dressed to the nines, accompanied by an older man in a suit that she didn't recognize. She now knew why Belle had been so insistent on her purchasing the new dress, because Belle was in on the surprise too.
Chloe turned to Brady, smiling widely at him. "Brady... What's going on?"
He didn't answer her, just looked into her eyes and smiled back at her. "Do you like it?"
"I love it... But what are we doing here? What are they doing here?"
Brady walked with her closer to the gazebo, as she looked at her friends and family, each of them smiling happily at her. Brady held on to both of her hands and kept the smile on his face. "Chloe... I need to ask you two questions."
Chloe was sure she was going to faint right there in front of everyone when Brady stooped to rest on one knee. She put one hand to her mouth in surprise as he held on to her other hand. Brady slipped his spare hand into his jacket pocket and pulled a beautiful silver ring with a sparkling diamond in the middle.
"Chloe... I love you and you know that. I know that I don't have to tell you this, because you already know. And, you also know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are the only one who makes me feel the way I feel right now. You are my heart, my soul, my spirit, and I want to make it my goal in life to make you happy. To be a great father to our child, and to be a great husband. So, I'm asking you, here in front of the people we love... if you will please do me the honor of marrying me?"
Chloe wiped away her tears that had started to fall, and nodded intently. "Of course I will. The answer is yes, Brady. Yes yes, yes, yes."
Brady slipped the ring on her finger quickly and stood to take her in his arms. Those assembled in the gazebo began to applaud and cheer for them, as Brady kissed her passionately. She smiled happily at him as they broke away, and couldn't help but giggle.
"Oh my God... I didn't expect this, that's for sure. I can't believe you did this."
"And that's not all. There's still the second question that I have to ask you." Brady motioned towards the man that Chloe didn't recognize, and he came forward so Brady could introduce him. "Chloe, this is Arthur Bennett. He's a justice of the peace. He's got all the papers drawn up; all you have to do is sign. So, the second questions is... Will you marry me TONIGHT?"
Chloe had to grab on to his arm to keep from toppling over. She knew that a life with Brady would be full of surprises, but she could have never expected all of this. "Tonight, here at the gazebo?"
Brady nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, tonight, here. That's another reason why all of them are here. Couldn't leave our family and friends out of this, could I? I figure, life is short, might as well do it now. Right? And, if you want to have one of those big huge weddings and invite the whole town... we can always do that later. But, tonight, I want to celebrate our love in front of these people behind us... and make it legal."
Chloe couldn't help herself; she hugged him tightly and sighed. "Brady, you are so unbelievable sometimes. And amazing..."
"So, what do you say diva? You want to do this with me?"
Chloe lifted her head from his shoulder and nodded. "There's nothing I want more."
Brady smiled at her and quickly kissed her. "Then let's go for it."
He led her up the steps and into the gazebo, where hugs were passed all around while the justice of the peace prepared the ceremony. Chloe hugged her mother, Marlena and then Belle, smiling at her soon to be sister-in-law as they separated.
"So, Belle... I guess that makes you my maid of honor."
"You got it. And, Shawn's the best man."
Chloe eyed Mimi who was grinning at her. "And Mimi?"
Mimi giggled and shrugged innocently. "I think I'm the flower girl. Only I don't have any flowers. I'm just here for moral support, and also if you guys hadn't invited me, I'd kill you both."
Chloe laughed and hugged Mimi in appreciation. "Well, thanks, Meems. I'm really glad you're here. I'm glad all of you are here."
Brady grabbed her hand and pulled her to where they were standing in front of the justice of the peace. He smiled all around at their small wedding party. "I think I speak for Chloe, when I say it's because of all of you that we're even standing here tonight. We couldn't have possibly done this without the support of all of you."
The justice smiled at them expectantly. "Are we ready?"
Brady held on to both of her hands and moved so that they were facing each other. "We're ready."
Chloe nodded in agreement. "Ready."
The justice nodded and began, cutting right to the chase. "I don't think I have to tell you all what we are gathered here for today. And, I believe it's safe to assume that no one here can find any reason why these two should not be joined in marriage."
The assembled group laughed softly, and he continued. "Very well then. Let's get right to it. Do you Brady Victor Black take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, to honor and cherish, in sickness and in health, in richer and in poorer, for all the days of your lives."
Brady smiled sweetly at her, and Chloe could feel her heart beating faster. "I do."
"You've already slipped the ring on her finger, so that's taken care of. Brady, you have something you'd like to say to Chloe."
Brady glanced at him and nodded, and then turned his loving gaze back to Chloe. "Chloe... My diva. I'm not a poet, or a writer, so finding the words to describe the way I feel about you is very difficult. The only thing I can do is show you how much I love you with every touch, every kiss and every smile. To hold you in my arms every day for the rest of our lives and prove to you that you are everything to me is how I can show you my love. We've come so far, and we've beaten every obstacle that has stood in our way. And as long as you are with me, I know we can handle anything that happens in our future. I love you with every fiber of my being, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you the happiest woman on earth, because you make me the happiest man on earth."
Chloe held her tears at bay, not wanting to turn into a sopping puddle at her wedding. Brady smiled at her and then motioned for the justice to continue. The justice turned to Chloe and continued the ceremony.
"Alright. Do you, Chloe Michelle Lane, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to honor and cherish, in sickness and in health, in richer and poorer, for all the days of your lives."
Chloe nodded excitedly. "I do. But, I don't have a ring or vows prepared."
Brady chuckled softly and reached into his pocket, handing her a silver wedding band to match her ring. Chloe smiled gratefully and slipped the ring on to Brady's finger.
"Brady... This is sort of unfair, you know. I didn't know I was getting married tonight, so I couldn't really prepare anything to say. So, I'm just going to have to speak from my heart and hope it makes sense. You, Brady, have nothing to worry about. You don't have to try very hard at all to make me the happiest woman on earth, because I already am. Nobody has ever known me the way that you do, or understood me like you do. You prove to me that anything and everything is possible, no matter how hard life may seem at times. You love me with no conditions, no strings, just with your full heart... completely and unselfishly. I love you, and I am so happy to be standing here right now getting married to you."
Chloe squeezed his hand tightly, wondering when the disbelief of what was going on would wear off and reality would start to set in. The justice nodded as she ended her vows, and finished the ceremony.
"Well... By the power invested in me by the great state of Illinois, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Let no one put asunder what God has brought together."
Brady looked at him with one eyebrow raised expectantly. "Well?"
"You may kiss your bride."
Chloe giggled softly as Brady laid his hand on her cheek, moving forward to kiss her gently and sweetly. They had now confirmed legally and in front of their families, what they had felt in the hearts already. Love, devotion and a lifetime commitment. Never to be torn apart again.
***
(More wedding stuff in the next chapter.
I'm so bad at writing vows, because I live in Vegas, and all of the weddings I go to here are totally cornball weddings without GOOD romantic vows.)
