"Babe, have you seen my tie?" Chuck called, walking out into the living room where Sarah was cleaning up after breakfast.
"Which one?" She asked, over her shoulder.
"The one for this weekend," He clarified.
"It's in the bag with your suit, which is at Ellie's with Molly and my dresses to head to Oceanside tomorrow." Sarah reminded him, "Are you still not packed?"
"I'm nearly done," Chuck protested.
"Sweetheart, we are only going for the weekend, how much stuff do you actually need?" She chuckled at her husband, "Would it be easier if I packed for you like I do for Molly?"
"Only so long as you remember to pack my favorite cuddle buddy," He teased, stepping behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, nuzzling her cheek.
"I don't think Morgan will fit in your suitcase," She teased back.
"Hardy har, har," He deadpanned, "I'm going to go check on Molly."
"Alright, give me a minute to finish up in here and I'll get you packed up in a jiff," She assured him as he nodded and made his wait into the living room where Molly was sat on a little potty chair watching Sesame Street. They'd only just started potty training her a couple days ago, and so far, Molly liked sitting on her potty chair more than actually using it. They'd actually thought about suspending their attempt until after they got back from Morgan and Alex's wedding, but eventually came to the decision that they might as well keep going now that they'd started the process.
"How are we doing in here, Sweetpea?" Chuck asked, taking a seat on the floor next to his daughter.
"No tinkle, Daddy," Molly informed him.
"That's okay, but we're going to keep practicing until you can use a potty like a big girl," Chuck smiled.
"Clara a big girl," Molly said.
"Yes, she is, do you want to learn to use a potty like a big girl?" Chuck asked her.
"Yep," Molly nodded and turned back to the colorful Muppets on the screen.
That was where Sarah found them when she came back into the living room, pulling Chuck's suitcase behind her, "Alright, everyone is all packed up, we just have to throw our toiletry kits in the bags tomorrow and pack up Molly's potty."
"Potty!" Molly crowed, "Potty Mommy!"
"Yes, Baby, you're using your potty," She smiled over at the girl before turning to her husband. "Any luck?"
"Not yet," Chuck shrugged, "But both your mom and Ellie said that it might take a while before she is comfortable using it for its intended purpose."
Sarah nodded and took a seat on the floor next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder like she had all those years ago on the beach. They sat in silence for a little while longer until they heard a soft musical sound along with the soft sound of liquid hitting a plastic reservoir. They waited until they were sure Molly was done to applaud and cheer her, making a huge deal out of the ordeal, even if they felt a little silly doing it. Regardless, Molly looked proud of herself for a moment before a sad look crossed her face, "Uh oh."
"Uh oh what?" Sarah asked.
"Poopy," Molly softly whined.
"Well, you win some you lose some," Chuck shrugged, "Thank God for tile floors."
Sarah comforted her daughter, taking her to the bathroom to get cleaned up while Chuck dealt with the potty chair and Molly's following accident. Her mother warned her that it would be a long process, and there would likely be moments like the one they just experienced throughout the process. They would just need to be patient.
The next morning, after breakfast, the family caravanned down to Oceanside. The hotel the Colonel and Mrs. Casey had secured for everyone was beautiful with Mission Style architecture and right on the beach. Molly had fallen asleep in her carseat on the way down and seeing as it was nap time for her by the time they arrived at the hotel, they decided to divide and concur. Sarah would work on getting Molly out of the car without waking her, something she'd perfected in the short time she'd been a mom, and Chuck would go in and check them in.
Sarah had gotten Molly out of the car with the little girl's head snuggled in her shoulder when Chuck came striding out, pushing a bell cart. He handed her the key packet and pocketed the spare key, "Room is in the third building, second floor." He told her, "I'll meet you up there as soon as I get this stuff unloaded."
"Alright," Sarah nodded and made her way toward the building and quickly found an elevator that would take her up to their room. Whether it was intentional or just plain luck, the view from their balcony was amazing, as it looked out over the Pacific Ocean. She could see a stretch of beach below where other hotel guests were lounging around or playing on the sand or surf. She gently laid Molly down on one of the beds in the next room and went to close the curtains to make it easier for the girl to sleep a while longer.
The soft click-whir of the door latch disengaging caught Sarah's attention in the quiet of the room, when she looked up, she saw Chuck holding the door open with one foot while trying to pull a luggage cart in.
"Would you like some help?" She giggled softly and came over to hold the door so that Chuck could get the luggage cart in without the door banging and dragging along the side of it. Once it had cleared the door, she softly shut it.
"Thanks," Chuck gave her a small smile, "I suppose we should wait until she wakes up to unpack."
"We really don't need to unpack all that much, just your suit and the dresses that Molly and I will be wearing." Sarah shrugged, "The rest can stay in the bags, if anything gets too wrinkled, we can just iron it out."
"Right," Chuck nodded, pulling the garment bags holding their clothes for the wedding from the cart and hung them in the closet. Since they were both a little tired from their travel, they decided to snuggle up in the unoccupied bed that would be theirs for the rest of the weekend. "What time is the rehearsal?"
"Three-thirty," She replied softly, "Considering that their flower girls and ring bearer are all under the age of six, they wanted to do it early enough for them to have dinner at a descent hour and get some sleep."
"And dinner is at the Caseys' right?" Chuck confirmed.
"Yeah, the Colonel said that he was going to have a neighbor come over to start and mind his Beastmaster, whatever that is, about a half hour before the rehearsal is supposed to wrap up," Sarah reminded him.
"A Beastmaster is a high-end barbecue grill," He replied, "I'm pretty sure they are exclusively sold at the Buy More, I don't think Large Mart or House Warehouse carry them."
"Are they good?" Sarah looked up at him, "Would that be something you might like when we buy a house?"
"I guess we'll find out," Chuck shrugged, "I can ask Big Mike what the warrantee on one of them is, I learned over the years of working at Buy More that the longer the warrantee period, the better the product in general."
"Hmmm," Sarah hummed.
"Do you think we should start looking for a house?" Chuck asked, "I mean, you only just stopped taking your birth control, so it might be a while before we are blessed with a little man or another little woman." He let his hand fall on his wife's lower abdomen and rubbed the space below her belly button with his thumb.
"It couldn't hurt," Sarah admitted, "I love our condo, but like you said, now that I'm off the pill, it could happen at any time. Even if it takes a while, a house could mean enough space for us to keep Clara once in a while so that Ellie and Devon can have a night, or a weekend, to themselves."
"You make a good point," Chuck agreed, "Maybe we should reach out to the bank, see what we qualify for and have a realtor start looking around in case some thing catches our fancy. I think last we talked about it, we liked the red door, picket fenced front yard motif, right?"
"I just realized I was describing Mom's house," Sarah admitted, "It doesn't have to be identical, but it does need to feel like a home. I do want a yard for kids to play in, a play structure would be nice, but we can build that if needed, maybe a fireplace for those colder nights, don't care if it's one or two stories, although my opinion on that might change when we get pregnant. I like the open concept living space like mom has that flows from the kitchen to the dining room to the living room."
"I like that, too," Chuck nodded, "Any particular area?"
"I don't have a preference other than I would prefer it to not be in the boundaries for Burbank High School; it would be a little awkward if one of our kids wound up as a student."
"Or one of the Awesome or Grimes kids…" Chuck teased.
"We probably shouldn't dictate where our family lives though," Sarah pointed out.
"Yeah, probably not," He agreed, "Then again, we have about eight or nine years before that actually becomes a problem, though. Clara is only in kindergarten and everyone else is, or will be, younger than her."
"True," She agreed, "I suppose I was off counting chickens there for a minute."
"Yeah," He chuckled, "But we're both future-minded planners, it's what we do. Plot out where we want to go, and which way or ways work best to get us there."
"But still life likes to throw it's little surprises at us," She giggled, "Molly, Burbank…"
"A multitude of beaches…" He added, jokingly, "But those surprises all worked out in the end. So, plan for the future, hope for the best, but accept life as it comes."
"I like it," Sarah smiled up at him, "Hey what time is it?"
Chuck looked at his watch, "Um, about 10:15."
"If we have any hope of getting sleep before she wakes up, we probably should stop our plotting and get some rest." Sarah advised.
"Yeah, you're probably right," He agreed, "Do you want to set an alarm?"
"Nah," Sarah shook her head from where it was now resting on her husband's shoulder, "Molly will wake us."
"Good point," He chuckled, "Well in that case, sleep well, Mrs. Bartowski."
"Sweet dreams, Mr. Bartowski," She replied before closing her eyes and drifting off, her dreams, and that of her husband both revolving around their family' future.
The chapel where the rehearsal was, and where the wedding would be held the next day was beautiful in its simplicity. They could see some of the decorations already had been put up but knew the fresh florals for the wedding would be added the next day about an hour before the guests arrived. Since the Bartowskis and the Woodcombs were all in the wedding, Emma offered to be the kid wrangler for the event, at least as far as it pertained to Molly and Clara. The ring bearer, Matteo, would go sit with his parents after walking down the aisle with the girls.
Clara understood much of what would be required of her as flower girl and promised to make sure Molly followed her lead. Matteo was about Clara's age and had been a ring bearer before, so the only issue with him was to get him to stop randomly picking his nose. Clara at one point asked Emma, in a loud voice, why boys had to be so gross after watching Matteo pick his nose and wipe his discoveries on the underside of the pew he was sitting in with his mom. This naturally caused some good natured chuckles among the adults, excepting Matteo' parents who flushed slightly in embarrassment of their son's behavior.
When the rehearsal was completed, they headed over to the Casey's house which was only a few blocks away from the chapel, and into the back yard. As Colonel Casey had arranged, one of his neighbors, a General McGillis was seated in the back yard with his wife and their older two daughters, Robin and Elizabeth. Their youngest, Casey, who had grown up with Alex was one of the bridesmaids.
"General," Casey grunted as he came out to the back yard after changing into more casual clothes.
"Colonel," McGillis nodded, "Grills primed and ready to go, need any help bringing out the chickens, pigs, and cows?"
"Nah, I got it," Casey shook his head as he made his way to the kitchen, noticing the beer bottles on the table in front of the General and Robin, "I'd offer you a beer, sir, but I see you've already raided the cooler."
"Convenience tax, Casey," McGillis called after him, "That and you owe me for having to pay for that dress that Casey is wearing tomorrow."
"Would you rather be paying for the whole damned thing?" The colonel challenged, returning with plates of chicken, hamburgers, and sausages.
"Nah, done that already," McGillis shook his head, "Just glad those two," He nodded toward Robin and Casey, "Don't have any prospects downline yet, a fact my bank account thanks God for every day."
John grunted a laugh.
"J.D!" Polly McGillis scolded her husband then turned to John, "John! Your daughters can all hear you."
"What's going on?" Kathleen asked, emerging from the kitchen with some appetizers.
"Nothing new, just J.D. and John bemoaning the price of being girl dads," Polly rolled her eyes.
Kathleen turned toward her husband and the general, "Oh really? That's interesting, since the only expense we've had was this barbecue. Alex and Morgan insisted on paying for the wedding, themselves." She gave a stern look to the men, "Do I need to tell you of the consequences of ruining this weekend, do I?"
"No, Ma'am" McGillis and the colonel replied together.
"So, you two will keep civil tongues in your head for the rest of the weekend?" She prompted.
"Yes, Ma'am," The men agreed sheepishly.
"Good," Kathleen smiled sweetly before turning to Polly, "Would you care for a hard lemonade?"
"I would love one, thank you." Polly smiled as she rose to follow Kathleen, "Elizabeth?"
"No thanks, Mom, I'm good." Elizabeth assured her, raising the can of sprite she was drinking.
"Colonel, that wife of yours is a force to be reckoned with," McGillis shook his head.
"You have no idea," The colonel grunted, turning back to the grill to start cooking up the meat.
A few minutes later a pair of little girls came bursting out of the doors in jeans and t-shirts followed closely by their parents and the nearly wed couple. The girls immediately made their way to the playset that had been in the backyard since before the Casey's had been assigned the house. The colonel had upgraded it recently, just to ensure its structural integrity… had nothing to do with the fact that he and Kathleen hoped to be grandparents sometime soon.
"Where's Casey?" McGillis asked Alex.
"She stopped by your place to get changed, should be here soon," Alex told him, "How have you been General?"
"Been doing just fine, Alexandra, thank you for asking." McGillis nodded, "Best wishes to you and congratulations to your groom."
"Thank you," Alex smiled, giving him a small hug, which he'd slowly gotten used to over the years since adopting his daughters. "I'm going to go see if mom needs any help in there."
"Nope," The colonel shook his head, "This shindig is for you, so you ain't lifting a finger."
Alex rolled her eyes, "Sure, Dad, I guess I'll go hang out with Sarah and Ellie watching the girls play. Would you like to join me, Liz?"
"Sure," The older woman smiled, "It'll give me something to do until James gets here. He should be dutied off now, so he should get here in about a half hour."
McGillis nodded and watched as his eldest picked up her soda and carefully descended the steps to the yard to make her way over to where the younger women were gathered, watching the children play.
Morgan and Chuck had gone back out to their cars after changing to collect the equipment they'd borrowed from Skip, namely speakers and stands along with cable to connect one of their laptops to the system to provide music for the rehearsal dinner. Skip would becoming down the next day with his more advanced equipment to DJ the wedding in tandem with his younger brother, Sinjin, or as he preferred to be called now, SJ.
It didn't take long for them to set up the system and have music playing to supply background noise while the rest of the family and wedding party mingled around the backyard. About a half hour later, the colonel and Mrs. Casey announced that dinner was ready, and everyone took their seats at one of the tables that had been set up in the back yard. As dinner was wrapping up, the sound of plastic utensils clacking against a plastic cup sounded.
"That doesn't make nearly as good of a sound as metal on glass," Bolonia joked, earning chuckles from the guests, "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Bolonia Grimes, Morgan's mom. His Papi passed when Morgan was little, so the speech falls to me." She gave her son a warm smile, "Morgan, mijo, I am so proud of the man you have become. You are a blessing to your family and friends, and I am so happy that you found Alexandra who is the daughter I always wanted. Alexita, muchas gracias for loving my Morgan. Que Dios los bendiga abundantemente a los dos en amor, alegría y felicidad. May God bless the two of you abundantly in love, joy, and happiness. Los amo a ambos, Salud!"
"Salud!" Everyone cheered and took a sip of their drinks.
Dessert was Mexican Wedding Cookies that had been made by Bolonia as well as Morgan's Abuela and Tias. As everyone enjoyed their cookies and drinks, coffee for most of the adults and hot chocolate for the kids, the music was turned up and the rest of the night was spent dancing. Those with small children including Chuck and Sarah, Devon and Ellie, and Mateo's parents wound up putting the kids in the guest rooms upstairs so they could celebrate, but eventually, the party disbanded, and everyone went back to their homes or hotels for the night knowing the next day would be the real event.
The next morning started early for the women, who had caravanned over to a salon in Oceanside to get their hair and nails done. Chuck and Devon kept their daughters with them long enough to eat breakfast and get a nap before joining the ladies at the salon since their hair and nails wouldn't take nearly as long as the more elaborate style the bride was wearing, and they wouldn't have the patience to wait for all the bridesmaids' hair to be done first.
Once hair and nails were done they headed back to Pendleton to the Caseys' to finish getting ready. Emma, once again, pitched in to keep the girls occupied, and clean, while the women got their dresses on. Just before it was time for Alex to get her dress on, the girls were taken upstairs to put on their flower girl dresses and have their floral wreaths pinned into their hair by their mothers. The girls watched in fascination as the bridesmaids helped Alex into her dress, careful to not mess up her hair or make up.
"Auntie Alex, you look like a princess!" Clara exclaimed once Alex's dress was settled and fastened up.
"Thank you, Claire-bear," Alex smiled at the little girl, "I kinda feel like a princess."
A knock sounded on the door, "You ladies descent?" The gruff voice of John Casey could be heard through the door.
"Yeah, Daddy, we're all good in here!" Alex called back a moment before the door slowly opened and Colonel John Casey, donning his dress blues, entered the room.
"Alexandra, you are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen," The man looked to be on the verge of tears, "You look just like your mother did on our wedding day."
"Thank you, Daddy, you look good too," Alex grinned, walking over to embrace her father in a hug. "Is it time to go?"
"Yeah, they just wrapped up the pictures of Grimes' side of things and he and his merry band of idiots have been sequestered to their area of the chapel out of line of sight of anywhere you will need to go." The colonel advised.
"Hey, leave them alone," Sarah mock protested.
"Yeah," Ellie joined in, "They may be idiots, but they're our idiots, and we love them."
Colonel Casey grunted an exasperated groan and left the room, the women giggling behind him. A few minutes later, the women made their way down the stairs to meet the limos that would take them over to the chapel. It took about an hour to get the bride's side of the pictures done before the ladies were shuffled into the bride's room to wait for the wedding to begin.
While the women were wrapping up their pictures and then waiting for the wedding to start, Morgan and his groomsmen were seating the guests. Morgan was originally supposed to stay in the prayer room that had been set aside for the groom while Chuck and the rest of the groomsmen served as ushers. However, he thought it would be good to help out by at least guiding his Abuela to her seat in the first row where his mother would eventually sit. His tias and tios followed close behind and took seats in the second and third pews on the right hand side of the sanctuary.
"Morgs, you'd better get out of here, Alex and her bridesmaids are heading back in." Chuck warned.
"Thanks for the heads up, Buddy," Morgan clapped him on the shoulder and headed towards the room where he would stay until it was time for him to walk down the aisle. About a half hour later, it was time to go. He headed over to the lobby of the chapel and took his place in the front of the procession, with only his mother on his arm, since his papi wasn't there to walk with them.
When they reached the first pew, they stopped.
"Who presents this man to enter into the holy state of matrimony?" The pastor asked.
"His family and I, his mother, do," Bolonia stated before Morgan leaned over, kissed his mother's cheek and guided her to her seat.
He then took his place to the right of and down one riser from the pastor. He turned towards the back to see the rest of the attendants entering the chapel. Casey escorted by his cousin, Manny, Ellie and Devon, and Chuck and Sarah being a few of the pairs he saw before Clara, Molly, and Mateo made their way down the aisle, the rear doors closing as soon as they were a few pews down the aisle. Morgan couldn't help but chuckle at how seriously Mateo was taking his job, making sure the rings on the pillow he held didn't fall off, since no one told him that the rings had been sewn onto the pillow. Clara and Molly were adorable as Clara patiently guided her younger cousin in walking down the aisle and dropping flower petals as she went, which wound up taking the form of the girls walking a few steps and dropping a fist full of petals on the floor. This process was repeated until the girls reached the front of the chapel and Emma brought them into her row with her.
The pastor gestured for everyone to rise for the bride's entrance. Morgan heard the doors open a moment before he saw the most beautiful sight he'd ever beheld. Alex, who carried no flowers, was on the arms of her parents, dressed in a simple white gown with lace detailing along the bodice and skirt, which was accented perfectly by the mantilla veil that his own grandmother and mother had worn at their weddings and had graciously offered to Alex as it had been to Morgan's primas who had wed before them.
Morgan had to fight every impulse to rush to his bride when she and her parents stopped short of the dais.
"Who presents this woman to be wed?" The pastor asked.
"Her mother and I do," Colonel Casey stated before he and Kathleen kissed their daughter's cheeks and handed guided her the rest of the way to Morgan, who then led her up to their places before the pastor.
"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God to join Morgan Guillermo Grimes and Alexandra Marie Casey in the bods of Holy Matrimony, if anyone here has just cause why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." The pastor started, waiting a few moments before continuing through the ceremony. He spoke about the character of marriage, it's purpose, blessings, and challenges before calling up Mister and Missus Tucker who were serving as Los Padrinos y Madrinas for the ceremony. Gladys carrying a large, black, bible and Mike carrying a two large silken cords that were joined together looped over his arm.
The pastor invited Gladys to then read from the bible a couple passages about marriage. The Casey Family Bible which had been documented with Morgan and Alex's wedding date as well as Morgan's birth date and after the ceremony would be given to them to keep in their home from then on. When the readings were concluded, the pastor led Morgan and Alex through their vows and ring exchange before inviting Mike to place the wedding lasso he'd been holding over Morgan and Alex's shoulders. The pastor briefly explained that El Lazo or the lasso was a symbol of their mutual support of one another and the responsibilities and duties they would now share for the rest of their lives. He then prayed a final blessing over the couple.
"By the exchanging of rings and vows, you have proclaimed your commitment to one another. By the power invested in me by the church and the United States of America, I pronounce you to be man and wife. What God has joined together let no man separate. Morgan, you may kiss your bride." The pastor announced.
Morgan and Alex shared a smile before he leaned down and pressed a gentle but passionate kiss on his wife's lips amid the loud cheers and applause from their friends and family. When they pulled back, the pastor had them face the congregation. "It is my pleasure to introduce to you, for the first time, Mister and Missus Morgan Grimes!"
The congregation applauded and cheered once more as the recessional music started. Morgan and Alex followed by their attendants exited the sanctuary and lined up between the sanctuary and exterior doors. The Tuckers were the next to exit the sanctuary, Mike helping to remove the lasso from around their shoulders and looping it to make it a little easier for Morgan to hold and Gladys handing the Bible to Alex.
As their guests exited to make their way to the reception, they congratulated the newlyweds. Once everyone except family and those involved with the wedding had left, the last of the pictures, the ones involving the whole wedding party, were taken.
Morgan and Alex loaded up in a limo while the rest of the wedding party retrieved their own vehicles to make their way over to the reception venue. Upon arrival, Morgan and Alex as well as their bridal party were announced with great fanfare before everyone was seated for dinner. As the meal was winding down, it came time for the speeches, starting with the father of the bride.
"Thank you all for coming, for the few of you who may not know who I am, my name is Colonel John Casey. I'm not a man of many words, in fact my wife makes jokes that I tend to communicate using a series of grunts, which she claims to have categorized and numbered as an unofficial Casey to English dictionary." The group chuckled, "Alexandra is my daughter, my only child, my little girl, and as such, from the day she was born, I prayed for a good man to come along one day who would love and cherish her as much as her mother and I do. Let me tell you, Morgan Grimes was not who I thought would be that man, at first glance he can be immature and childish, but over the years that they have been together, I've come to know the man he truly is. He is loyal to a fault, reliable, dependable, willing to defend those he loves, even at his detriment. Intelligent, even if I do call him a moron sometimes, hell, the man started a company with his best friend from scratch that over the course of three years was profitable to provide a comfortable for my daughter and any children they may have. Not that his success or the size of his bank account is the most important thing, it's actually the least important. The most important thing is that Morgan loves my daughter, with a love that I've seen grow every single day and now overshadows the depth of the love my wife and I hold for our daughter. Alexandra, while I may not have wanted to admit it at first, I knew from the day you brought Morgan home to meet us that he was the man your mother and I had prayed to find you. Morgan, thank you for loving my little girl. I will leave you with this little nugget of wisdom. Love is a choice, you wake up every day choosing to love each other, even on those days where you may not like each other too much. Don't ever let a day go by without telling the other that you love them, and if necessary, use words. I love you both, congratulations." He raised his glass in salute to the new couple.
The microphone was then passed to Casey, "Hello everyone, and despite what you may think, this stunning blonde over there with her equally handsome husband… how are the two of you even fair to the rest of us, sheesh… I am the maid of honor. My name is Casey Cooper McGillis, and Alex and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. We actually met at another base our dads were stationed at, I think my dad has been Alex's dads C.O. a few different times by this point… but I digress. We've known each other for a long time, faced good times and great hardships as we were pulled apart when one or both of our dads were reassigned. It was only dumb luck that they both wound up in Pendleton by the time we started college. I chose to go directly into university, while Alex chose to attend community college to finish up the last of her associate degree that she had started while she was still in high school. Let me tell you, this woman is a bad-ass." She spotted the pastor and gave him a sheepish look, "Sorry Pastor Frank! Anyway, Alex is in a word amazing! Eventually, we both wound up at UCLA, where we wound up as roommates. That's also when I met Morgan. Now, I'd heard of him for a little over a year by this point, but he'd kind of become this thing of legend, heard of, but never really seen. Alex just would not shut up about this guy she met in community college, how funny and smart he was, how he was the kindest, sweetest, loving man she had ever met. Simply put, she built him up to be the epitome of the perfect man, which I didn't believe until I met him. Morgan is not perfect, not by a long shot, but he is perfect for Alex, and vice versa. When Alex gets a little to serious, Morgan is there to inject a bit of levity into her life. When Morgan starts to dream bigger than seems attainable, Alex is there to center and focus him enough to attain smaller goals that will build up until the larger goal is attainable. These two love each other unreservedly, and like the pastor said, you now share goals, responsibilities. All your joys and triumphs are now doubled exponentially, but on the flip side, your burdens and struggles are halved because you no longer have to carry them alone. I pray one day I will find someone who will love me and that I will love the way you two love one another, wholeheartedly and without restriction. Love you both!"
The guests shouted a hearty, "Hear, hear!" In toast to the couple.
Lastly the microphone was passed to Chuck, "Wow, how the hell am I supposed to follow that? I mean, I had this whole thing planned out this morning, I even wrote in breaks for costume changes and applause… but now, I think I should just scrap all that and speak from the heart. Morgan, little buddy, we have been friends since we were what, six years old, daring each other to eat our glue sticks when Mrs. Burris had her back turned. You have been my friend, my partner, my sounding board, my greatest supporter… my brother. You have come so far since those days in kindergarten…"
"God, I hope so," Morgan joked, earning a laugh from the guests and a smile from his best friend.
"You were the one who basically told me to pull my head out of my proverbial ass and get out of my own way so that I could be with the woman I'd been in love with since we were in high school. Even went so far as to get ordained on line to officiate the ceremony. Hell, you even reached out to the family court to make sure that I could adopt my daughter the same day I finally married her mother. And I would like to apologize to my brother-in-law, but I think we need to officially transfer the title of Captain Awesome from Devon to Morgan."
"Indeed," Devon raised his glass.
"Alex, I know you know this, but that man you have linked you life to, is the best man out there. Your father pointed out many of Morgan's best attributes, which I'm sure was painful for him to admit," Colonel Casey grunted noncommittally, "Whenever you struggle because Morgan has pulled me into yet another marathon gaming session, or we went down to ComiCon without you, or any number of stupid choices we are predicated to because for some reason that extra leg in our chromosomes apparently sucks up some of the braincells that us guys need to make good decisions, remember those good attributes. The negative ones, though, do also have a positive light. To some, Morgan can occasionally act childish, but I prefer to see him as childlike. I know you do too, usually when watching him interact with Clara and Mateo, and now Molly. This quality means that he and empathize, and connect with children which will help him become a great dad someday, if his skills as an uncle are any indication. I promise you that Sarah and I will return the favor you and Morgan have done for us when you have your own little ones, we will be the best auntie and uncle for those kiddos just as you have been the best for Molly and Clara. We love you, and wish you a long and happy marriage, Cheers!"
Morgan and Alex were then handed the microphone so they could take a few moments to thank their guests for sharing in their day. The rest of the night was spent dancing, and partying, interspersed with Morgan and Alex cutting their cake, a bouquet and garter toss, and every so often a guest would slip out for a few minutes. By the time Morgan and Alex left to celebrate their wedding night, all the rear windows on the limo had been painted over with well wishes for the newlyweds. After a round of hugs and kisses from their friends and family, Morgan and Alex departed to start their lives together and everyone else eventually headed home as well.