"I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful."

I looked at Fulton in my mirror and turned around slowly. "The dress ok?"

Fulton's eyes scanned the dress. "Perfect."

I adjusted the thin straps on my dress and made sure it wasn't snagged on anything. I looked Fulton over.

He looked perfect in his tuxedo, the pale green tie matching perfectly with the orchid tucked into his lapel.

"Thanks for being my maid of honor," I told him, picking up my veil.

"We seriously need to re-think that title. How about just best man?"

I smiled as Fulton took my veil from my hands and motioned for me to face the mirror. "I think that can be arranged."

He tucked the veil into my hair, which cascaded down my back in ringlets. "There."

"Thanks Fulton."

He pulled me into a hug. "I admire you, Dakota. I admire that you love him so much you want to be his wife even if it's not for a lifetime."

I could feel the tears building up. "Don't make me cry."

He smiled. "I love you, sister. Even if you're married, even if you're not on the other side of the bathroom. I love you."

"I love you too, Fulton."

He leant over and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. "We should go. We don't wanna keep the groom waiting."

At the mention of Adam, my stomach began to churn, and I clutched Fulton's sleeve and let him lead me out of my room and downstairs where our parents and Connie waited.

"Oh Dakota..." my mother breathed, wiping at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"You look like a princess," my dad told me. "We should get going."

I took a hold of Dad's arm and let him lead me out into the perfect Minnesota day. The sun was shining and all you could see was blue sky for miles.

I slid into the limousine and waited for my family.

"Anyone know anything about Adam I should know before marrying him?" I asked.

Connie smiled and squeezed my hand. "I don't think anyone knows anything about Adam you already don't know."

I played absently with my engagement ring that Adam had surprised me with just four days before. I twirled it around my finger nervously, my gaze focused on the passing scenery.

We passed Minneapolis Elementary School and the tree where Jesse and Adam got in a fight. We passed Eden Hall and the patch of grass Adam and I had shared our first kiss. We passed Goldberg's Delicatessen, where Fulton and I hung out everyday after school, where I first met Adam.

We stopped at a stoplight outside of the Youth Hall, where Adam had his 16th birthday party, and the same place that he hit Charlie after Charlie shot his mouth off about anything and everything.

A smile played on my lips as we passed the old drive-in, the site of many of Adam's and my dates.

"We're here, sweetheart."

I looked out of the window on the other side of the car to see the limo had pulled up outside of the Minnesota Country Club.

I exhaled loudly as the door was opened for me. I got out and clutched Dad's arm for support as we started toward the front door.

"Wow, the decorators did an amazing job," Connie commented as she got a look at the garden through the glass doors.

My heart began to beat faster as I located the courtyard, and saw Adam standing at the altar, his hands clenched together anxiously. Even from 100 meters away, I could tell he was nervous.

"Want me to go tell everyone we're ready?" Fulton asked and I nodded absently.

My eyes were stuck on Adam, Charlie at his side. Charlie leant over and said something in Adam's ear, and he smiled.

I vaguely heard the music begin and Fulton and Connie walked down the flower-laden aisle.

My eyes connected with Adam's as my Dad and I began the walk down the paved path towards my destiny.

"We have now come to the part where we will hand over to the bride and groom, who have prepared special vows for each other."

The priest gestured to Adam who pulled a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket.

He cleared his throat. "I don't remember when it was when we fell in love. Was it when we were 15, or 14, or maybe even 10? I don't know cause the truth is I can't picture a time that I wasn't in love with you. I always knew you were the one that could look into my eyes and see my soul." He paused and looked at me. "You stood by me through everything that made me sad, and through everything I found hard, so I know there's nothing we can't work through. We may have tough times ahead, but I believe in my heart of hearts when you receive a miracle like the love of an amazing woman, there's nothing you can't conquer. In honor of that miracle, I pledge before our family and friends to love and cherish you forever."

Adam took a deep breath and folded the paper back up and put it in his pocket.

Behind my veil tears were forming in the corners of my eyes as Connie handed me my own piece of paper. "I look at you and I see my best friend. Your energy and your passion inspire me in ways I never thought possible. Your inner beauty, so strong, that I no longer fear being myself. I no longer fear at all. I never thought that I could find someone that I could love that would love me back unconditionally. Then I realize that although we were apart for some time, you were always with me, and you were my soul mate. You give me purpose when I feel I have none. Without you my soul would be empty, my heart broken, my being incomplete. I thank God everyday that you were brought into my life, and I thank you for loving me."

A lone tear slid down Adam's cheek, and I reached over and swiped it off his cheek. "I love you," I whispered.

"I love you," he whispered back and took my hand in his.

"Now the exchange of rings. Adam, if you'll recite the vows you've remembered."

Adam nodded and accepted my wedding ring from Charlie. "I, Adam David, take you Dakota Emily, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow and forever. I will trust you and honor you, I will laugh with you and cry with you, I will love you faithfully. Through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep."

He slid the platinum band onto my finger, and my eyes widened as the diamonds lined up along the band shone.

I bit my lip as Connie handed me the platinum band I'd chosen for Adam. "I, Dakota Emily, take you Adam David to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow and forever. I will trust you and honor you, I will laugh with you and cry with you, I will love you faithfully. Through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep."

The priest cleared his throat. "In as much as you have pledged to the other your lifelong commitment, love and devotion, I now pronounce you husband and wife, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Adam, you may kiss your bride."

Adam lifted my veil off and brought me into his arms gently, and pressed his lips to mine in the most breathtaking kiss I'd ever received.

"May I present to you Mr. Adam David and Mrs. Dakota Emily Banks!"

Our kiss ended and I could feel tears slide down my face as Adam took my arm and we walked back up the aisle through our friends and family.

I looked over at him and smiled. "Adam!"

He looked over at me. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

"May I have your attention?"

The reception hall quietened down as Charlie tapped his champagne glass with a fork.

"Now, this is the slightly boring, slightly embarrassing part of the night when Adam and Dakota's nearest and dearest get up here and tell tasty anecdotes from their childhoods."

People applauded.

"So, I'd first of all like to call the bride's twin brother to the microphone, he's bound to have something juicy. Fulton."

Fulton got up from beside me and kissed my hair.

I knew what that meant. That was an 'I'm sorry for what I'm about to do.'

Fulton cleared his throat and took the microphone from Charlie. "I've known Dakota since we were both zygotes in mom's stomach, so I know her pretty well."

A very drunk Kenny clapped enthusiastically.

"I remember when we were 8, Dakota insisted that she was going to marry Mickey Mouse. And looks like little Dakota got her wish."

Adam flipped Fulton off and the room dissolved into giggles.

"I know that if I go and tell you about the time she got locked in our conjoined bathroom after a perilous night of drinking, she'll kill me, so I better change the direction." Fulton paused. "My sister is the most amazing person I've ever known. She's smart, she's beautiful, funny, dorky, caring and most of all, she's my best friend. I just want to propose a toast to Dakota, and her husband. I wish you both a life full of love. Because you both deserve it."

I took a sip of my champagne, and Adam squeezed my hand under the table.

I listened to the rest of the speeches, only half hearing them. I watched Adam instead.

He laughed at the jokes Charlie told, and he nodded at the tale Jesse told, and he blushed when his mom got up and praised him.

I leant over and impulsively kissed his cheek. My husband's cheek.

He smiled at me, and in his eyes I saw everything. Everything I thought I'd lost when I found out he was sick. I saw our kids, our house, our future.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," I told him softly. "I just love you."

"And I you."

"Now, I believe, it's time for the couple's first dance as husband and wife."

Adam stood and held out a hand for me, which I accepted and let him lead me towards the dance floor.

A slow ballad started and we began to move to the music, my head resting against Adam's chest, his head on my shoulder.

"I say we bail out of here soon," he whispered. "Because as much as I love this dress, it would look better on the floor."

"I think that was the corniest thing I've ever heard."

Adam laughed. "Hey, it's worth a try."

"Can you believe we're married?"

Adam kissed my hair. "No, I can't. I can't believe I get to hold you in my arms every night."

"How are you feeling?"

"On top of the world. It just sucks we don't get a honeymoon."

I kissed his neck. "It's for the best. We can take a trip anytime once we're sure you're getting better."

"I guess so...But tell me, what's this about you getting stuck in your bathroom?"

I swatted his back. "That's a story for another time."

I yawned loudly and rolled over. "Are you sure you're sick?" I asked Adam, wrapping my arm around his torso. "Because that display of calisthenics was not that of a sick man."

Adam smiled. "Glad to hear you appreciate."

I cuddled into Adam's side in his big queen sized bed. Spending our first night as man and wife as his dad's house was not how I imagined it, but at least Mr. Banks had the courtesy to stay somewhere else.

"Tell me something."

"You're an amazing lover."

I laughed. "I won't contend with that."

Adam's lips grazed my forehead. "Dakota, I just want to thank you for everything. For helping me, because I probably wouldn't have made it this far without you."

"Shush you," I told him. "No need to talk like that."

He smiled. "Ok Mrs. Banks."

"Ok Mr. Banks."