Chapter FIFTEEN - Mr. and Mrs. Stetson

Amanda carefully made her way down the stairs. To her surprise she saw Phillip and Jamie waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. They were beaming at her. They were wearing tuxedos just like Lee. She realized in that moment how grown up they both looked and she would remember it forever. She smiled at them as she made her way towards them. When she reached the bottom, she gave them each a hug and kiss. They linked their arms with hers and made their way towards the altar and more importantly Lee.

Amanda looked straight ahead and saw only Lee. He was grinning at her with all of his dimples showing. It was a smile only for her. She noticed in the small crowd several friendly faces that were from her adventures earlier as well as some of the agents that helped Lee. They were all smiling at her. When they reached the end, the boys each gave Amanda a kiss on her cheek and shook Lee's hand. They took their places next to Billy Melrose who was Lee's best man. Amanda reached over and handed her bouquet of flowers over to Francine. Lee managed to have them look like the ones she carried at their secret wedding. She smiled at her husband and took his hand. He never took his eyes off of her and she did the same with him. She whispered "I love you" to him as the same minister who married them in secret, Reverend Tagsworth, started the ceremony. She grinned at Lee and he gave her hand a squeeze. They listened as the reverend said a few words.

"We gather together, today ,to witness the marriage of Lee Stetson and Amanda King. I was able to chat with Lee for a little bit today while Amanda was on a special scavenger hunt. Lee told me about the first time he and Amanda met…by accident. Moments like that are what dreams are made of. Four years ago on this very day fate brought this unlikely couple together. But after listening to Lee tell their story… I find myself thinking that they are truly the perfect couple. They bring out the best in one another. They take care of one another. They put each other first. A true friendship came first and it grew into the love that binds them together today. I think everyone here will agree with me when I say that Lee and Amanda are true soulmates." He smiled at Lee and Amanda and continued.

" Lee, do you take Amanda as your wife?"

Lee looked at Amanda and smiled. " I do"

"Amanda, do you take Lee as your husband?"

Amanda smiled at Lee " I do"

"Then join hands….I think you both know what you want to say. Am I right Lee?" Lee looked at Reverend Tagsworth and nodded. Lee took Amanda's hands in his and squeezed. He cleared his throat and began saying the same vows they shared months before.

"I, Lee, take thee Amanda, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward. For better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. To love and to cherish, for all the days of our lives." Lee looked up and sighed and then looked straight into Amanda's deep chocolate brown eyes that he would get lost in and continued "My Amanda, four years ago today I asked you to walk with me. I never would have imagined you would willingly take my hand and come on this crazy journey with me…but I am sure glad you did. I love you more than I did yesterday and I will love you more tomorrow than I did today. I will spend the rest of my life showing you exactly what you mean to me and how much I love you. You make me a better man. I promise to be the husband you deserve and I will never take you for granted. I promise to love Phillip and Jamie as my own sons. We are a family starting today. Just walk with me forever Amanda. I love you"

Amanda smiled at Lee through her tears and she carefully wiped her eyes. She saw that Lee also was crying and she reached over to wipe a tear that had fallen on his face. She glanced at her family and their friends. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. She giggled to herself and she looked into Lee's beautiful hazel green eyes.

"I Amanda, take thee Lee to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward. For better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. To love and to cherish, for all the days of our lives. Amanda stepped closer to Lee and held his hand a bit tighter. " I don't know if I can top the beautiful words you just said but I am going to do my best. I promise not to ramble too much. Lee, I wish I could tell you the exact moment I fell in love with you, but I can't. I know that from the beginning I was fascinated with you and everything about you. But I noticed something about you from the start that continued to draw me to you. You were missing something. As the days turned into months and the months turned into years, our partnership turned into a friendship. And then that friendship turned into love. I finally came to accept my feelings for you and I hoped that you felt the same, but I kept my distance. I knew that you needed to realize your feelings on your own. I finally figured out what you were missing. You were missing me. We need one another. I always said we work best together as a team, and I promise you that will never change. I promise to always watch your back. I promise to love you with everything I have. Walking through life with you, Lee Stetson, is the greatest joy I will ever know. I love you."

Lee couldn't control himself and he pulled Amanda into a tight hug. Amanda laughed as she heard the crowd laugh along with her. Lee pulled away from the hug and said " Amanda, I love you. So much!"

Amanda nodded and smiled at Lee " I know sweetheart. I love you."

The reverend cleared his throat and asked Billy for the rings. Lee took Amanda's ring and said "This ring I give thee, in token and pledge, of my constant faith and devotion." as he slipped it on her finger to lay next to her engagement ring. He whispered to her "Now it will never come off!"

Amanda took Lee's ring and slipped it on his finger. She said "This ring I give thee, in token and pledge, of my constant faith and devotion"

Reverend Tagsworth smiled at the couple as they looked back at him. He said "By the authority vested in me, by the statutes of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Lee Stetson and Amanda King, I am pleased to pronounce you….man and wife!" Amanda squeaked in a "yeah" just like she did when they married in February. Tears were falling from her face. Lee gently wiped them off for her. Reverend Tagsworth looked at Lee and said " Well, go ahead son, I know you want to kiss her!" The crowd laughed and Lee scooped his bride into his arms and kissed her passionately. When he broke the kiss he hugged her tightly. Amanda giggled and said "Lee, I can't breathe sweetheart!" Lee laughed and they turned to face the crowd. Reverend Tagsworth smiled as he said " I am pleased to introduce to you… Lee and Amanda Stetson!" The wedding guests all started clapping and Lee reached over to kiss Amanda again.

At that point Dotty couldn't hold in her excitement and she ran up to the couple and hugged them. Phillip and Jamie broke ranks next to Billy and ran over to their parents and joined in the hug.

The crowd continued to clap for the family as they made their way down the aisle.

After the guests had made their way to congratulate the couple, Lee pulled his wife into his arms and took her onto the dance floor. They slowly swayed to the music and he buried his face in her neck. He whispered "Well, Mrs. Stetson, I think we can chalk up today as a successful mission. What do you think?"

Amanda smiled at her husband. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a sweet kiss. " Lee, I can't thank you enough for today. It was so beautiful. Thank you."

Lee's hazel eyes twinkled as he said "Well, when this party is over there is just one more stop we need to make. Do you want a clue?"

Amanda raised her eyebrow at him. " Another clue? Where are we going, Stetson?"

Lee reached into his pocket and pulled out one last little box. Amanda took it from him and opened it. Inside were two more charms for her bracelet that dangled from her wrist. One was a moon, and the other was the word Forever. Amanda grinned at Lee as she realized where their final stop was going to be.

"You better make sure that the housekeeper has already cleaned our room, Mister!" Lee laughed out loud as he took his wife into a passionate kiss.