Thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support. I hope you enjoy this chapter, which is devoted to Alexis and Javier's wedding ceremony.
Javier muttered another oath as he tried in vain yet again to tie his bow tie. Despite the weeks of practice, now that it was his wedding day, with the actual wedding only moments away from starting, he couldn't get the damn tie tied properly.
Kevin had been watching Javi struggle with his tie for the last twenty minutes, and finally he had enough. "Javi," he said. Javi turned to look at Kevin, the two ends of his tie, with one knot in them, hanging askew from his popped collar. Without another word, Kevin rose from his chair, crossed the room, and tied Javi's bow tie for him.
"You have the ring, right?" Javi asked as Kevin tied his tie.
"For the twelfth time, yes, Javi, I have the ring," Kevin replied patiently. He finished tying the tie, then straightened it before pulling the platinum wedding ring that had been carefully sized to fit Alexis's finger and meticulously engraved 'One Love, One Lifetime, AC + JE 8-15-20,' from the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket. As matron of honor, Beckett had charge of Javi's matching ring from Alexis.
"Okay, good. Good," Javi replied.
"You need help with anything else? Cuff links, anything?" Kevin asked.
"I need it to be time," Javi said, pacing around the room.
Kevin looked at his watch. "It won't be long now," he assured Javi. "Alan and Earl are probably seating the last of the guests as we speak."
Javi glanced down to make sure his shoes were tied, which they were. They were also shined with military precision, almost brightly enough that he could see his reflection in them. The etiquette gurus may have devoted a lot of magazine and web pages to the edict that the groomsmen and best man shouldn't match the groom when it came to attire, but he and Alexis hadn't cared about that, and Alexis had even found a few pictures of male halves of wedding parties where the differences were subtle but noticeable to people who paid attention to detail—different colors and flowers in the boutonnieres, the color or even total absence of a pocket square. Since details were such an important part of both of his and Alexis's lives and careers, and he and Alexis both liked the look of the white tuxedo jacket with black bow tie, cummerbund, and pants, as Daniel Craig had worn in Spectre, they decided that the differences in boutonnieres (Javi's boutonniere was the largest, and had one of each kind of flower Alexis carried in her bouquet: a white rose, a lilac-colored rose, a peach spray rose, a sprig of baby's breath, and a lavender sweet pea. Rick, Kevin, Alan, Earl, and Jim all wore boutonnieres of one white rose and one lilac-colored rose backed by lavender sweet peas) and in pocket squares (only Javi sported one, in black to match his bow tie and cummerbund; the other men had no pocket squares) would be enough to differentiate the groom from the best man, father of the bride, and ushers, so that's what they had done. And of course, Reece and Jake were dressed in their tuxedo-print-front onesies, with the black bow tie and lapels and red pocket square design on the front.
Father Pete entered the room then. "It's time," he said.
"Finally!" Javi exclaimed, excited and relieved. He turned to Kevin. "This is it," he said.
Kevin clapped Javi on the shoulders. "This is it," he replied. He then hugged Javi, and Javi hugged him back. "I'm really happy for you, Javi."
"Thanks," Javi said as he clapped Kevin on the back. "For everything." Javi released Kevin and turned to look at Father Pete. "Pedro," he said, swallowing hard.
"Officiating at your wedding is a privilege for me, Javi," Father Pete said. Then they hugged. "I wish you and Alexis all the best."
Meanwhile, in the room where Alexis was getting ready, she was completely dressed, surrounded by Martha, Kate, Lily, Sarah Grace, Jenny, Lanie, and Victoria.
"Did you know," Alexis said as Kate finished securing Alexis's hair in a French twist updo while Martha carefully shook out Alexis's veil, "that each of the components of 'Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue' stands for something? The 'something old' represents continuity, the 'something new' symbolizes hope for the future, the 'something borrowed' signifies happiness because it's supposed to be borrowed from someone in a happy marriage, and the 'something blue' stands for love and fidelity." While planning the wedding, Alexis had come across these stories behind the custom, and they had stuck in her mind.
Kate finished with Alexis's hair, stepped back to retrieve her clutch from the nearby table, then said, "Then it's very fitting that I'm the one giving you something borrowed." She reached inside the clutch, removing a pair of earrings, and pressed them into Alexis's hand. "These are the earrings I wore when I married your dad."
Alexis exhaled sharply. "Thank you," she said softly. She gave Kate a quick, hard hug, then put the earrings in.
"And I have the something old," Martha piped up as she stepped forward with a threadbare velvet jewelry case. Alexis opened it, and exhaled sharply again at the sight of the pearl necklace again. "It belonged to my grandmother, your great-great-grandmother," Martha replied.
"It's beautiful. Will you help me put it on, Gram?" Alexis asked.
Martha fastened the clasp on the necklace around Alexis's neck.
"Javier gave me the something new," Alexis continued, holding up her right wrist. She was wearing the charm bracelet Javier had given her years ago and pointed out the latest addition to the bracelet: a miniature sterling silver bride and groom standing arm in arm. The other women admired the charm.
"All that leaves is the something blue," Jenny said.
"I have that too," Alexis said. Casting a look at Lily and Sarah Grace, she mouthed the word "underwear," and the women all laughed.
They were still laughing when there came a knock at the door. "Come in, unless you're Javier!" Alexis called, quickly moving her engagement ring from her left hand to her right.
Rick entered the room, closing the door behind him, then stopping in his tracks when he got his first look at Alexis in all her bridal finery as Martha finished putting on Alexis's veil. "Wow," he breathed. "Pumpkin, 'beautiful' doesn't begin to cover it." Alexis beamed at him, making his heart soar and ache at the same time, because in a matter of minutes, he would be walking her down the aisle and watching her promise to love, honor, and cherish Esposito, and Esposito promise to love, honor, and cherish her, for the rest of their lives.
Another knock came at the door. Rick went to answer it and found Earl standing there smiling. "It's the magic hour," he said. "Javier, Kevin, and the priest have taken their places, and Alan is seating the last of the guests as we speak. Lanie, Jenny, Victoria, if you'd like to come downstairs, Alan and I will take turns escorting you to your seats, and then once I escort Martha to her seat, we'll be ready to begin."
After a final flurry of hugs and congratulations, Lanie, Jenny, and Victoria departed the room with Earl, who then returned after escorting first Jenny and then Victoria to their seats, while Alan escorted Lanie to her seat (Jim, the self-described "expert kid wrangler," had charge of not only Reece and Jake but also Nick and Will until their mothers were seated, ably assisted by Gerald Gates), and then Earl returned upstairs to escort Martha down the stairs and to her seat.
Upon his return to the upper level, Earl found that organized chaos reigned in the hallway at the top of the stairs, as everyone made certain they had everything they needed. Martha was fussing over Lily and Sarah Grace, giving them last-minute instructions on what to do and the option to either stand up front with Kate, Alexis, Javier and Kevin after they had scattered their rose petals, or to sit with her, Jim, Reece, Jake, Jenny and Nick after they had scattered their flower petals.
Kate made a quick adjustment to Alexis's veil and then handed Alexis her bouquet. Instead of carrying a bouquet, Kate, along with Martha, wore wrist corsages of the same flowers Alexis carried in her bouquet: the white and lilac-colored roses, peach spray rose, baby's breath, and lavender sweet peas.
Earl said, "We're ready when you are."
Martha gave Alexis a careful hug and sniffled a bit. "Gram, if you start now, I'll lose it," Alexis said, half laughing and half choking on a sob.
"I know, I know," Martha said, shaking her head. "Be happy, Alexis." She threaded her arm through Earl's, and they headed downstairs, where Earl escorted Martha to her seat, then resumed his place at the double doors in the back of the room, on the right side, while Alan stood at the left side.
"Okay, Lily, Sarah Grace, here are your baskets of flowers," Kate said, handing each girl a small basket of mixed white and lilac-colored rose petals. "You'll go first. Slowly, remember, just like we've practiced."
"Okay, Mommy," Lily said solemnly.
"Okay, Aunt Kate," Sarah Grace echoed just as solemnly.
They descended the staircase, Kate with a hand on each of the little girls' shoulders. She looked back over her shoulder at Rick and Alexis, and after Kate had gotten Lily and Sarah Grace downstairs, Rick looked at Alexis. Words failed him in that moment, and Alexis squeezed his arm.
In the hallway outside the room where the wedding ceremony would take place, Kate positioned Lily and Sarah Grace side by side at the start of the runner that created the aisle.
After instructing them to stand still and wait for her to tell them to walk down the aisle, she looked at Rick and Alexis, who were now standing behind them. "Alexis, you look so beautiful," Kate said softly. Indeed, Alexis was glowing, lit from within by joy. Kate felt tears start to well up in the back of her eyes, the back of her throat, and fought to keep them at bay.
"Thanks, Mom," Alexis said, releasing her father's arm to embrace Kate. "For everything. All of it, over the years. I love you."
"I love you too," Kate said. "And I'm so happy for you and Javi."
"Is it time yet, Mommy?" Lily asked, interrupting the moment.
"It's time," Kate said. She took hold of Rick's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He squeezed her hand in reply, willing the wistful look from his eyes.
The processional music started then, and Earl and Alan both smiled as Lily and Sarah Grace made their slow, measured, much-practiced walk side by side down the white runner, dropping the rose petals from their baskets as they went.
"With golden string
Our universe was clothed in light
Pullin' at the seams
Our once barren world now brims with life
That we may fall in love
Every time we open up our eyes..."
The guests, the family, Javi, Kevin, and Father Pete all watched as Lily and Sarah Grace made their way down the aisle, Kevin beaming proudly, and Javi grinning from ear to ear at how solemnly and seriously Lily and Sarah Grace were taking their jobs as flower girls. When they reached the front of the aisle, Sarah Grace turned to look at her mom and brother; Jenny had her phone out, having filmed the girls' walk down the aisle. Lily saw Gram and Grandpa Jim both had tears in their eyes, and Reece and Jake were sitting up in their double stroller, babbling happily. The girls both elected to stay up at the altar.
"Okay, I'm up," Kate said, after assuring that Lily and Sarah Grace were safely ensconced at the altar. "I'll see you up front, and yes, I have Javi's ring." She held up her right hand to reveal Javier's wedding band on her thumb. She kissed Alexis's cheek, then took a deep breath, and, hands clasped in front of her, began her own slow, measured walk down the aisle as the processional music continued.
"Infinity times infinity
Infinity times infinity times infinity
Infinity times infinity times infinity times infinity
Let there be light, let there be light
Let me be right
"The dust of dust
We are the apple of God's eye
We are infinite
As the universe we hold inside
"We are the dust of dust
We are the apple of God's eye
We are infinite
As the universe we hold inside
"Let there be light, let there be light
Let me be right
"With golden string
Our universe was brought to life
That we may fall in love
Every time we open up our eyes"
Kate reached the altar and took her place, looking across at Javi and Kevin, smiling at them, before looking at Lily and Sarah Grace, standing in front of her, holding onto their empty flower petal baskets. Lily tipped her head back and smiled up at her mother, and Kate returned the smile. Then she looked out at the assembled guests, seeing that Martha was clutching a handkerchief to her nose as tears streamed from her eyes, watching her father give Jake a teething ring and Reece a bottle, while Lanie and Jenny, Madison and Mark, and Victoria and Gerald smiled. She caught sight of Jordan Shaw and her family, and LT, Karpowski, Velazquez, and several other officers and detectives from the 12th, some of them, including LT, resplendent in their dress uniforms.
There was a completely silent pause of a few seconds, during which you could have heard a pin drop, and then the song to which Rick would walk Alexis down the aisle began, and all of the guests rose to their feet, while Javi took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the look on his face speaking volumes when he caught sight of Alexis on Rick's arm as they entered the room, Alexis smiling first at Earl, then at Alan, and then, with her arm through her father's, they made their way down the aisle as Javi beamed happily, he and Alexis only having eyes for each other, as everyone watched, smiling at the couple's obvious happiness.
"One look at you
My whole life falls in line
I prayed for you
Before I called you mine
Oh, I can't believe it's true sometimes
Oh, I can't believe it's true
"I get to love you
It's the best thing that I'll ever do
I get to love you
It's a promise I'm makin' to you
Whatever may come, your heart I will choose
Forever I'm yours, forever I do
I get to love you
I get to love you"
All too soon, to Rick's way of thinking, and not soon enough, to Alexis's way of thinking, they had reached the altar. Rick lifted Alexis's veil and kissed her cheek, then placed her hand in Javier's before going to sit between Jim and Martha.
The music ceased, and Father Pete motioned to everyone to be seated. Once the guests had regained their seats, Father Pete smiled at Javier and Alexis and began the ceremony.
"Friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Alexis Harper Castle and Javier Vicente Esposito. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people.
"The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God.
"Into this holy union Alexis and Javier now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be lawfully married, speak now, or else forever hold your peace."
After a few seconds of silence, Father Pete continued, "Who gives this woman to be married?"
"We do," Rick, Martha, and Kate declared in unison.
"Alexis and Javier have prepared their own vows, which they will now recite to one another," Father Pete continued. "Javier?"
Alexis handed her bouquet to Kate, then turned back to face Javier, who took both of her hands in his.
"Alexis, I give to you everything I am and everything I will ever be. You are everything I never thought I'd find. For so many years, I watched the people closest to me, the people I respected and admired and loved the most in my life, find love, find the person they are meant to be with for a lifetime, and I was never as sure about someone else as Ryan is about Jenny, I was never willing to put my whole heart and soul on the line and give them over to someone else the way Beckett did with Castle, I never imagined just constantly showing up no matter what the way Castle did with Beckett….I was never sure, never willing to put my whole heart and soul on the line and give them over to someone else, never wanted to keep showing up for anyone...until you.
"I will love you and take care of you, laugh with you and cry with you, share your dreams and your goals, and walk beside you for the rest of my life. I pledge to you my love, my loyalty, my fidelity, my trust, my honesty, my support, my comfort, my very life, now and forever."
"Alexis?" Father Pete prompted.
"Javier, you are the greatest surprise of my life, the greatest gift. As you are for me, I will be your light in the darkness, your shoulder to lean on, your strength when you are tired, your sanctuary when the world gets to be too much, and your source of constant, unwavering support and love. I'm looking forward to growing with you, to facing all of life's experiences with you, to the future that will, day by day, become our present, our life together. I will share your dreams and goals, I will be by your side every day, and I will love you and be faithful to you, trust you and take care of you, now and forever."
"May I have the rings, please?" Father Pete asked. Kate and Kevin produced the matching platinum wedding rings and gave them to Father Pete.
"The wedding ring is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond, uniting two loyal hearts in endless love. Bless these rings, O Lord, and grant that those who wear them may always live together in love, peace, and compassion," Father Pete said. "Alexis, do you take Javier to be your lawfully wedded husband, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Alexis replied.
"Javier, do you take Alexis to be your lawfully wedded wife, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, as long you both shall live?"
"I do," Javier replied.
Father Pete gave Javier Alexis's wedding ring, and as he put it on her finger, he said, "Alexis, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity."
Father Pete than gave Alexis Javier's wedding ring, and as she put on his finger, she said, "Javier, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity."
Father Pete then placed his hand over Alexis and Javier's joined right hands. "For as much as Alexis and Javier have consented in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have pledged each other their faith by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, by the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Those whom God joins cannot be put asunder. This we believe. You may kiss the bride."
Javier and Alexis reached for each other and sealed their vows with a kiss, his arms around her waist, her hands gripping his biceps.
Kate looked over at Rick and saw that he was unashamedly wiping his eyes. Her own eyes were wet, and they exchanged watery smiles. Martha was awash in tears, and Lanie and Jenny had also teared up, as had Kevin.
When Alexis and Javier broke the kiss, Father Pete said, "Family and friends, it is my pleasure to present, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Javier and Alexis Castle-Esposito!"
Everyone applauded as Alexis took her bouquet back from Kate, then, hand in hand with Javier, they made their way up the aisle to the portion of the song they had chosen for their recessional music.
"And life is a road and I wanna keep goin'
Love is a river I wanna keep flowin'
Life is a road now and forever, wonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end, I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you"
Kate accepted Kevin's arm as they followed Alexis and Javi, and Rick scooped Lily up, while Sarah Grace ran towards her mother and brother.
When they reached the head of the aisle, still hand in hand, Javier and Alexis, grinning at each other, veered off towards the lower level room where Javier and Kevin had gotten ready before the wedding. In the alcove just off the closed door of the room, Javier pulled Alexis close. "Hello, wife," he said, beaming at her.
She beamed back at him. "Hello, husband," she replied.
They were kissing again when the rest of their family found them. "When do we get the cake?" Nick asked loudly. Alexis began laughing as she broke the kiss, and Javier was laughing right along with her.
"Soon, Nick, soon," Javier promised. He wrapped an arm around Alexis's waist and pulled her against his side. "We're married!" he exulted.
Alexis threaded her fingers through his, raised their linked hands in the air, and echoed, "We're married!" Surrounded by their closest family and friends, all of whom, except the little boys, clapped and cheered, the newlyweds found and held each other's gaze.
Alexis and Javier in that moment, linked hands raised, radiating happiness as they looked at each other, was captured in a candid shot by the wedding photographer...and that picture was the favorite wedding picture that they made multiple copies of and displayed for decades to come in their respective offices, and in pride of place in every home they ever lived in.
Processional song for Lily, Sarah Grace, and Kate: "Sun" by Sleeping at Last;
Processional song for Alexis and Rick: "I Get to Love You" by Ruelle;
Recessional song: "At the Beginning" by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis
