Instinctively Adam reached for his tie, it was a nervous habit he had and it was usually when he was headed to court because he rarely wore a suit otherwise. He even laughed at himself when he realised what he was doing.
Today he wasn't wearing a tie though, just his suit jacket, pants and a crisp new white shirt. He rocked back on his heels and shoved his shaking hands in his pockets.
Kevin leant in and whispered in his ear. "Bro. You look like you are going to heave?"
Adam smiled and even his eyes danced with happiness. "All good Bro. I've waited for this day for so long."
They all had.
"Adam." It was the sweetest little voice and his smile widenas he stepped into the aisle and opened his arms. Never, as long as he lived would he forget that voice and seeing her run towards him was the perfect start to this perfect day.
Makayla crashed into his arms and he smothered her with kisses. "Oh, I am so happy to see you. You look beautiful and grown up." He held her at arm's length and nodded his head as she curtsied a little in her bright yellow dress. "How do you get more pretty every time I see you?"
"Have you seen Kim yet?"
"Not yet."
"She's so beautiful." Makayla gushed. "Just you wait."
"We are so happy you are here." Adam kissed her cheek again. One thing they both set their hearts on was having Makayla with them today. They would've changed the date if she couldn't make it.
Makayla's family were more than happy to let her come. After a rocky start to their relationship, when Kim wasn't at her best they were wary and difficult to deal with. Kim wasn't coping without Makayla and found it hard to say goodbye, she would go weeks without making contact and the agreed visitations didn't happen.
Adam eventually went and spoke with them once he realised that Kim needed him to step in and he explained Kim's head space and how she was scared she was going to make things worse for Makayla as she settled into her new home. It was hard for her as well and they agreed to continue the agreement. They started off with just short visits, Kim would take her to the movies, or to the Zoo or even just out for ice-cream and slowly it became easier and she looked forward to them.
Now she would spend weekends with them and they would often have dinner with her whole family each week if they could. They were even planning to take her to New York on the school holidays to see a Broadway Show, visit the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty. Every time they saw her she had another activity to add to the list that she just had to do or see.
Both Makayla and Kim thrived after a rocky start.
"You wanna stand up here with me and wait for Kim?" Makayla slipped her hand into his as she nodded happily. "Like how beautiful does Kim look?"
"Like all the Disney Princesses rolled into one." She stopped and her smile lit up her face. "… but prettier."
"Alrighty then. I can't wait."
Kim had found this small church one day when she was a work. She was loving the challenge of the Missing Person's Unit and this particular day they were returning a child that had been taken by their biological father after a long and bitter custody dispute. They passed a small wooden church on their way into the town on the outskirts of Chicago and something in it had caught Kim's attention. They stopped on the way home and it was just as beautiful inside and Kim had decided then and there that this was it.
To say she had proposed to Adam wouldn't be telling the truth. When he got home she had excitedly told him she had found a church that she wanted to get married in.
"Okay, cool." He was sitting at the kitchen table unlacing his boots. He tossed one boot aside and started to unlace the other peering at Kim from the corner of his eye. "And who are you marrying?"
"You."
"Really?"
"Yes." She clapped happily. "So can we drive out there on the weekend so I can show you? I called the priest and it's free at the end of next month. So I booked it in."
"Okay, so that's it then?"
"Yep. Great, I can't wait." She bounced over to him, kissed him hard and skipped from the room. That was it.
A month later here they were. In a small church with their closest family and friends filling the front pews. It was good to see his Dad again, although he was concerned that Bob was paying a little too much attention to Kim's Mom but Trudy was running interference in a way that only Trudy can. Nicole and Zoe had made the trip as well. His sister was keeping his mother away from Bob and Sammy just looked bored. Adam's two cousins he spent most of his childhood with filled out the rest of his pews with a couple of buddies from the academy.
Kim had two old school friend's and in a surprise to Adam, Erin made the trip from New York. He hadn't realised that Kim had talked to her a lot after her near death experience and losing Makayla. They had been close before Erin left but had drifted apart. Kim reached out to her because she needed to talk to someone who understood the job and was far enough away that it wouldn't get back to anyone in Chicago how much she was struggling.
Antonio had also flown in for the day. Adam's relationship with him hadn't always been the greatest but he appreciated that he wouldn't be where he was today, happy and healthy if it wasn't for Adam and his willingness to protect him as his life spiralled. And he adored Kim. He'd bought his new partner, Maria as well and they were going to spend some time with his kids in Chicago before they left.
He was surprised to learn that they weren't in Intelligence anymore and nobody talked about the reasons why. The distinct lack of anyone other than Trudy and Kevin was notable and he could only imagine. At the end of the day, that place swallowed you whole so he was glad they got out unscathed. Even though that seemed unlikely. You never walked away without scars.
When Kim entered the church, on her own Adam bent down and whispered in Mack's ear. "You were right." She was exquisite. Adam had always told her he loved her hair long, so it was down, tumbling over her shoulders, lightly pinned back behind one ear with some white flowers.
Her long white lace gown wasn't what she dreamed years ago, when she thought she needed the big statement dress but it was perfect for her now. Fitted, belted at her small waist with satin band, short capped sleeves made of delicate lace covering her shoulders with a v-neck and a deep V at the back with a row of small buttons. The skirt clung to her hips but flared out slightly from there and formed a small train. Her bouquet included her favourite flowers, white roses and peonies, surrounded by lilacs for fragrance tied with a long pink ribbon which Makayla had written messages on and drawn a picture of the three of them and adorned with love hearts.
The lilac not only filled her nostrils with their sweet smell it also filled her with sweet memories. They weren't the first flowers Adam had bought her, he had fell victim to the cliched Valentine's Day curse and sent her red roses when they first started dating.
They were, however the first flowers he had hand-picked for her.
Without a doubt the most beautiful thing she wore that day was her smile.
Adam left the tears on his cheeks as she made her way down the aisle and Kim wiped they away. "Happy tears I hope?"
"Happy isn't quite the right word. What's better than happy?" He just didn't know how to describe how to describe how he was feeling.
"I don't know." She smiled. "I've been trying to work it out too."
"You look too beautiful for words, I think I should marry you." It was like they were the only two people in the church.
"Can you?"
The past month had been whirlwind. They'd moved into their new apartment, started new jobs, organised their wedding and dealt with the fallout of their abrupt exit from Intelligence. Not that there was anything from their end, they left and had no communication with anyone from the 21st except Trudy. Kim did have some trauma counselling, which was still going on and Adam had joined her several times and it was helping. They were in a good place.
This felt like the start of a whole new book. A better book, a best seller.
"Care to dance Mrs Ruzek?" Adam held out his hand to his new wife.
The reception was small, in a hall strung with fairy lights and white flowers spilling out of vases on every table. The food was plenty and the drinks flowed. Laughter rang out as they moved around the room and talked to their friends and families.
And they danced.
"Why thank you Mr Burgess."
A happy ending... hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading & all your sweet comments. Hopefully I'll be back soon with another rollercoaster for our faves.
