| June 3rd | Monday Afternoon |

~ Sam's POV ~

As quick as June 3rd had approached, it also feels like a lifetime between the day I met Megan and the day I'll legally become her wife. I tighten the tie around my neck and straighten the collar of my button-down, giving myself a once-over in the mirror before Blair appears behind me.

"You and Megan matched your outfits perfectly," Blair swoons. "I'm so proud."

I laugh to myself. "You have little faith in me."

"Not true," she argues. "Are you ready? Megan's finished and waiting in the living room with everyone else."

I turn to face my best friend, who had flown in yesterday with Tony, and nod my head eagerly. Without anything else being said, we join everyone else in the living room where conversation of today fills the silence.

Everyone's eyes fall onto me, but I'm looking at Megan who wears a pretty, light blue dress with her hair in perfect curls. She looks even more excited than me, which says a lot because I am so excited for today. There are no nerves or cold feet. There's nothing but pure happiness.

"I can't believe we're doing this." Shawn says as he stands. "My little sister is getting married today."

"You four should get going," Tony suggests. "Casey and I will get everything set up here for after."

"Thank you," Megan says to Casey and Tony. "You two are the best."

"C'mon, I'll drive," Shawn says after kissing his wife goodbye.

"See you in bit," Blair bids Tony goodbye.

The four of us exit the house and climb into Shawn's vehicle, Megan and I taking our places in the back seat. Megan sits in the middle to make sure we're as close as possible and I find it endearing. After we click our seatbelts, her hand slips right into mine.

"We have all the documents, right?" Blair asks thoughtfully.

"Yep," I answer, flashing the paperwork that sits in my lap. "Stop worrying. You're making me anxious."

"I can't help it," Blair responds.

Megan laughs silently next to me before leaning into my shoulder and squeezing my hand. It's funny, really, how my best friend is so nervous about everything going right today that she actually seems more nervous than me and Megan combined. Everything will go perfectly. We've been preparing for this for awhile now.

Shawn pulls into the parking lot and we exit his car.

"Here we go, ladies," he says excitedly. "Megan, are you ready to be my sister-in-law and deal with Sam for the rest of your life?"

"I've been ready for a while, Shawn, you know that."

"Alright then." Shawn opens the door for us. "Let's get you two married."

~

"Dear friends... We meet here for the joyful purpose of joining in marriage; Samantha Marie Carson and Megan Jeanne Adams..." The officiant begins as I reach out for Megan's hand. "As you begin your journey through life together, may I offer you some very important virtues for your consideration...

Among these are love, loyalty, trust, respect, and most importantly understanding..."

Megan squeezes my hand and I hear Blair snap a picture behind us. Shawn stands off to the side to video the ceremony with a huge smile on his face, which manages to make me emotional, but I keep it together.

"These are solid foundations for a happy and endearing home." The officiant looks up from her book with a smile.

I know what's coming next, so I prepare myself for the attention to be focused on Megan and me.

"Megan, do you take Samantha to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Megan looks at me and gives me a smile filled with so much joy that it makes my stomach squeeze.

"I do," she says.

"Do you promise to love and protect her? To honor and respect her? To keep her, in sickness and in health, through the good times and through the bad times? And do you promise to always be faithful to her, and only her?"

"I do."

By this point, we're looking at each other, and I watch Megan mouth the words of promise with a full heart. There's no doubt in my mind that she will because she's consistently done those things since meeting me. I reach out and grab her other hand, knowing it's my turn to make her promises.

"Samantha, do you take Megan to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," I answer confidently.

"And do you promise to love and protect her? To honor..."

The officiant fades out for a moment, but that's okay, because I know I'd do whatever I needed to keep her in the days to come. I will protect her, and I will love her, no matter what, because that's the minimum Megan deserves from me. I would move Heaven and Earth for her if need be, and there was no doubt about that in my mind. Not anymore.

"I do," I confirm as I watch tears of joy form on Megan's waterline.

"Megan, can you repeat after me..."

Megan nods and begins to repeat the words. I picture what my life will be like a few years from now and feel desperate to be there now, but I sit back and tell myself to enjoy the ride.

"Now Sam, repeat after me..."

"I, Sam, take you, Megan, to be my lawfully wedded wife," I say, attempting to keep my voice from trembling. "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish forever..."

By this point, both Megan and I are smiling like idiots, suppressing our emotions the best we can while Blair eagerly snaps pictures around us. Megan is close to tears but is doing a great job holding her composure. I tell her it's okay to cry silently, and she laughs out a sob in response.

"Now that you two have joined yourselves in solid matrimony, and have become one, may you two sincerely strive all your lives to meet this commitment with the same love and devotion that has brought you here today...

"By the virtue of authority invested in me..." the officiant finishes. "It is my pleasure to say, that from this moment on, you are now wife and wife, and may now seal it with a kiss."

I eagerly pull Megan into me and press our lips together. The taste of salty water lets me know she's crying, but it's no doubt from pure joy. The relief I feel knowing we will be a team from here on out causes tears to form for me as well, but I try to hold it together just a little longer. The love I feel in this room threatens to send me over the edge regardless.

We end the kiss in an attempt not to get carried away, but my arms wrap around her for a hug. Her lips kiss my ear and she whispers that she loves me. I eagerly do the same. In the corner of my eye, I see Shawn and Blair blotting away their own tears with tissues. Suddenly, the strongest sense of happiness I've ever felt surrounds me.

"Now you're stuck with me," she says with a smile when she pulls back.

"Well, I can't think of a better person to be stuck with forever, Mrs. Carson."

~

We return home to cheers of celebration and a loud popping of a confetti gun that sprays streams of colorful paper all over Megan and me when we walk through the door. I see the familiar faces of Casey and Tony, along with Dane, J.C., Andre, Ty, Mia, and Chris. Everyone is excited for our arrival, and Charlie jumps on us after weaving through the crowd of people.

Everything feels dream-like, but I enjoy it regardless. The celebration commences and I fall into conversations with my friends, wondering if there will ever be a day that will top this one. We mingle and we boast and forget all about our responsibilities and worries for the time being. It's nice to let go and just enjoy today. I find myself basking in it.

Eventually, my brother catches me alone and pulls me into our backyard where it's a bit quieter.

"So..." he starts. "How does it feel?"

I shrug. "You know, it feels... familiar. Like, nothing's really changed, it's just solidified."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yeah." I nod. "It is."

"Good." He pats my back with assurance. "That's really good, Sam."

I glance through the backdoor and see Megan talking excitedly with Casey and Blair. Then I remember something I've been wanting to talk to my brother about and hope he doesn't freak when I do so.

"Hey, so, I need to tell you something..."

He looks at me apprehensively, but nods for me to go ahead.

"Megan and I... we're thinking of applying to adopt."

Shawn stares at me and doesn't say anything. Maybe he doesn't know what to say, which is fine, but part of me is hoping he doesn't take this negatively. It may seem sudden to him, because it still feels sudden to me, but that doesn't make it feel like a bad decision.

"A-Adopt...?" he repeats.

"A little girl Megan had in her class this year..." I begin to explain. "I know this probably sounds crazy to you, but this little girl, I don't know, she just reminds me so much of... me." I shift my weight nervously. "And at first, when Megan initially brought this up, it scared the shit out of me, because I never thought of myself as fit to care for a child.

But over the past few months... I don't know, I just feel like there's no one that will understand her better than I will," I reveal. "We have very similar histories, and now the thought of caring for her no longer scares me."

Shawn is shocked, like, severely shocked, but he doesn't react the way I expected him to. He just tilts his head and sips his drink before nodding.

"Is this one of the reasons for the courthouse wedding?" he asks.

"Yes," I answer.

At first, he doesn't say anything else, which worries me. I expect him to tell me it's too soon, which would hurt, because I no longer felt that way. I really just wanted him to know, but also possibly support the decision.

"If you and Megan are on the same page about this, and you both feel ready..." He shrugs. "Then I fully support it, and that's all I'm gonna say."

I smile in response and that gives me enough to feel ready to make this jump. Shawn can tell his response means a lot to me, but he doesn't want to dwell, so instead, he changes the subject.

"Now, introduce me to Dane so I can learn more about this business plan you like so much," he suggests.

I excitedly bring him back inside to introduce him to Dane, who is dancing with Andre in his arms. When me and Shawn approach him, he hands Andre over to J.C. and sticks out his hand. The introductions are light and happy, which is a massive relief. I want my brother to like Dane as much as I like him, and there's no doubt in my mind that he will, especially after they have this discussion.

Eventually, Megan finds me mid-conversation and steals me away. As her hand holds on to mine, she leads me out the back door and into our backyard. Once we're completely alone, she faces me.

"So, how'd he take it?" Megan asks.

"He supports us," I answer. "He just wants us to be on the same page about everything."

"And... are we still on the same page?"

"Yeah." I nod. "We are."

Megan releases a sigh of relief and falls into me. My arms wrap around her and hold her close, feeling the heat of her body warm me.

"I hope we get approved," she whispers.

"Me too," is all I say back.

I have a good feeling about it, and I have a good feeling about us, and our future. As I sway with Megan to the faint sound of music and stare inside our house, the scene before me tells me everything I need to know about our future that seems to be coming together right before my very eyes. Blair and Dane are talking in all smiles while Tony and Shawn watch Casey and J.C. play with Andre.

I can see the love just as much as I can feel it, and something about it all just tells me Ava will be a part of it very soon.