Butterflies in my stomach, weakness in my knees, tingles from each kiss — Brian made me feel all of it. 

When you fall for someone, you hope to feel this way forever. What they don't tell you is that love changes. Matures. Grows like the two people sharing it.

I fell in love with a boy, but the guy I'm marrying today is a man. The father of our almost-two-year-old daughter. Someone I admire and adore even more now that we've been through so much together.

"Is Iris going to get a little brother or sister after your wedding night?" Annie asks, giggling while Tara is adjusting my dreamlike wedding dress. The beaded bodice sparkles in the sunlight because of the tiny crystals sewn into it, and the skirt is made of the most delicate tulle. The girls helped me choose it, and thanks to Tara, I got a discount. 

I laugh, running my fingertips over the thin straps. "We've got a little hurricane to keep us busy. I don't think Iris will get a sibling anytime soon. We're still studying, anyway."

And not everything is always smooth. Thanks to our families, we have the best support system we could have asked for, but sometimes parenting, studying, and working all at once gets overwhelming. There are lots of happy days filled with our baby's laughter, but there are also nights when we crash to sleep tired to the bone and lots of stressful mornings.

"All done." Tara claps and grins, looking at me. "You look beautiful. I'm so happy for you."

Annie touches my arm. "Me too."

Both girls hug me, and when I hear one of them sniffle, my eyes fill with tears.

A knock on the door breaks us apart. 

"Come in," I say.

Mom and Aria enter the room, and I fight the urge to bawl my eyes out when they look at me with awe. 

"So beautiful," Mom says, wiping the moisture off her cheeks.

"Stunning." Aria hands me, my mom, and the girls flutes with champagne and raises hers. "To Leah. I couldn't have wished for a better wife for my son."

I take a sip of the bubbly drink and glance at myself in the mirror. My hands tremble slightly because it's almost time for me to go to the garden where the ceremony will be.

When my dad's voice sounds in the hallway, I'm about to become a teary mess for real.

I open the door, and he freezes. Then he crushes me into a hug, and I hug him back, taking deep breaths to get rid of the nerves.

"Brian's very lucky," Dad says. "It's a good thing that he knows it. You look beautiful. I love you, baby."

I swallow the tears. "I love you too."

We take a moment to collect ourselves. By the time we're ready, Aria has slipped out of the room, and so have the girls. Iris is with Jim and Ava. Everyone's waiting for me, and I give Dad a nod, linking my arm through his.

We walk down the hallway and descend the marble staircase of the luxurious hotel-slash-restaurant Dad insisted on paying for. 

The wedding march plays when my feet step on the carpet leading to the hotel garden.

I take in the flowers around me. My eyes pause on the rows of seats, our guests, and my daughter in Jim's arms.

And then, I see him, and my knees shake.

He might be wearing a suit with a crisp white shirt, and his hair might be slightly less messy, but he's still my Brian. 

Even when he pinches the bridge of his nose and looks away for a split second.

Even when he takes a deep breath and looks skyward before refocusing on me standing in front of him.

"Yo, Kitten," Brian whispers, not giving a damn about the officiant who started the ceremony. "You look...wow."

"You look beautiful, O'Brien," I say, and he chuckles, wiping the tears off his eyes with the back of his hand.

We stare at each other until it's time to say our vows. 

We skip that part because we have a list. And half of the things on it aren't meant for our guests' ears. 

"I love you," Brian says instead.

I want to kiss him, and I hate to wait, but all I can do is say, "I love you more."

A commotion around us tells me the most important part of our wedding is about to happen now. Jim and Ava stand and put Iris down. She clutches the box with the rings in her tiny hands and pauses. 

"Come on, Princess," Brian says.

"Daddy!"

Iris giggles, trying to run. Jim catches her when she's about to fall and stays behind as she walks up to us.

"Thank you." Brian kisses her cheeks and takes the wedding bands she's giving him.

Iris stays in his arms while we slip the rings on each other's fingers. And she still clings to her dad's neck when he kisses me, and I kiss him back to the sound of clapping and cheers.

***

"This is the best wedding I've been to," Brian says as we sway on the dancefloor hours later. 

I press my lips to his. "Absolutely."

"And it'll only get better once we get the fuck out of here."

"What if I don't want to?" I pout.

"I'll show you the boy. Or throw you over my shoulder. It's up to you."

"I choose both."

"How about now?"

I gasp. "Brian!"

"I'm kidding, babe," he says. "We need to eat first to have energy for later."

We kiss, forgetting that all eyes are on us. When the song is over, Brian leads me to our table and makes sure I try every delicious dish available. My wine glass is never empty, but Brian hasn't been drinking at all. It puzzles me, but I decide against asking him.

Later, I dance with Jim. 

"Any plans for tonight?" he asks with a barely-there smirk on his lips.

"Maybe. Thanks to you. We're grateful for your help with Iris, you know?"

"Stop." Jim laughs, twirling me. "We love her, and she loves us. My parents, grandparents, and Iris will spend the night with us at our condo, and you'll come there tomorrow when you're ready. It's your night. Enjoy it. We'll play with her and do fun stuff. She won't have time to miss the two of you."

"We'll babysit your future kids, too," I say. 

Jim says nothing, just gives me a wink and kisses my cheek when the song is over, and he lets go of me.

I dance with my dad and Mr. O'Brien next and save a dance for Mac. My husband's best man can't look away from his girl, and I give him a knowing smile. 

Iris is sleepy by the time the waiter brings our cake, but she helps us cut it and eat it. Brian feeds her and me, and it's the adorable highlight of the wedding banquet.

The eyes of my husband, who's holding our daughter in his arms, soften when he catches me grin as I observe the beautiful garden and our guests. I kiss Iris and him and bask in the feeling of happiness, feeling hopeful, loved, and blessed all at once.

I nudge Mac's ribs. "Ready?"

"Why am I nervous?" he asks, huffing. "And why didn't you tell me I would be?"

"He did you dirty." Bast smirks into his tumbler and takes a sip of Jack. "But you can't back down."

"I would never." Mac smoothes the lapels of his jacket and inhales. 

My eyes dart to Leah, who's about to throw her bouquet. Tara, Annie, Dakota, and her girlfriend Katie are there, giggling and whispering as Kitten raises the flowers in the air.

The bouquet falls into Tara's hands. She giggles and claps and I wink at my best friend.

Annie suspects nothing when Mac walks up to her. But when he gives her a bunch of roses and gets down on his knee, she covers her mouth with her palms and freezes.

I don't hear what he says, but just like I thought, Annie jumps into his arms once he straightens up, and they kiss.

I give Mac a thumbs up, and so does Bast. The proposal didn't happen when Mac wanted it to, but I'm happy I helped to make it special. 

There's something I planned for my favorite person as well, but I look for my brother first.

Jim is talking to Dad next to the bar. I head over to them, and they fall quiet when they see me. 

"You're a married man, little fucker," Dad says. "It suits you."

"Thanks, Pops. For everything. And thank you, Jim. I don't know how I would've managed without you."

Jim gives me a tight hug. "Congratulations once again. Go spend time with the love of your life. We'll be heading home soon cause Iris is sleepy."

My daughter is in Leah's arms. Both of us kiss her soft cheeks and hand her to my mom.

"Hotel room?" Leah cocks her head to the side. 

I cup her cheek and kiss her. "No, Kitten."

She narrows her eyes, but all I do is grab her hand and lead her out of the garden.

"Where are we going?" she asks with a nervous giggle.

When Leah sees my bike, she halts. 

"I'm whisking you away." I hand her a helmet and put mine on.

"But what about the room? And my things?"

I nod toward the backpack. "In there."

Thanks to Annie and Tara, we have the essentials. They knew what I wanted to do and kept quiet not to spoil Leah's surprise.

"That's why you weren't drinking," Leah says. 

I chuckle. "Yeah. Hop on."

Riding a bike with a wedding dress on can't be comfortable, but Leah doesn't complain. A pang of nostalgia pierces through me at the feeling of her small hands on my stomach. 

I squeeze her fingers before starting the engine. The night highway greets us in a few minutes, and it feels symbolic — the road we get to cruise down together as husband and wife.

Half an hour later, we're next to my cabin. 
I help Kitten get off the bike, grab the backpack, and take her hand. "Ready?"

Laughing, we run down the narrow path between the trees until we're on the beach. Leah takes off her shoes and sprints to the water, dragging me along.

Her giggles echo in the warm summer air as I pick her up and spin her around. 

"I love you," I say, breathless.

Leah puts her hands on my neck and claims my lips, pouring everything she feels into the kiss.

She's the most beautiful girl I've seen. The prettiest bride I've seen. I'm lucky she's mine and even luckier to have Iris, who's a mini copy of her mom with her father's temper. 

"I love you too," Kitten says.

I put her down gently and wrap her in my arms. For a moment, we stand and look at the calm ocean water. 

"I think it's time to get you drunk, babe," I say.

Leah's smile is bright when her eyes land on the bottle of plum liqueur in my hand. 

"Pops Senior made it especially for today," I say, pouring the drink in two cups.

Leah raises hers and takes a sip. "Just as good as I remember." 

"If you want me to show you the boy, I can."

She pretends to be deep in thought, but then her arms are around my waist, and her lips are on mine again.

We kiss for a long time. When we break apart, Leah gazes into my eyes and slides her fingers through my hair. "I'm lucky to have you. You know that, don't you?"

"I do," I say, swallowing. I got emotional when I saw her walk toward me in her white dress, and I'm emotional now because it feels as if we've come full circle. 

I'd probably be okay if I'd never met her, but I'm happy I did. She didn't change me — she made me want to be a better version of myself and gave me love and patience when I deserved neither. 

"I'm the lucky one, Kitten," I whisper into Leah's hair. "Let's go?"

She picks up her shoes and starts to walk, but I scoop her up and carry her to the cabin.

She doesn't know that rose petals and candles are waiting for us in our bedroom, and I can't wait to see the look of surprise on her face. 

I can't wait to make love to her.

And I'm certain that the love I feel toward her and our little Iris will never go away. It will only grow deeper and stronger. 

I don't know what life has in store for me, but I can't wait to find out as long as my girls are by my side, giving me hope.

I'm not crying...

Of course, I totally am. The epilogue is coming soon, and then Brian and Leah's story will be over for real.

Thank you for loving them.  ❤  Hope you can see their growth and like it as much as I liked writing it.

Love you all!