Reagan
The wind whistled through the trees and doves cooed in the distance. Beside me, Arrie held my hand as we walked over white rose petals that led to Lannie, who was dressed in a white bridal gown only three sizes larger than mine—we’d both fallen in love with the same dress.
I didn’t feel upstaged. I felt honored when he’d told me what fantastic taste I had. Of course, I’d had to let the man wear that magnificent dress too.
It wasn’t just our wedding. It was a day to officially make us all one big family. Lannie had brought us together again, so he’d become a part of our family, too. His parents had been so stubborn and demanding—they’d earned a role in our family as well.
Arrie’s mother and her husband Bill had come in a week earlier. She couldn’t believe she’d been a grandmother and hadn’t even known it. But she’d never said one harsh word about it. That made her a special part of our family to me.
My parents had accepted Arrie without an ounce of hesitation. That made them special to my almost-husband. And we’d all formed this union before traditionally forming our own.
So the evening had come when Arslan Dawson and I would form that union, legally. Lannie put his hands in the air as Arrie and I stopped in front of him. “Hallelujah! And can I get an amen up in here?” he shouted.
Our guests shouted in unison, “Amen!”
Lannie went on, “Ladies and gentlemen. Doctors and nurses. Grandmothers and grandfathers. We’re all gathered here together to get through this thing called life.”
I whispered, “I think you’re kind of stepping on Prince’s toes there, Lannie.”
“Shit, you’re right,” he said. Raising his head, he corrected himself. “What I mean to say is, would you all please join me in this revolution we call life.” He winked at me.
Our guests shouted, “Yes, we will!”
Arrie smiled at me, and I smiled right back. “And now, will you all please join me in committing two audacious souls to a happily ever after to end them all, my brothers and sisters?”
“Hell yes, we will!” they all shouted.
I cocked my head to one side as I looked at Lannie. “You did not put lines for them to say on some kind of handout, did you?”
“It’s called the program, honey. Now, hush.” Lannie tweaked the tip of my nose. “You did put me in charge, did you not?”
Arrie shrugged. “You did, Reagan. Just go with it so we can get to the good stuff.”
“Okay,” I said as I gave Lannie a look that said he should hurry this up. I did have some great news to tell Arrie and Skye. But I wanted to wait until after we were man and wife. “But speed it up.”
“Never!” Lannie let me know. Music swelled in the air. A single note rang out from an electric guitar. “Marriage isn’t something to take for granted. Marriage is the absolute commitment two people can make. I am going to ask these two kids some questions most clergymen won’t. So hold tight to your seats, guests. Things are about to get wild and steamy up in here.” Lannie leaned in. “Now do you understand why Skye is being kept inside with headphones on while I do this part?”
I began to sweat. “Oh hell. I’m really beginning to regret this.”
Lannie merely smiled, and I noticed that his red lipstick had rubbed off on one of his front teeth. I reached up to wipe it away with my fingertip. He caught my hand after I’d cleaned it away. “You do love me, don’t you, Ray-Ray?”
“Of course, I do.” I leaned in and kissed his cheek.
The guests clapped and hollered as Lannie hushed them, “Now, now. Let us go on. Arslan Miguel Dawson—henceforth to be called Arrie—do you take this woman in sickness, health, violent bouts of diarrhea, and even menstrual cramps, until death do you part?”
Arrie chuckled his answer, “I do.”
“Cool, man,” Lannie said as they high-fived, and then he looked at me. “Reagan Dreamchild Storey—henceforth to be called Ray-Ray—do you take this man in sickness, health, dizzying conversations about the brain that will make your will to live disappear, and flatulence that will steal your very soul, until death do you part?”
I looked at Arrie, knowing I could take his neurosurgeon conversations, but wondering about the soul-stealing farts. “Are your farts really that bad?” While Arrie shook his head, Lannie nodded. “I’ll just have to chance it. I do.”
“Good luck, sister,” Lannie said out of the side of his mouth. He looked at Arrie. “Arrie, do you think you can live with, love with, cry with, and laugh with this woman for the rest of your life?”
The way Arrie gazed at me told me more than his words ever could. “I can.”
Lannie didn’t have anything smart to say about that. “That’s love right there, people. Straight up, love.” He looked at me. “The same, Ray-Ray?”
I looked at Lannie. “The same thing you asked Arrie?”
He nodded then put his hand on his hip. “Duh.”
“Okay.” I looked at Arrie with a serious expression on my face. “I would love nothing more than continue to live, love, laugh, and cry with you forever, Arslan Dawson.”
Lannie had one last thing to say. “Do either of you have anything you’d like to ask the other before I make this marriage official?”
Arrie nodded then looked at me. “Is your middle name really Dreamchild?”
Laughing, I shook my head. “I don’t have a middle name. Lannie made that up.”
“Good, that was way too hippie-dippie for me.” Arrie leaned in to kiss me.
Lannie stopped him. “Hold up! Not yet, lover boy. Send in the ring bearer.”
An electric guitar solo ensued as Skye came out of the glass door of the back deck, carrying the pillow with our wedding bands sewn onto it so they wouldn’t fall off. Because no one wants almost a million bucks worth of jewelry to get lost in the thick green grass of one’s backyard.
Cheeks bright red with embarrassment, our son brought our rings to us. Arrie scooped him up. “Hey there, slugger. You got our rings?”
“I do.” Skye laughed hysterically. “Hey, I got to say it too!”
Handing my bouquet off to my mother, I got ready for Arrie to put that gorgeous ring on my finger. “We’re ready, Lannie.”
“K, here it goes,” Lannie set it up. “All you’ve got to say is, with this ring, I thee wed. Go Arrie!”
Yanking the ring to pull it free from the string that held it to the pillow, Arrie looked at me as he slipped it onto my finger. Still holding our son, he said, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
All I could do was smile as I pulled the other ring off the pillow. I put it on Arrie’s finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Skye shouted, “I now announce you, man and wife!”
Lannie quickly protested, “Hey! That’s my line. I know pronounce you, man and wife.”
Skye’s eyebrows waggled as he looked at Lannie. “You may kiss the broad!”
Arrie and I broke into laughter as Lannie corrected him, “You may now kiss the bride.”
Arrie pulled me close, still holding our son, and kissed me softly and sweetly. Then we both kissed our son on opposite cheeks as the cameras flashed.
Later on, finally man and wife, the music started to play. Arrie, Skye, and I danced together until Lannie came to steal our partner, taking Skye. Arrie and I slow-danced to a fast tune, totally in our world.
My heart had never felt more complete. “Who knew marriage felt this way?”
Arrie looked up at the starry night sky. “Not me. I didn’t have a clue. I’ve never been happier. And I mean that.” He looked at me. “I really do mean that. If this is all we ever have, I’ll never be sad a day in my life.”
“Me too,” I agreed. We swayed to the music together, until our guests began to drag us away from one another.
His step-father asked me to dance and my mom asked him to dance. We were traded from one person to another until my feet grew so sore I had to take my shoes off.
It was magical, and all I saw were smiles everywhere I turned. Not a sad eye in the house. Not even one frown. Only smiles. And I couldn’t have been happier.
Midnight came around, and our son finally began to drag a bit. The guests started leaving and, one by one, we said our goodbyes.
Then Arrie and I carried our sleepy son up to bed. We sat on the edge of his bed, both of us running our hands over his small head. And I took that time to tell them my news. “Did my boys have a good day?”
Arrie smiled while Skye nodded. “What a day, Momma.”
Arrie leaned over to kiss my cheek. “Best day of my life.”
“So far,” I said.
Arrie shook his head. “No. Best day ever. None will beat this one.”
“Wanna bet?” I asked.
Skye leaned up on his elbows. “You’ve got a secret, don’t ya?”
I nodded. “A little one.”
Arrie took my hands, holding them between us. “Spill it, Mrs. Dawson.”
“I wanted you two to be the first to know.” I put my hands in both theirs. “We’re having a baby!”
Screams of happiness came out of all of us. Skye flew out of bed and we all hugged and jumped around in a circle. And nothing had ever felt more right.
It had only been Skye and me for so long. Then Arrie had found us, and we’d become even better, the three of us together. And now, a real family, we were already growing.
Skye shouted, “We’ve found it, Momma.”
“What’s that?” I asked as we stopped jumping.
“Our happy ending!” Skye exclaimed.
Arrie interjected, “Oh no, son. This isn’t the ending. What we’ve found is our happy present. The happiness isn’t anywhere near over.”
I ran my hand over Skye’s chubby cheek. “And we’re not nearly at our ending.”
Our son laughed as his father laid him back in his bed. “I meant our happily ever after.”
Now that, we’ve definitely found!
The End
Did you like this book? Then you’ll LOVE What The Doctor Orders: A Billionaire Doctor Romance (Saved by the Doctor Book Two)
I wasn’t looking for love when it found me in my backyard…
My neighbor’s son came in and stole my heart, then his father did the same.
Nothing had ever been easier than being with him.
His gaze set me ablaze, his soft whispers turned me into a puddle of lust, and his touch blew me away.
As easy as it was to be with him, to let him into my heart, and to fall deeply in love—I knew his son came first. And I agreed—at the time.
But love doesn’t let us wait sometimes—and this was one of those times.
I didn’t have only one person to convince not to throw our love away, I had three.
A daunting task to say the least, but one well worth taking on. For a love like ours only comes around once in a lifetime and that makes it well worth fighting for…
If you want to read the entire Saved by the Doctor Series at a discount, you can get the complete box set by clicking here.