LANCE STOOD UNDER THE CUSTOM-MADE TRELLIS IN A BLACK tuxedo, looking past the rows of white chairs filled with guests, awaiting his bride. He’d never anticipated a moment like this in his life. He never knew marriage could loom so large in his heart and mind, that the thought of a woman becoming his wife could so fill him. But not just any woman. This woman. As beautifully as everything had come together, his mind wasn’t on the new landscaping or the canopy of lights. It was on Kendra.
Pastor Lyles watched him from a couple feet over. “How are you doing, son?”
“You already know,” Lance said. “Anxious.”
The pastor smiled. “I thank God for you.”
Lance quirked a brow at him.
“The first time I saw you, you were hard, cold, and lost. Now I look at you . . .” Pastor Lyles nodded, as if holding back emotion. “I thank God for you,” he said again.
“Don’t get me started up here, Pastor,” Lance said. “I’m having a hard enough time as it is.”
“Here they come,” Trey said, standing next to him. “There’s Molly.”
Music had been streaming through a speaker system set up for the wedding—with easy approval from surrounding neighbors. But as Molly came up the aisle, the song changed to “I Can Only Imagine”—and for Lance, emotion swirled all the more. Thinking of seeing Jesus face-to-face and what that would be like, and that Kendra might see Him sooner than he wanted to imagine . . . he almost lost it. Still, the song’s beauty and imagery, today of all days, was captivating.
Molly walked slowly up the pathway and took her place at the front, and Brooklyn started down at the top of the second verse, to a chorus of “Awww.” She was beaming and adorable as ever, dotting the pathway with pretty petals. Ellen stood on the aisle near the back, raising a tissue to her face.
Brooklyn sprinkled the last of her petals and stood in front of Molly. The guests stood and turned to the back. Lance’s gaze was already there, waiting.
As the chorus built and the singer belted, “Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel . . . ,” Kendra appeared. He’d had no idea what she’d be wearing, but royal purple couldn’t have been more stunningly suited. She looked like a queen. As she made her way toward him, her gaze was fixed on his. Lance let the tears roll.
Kendra’s pace with her dad was slow, but it seemed a purposeful slow, not a painful slow. Cyd had assured him she was feeling okay today, but he was relieved to see for himself.
Kendra and her dad came near as the song closed—“I can only imagine, when all I would do, is forever . . . forever worship You . . .”
Something clicked in Lance’s heart, and he pondered it even as Pastor Lyles began his opening remarks. No matter what happened this side of eternity, he and Kendra would both worship the Lord forever. And there would be no sickness.
“Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” Pastor Lyles was saying.
“I do,” Marlon said, “with the firm belief that Cynthia would love and support this union just as much as I.”
Marlon sat down, and Lance moved closer, facing his bride. Kendra passed her bouquet to Molly and slipped her hands inside Lance’s.
“Lance and Kendra,” Pastor Lyles continued, “you stand before us very aware that marriage is not to be entered into lightly, but reverently. It is a covenant before God, a union to which heaven itself bears witness. As children of God, redeemed through Jesus Christ, your marriage is a reflection of Him—of unconditional love, of selflessness. Of sacrifice. But I know you know this”—he looked into their eyes, as if speaking to them only—“because your very union is an illustration to all of us of love and sacrifice.”
Lance saw a flicker of something in Kendra’s eyes, like she was laboring to focus. They’d met with Pastor Lyles at the house this past month as he counseled them, and in the last session, they’d gone over the service and decided to keep it short—no songs, no readings—given Kendra’s health. Now Lance wondered if she’d even make it through this.
Pastor Lyles looked out at the guests. “Lance and Kendra have written their own vows, which they will now share with—”
Everyone gasped as Kendra suddenly slumped—but Lance caught her in his arms. He picked her up and carried her to the front row, where Cyd and Cedric had quickly risen to make room.
Lance laid her on his lap, cradled in his arms, comforted that she was looking at him.
“What are you feeling, sweetheart?” He searched her eyes. “What’s hurting?”
“I don’t know what happened,” she murmured. “My legs just . . . lost power.” She shifted her head slightly and saw the guests standing, staring. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“If embarrassment is your main concern, we might be good.” He sighed. “You have no idea how much you scared me.”
Darla ran forward with bottled water and peanut butter crackers. “Here,” she said. “It’s helped in the past.”
Lance took them. “Thanks, Darla.” He unscrewed the cap and lifted Kendra’s head, helping her drink.
She took a couple gulps. “My lip gloss’ll be messed up.”
Lance shook his head at her, amused. “Can we just get you strong enough to say your vows and become my wife, and you can worry about lip gloss later?”
He took a cracker from the pack, broke a piece off, and gave it to her. Kendra chewed it slowly, then drank more water.
“How are you feeling?”
Kendra finished the cracker. “I feel okay, but the test will be when I try to stand.”
“We can do our vows right here, just like this.”
“I want to try though,” Kendra said. “I want to stand.”
Lance helped her to a sitting position, then helped her to her feet. Slowly she walked, hand in his, to the foot of the trellis, as the guests cheered.
Pastor Lyles whispered to Kendra, “We can do this sitting, no problem.”
Kendra leaned on Lance. “I’ll make it.”
“Without further ado,” the pastor announced, “we’ll move to the vows.” He turned to Lance and gave a nod.
Lance looked into Kendra’s eyes. “There is no me without you. You’re a gift from God that I will treasure all of our days.” He paused, swallowing emotion, wanting to get through it. “I can’t love you with my love because it’s not enough. I promise to love you with the love God gives me for you . . . and He tells me it’s endless. I promise to seek Him for your every need, to trust Him with every one of our days, and to believe that His goodness and loving-kindness will follow us all the days of our lives.”
Lance paused again. Maybe it was the excitement of a few minutes ago, but his mind had suddenly gone blank. He couldn’t remember the last part of his vows.
He winged it. “For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health?” His tone said that was a given. “Girl, I would lay down my life for you. I will cherish you, protect you, pray for you, and be to you everything that God gives me the grace and strength to be.” He flicked a tear away. “I love you, Kendra.”
Kendra’s hands were shaking in his as she tried to hold it together. “You were my knight in shining armor when I felt abandoned and alone. You were salt and light when my world had spoiled and gone dark. You were an answer to a prayer I hadn’t even prayed.” Her voice broke, and she squeezed his hands. “You are God’s goodness to me. You led me to truly know Jesus, and you’ve shown me what it truly means to be loved.”
Lance glanced at Pastor Lyles, surprised as the pastor dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to be the wife you need, and that scares me . . .” Tears rolled down Kendra’s eyes. “But I promise to ask God to help me. I promise to spend every day loving you more than I ever thought possible. And I promise to spend every day in wonder that I even have another day to live with you.” Her gaze lingered with his. “I love you so much.”
Pastor Lyles needed a moment himself before he continued. He proceeded with the exchange of the rings, then put his hands on their shoulders, smiling.
“By the authority vested in me as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I declare that Lance and Kendra are now husband and wife . . .”
Lance didn’t hear the rest. His mind stopped at husband and wife. She was his wife.
“. . . You may kiss your bride.”
He felt his heart knocking in his chest as he drew Kendra near. They’d never kissed. Not by agreement—they’d never talked about it. He just wanted everything to be right, and in his heart, it seemed right to wait.
Their arms enfolded each other, and for a moment they simply gazed into each other’s eyes. Then his lips brushed hers, and softly he kissed her.
The backyard erupted with applause and cheers as everyone stood. A cameraman stood within a few feet, filming the action. The photographer had been near the entire time.
Pastor Lyles did a final charge and benediction, and Lance took Kendra’s arm in his as they started to walk back down the path. But partway, he decided he wasn’t taking a chance. He picked her up and carried her, to even louder cheers.
“I was about to say this is silly, and I can walk,” Kendra said, “but I like being in my husband’s strong arms.”
“That’s a good thing,” Lance said, “because I don’t want a day to pass when I don’t hold you in my arms.”
She snuggled in, holding him as he held her. “I’ll never forget the day I became Mrs. Alexander. This is the best day of my life.”