Chase - One Year Later
I stood at the altar with my brothers and Matt. The girls had already come down the aisle and had taken their places across from us. The doors opened at the back of the church, and the second I set my eyes on Sophie, I could feel the tears start to form. I swallowed back the lump in my throat and watched as Sophie walked down that aisle, leaving me weak in the knees. She looked absolutely stunning. Once she stood before me, I leaned in and kissed her cheek. I couldn't wait for her to be mine.
After the ceremony, we had partied the night away with our friends and family. It was midnight, and we had just finished sharing another dance when I pulled her into me and whispered that I thought it was a good time to get going. I watched the look in her eyes as she silently agreed with me. We said our good-byes and left the venue.
I rolled over and looked at my sleeping wife. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was only five; the sun was barely up. I slid my arm under her and pulled her against me, listening to the soft moan that escaped her lips. We were leaving for our honeymoon in six hours. Two weeks in Hawaii, just us, no distractions.
"Baby, good morning," I whispered, sucking her earlobe into my mouth.
"Morning," she mumbled sleepily and stretched.
"Are you ready for our next adventure?"
She opened her sleep-filled eyes and looked at me. "What time is it?" I could hear the panic in her voice at the thought we had slept in.
"It's only five. We have lots of time."
Sophie raised herself up onto her elbows and looked around the hotel room. "I almost forgot where we were." She mumbled, laughing, "Guess we should get up then and have some breakfast."
I grabbed her, pulling her back down. "No way, not yet. I haven't made love to my wife yet this morning," I mumbled, kissing the side of her neck and rolling her so I was on top.
"We can't be late." Sophie laughed and then sucked in her breath as I sucked her nipple into my mouth.
"Are you already making up excuses? My brothers did warn me of this you know.” I chuckled. “Calm down. We won't be late, no worries. Just relax and let me work my magic."
Sophie let out a laugh as I squeezed her sides before kissing my way down her body. I loved watching my wife come undone, and make her come undone I did.
Three hours later, we walked hand in hand through the airport to our gate. We had lots of time, so as we wandered, we stopped in some of the shops along the way. We browsed around, each of us grabbing a couple of books and magazines for the beach. We grabbed a couple coffees and bagels along the way, too, since we hadn't had time for breakfast at the hotel.
We were now seated at the gate, both reading, both eating breakfast and sipping on hot coffee.
I looked up from my book and watched her. The soft smile on her lips as she read what must have been a funny part in her favorite author's newest rom-com. It was in those few moments that I realized I couldn't have been happier. I had married my best friend. Someone who had always understood me, always listened when I needed her to. I was only sad for a second when I realized that I had wasted all this time. She had been right in front of me all along. What mattered now was that we start our lives together.
"What's got you so serious?" she questioned, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Nothing." I smiled and shoved my head back into my book. When I looked up again a few minutes later, I caught her watching me.
"What were you thinking about, Chase?" she asked.
"Just how much I love you," I answered, grabbing her hand and lacing my fingers through hers.
Her cheeks lit with color and she smiled. "I love you too."
The overhead speaker called out our flight number. We gathered our stuff, grabbed our bags, and made our way over to the boarding gate. I was beyond blessed, and I couldn’t wait to start forever with Sophie.