Harper & Lee Plus Three

A Beautiful Afternoon

My girls hugged me and Rick took a bunch of pictures with us all dressed up and holding our bouquets. Not too long after that, Lisa, my wedding planner from the hotel, came into the room to get us.

We lined up in the hallway outside of the indoor courtyard, just like we practiced multiple times the day before. I was so excited to see the sexuplets. They all looked so cute in their outfits. John met up with me and we linked arms.

"I'm so proud of you, Harper," he said.

"Thanks, Dad," I said to him.

Music started playing. The doors were opened for us. The bridesmaids walked down the aisle, then Ella, then Zozo. Next were the little ones. The first pair was Hawk and Robin. Robin did a great job throwing the flower petals, , but Hawk was taking big handfuls and they ran out when they weren't even halfway down the aisle.

The next pair was Wren and Griffin. Griffin, who was extremely shy, started crying as soon as he realized there were people everywhere staring at him, but he somehow kept going. He stayed with his arm linked to Wren, who threw all the petals. Last was Raven and Phoenix, who smiled, waved to people, and completely forgot to throw down any petals. Raven dumped out the entire basket of petals when she got to the altar, which caused an uproar of laughter from the crowd.

The piano music started, then John and I walked down the aisle. I saw how dapper Lee looked and did my best not to cry. He looked so handsome in his tux. My four boys looked extra adorable in theirs.

John walked me to the altar, where I held hands with Lee. We stood in front of Stanley Sr., who, as a pastor, was going to marry us for free. It was a win-win.

Everyone took their seats and Stanley Sr. cleared his throat.

"Friends and family, we are gathered here today to join Harper and Stanley in marriage," he said. "Let us pray."

We bowed our heads and he said a prayer. The deal was that if he married us, we'd have a traditional Christian ceremony. A deal was a deal.

"And now, the couples will read the vows they've written for each other," said Stanley Sr. He handed the microphone to Lee.

"Harper," Lee said, looking down at his piece of paper. "The moment I found you lost in the woods all those years ago, I knew something was different about you. You light up my life more than anyone ever could. You make me happy when I'm stressed, and you accept the fact that I'm a huge nerd." Everyone laughed. "But through and through, I'll always love you Harper. No matter how many kids we have or where our lives take us."

"You're just too cute," I whispered to him.

Hazel handed me my notecard. Lee gave me the microphone.

"Lee, you showed me how much life is worth living," I said. "I came from a shattered past that left me in pieces, and you picked each one up and helped me glue myself back together. I never thought I was capable of loving someone as much as I could love you. You're the best father our kids could ask for, and I know you'll be the best husband too. I can't wait to love you for all the days left of my life."

I gave the notecard back to Hazel and handed the mic back to Stanley Sr, who said, "May I have the rings?"

Lukas walked up and handed the rings to Stanley Sr. He handed me the first one. Lee and I had identical black onyx wedding bands, but his was a little thicker than mine. We said all the boring stuff about, "with this ring I'll have you and hold you" and blah blah blah. I was starting to worry we'd run over the thirty-minute time slot the hotel gave us, but we were finally getting to the good stuff.

"Do you, Harper Jane Collinsworth, take Stanley to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Stanley Sr. asked.

"I do," I said, holding my shaky hands in Lee's.