Ride

28: Finally

“Niclas… What…” But before I could say anything else Niclas got down on one knee and took out the circular band I had caught a glimpse of in the box. My hand went to cover my gaping mouth as more tears streamed down my face. “Oh my God…”

“Alabama Carson I love you, I love you so much and I would rather be with you than anyone else in this world. You love me with all your heart and I know sometimes we argue and we fight but it’s all part of the package deal, and it’s what makes us stronger. Baby, let's dance together at our wedding. I can't imagine growing old with anyone else, nor do I want to. I know you're the only one I want to share the rest of my life with. The story of our love is only beginning. Let's write our own happy ending. There are many ways to be happy in this life, but all I really need is you. When I look into your eyes, I can see a reflection of the two of us and the life I hope we'll share together. I know my life will never be complete without you beside me to share it. I promise you, no one will work harder to make you happy or cherish you more than me. When I think about you, I know that no one else will ever hold my heart the way you do. Let's make a plan. Ten years from tonight, we'll tell our children the story of how I proposed to you. Life offers many challenges. I know I can meet them if you're willing to face them with me. I believe that if we're lucky enough to have found each other in the first place we can be lucky enough to stay strong no matter what. You deserve the very best, someone who love you without end. Will you let me be the one? I’ll love you and our baby like no other. Allie, will you marry me?" I was speechless, deeply and utterly speechless. Niclas gently took my left hand and waited for me to respond before he would slip the ring onto my wedding finger.

I nodded my head like crazy, the words wouldn’t form in my mouth, and I was just so happy and my heart was beating a thousand miles a minute and I was crying like a baby and Niclas looked so handsome, so happy and I wish I could take a picture of this moment but at the same time I didn’t want to because the only one I want this moment to last with is Niclas. I didn’t want to share this moment with anyone else.

“Oh my God, Niclas yes, yes” I finally said as he slowly slid the ring onto my finger and stood up to kiss me. 

I know that some people might criticize us, I know that some people might not agree but Niclas and I had decided to get married and have the wedding in two weeks. We had already gone against a lot of the social norms anyways, why make our wedding an exception? I wasn’t the type of girl who wanted a huge wedding. I liked small parties surrounded by people I love. Niclas joked that we should just get married in court but we obviously didn’t want it to be like that. We wanted it to be special. So we decided to have our wedding at the Hastings House. It was a beautiful place in San Francisco that let's couples plan their wedding and carry it out there. The venue looked out to the bay and the whole entire place was surrounded with lush beautiful flowers and plants. On the other side it was like a fairytale garden. There were fountains and all these kinds of exotic flowers. The moment I saw the venue I knew it was where I wanted to marry Niclas.

The place was magical. It was as if a fairy would pop out at any moment or a mermaid would be caught waving from the ocean, the flowers gave wonderful aromatic scents and the trees swayed in the blowing wind, giving us just enough shade. It was all in all a perfect destination to have a wedding, after deciding on the venue and paying the downpayment, which was surprisingly not as expensive as we thought it would be, Marnie immediately swooped in, along with Pam. They had scheduled everything and called the caterer and ordered the decorators provided that they preferred Tiffany chairs and everything had to look pale and innocent. Their theme was purity and I couldn't agree more. They were amazing and worked like hound dogs! They made sure that everything was perfect and to every detail!

The week before the wedding date Marnie and Pam had took me dress shopping and I was ecstatic, I hadn’t gone shopping in ages. They made me try on about a thousand dresses from upper classed designers and from local designers but I didn't want to waste money that wasn't mine, I felt bad and I didn't want Marnie to think that I was leeching off of her and the higher priced dresses didn't suit me or the theme of the wedding anyways. The two women were pampering and their excuse was that our wedding was so soon and they didn’t know ahead of time so they wanted me to look as pretty as I could get.

In the end we bought a dress for a few hundred dollars from a local boutique. It was silk and lace and it clung onto my body just the way I liked it. Since the theme of the wedding was a garden theme and was set in an outdoor setting I didn’t have a little princess crown but instead I wore a peony chain where the veil was attached. The only people Niclas and I invited were Clive, Pam, my friends form Clive’s restaurant, Thad, Marnie, Niclas’ close friends and obviously Rosco. He was the ring bearer and Clive had the honor to walk me down the aisle. I had cried a little but when I leaned to kiss Clive on the cheek his eyes were rimmed red and tears were streaming from his eyes. Although they were happy tears I knew that he was crying because he had always wanted a little girl. Pam and Clive never got the little girl they wanted but I had hoped that I could have made it up to them. I gave Clive the chance to walk his little girl down the aisle. I had considered myself as Pam and Clive’s child and they felt the same as well. After all, there had been the ones to raise and take care of me the past few months.    

Niclas and I exchanged our wedding vows, promising that we would always be together until death do us part and no matter what we would always be there for each other. Nothing seperated us anymore, not our age, not our social status, not my past, nothing. 

"I love you for your beauty, your intelligence, and your kindness...and for the way you always know how to make me feel so special. I vow to always appreciate how lucky I am to have someone who makes me feel the way you do and to continue to try as hard as I can to make you feel as special as you make me feel, forever and ever. I promise to always cherish you when times get difficult, I choose you to be my wife. In front of our friends and family gathered here I promise to love and cherish you throughout the good times and bad times. I promise to try to remember to put put my dirty clothes in the hamper and to replace the toilet paper roll when it's empty." I giggled and laughter was heard from the audience, Niclas and I were looking at each other and I started to get teary as he continued, "I promise to always be open and honest with you, to allow you to know my innermost thoughts and my deepest fears because in so doing, can you truly know what lies in my heart. I promise to remember this day with love and roses. I will love you always. I will love you today, tomorrow, and forever I will trust you and honor you I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there." I swallowed the lump in my throat as it was my turn to say my piece.

" In your eyes, I have found my home. In your heart, I have found my love. In your soul, I have found my mate. With you, I am whole, full, and alive. You make me laugh. You let me cry when I need to. You are my breath, my every heartbeat. I am yours.You are my inspiration and my soul's fire. You are the magic of my days. You help me laugh, you teach me love. You provide a safe place for me, unlike I've ever known. Because of you, I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again. I look forward with great joy to spending the rest of my life with you, caring for you, nurturing you, being there for you in all life has for us, and I vow to be true and faithful for as long as we both shall live. You have helped me triumph over challenges presented, encouraged my personal growth and boosted my self-esteem. You have helped me become the person I am today, and with your help, I will be a better person tomorrow than I was yesterday. I vow to trust and value your opinions, and stand by your actions. Niclas,  I can’t promise to be the best wife in the world. However, I promise to love you the only way I know how – completely and unconditionally. This is my solemn vow because in you, I have found the one my soul loves." After saying my piece and hearing sniffling in the background, the priest pronounced us husband and wife, we were finally legally married.

And those promises were sealed with a fiery kiss.