Down the Aisle by Christine Bell Page B

one day. Lacey sniffed and patted a tissue on the corners of her eyes.
    Ironic, though, that it only added to the feeling that today, on what should be the happiest day of her life, she was a total failure. She was failing Galen. Now, she was even failing her mother.
    All the emotions she’d managed to keep in bubbled to the surface, and she sobbed like her heart was breaking.
    …
    Galen stood with Shane by his side, staring impatiently at the pathway, shifting from foot to foot. The wedding march had been playing for longer than he’d expected, and frankly, he was getting a little nervous.
    Then, there she was. His beautiful bride wrapped in white lace, on her father’s arm, weaving their way toward where he stood on the dock. The crowd turned in their little white chairs, whispering and snapping pictures. It was a surreal moment for him as he met her bourbon colored eyes through her veil. She was still fifteen feet away, and he wanted to run over, scoop her up, and carry her the rest of the distance because he literally couldn’t wait to slip that ring on her finger. She was his. He was hers.
    He’d taken a dozen blows to the face from Manny Hermosa in a heavyweight title fight and hadn’t shed a tear, but now, his eyes burned and his vision went a little blurry. Lacey Garrity had laid him down for the count, and he loved her like crazy.
    Finally, she was standing there, staring up at him, and his whole world felt right. Her father released her arm and took his seat, and Galen took her hand in his. The minister spoke.
    “Dearly beloved…”
    The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and all he could think of was the crumpled piece of paper in his pocket. He hoped he’d managed to get it right.
    “Lacey would like to say something to you, Galen.”
    He squeezed her hand and let it go so she could get her piece of paper, but she didn’t have one. Instead, she met his eyes through the thin, transparent veil.
    “Galen, before I met you, I was afraid. All the time, of everything. I didn’t want to run because I was afraid to fall. I didn’t want to reach for my dreams because I was afraid to fail. I didn’t want to fall in love because I was afraid to get hurt. And then there was you. And you pushed me to do all things I was scared to do. And when I fell, you were there to pick me up. And when I went for my dreams, you supported me and cheered me on.” She gripped his hand tightly and her voice went thick. “You are my rock and my roll. My safety net and my high wire. I love you now and will love you forever, with all of my heart.”
    Her words rocked him back on his heels, and he had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could even look at her again. He hadn’t realized how badly he’d needed to hear those words after the past few months. It was like being woken up from a bad dream.
    “Galen?” The minister said, urging him to begin with a gentle smile.
    He cleared his throat and pulled out the vows he’d written, not surprised at all to see his hands were shaking. “When I was a little boy, all I ever wanted was this set of walkie talkies that Micky Adler had. They were black and silver, with all these cool buttons, and they were huge, like two bricks. You’d hold them to your ear and sometimes they were even clear enough that you could hear what the other person was saying. I dreamt about them. I thought about them every waking second. And, after six months of hard wishing, my mom and dad bought them for me for Christmas. It was the happiest day of my life. Until now.”
    There were some chuckles, but Lacey’s eyes filled with unshed tears that made his heart kick. “Lacey, you are everything I’ve ever dreamed of and everything I was too stupid to even dream of.” Her cold hand gripped his tighter, and he gave it a re-assuring squeeze. “I still can’t believe I got you. It’s better than Christmas. Better than New Year’s, or my birthday. It’s a wish come true. I can’t wait to