Today's the day that Rian and I have been waiting for.

Our wedding.

After Rian leaves to go get ready with his groomsmen and prepare for the day, I wait until Savannah, Xiu, and Laura show up. Rosie and I stand in the window, looking at the gorgeous view as we continue to wait.

"Today's a very special day for Daddy and I. You definitely won't remember it because you're so young, but we'll definitely tell you about it." I whisper, and she just smiles.

The warmth feeling makes my chest vibrate, and my cheeks become numb as I look down at her. Sometimes I'm still in disbelief that I gave birth to such a beautiful girl, and that we're parents.

Despite the restless nights that include changing diapers and breastfeeding until I lose track of time, which was totally expected, I don't lose an ounce of admiration and love for this girl. Not only did Rian create a light in my life, now Rosie has just begun to shine brightly as well.

I'm incredibly grateful that I've found someone like Rian. He's given me such amazing gifts that I'll cherish forever.

An actual family.

Love.

Our daughter.

Before my father died, he was the only person who loved me genuinely besides Laura. When he was gone, I wasn't sure if I'd ever feel that special or wanted ever again. A few years later, I wasn't expecting him to be standing there in the hospital.

Those charming blue eyes just took over me, and I totally fell for him and I couldn't stop myself. From that very first glance when we shook hands, something in me just exploded. From that moment he met me, Rian was nothing but generous and considerate to me, which was a pleasant surprise after years of being treated like shit.

Rian was the first person I opened up to.

Xiu and Savannah obviously already knew, and I spoke to them about it. Rian was actually willing to listen to me, and that's what drew me to him.

Rian has done nothing but think about me and protect me, and he's like my guardian angel. We've been through so much, and I know we'll go through a lot more. As long as he's with me, I have nothing to worry about.

The vows that I have written for him completely show how indebted I am to him for loving me for who I am and never hurting me. This is the man who I wasn't expecting, but totally envisioned myself to be with.

I hear the door open again, and I see my bridesmaids and Emmanuelle. We all happily greet each other, and they all gush over Rosie and how adorable she is.

"My goodness, my granddaughter is already growing so much!" Emmanuelle exclaims, lifting Rosie into the air.

This causes Rosie to giggle, and everyone melts at the sound of her high pitched laughter. Emmanuelle holds Rosie, and she looks up and smiles at her.

"Aww, she loves her grandma!" I smile, and I playfully pinch Rosie's cheek.

Rosie giggles again, and my smile spreads from ear to ear. Everyone admires her, complimenting her on her beauty that she already possesses.

"Man, I still can't believe you gave birth." Savannah says, and I chuckle.

"You're not the only one." I reply, and everyone laughs.

"Okay, enough chatter! We need to start getting you prepared for your big day!" Xiu cheers, and everyone agrees.

Emmanuelle splits off from the rest of us to run some pre-wedding errands while my bridesmaids and I are hectically rushing around.

We all start with our hair, knowing that will take us the longest amount of time. Everyone has their hair in tight curls, but my hair is in an updo hairstyle. I take the adorable dress that we got for Rosie, and I carefully put it on her so that I don't wrinkle it. Everyone gets a picture of how cute Rosie looks, and I playfully bounce her up and down.

"Such a pretty girl! Yes, you are!" I say in a silly voice.

Once the brief playtime with Rosie is over, we begin to put on our makeup. Everyone is catering to me, and I don't even have to lift a finger because they're all helping me. I hold Rosie in my lap, entertaining her with a small toy while they continue to do my makeup for me.

"God damn! You lookin' sexy!" Savannah exclaims, and I laugh.

"You really do look beautiful." Jessica adds.

"Thank you all. I don't think my wedding would be as special if you weren't apart of it." I say gratefully, and they all hug me at the same time.

"Of course. I wouldn't miss your wedding for the world, Alex." Xiu says with a large smile.

We all separate after a while, and they all return to their bridesmaids duties.

I hold up a mirror, and I begin to look at my face from many angles. I think about how Rian tells me how beautiful I am, and if he doesn't, I can tell that he's thinking it by just looking into his eyes. The memories of our conversations begin to play themselves over and over, and my heart begins to flutter.

I'm actually getting married today.

The reality of a lot of things may take a while for me to believe because it seems so ridiculous or something I never imagined myself doing, but this is something I can believe.

Rian Peterson is going to be my husband.

I'm going to be his wife.

I cannot wait until I walk down the aisle and see him standing there. Everything's going to be official when our lips unite after saying our I do's. Alexandrianna Hawkins will no longer be my name, I'll be a Peterson.

Emmanuelle walks in, and everyone turns their heads. She's struggling to carry the multiple dresses that she has in her hands, and they all collect them before changing into them.

"Where's my dress?" I ask, getting worried.

"In the car! I'll go get it!" Emmanuelle exclaims, and she dashes out of the room.

Xiu helps Savannah, and Laura helps Jessica with her dress. Emmanuelle comes back in, being extremely delicate with my dress. A gasp comes from my mouth when I look at it.

"It's even more beautiful than I remember."

My dress is completely embellished with the finest jewels from the waist up. The top is sheer, and more diamond detailing covers the sleeves. I thank Emmanuelle multiple times, and she urges me to go put it on.

I go into a different room, putting on the dress. Before I even exit, I stare at myself in the mirror. I'm completely decked out from my head to my toes, feeling the most beautiful I've felt in a while. Tears begin to well up in my eyes, but I quickly blink them away.

"Okay, no time for tears, Alex. It's time to go take pictures and then go to your wedding." I whisper to myself, and I bounce with excitement.

I take out the gorgeous pair of designer heels that Rian got me for my twentieth birthday, carefully sliding them onto my feet. Once I open the door, I see everyone standing outside of it with their phones.

They all squeal and begin to chatter loudly while taking a copious amount of pictures. My smile soon begins to shake my cheeks because I've been holding it for so long, but I continue to pose and smile for them anyway.

"You look so good!" Laura exclaims, and she gives me a quick hug.

"Really?" I ask, and she nods.

Xiu hands Rosie over to me, and everyone gets louder as they see us together. More pictures are taken, and they all swoon at the sight of Rosie and I.

"Rosie's so gorgeous!" Jessica says, smiling at us.

"She takes after her mother." Emmanuelle adds, and I blush.

I walk over to her, giving her a hug, and she kisses my cheek.

"Thank you so much. Not only for helping us with the wedding, but making me feel like I have an actual mother." I say, extremely appreciative of how nice she's been to me.

"Of course. You're the only woman who's made my son feel this happy, so of course I willingly welcomed you into the family." Emmanuelle explains, and I grin.

"I promise that I'll continue to treat your son the way that he treats me. There's no way that I'd put our relationship in jeopardy."

With people as special as Rian and his family, there's no way in hell that I'd do anything to ruin our relationships. I'd be incredibly stupid to let that happen. Especially with how gracious they've been to me since they found out that Rian and I were a couple.

They actually make me feel like I'm apart of a family. If I ended everything that Rian and I have, I'd be so empty. That familiar and unpleasant feeling of being empty would come back, and that's the complete opposite of what I want.

I wouldn't think about sacrificing my new family. They mean so much to me.

It would be extremely hard to find someone else like Rian because he's the only man that I can see myself having a future with, especially now with Rosie being apart of our lives. He's the only man that I've loved this much, so trying to love anyone else would basically be impossible and not an option to me.

I've fallen too hard.

"I know that your intentions are true, Alexandrianna. I don't question them at all." Emmanuelle replies, giving me her smile.

After those words leave her mouth, we hug again. Just as we're about to head out, I see Rian's uncle walk inside. He stands in front of me with a large vase of gorgeous flowers in his hands, and he holds them out for me to grab.

"Compliments of the groom." Tony says with a smile, and my cheeks blush.

"Oh my God! They're beautiful! Tell Rian that I said thank you." I exclaim, and I inhale the scent.

"Absolutely." Tony replies.

I read the little note that was attached to the vase, trying not to break down. I know that he genuinely means every word that's written down, and my heart warms at the thought of Rian.

How did I get so lucky?

It really is a blessing to wake up next to him.

The way he holds me, the way he touches me, the way he loves me, it's everything that Rian does. I'm truly fortunate to have him be apart of my life, and I know that nothing will ever change how I feel about him.

"Aww, goals!" Xiu screeches, and we all laugh.

"Now I really can't wait." I add, and they smile.

"Rian really made sure that I gave these to you. It was extremely important." Tony informs me, and my smile grows.

Before Tony can leave, Emmanuelle stops him in his tracks. She points her finger at him, giving him a stern look. Tony just smirks at her expression, and she nudges him.

"Don't be late!" She says roughly, and he chuckles.

"Come on, big sister! I wouldn't be late to my nephews wedding." Tony chuckles, but Emmanuelle's look remains harsh.

"I'd believe that if you weren't my brother and if I didn't know your personality." Emmanuelle adds, being half serious.

"Emmanuelle, please. I've got everything under control." He says, giving her a smile.

"Don't be late." She reiterates, and she shoves him out of the door.

I smile at how close Tony and Emmanuelle are, and how they have that familiar banter that all siblings have. Before Laura went off to college, we had that similar bond. When she wasn't being overprotective, we would just joke around and tease each other.

Yes, we argued like sisters, too. I'd borrow something that was hers and she's get upset, or I'd do something and shed threaten to tell our parents. Those little moments that seem trivial actually mean a lot to me, especially now that I realize how much I missed her while she was gone.

We all walk out of the house, and we ride in the limo to where the wedding will be held. Before Emmanuelle can go inside with Barbara, she grabs my hands again and looks me straight in the eyes.

"Are you nervous?" She asks, and I hesitate before nodding.

"That's an understatement. I may look calm, but on the inside I'm losing it." I admit, taking a large breath.

Ever since I woke up this morning, those jitters haven't left my body. As time went on, they've only gotten worse, and my entire body is tingling with slight anxiety.

Of course I'm nervous!

It's my wedding day, and what if I screw something up?

"It'll be okay, you're going to look so beautiful when you walk down that aisle. Just try to breathe." Emmanuelle suggests, and I take her advise.

I breathe in and out while fanning myself so that I don't begin to sweat, and Emmanuelle disappears inside with her mother. Savannah places her hands on her shoulders, breathing in with me. I stop what I'm doing to look at her, and she furrows her eyebrows.

"Breathe, bitch." Savannah says, and I chuckle.

"I'm glad you can make me laugh, I'm really nervous right now." I say, and she smirks.

"Why are you nervous?" Savannah asks curiously.

Before I can answer, all of the groomsmen come out of nowhere, scaring me temporarily. They all begin to butter me up so that I don't have a panic attack before walking down the aisle. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Brendan pull Savannah to the side and begin to talk to her.

Come on, Brendan. Now's not the time for flirtatious banter with my best friend.

"Vannah!" I call out, and she immediately rushes over to me.

"Yes?"

I don't say anything to her, I just disapprovingly shake my head at her. She furrows her eyebrows in confusion again, and I sigh.

"Don't." Is all I say, and she looks even more puzzled.

"Don't what?" Savannah asks.

"I don't have time to explain it now. Just hurry and get into place." I exclaim.

They all take their places inside, and I begin to hear the sound of the instruments beginning to harmonize and play beautifully. The grand double doors are opened for me, and everyone gasps as they see me. From across the room, my eyes meet with Rian's, and it feels like everything around us stops.

Almost like we're the only two people in the room.

The look in his eyes is almost parallel to when we first met. He looks mesmerized and in awe as I slowly approach him, and he fails at trying to hold back his tears. Rian wipes them away before his signature smile spreads across his face, and everything in my body is vibrating.

Once I reach where he is, Rian grabs my hand and looks me up and down.

"My God," He gasps, still grinning. "You look amazing."

"Thank you." I whisper.

This is actually happening. Pretty soon I'll be married. I'll begin my new life being a wife to Rian.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Alexandrianna Hawkins and Rian Peterson in holy matrimony. Now, I'm going to skip this lengthy chat about marriage and get to the part where if anyone feels like these two may not be joined together, speak now or forever hold your peace." The priest says, and we laugh.

It's completely silent, and Rian continues to smile at me. His thumb gently strokes mine, causing me to shiver. The priest continues to talk, but it's like Rian and I tune him out because we're hypnotized by the eye contact that we share.

Rian's pupils are dilated, and the blue looks much lighter than normal. His cheeks begin to turn pink, and my cheeks heat up as well. The heat spreads to my lips, and he's staring at them.

"And now, the mother in law of the bride will share a prayer." The priest announces.

Emmanuelle stands up, holding Rosie as she walks over to us. We smile at Rosie as she gets closer to us. She hands Rosie over to Rian, and he smirks at us.

"Man, she looks just as beautiful as her mommy." Rian says, and I smile.

Emmanuelle clears her throat before joining hands with Rian and I. My hand reaches out for Rosie's because I cannot hold onto Rian's because one of his hands is holding Rosie upright while he holds his mother's hand.

I can hear a few people gushing at the sight of us all connected together as one, and I hear a few sniffles here and there.

Once Emmanuelle finishes her beautiful prayer, I feel a tear rolling down my cheek. Rian reaches over and wipes it away, and I let out a small laugh.

"That was so beautiful, Mrs. Peterson." I exclaim, and she smiles.

"Thanks, Mom. That was really touching." Rian adds, and I nod in agreement.

"It was the same prayer used for my wedding. It was really special, and I felt like passing it down to you." Emmanuelle explains, and I smile.

I hug her again, and Rian does as well. He hands Rosie back to her, and they take their seats. The priest returns, giving us both a small grin.

"Now, it's time for one of my favorite parts. The vows." The priest says excitedly.

Rian takes his out of his pocket, and he holds onto my hand before clearing his throat and beginning to read his vows.

Never did I think that I'd fall in love with someone as extraordinary as Alexandrianna Hawkins. My life was so mundane and monotonous, but when she arrived, that changed everything.

When I looked into those stunning brown eyes, it felt like I was home. Those expressive eyes speak to me every single day, and I knew that I had already fallen hard for her.

It was as if a bright light had been lit, and it's still continuing to shine. I know for sure that the light won't burn out. Or she's like that burst of color on a blank canvas. Alex brought excitement and happiness into my life when I was least expecting it, and I couldn't be more grateful for her.

All around, she's definitely one of the most amazing women I've ever met. Alex is kind, gentle, compassionate, and she's been through my side during a pretty rough time in my life. I know that I can always count on her, and that she can count on me.

Not only has she given me love, but now we've made an incredibly beautiful little girl. Rosie Natalia Peterson is our first child together, and the birth of our daughter had only made our love become even stronger than it was before.

Not only am I proud of Alex, but I know for sure that her father would be, too. You've found your way to an amazing life without any problems or bruises, and you've sprouted into a remarkable woman with such a great future ahead with Rosie and I.

She's like someone I envisioned or fantasized about, but actually having her in reality is so much better than I could've asked for. Now that I have this beautiful woman to call mine, I'll never let her go.

Ever.

My tears obscure my vision, and my lip quivers as he finishes his vows. I wipe them away before giving him a bright smile. The way his words were so beautifully written, and the way he was staring me directly in the eyes makes everything inside of my body warm up.

That was so beautiful.

Rian puts the vows back into his pocket, grabbing my other hand. I look back at Laura, and she hands me the vows that I've written before taking her place.

When I first met you, I wasn't whole. I was closed off and kept to myself most of the time. I was masking how hurt I was by keeping quiet. But once I opened up to you, I realized how much you've helped me. It's like you were my guardian angel sent to me.

I've grown so much since we've met, and that's all because of you. I'm not afraid to love you wholeheartedly, and I was smitten with how helpful you were to me. You left me paralyzed because I couldn't believe that someone as amazing as you even existed.