Page 161 of Stand and Defend
My parents apologized for not being here while everything went down. Truthfully, I was thankful they weren’t. It was something I needed to take care of on my own, but I’m glad to have them involved in our life going forward. Who knows what the future will bring for Camden and I. Good things, I’m sure.
“Oh, Jordan. We need your ring.” I haven’t taken it off since he put it on. I wiggle it off and notice an engraving on the inside that I didn’t see before, one word:Priceless.A juxtaposition toI love you this much. I clutch my heart and smile to myself. These are the little surprises that make me fall more in love with him every day.
“Are you ready?”
I nod, barely able to contain my smile. Micky crouches down and grabs one of my snow boots, which I’ll be wearing until I switch to the white stilettos after the ceremony. She helped me pick out the ivory, plunging V-neck crepe wedding dress. It’s appropriate for winter, long sleeves with pearl buttons that go from my wrists to my elbows and match the ones on the back. My mom holds open my floor-length white wool coat, and I slip my arms inside.
Micky glances out the window and clutches my hand. “They’re ready for you.”
CAMDEN
I adjust my cufflinks one final time on the right side of the “altar,” which is technically a patch of snow. My heart flips when I catch sight of her beaming at me as she makes her way to the edge of our lakeshore. That’s my wife.My fucking wife. Since Jordan, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. She seems pretty pleased with me too.
Beside me, Chicken Salad wags her tail, and the ice sings as soon as she steps onto the frozen lake. It gives me goose bumps.
Barrett, our officiant, chuckles behind me. “Singing ice is supposed to be lucky on your wedding day.”
I hum in agreement, but truth is, there could be an earthquake and I’d still feel like the luckiest man alive. With every step closer, I fall harder. The belonging she makes me feel. The safety and stability my life has now that she’s in it. She’s made my world better—she’s mademebetter. I hug her parents, and they hand her off. She gave herself to me long before today.
They step back to stand with my parents, and Micky takes Jordan’s coat off her shoulders.Goddamn. She looks up at me through her lashes. Jordan is painfully gorgeous every day, but in that wedding dress? She looks every bit the queen she is. Without thinking, I lean in and kiss her. Barrett clears his throat behind us. He can’t fault me for that. She’s my ultimate weakness. Especially in this wedding dress.
I mumble, “When I get you upstairs later, I’m going?—”
“Let’s begin,” Barrett barks. I roll my eyes and Jordan blushes.
“Behave.”
Barrett’s speech is touching, and I appreciate him being a part of our day. As we recite our vows, high and low pitches strum, like plunking echoes under the ice. Every kid who grewup playing on frozen lakes can attest to the mystifying, ethereal sounds of newly frozen water. It makes this day all the more special. We exchange rings, and when Barrett finally says I can kiss my bride, our lips lock and the distant ice cracks, shooting thunder across the lake from under our feet. It’s beautiful. Our friends cheer, and we all hustle inside to warm up our rosy cheeks.
The caterers have set out some of the food—along with the pumpkin muffins and apple scones we requested—it was the obvious answer when we were asked about dessert options. Our reception is low-key and relaxed, exactly how we wanted it. Being with our favorite people, the ones who know us best. The ones we want in our lives because they enrich it. I’m thrilled that Jordan has found a family with the team as much as I have. The wives of the other players have welcomed her with open arms, she fits in effortlessly, and I love watching her laugh and tell stories with the other women as they clink champagne glasses.
The sun begins to set, and I stroll up to the girls. “I’m going to steal her away for a minute.”
Jordan smiles at me, and I slip away to the foyer. When she follows me, I’m waiting with her coat, and she allows me to slide it over her shoulders. We wander to the shore again. The sky drapes in fiery pinks and oranges, making the sparkling snow around us appear in technicolor.
Hand in hand, we step onto the frozen ice. “I wanted one more moment out here with you.”
She turns into me and wraps her hands behind my neck. “Will you dance with me?”
“Always, Sunshine.” I pull her close, and she rests her head on my shoulder. I breathe her in and feel—this is so fucking cliche—I feel complete. We sway on the ice in each other’s arms. “You know we can’t ever move, right?”
“After getting married over singing ice? Yeah, no. We’re never leaving. They’ll bury us in this backyard.”
I tuck my chin down to press a kiss to her hair. “Have you thought more about where you’d like to honeymoon?” We’ve already agreed to go during the offseason. It gives us something to look forward to, but we still haven’t chosen a location.
“Raleigh and Barrett said we could use their place in Hawaii?”
“Hell no. I’m not having sex in their weird cum-covered, baby-making beds.”
She laughs. “Yeah, I’m not quite ready for kids yet. Someday, though.”
“The world could use more of me.” I nod.
Jordan squeezes me tighter. “Definitely. There’s a shortage of humble people.”
I smile down at her and listen to the snow crunching under our feet and thepew-pew-pewof the ice. It’s such a rare, magical experience, and to have it on our wedding day makes it even more special.
Glancing at the house, filled with all of our friends, the windows glowing with warmth against the landscape turning more blue as the sun sets, I imagine filling it with family someday. The world may not need more of me, but I wouldn’t mind creating a few more Jordans.