~Three Months Later~
Kieran nervously adjusted his tie as he looked himself over in the mirror for the hundredth time that morning. He wasn't used to wearing suits; in fact, he could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he'd worn a suit before and still have one or two fingers to spare. They usually felt stiff and uncomfortable and he always thought they made him look rather silly.
Not today.
The suit he was wearing today fit him like a second skin. Hardly a surprise, since his new bride had personally taken him to her father's longtime personal tailor to have it made. Not purchased, but made. By hand. And of the finest materials, too. Katie refused to settle for anything but the absolute best, and Kieran privately suspected she'd spent more time making sure his suit was perfect than she did picking out her wedding gown. Still, he couldn't deny that her efforts paid off. It was the most comfortable thing he'd ever worn, soft and breathable rather than stifling. He thought the tails were a little much, but he as he gazed at himself, he knew he cut a rather dashing figure.
"Ready, son?"
The voice of his father jarred him from his thoughts. Kieran turned and nodded. "Yes," he said simply. "I am."
Sean Callaway put a proud hand on Kieran's shoulder. "I'm proud of you. And somewhere, your mother is too. I only wish she were here to see this." His eyes watered with unshed tears--not a very common occurrence for him.
Kieran turned and embraced him. "I think she is," he replied quietly. "I think she's here, Dad. We just can't see her. But she's here. I can feel it."
"My boy." Sean gazed down at his only child. "You're all grown up now. A man, with a wife and soon a child of your own. I am so, so honored to call you my son."
They embraced once more in a fierce hug as the sound of orchestral music began to swell outside the dressing room. Sean grinned. "Let's not keep them waiting, eh? This is your moment, Kieran. Yours and hers." He opened the door. "After you."
Kieran took a deep, deep breath and let it out slowly. He wasn't having second thoughts, but it was normal to be at least a little nervous on one's wedding day. So much had changed since the day Katie Petersen--now Katie Callaway--had strode so confidently into his life, yet all of those changes were for the better. His life was full where it once felt empty, his world filled with color and life where once it had been drab and gray. In a way, she'd saved him.
He steeled himself, squared his shoulders, and stepped out of the dressing room. The wedding venue was breathtaking--a beautiful, almost medieval-looking church with high vaulted ceilings, buttressed arches, soaring stained glass windows, and statues of cherubim and angels carved into the walls. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the panes of colored glass, casting rays of every color onto the stone floor.
And then Kieran saw her. Katie, his bride, his wife, standing there at the altar, waiting for him.
She looked radiant beyond description, a vision of angelic, heart-stopping beauty in a gorgeous white gown that seemed to sparkle even in the dim light of the church. The veil that framed her delicate features cascaded down her back, the lace and embroidery almost too intricate to believe. Her strawberry-blonde hair was swept up into a graceful updo, accentuating her elegant neck and shoulders. She wore no jewelry save for the simple wedding band that now adorned her ring finger, and the swell of her pregnancy, visible clearly beneath the dress, didn't detract from her loveliness at all. It only made her more beautiful to Kieran's eyes: she looked like an ethereal goddess of fertility, stepping down from the clouds to mingle among mortals.
Her eyes--those impossibly bright, robin's egg eyes--met his, and the smile she gave him was so full of love and happiness that it made his heart stutter. The music swelled louder, and everyone in attendance rose respectfully to their feet. Even Katie's father nodded at him as he walked by. Hannah Mayes gave a huge thumbs-up, and Katie's entire cheer squad clapped and whistled.
Kieran took his place by Katie's side, and the reverend glanced at each of them in turn before clearing his throat.
"Dearly beloved," the reverend began, his voice rich and full of warmth, "we are gathered here today to join Kieran and Katie in holy matrimony. These two young people have chosen to embark upon a journey together, one filled with laughter and tears, joy and sorrow, love and loss. They come before us, hand in hand, pledging their hearts and souls to one another, promising to be faithful, to cherish and protect, to comfort and console, in sickness and in health, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sadness as well as in gladness, to love and to cherish until parted by death." He smiled. "I can see in your eyes the love you two have for each other, and the bond you have forged. It is my honor to witness this union, to be a part of your story."
Katie took Kieran's hand in a firm grip.
"Katie," the reverend said, facing her. "Do you take Kieran to be your husband, your partner in this journey? Will you support him, love him, cherish him, comfort him, and protect him, through all the joys and sorrows that life may bring? Do you promise to be his faithful companion, his best friend, and his lover for as long as you both shall live? Will you declare before these witnesses and before God that you will be true to Kieran, that you will never forsake him, and that you will love him unconditionally, as he deserves to be loved?"
Tears rolled down Katie's face, tears of utter joy. "I do," she said, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own heart hammering in her chest. "I take you, Kieran, to be my husband, now and forever. Everything I am, everything I have, I give to you for the rest of my life. You are my husband and the father of our child, and I will love you, cherish you, and support you with every breath that I take."
"Kieran," the reverend said, turning now to him. "Do you take Katie to be your wife, your partner in this journey? Will you support her, protect her, and cherish her as a husband should? Will you promise to love her, honor her, and respect her, for all the days of your life?"
Kieran couldn't answer fast enough. "Yes," he said, his voice cracking. "I will, Katie. I will love you, cherish you, and protect you, now and forever. You are my wife, the mother of our child, and the most beautiful, most amazing, girl I've ever met. I promise to always be there for you, through thick and thin, and I will make sure that you never doubt my love or my devotion. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, to grow old with you, and to see our family grow together."
"Then by the power vested in me by the state," the reverend declared, "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!"
Katie all but threw herself at Kieran, seizing his hands and pulling her forward for a long, passionate, heated kiss. The church erupted with cheers and applause and the music began again, filling the air with a lively tune as the newlyweds made their way down the aisle, arm in arm, beaming with joy.
And for just a moment, for less than the span of a single heartbeat, Kieran thought he saw a face in the crowd, a face he hadn't seen for three long, grief-filled years. A face whose owner wore a fond, proud smile. It was there for only an instant, but that was enough. Kieran recognized it instantly, and the shock of it almost made him trip over his own feet. Katie caught him just in time, but when Kieran looked back, the face had vanished.
"You okay?" Katie asked.
"Yeah." Kieran blinked back tears of his own. "Yeah, I think I am. I'm better than okay, Katie. I'm better than I've been in a long, long time."
"Me too." She gave him a fierce hug. "Now let's go pig out on some wedding cake!"
"Sounds good to me!" Kieran laughed, and there was much more laughter before the day was done. He and Katie ate and talked and joked, surrounded by friends and loved ones, long into the night. It was a party of special magnificence and even the press was there to commemorate the wedding of Mayor Petersen's only child.
And until the day he died, Kieran Callaway would swear that his mother had indeed attended his wedding.
Over the coming months, Katie's pregnancy continued to progress. Her stomach grew rounder as their child continued to take shape and form, and as one trimester led to another, the symptoms changed. Morning sickness wore off to be replaced by exhaustion and aching limbs, but Katie took it all in stride and never once complained. She seemed to glow with an inner light that only grew stronger with each passing month. Katie monitored her nutrition with exacting care, took all her vitamins and supplements diligently, and went to regular checkups to make sure there were no complications. She and Kieran hit all the milestones together: they listened to their baby's heartbeat for the first time on the ultrasound even before the wedding took place, and shortly after the ceremony, they discovered--to Katie's glee--that they were having a little boy. Katie was so overcome with happiness at the news that she could barely contain herself, and they threw a gender reveal party and had a baby shower less than a month later. Gifts poured in like a flood: Katie's mother and father gave them a refrigerator, a microwave, top-of-the-line furniture, and enough baby supplies to take care of five children at the same time. Kieran's father gave them his trusty old tool set and promised to help with any home repairs that might come up, and the girls on Katie's cheerleading team gave them a beautiful set of nursery furniture. Even Katie's teachers sent gifts, and the principal organized a donation drive at school that brought in enough money to pay for the baby's entire college tuition.
At the same time, the two newlyweds moved into their new home and set about making it safe for a child to grow up in. As usual, Katie had it all planned out. The outlets needed to be covered, the electrical cords tucked away, the chemicals put in their proper places, and all sharp objects stored out of reach. Together they painted the nursery a soft blue, hung up pictures of their favorite characters from their childhood, and filled the room with toys and books. It seemed like a miracle that they even found time to graduate amid so much preparation, but somehow they did. Kieran and Katie both got their high school diplomas near the end of her second trimester, and Katie, whose grades never once suffered as a result of her pregnancy, gave a commencement speech centered around themes of love, happiness, and personal fulfillment. She encouraged all her classmates to find that special someone and to never be afraid to follow their hearts. The speech was so moving that it brought even the principal to tears. She also started her new job at thr firm she'd interned for, albeit with the understanding that maternity leave was not negotiable.
