K. Golland - Attainment

“Hmm,” she responds with a knowing smile. “Listen, Dear. I just want to let you know that your parents and Lauchie...even Gareth, are all here in spirit. They are proud of you. We all are.”

I manage a small smile and give her a hug. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She pulls away, gives my arm a quick reassuring squeeze and then finds her seat.

As I contemplate what she just said, Maryann approaches. Her demeanour is both excited and anxious. “She’s just outside,” she explains.

Feeling my pulse pick up a beat, I look toward the door, noticing Alexis’ bridesmaids lining up ready to walk down the aisle. “Bray, Nate, come here,” I call to the boys. Nate grabs Brayden’s hand and they make their way over. “Okay, Mum is just outside those doors. Nate come stand next to me just like we practised.” He does as he’s told. “Now, little man, see your special pillow,” I say to Brayden as I bend down to his eye level. “I want you to hold it tightly and go with Nanny, okay?” I hold out my fist for him to bump.

He rears his hand back and then slams it into mine. “Bang!” he says and then laughs, our fist-bumps now becoming a playful game.

Maryann takes his hand and leads him along the aisle, and just as she reaches the door, I catch a glimpse of Alexis. The sight of her, as per usual, steals what oxygen I have left in my lungs. Fuck!

The first thing my overwhelmed mind deciphers is that I’m marrying her today. I’m marrying her today. I’m really marrying her today.

Completely stunned and spellbound by her presence, I can’t help but start to mentally count my blessings. You see, I’ve lost a lot in my life, suffering heartache and accepting the fact that I was destined—and deserved— to be alone in love. Don’t get me wrong, yes, I’ve managed to build a hugely successful business and brand, and I never take my fortune where that is concerned for granted. It’s just ever since Alexis came into my life, I’ve learned how to truly aspire. I learned to love, and to live life as it should be lived. And it is for this reason that I will be forever grateful.

Sucking in a deep breath, I properly absorb for the first time since walking into this room that today is my wedding day. Today—after a few years of sharing my life with the woman of my dreams—is the day she becomes my wife. This day is the fucking icing on the cake—the pièce de résistance. This day cements what I have known all along, that Alexis is mine and that she always will be.

Maryann passes Brayden to Alexis and my heart skips a beat as it usually does when I see them together. Watching Alexis and our son interact with one another does things to me that I never thought possible. For one, I can’t take my eyes off them, and secondly, I can’t help but smile like the fuckin’ Joker.

Brayden points in my direction, and both he and Alexis hit me with two earth shattering smiles, smiles that like hundreds of times beforehand pierce through me like a bolt of lightning. According to everyone in our life, Brayden looks like me—I must admit...I tend to agree. The force is strong in my family. The thing is he may be a mini-me but the beam that plasters his 18-month-old face is 100% his mother’s.

Alexis places Brayden on his stubby little legs. He grabs hold of Maryann’s hand and begins to walk toward me. It’s in this moment that I finally understand why Alexis wanted to wait two years to get married. She’d pleaded and convinced me the wait would be worth the while. ‘Charli will be at my side and Nate at yours,’ she’d said. ‘Brayden will then walk down the aisle holding the rings on a cute little pillow...it will make the day perfect. Please can we wait, I’m not going anywhere, remember?’

I knew that she wasn’t going anywhere, that wasn’t the point. The point was we were together and had a child of our own therefore I wanted to be able to call her my wife. So, giving in to her pleas had almost killed me, especially after what we had both been through. Waiting was the absolute last fucking thing I had wanted, instead wanting to marry her as soon as I possibly could. After all, I had waited my whole life for her.

Without admitting it to her though, she was right. Watching Brayden as he walks down the aisle toward me is definitely well worth the wait—it’s perfect...the kids are perfect...Alexis is perfect.

Brayden stops and smiles, obviously pleased with his ‘special job’. I bend down and hold my fist out to him, preparing for another right-hook. He indulges me and laughs, then sits down with Maryann.

As the music kicks in, I quickly stand back up and watch Alexis slowly make her way toward me. I’d been picturing and dreaming about this very moment for years, and it is now that it’s finally happening. In my dreams, Alexis was angelic...beautiful...exquisite. But in reality, watching as she smiles at our family and friends with each step that she takes, she is just pure perfection—fucking breath taking.

The instrumental music piece that is playing as she walks down the aisle is one that Lucy, the boys, and I composed especially for this moment. We’d spent months on it, making it flawless. I sneak a look over at Derek and watch as he performs an air guitar action, prompting Carly to laugh at him. Friggin’ show pony.

Shaking my head in amusement, I roll my eyes with a smile. He is definitely whipped whether he admits it or not.

Alexis stops only feet away from me and has a few moments with Graeme. Part of me envies her having her parents here, wishing mine were here, too. Mum would no doubt be crying happy tears and Dad would be patting her arm. Lochie and Gareth would be standing right by my side, and the day really would be complete. But, as incredibly perfect as that sounds, it is not how it was meant to be. Fate had other plans, plans I would never understand.

Graeme gives Alexis a quick kiss on the cheek before she turns, faces me, and steps up to the altar. Fuck me, she is gorgeous.

‘Hi,’ she mouths, her lips moving seductively yet with a hint of shyness. Shiiiit! I want at those lips.

“Can I kiss her now?” I ask, desperately.

The room erupts into an amused chuckle. I’m glad you all find it funny. I sure as hell don’t. Frustrated at my lack of control, I clench my fist then open it again.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Clark, not quite yet,” announces the celebrant. Now, if he wasn’t the very man who was going to legally bind me to Alexis for the rest of our lives, I would physically remove him from the room for stopping me from kissing her. He should consider himself lucky.

Fighting to refrain from glaring at him, I move my stare back to the love of my life, finding Alexis staring at me, her beauty filled blue eyes looking deep into mine. ‘I love you’, I mouth, having to do or say something to show her how I feel. Apparently, kissing her in this moment is not allowed.

“I love you, too”, she replies quietly as her gaze drops to assess my suit. The way she takes me in with her eyes nearly snaps my dick to attention—nearly. This is my wedding day after all; I do have some form of control.

Alexis hands her bouquet of roses to her sister Jen, then turns back to face me, holding her hands out for me to take a hold. Shit! My palms are still sweaty.

Wiping them on my trousers as quickly and inconspicuously as I am capable of, I take both her hands in mine. She strokes her thumb across my knuckles and again, my dick nearly snaps to attention. Bloody hell! Alexis will always have the ability to charge me with her touch.

Screw this! I raise her hand to my mouth and kiss her wrist, the smell of her perfume intoxicating me. The fight within to cease my lips further progression up her arm is excruciating. She smiles lovingly at me and like a magnet leans in closer. I want to take her in my arms and merge us into one, but the celebrant clears his throat then begins the ceremony.

After exchanging rings and confirming that I never owned my heart to begin with, my heart having always belonged to Alexis, I am now at my absolute last bit of tether. I need to kiss her. I need to taste her. I need to feel her in my arms.

Desperation now plaguing my mind, body, and soul, I mentally give the celebrant a nice big ‘fuck you’ and take her in my arms before he has a chance to finish pronouncing us husband and wife. I kiss her like I’ve never kissed her before—I finally kiss my wife.

Our reception celebrations are a small affair which we decided to have in one of the function rooms at City Towers. Alexis wanted our entire wedding celebration to be at our hotel complex.

As much as I pride myself in our establishment, if Alexis had said that our first night as husband and wife was also going to be in the hotel, I would have probably gagged her—I drew the line at that. Little does she know, we are flying directly to Paris after the wedding reception, and I have a few secrets up my sleeve that I can’t wait to surprise her with.

“Excuse me ladies and gentleman,” Derek announces through the microphone. “Can I ask the groom to bring his bride to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife?”

Alexis has her head on my shoulder while we sit at our table having a quiet moment to ourselves. As she lifts it up and hits me with yet again, another dazzling smile, I notice something change in her expression—a look I have seen many times before.

“I hope you are wearing that red G-string, Husband,” she drawls.