Chapter 34

Damon

His breath caught in his chest as Bethany rounded the corner at the back of the church. The crowd of people that had gathered in the church had helped to block his view until that moment. He'd never in his life seen anything so beautiful, so perfect.

"Wow. Damn..." Matt mumbled beside him.

Damon's hands were clasped tightly, his arms hanging comfortably. He had to look like the picture of confidence and assurance, but his insides were a fucking mess.

What if he messed things up with Beth? What if he lost her like James almost lost his wife? What if she cheated on him like his mother did with his father?

Was love enough? Was he enough?

He'd never contemplated the questions before, but standing there at the front of the church with his bride walking toward him. It was all he could think about.

Her eyes never left him; her lips turned up in a beautiful smile as the crowd shifted to face her with every step she took. His father held on to her, his face filled with the type of pride that's hard to catch on camera, the kind people only see a few times in their lives.

"You okay?" Matt whispered softly beside Damon.

"Never better." Damon moved down the stairs and stopped beside Beth, leaning down and kissing her a few times, locking eyes with her. "You look incredible. Not as good as you did this morning all sleepy in the bed, but stunning nevertheless." His words were soft, whispered just for her to hear.

Her eyes filled with tears, and his heart swelled in his chest. He came out of the trance with her to hear the congregation laughing, and the preacher focused on him.

"The kiss usually comes at the end, son." The older man chuckled.

"He's always been one to race ahead." Damon's father glanced over at him. "I'm proud of you." And down to Bethany. "And you too, sweetheart. This is the best day of my life."

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" the preacher spoke up.

"Her mother and I do." Damon's father bent down and kissed Bethany's cheek before handing her off to Damon, patting his shoulder and walking to sit down beside Karen.

"You okay?" Damon glanced down toward his girl. She was shaking like a leaf.

"Yes. Never better. Just a little overwhelmed."

"Well, focus on the preacher and me and you'll be fine." He squeezed her hand and turned back to the preacher as the man dove into the ceremony. Damon's thoughts scattered, his desire to think about work nowhere to be found, thankfully.

Beth had put up with a lot of shit to become his. He'd pushed back hard when she wanted anything more than sex, and several times, he'd attacked her intelligence and her worth. He hated himself for it, but it was a defense mechanism. After watching his mom and dad tear apart the family in his younger years, he just wasn't interested in going through the same thing in his life.

The error of his past thinking was ever-present as he stood there in front of five hundred people with the woman of his dreams holding his hand tightly.

All of them had been through shit, and yet he knew without a doubt that his and Bethany's wedding was just the first in a string of weddings that would occur. Kendal and Dana would hook up, no doubt, and Erica would steal Matt's last name if she had to force it on him.

All was right in the world. At least his world.

"Now comes the time in the ceremony where the vows are proclaimed." The preacher turned and walked up on the stage.

Bethany tugged at Damon's hand as a sweet smile spread across her lips. "You coming?"

"Yeah." He bit his tongue, wanting to answer with something naughty, but his timing was off. No need to have an audience to witness his depravity, though it wasn't something he usually hid.

"Damon and Bethany have decided to write their own vows today, so let's have the rings, and we'll let you go first, Damon." The older man turned as Erica and Matt moved up on the stage as well. Erica placed Damon's ring in the preacher's hand, and Matt put Bethany’s down.

Damon smiled at his brother, who seemed as nervous as Damon was. "Your turn soon, buddy."

Matt grunted, and Damon laughed, as did Bethany.

"Place the ring on Bethany's left hand and please read your vows." The preacher backed up as Bethany and Damon turned to face each other. A mild look of panic raced past Bethany's expression, but Damon ignored it. He should have given her more time to come up with vows. She was an overachiever. There was no way in hell she was going to let him do something special and her not match it or even overdo it if possible.

He took her hand and slid the ring halfway on it, pausing as he glanced up and looked deep into her eyes. "From the moment I met you, you've challenged me. Not only to be a better man but to change my way of thinking. Love isn't given just to be snatched away, and happiness lasts for more than a few moments. Forgiveness isn't the way of the world, but it's your way." He paused and took a shaky breath. "You're beautiful and kind, beyond brilliant and will soon rule not only my heart but my home, my business and anything else you want that belongs to me."

Tears welled up in Beth's eyes, spilling over and stealing his heart. He must not be dicking it up too badly.

"Where are your notes?" she whispered and he laughed.

"I don't have notes, silly. Do you?"

Her lips pursed tightly. Him memorizing it wasn't a good thing from what he could tell.

"We both had so much to overcome to bring this relationship together, but I want you to know, that I overcame each obstacle because of you, for you. I want warmth and love in our lives, playfulness and passion in our bedroom, and the sound of little feet filling up our hallways. You've opened a new world to me, Beth, one I didn't even know existed. You're my everything, and I take you to be my wife. I want to hold you, care for you, provide anything you need from this day forward, in good times and in bad, when we're rolling in wealthy and when we're not, when we’re strong and healthy and when we're not. From today on, I take you to be my wife, my partner, and lover, my best friend. Until death do us part."

He leaned in and kissed her as the crowd chuckled and the preacher grumbled playfully.

"Not fair," Beth whispered and reached up to wipe her eyes. Her hands shook, as did her lip. Damon pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head, wanting to comfort her, to hide her from the crowd, to do anything to give her a sense of security.

He moved back as she nudged him to do so.

"Okay. My turn." She took the ring from the preacher and put it on his finger before looking up. "I wrote my vows twenty minutes ago when you informed me we were doing this-"

The crowd chuckled again, and Damon gave her a cheeky grin. "You love a good challenge."

"Which is why I love you."

Another round of laughter.

"And I thought I would need my notes, but I don't." She took a deep breath and lifted her chin, stealing his heart for the millionth time. "I've never wanted to be with a man that scared me, that intimidated me and had the power to melt my heart within a few minutes of nothing more than being in his presence. I wanted the control to run my life the best way I saw fit, which included putting safety as my number one goal. I chose those type of boyfriends in the past. Safe."

Damon held his breath, his heart racing so hard it hurt. They should have gone over their vows the night before. Hearing them fresh was hard, scary. It left him feeling vulnerable not only for himself but for her too.

"But when we met, I knew I would never be the same. I've lived in a scarcity mindset, always afraid that my life of poverty would not only stain my past, but be part of my future, but it wasn't about money. It was about love, freedom, happiness, joy. Those things were hit and miss before us. Never in my life have I felt such passion, never have I been so pissed."

Damon smiled as the crowd chuckled. He reached up and touched the side of her face. There was nothing he wanted more than to pick her up and find a room to strip her down and worship her. It screamed his feelings where words were only a whisper.

"And through the last year, I've come alive again. My heart has begun to beat, and it's because of you." She pressed her face against his hand as his eyes filled with tears. "You’re strong and brilliant, capable and determined. You're my protector, my rock, the biggest challenge in my life, and the lover of my dreams. My past matters no more. I only see my future. I only see you."

She swallowed hard as he released his hold on her cheek and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

"So today I take you, Damon, as my lawful husband. I want to have and hold you forever. Starting today. I want us to cling to each other whether the world is right, or rain clouds hover above us. I want us to stand strong beside each other in sickness and in health, in riches and in poverty, no matter what form it comes in. From today forward, I'm eternally yours, and you're mine. Until death do we part."

The crowd went wild as Bethany pushed the ring onto his finger. Damon let the tears spill onto his cheeks as he pulled his bride in for a long kiss.

"Well, let's just go ahead and pronounce them husband and wife. You may kiss your... wait; you're already doing it."

More laughter filled the sanctuary, but Damon was lost to the woman in his arms. It was nothing new. He had been hers since their first encounter.

"I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Damon Bryant." Damon turned and clasped Bethany's hand as she beamed. The place filled with clapping, and Damon walked down the aisle beside his best friend, his girl, his wife.