“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked. “This is your last chance to back out on me if you’ve changed your mind.”

The flashing Vegas lights were bouncing off of her face under the dark night sky as our taxi drove down the strip. Even though we were both tired from the plane ride, our energy was renewed once we were parked in front of the wedding chapel.

“I’d never back out on you!”

She leaned across the backseat of the cab and sweetly kissed me on the cheek.

“You plan on backing out on me?” she asked.

“Are you crazy? I already lost you once and went through hell. I’ll never let that happen again. You’re mine forever.”

We made our way into the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel where the king of rock and roll was standing in the lobby.

Talk about a jacked up wedding.

But it didn’t matter. It wouldn’t matter if the Easter Bunny married us. As long as my baby’s by my side, that’s all that mattered.

“Are you two beautiful people here to tie the knot?” Elvis asked us.

“Yeah,” I smiled down at Alexa, wrapping my arm around her as a few go-go girls trotted behind us.

“Well, all right! I can tell you two got a hunka hunka burnin’ love inside you.” he smiled.

Licking his finger, he flipped the page in a book that was resting on top of his stand and grabbed a pen.

“What’s your names?”

“Alexa and Nick,” I said.

“All right, you two beautiful people. I’m gonna give you the most beautiful wedding you’ve ever dreamed of,” he scribbled our names in the book. “It’ll be about 40 minutes. We have two other couples before you, but feel free to take a look around.”

Alexa and I walked away from the desk and headed toward the far end of the chapel where you could purchase various wedding packages and keepsakes.

“Are you sure we should get married here?” she whispered. “What if they’re not even able to legally marry us?”

“Nah, it’ll be fine. I promise.”

She shrugged. “Okay, if you say so.”

I watched Alexa examine all the different wedding veils until she found one that she liked. “Do you mind if I get this? I think it’d look cute on me.”

“Go ahead, baby. Get whatever you want.”

I’d been working extra jobs to pay for this trip so we could take a mini-vacation—just a 3-day, long weekend because of a national holiday—to get married and I’d saved up quite a few bones to pay for everything.

But there was one thing that Alexa wasn’t counting on, and that was the ring that I bought her without her knowing.

The two of us had picked out simple gold wedding bands for our wedding night, and that’s what we were supposed to get married in, but I didn't feel that was good enough for her. While she was hanging out with Kim, us guys went shopping for a better ring. I spent almost every extra penny that I had worked for and saved up, but she deserved it.

“Nick and Alexa,” Elvis yelled out into the lobby. “You’re up!”

Alexa and I looked at each other, smiling as we walked back into the wedding chapel and waited for the priest to step in and marry us.

We were surprised when Elvis started walking down the aisle singing “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.”

“Do you have your own vows or would you like to do a traditional ceremony?” he asked as he reached the podium.

Neither of us had written any vows, and both answered, “Traditional,” simultaneously.

As we repeated after him, we finally got to the part where we could say our, “I do’s.”

“Do you have the rings?” he asked.

We both nodded and produced the rings.

“Repeat after me,” he said.

My vows went first, and I could hardly wait for her to see the ring I’d bought her.

“With this ring, I marry you and bind my life to yours. It is a symbol of my eternal love, my everlasting friendship, and the promise of all my tomorrows,” I finally repeated after him.

“You may place the ring on the bride’s finger,” he instructed me.

I pulled the ring out of the box, shielding it with my hand until I slipped it onto her finger.

She noticed it right away.

“Nick!? Oh my God! What is this? This isn’t the ring we bought?”

“I know. I wanted to get you something special. Do you like it?”

“Oh my God! I love it!”

After she said her vows and we exchanged rings, we kissed each other, finalizing our ceremony.

“What do you want to do now?” she asked as we stood out on the sidewalk.

“Hookers and blow, baby.”

She smacked me in the chest. “You’re not funny, Nick!”

“Whatever you want to do, baby. It’s all up to you.”

She eyed me down before saying, “How about we go to a strip club? Maybe I can pick up some fresh moves to try out on you back at our hotel room?”

“Let’s go.”

Walking into the club, we sat down near the barkeep and ordered a couple of drinks while we waited for the next performance to begin.

“This is going to be so much fun! I’ve never been to one of these before,” she slammed her glass on the counter, motioning the barkeep to bring her another.

“It’s all about the experience,” I tipped my glass to her and polished off the rest of my drink. “Can I get a beer?”

“Sure thing,” the bartender said.

Waiting for the bartender to bring my beer, I feel a tap on my shoulder.

“What are you doing all the way in Vegas? Did you come all these miles to see me?”

Unsure as to who it was, I turned around and about fell off the barstool when I saw her face.

It was the stripper from back home.

Shit.

Alexa noticed her standing behind me and turned around to see who was talking to me.

“Hi, I’m Alexa,” my wife introduced herself.