SAMANTHA LILY ADAMS

'Groom you may kiss the bride.'

I look hopeful and I also feel like it.

Grandpa and Grandma's smiles aren't also helping my situation because now I can't hold in my excitement.

"Where is she?" I ask and they turn to smile at me, making me want to go crazy with their delay.

"Where is she?" I ask again when they haven't said anything to me.

Grandma steps forward and takes my hands in hers. "Lily Samantha, are you insinuating your grandparents are liars?" I arch my brows and look at my grandpa for a brief moment before I look back at my grandma.

"We told you she is not here, didn't we? We are sorry we could not change her mind?" I have to look away from her eyes to hide the disappointment from them.

I try to compose myself and when I know I won't sadden them with the look in my eyes, I look back at her nodding my head.

"Am sorry, I didn't mean that." She offers me a saddened pitiful smile.

"We know, but enough with sad feelings. Sweetie today it's your day and we wouldn't come to celebrate it with bad news. Gabriel?" She calls Grandpa raising her hand behind her for him to handle her something.

Grandpa offers me a smile before he touches something in his tux pulls out what looks like an envelope and handles it to Grandma's waiting hand.

She takes it and then smiles at me.

"I know this is not what you wished for but it's something sweetie and it's better than nothing." I take the envelope with trembling hands.

Is it what I think it is?

She pats my hand which now holds the envelope. "We will go now join the others." She moves closer and kisses my cheeks and Grandpa does the same before I hear them walking away.

Everyone has been going out to take their seat before them so it leaves me alone with my thoughts and very screams of what my sister said to me.

After what feels like millennia of standing there not knowing what to do.

A door suddenly opens and Leila walks in looking like she also ran a millennia to get here.

"There you are, come on. It's time." She rushes to where I am takes my hand and starts pulling me without even waiting a second or catching a breath.

"Wait," I say in a small voice but I know she hears it because she stops and turns to look at me.

"You are not having second thoughts, are you?" I simply shake my head. "No."

She frowns her lips before running her eyes all over me. "Then what is it?"

"Can you keep this for me?" I give her the envelope but before she gets it out of my hand I pull back. "No wait, I will keep it for myself so I know it's secure."

"Your bags aren't there Sam, they are already loaded. Please trust me with that. I won't lose it I promise." I stop and turn to look at her.

"You promise?" I question her.

"I promise, do you want us to pink promise it?" I shake my head.

"I don't just protect it with your life, please." I raise the envelope. "It's so valuable, so please hold it for me. I will want it after the ceremony."

"Got it." I hesitate before I give it to her. My God, I would lose it if she was to lose it.

"Please take care of it," I say again trying to make sure, she understands it's valuable as much as I want her to.

"You know, you didn't have to make me your bride of honor if you didn't trust me with such things at your wedding. I am taking offense." I shake my head quickly at her.

"Okay maybe am exaggerating, but please take care of it." I give it to her and release a breath trying to calm my nerves.

"Now come your dad is waiting for you." I nod my head.

We link our arms in one another and she leads me out of the venue where the receptionist's wedding will take place.

We walk out and find Dad waiting for me beside the car. "Oh, I was about to come get you. Come, time is catching on us." I smile at him and let him and Leila lead me inside the car.

I feel so bad that I didn't read Sav's letter because now it's stuck in my mind.

"You are not having second thoughts darling right?" I turn to my father wondering why everyone keeps on asking me that and when he looks down, I follow his gaze to realize I have his hand tightly clutched in mine.

I let go of it feeling guilty now thinking that I might have hurt him. "I am sorry."

"It's okay. But is everything alright?" I nod my head at him. "I guess am nervous." That isn't a lie too.

I hope I don't make a full of myself out there.

"Are you nervous because you are changing your mind?" The car stopped as it wasn't a long drive.

"Dad, why does everyone think am changing my mind? Do you and Leila want to marry him yourselves?" I tease them. "Guess what? You are not getting my man because I am marrying him. Help me get out of this damn car." I say to Dad and he chuckles alongside Leila as they get out of the car.

They help me out of the car.

I can see people filling seats and Kai standing there looking like million-dollar bucks himself.

"Oh my God, am getting married."

"It's now you are realizing it?" I look at Dad and smile. "I guess."

"Oh." I laugh when he looks scared.

"Am joking."

"Please stop joking like that." I nod my head.

We walk where my bridesmaids are waiting with baby Sumac who is no longer a baby now but a beautiful toddler, I get closer and the girls giggle at me.

"I still can't believe you are the first one getting married in all of us," Chloe says and I smile.

"The never-dating girl was walking the aisle before we did. Chloe, where did we go wrong?" I can't help but laugh.

"You will catch up later women, they are turning up the music." Like Leila would say. Beautiful in white begins playing across the play.

We get in line with how we are going to be walking out. Sumac is the one to walk ahead of us with the ring holder in his small hand. Chloe, Abby, and Angel walk in second in a line then Leila follows after them.

It's in the second verse that me and dad also walk the aisle to Kai.

Ever since he started growing his beard and keeping it, I couldn't help but fall in love with him much more and more each day.

The look makes him look gorgeously dangerous, every time he looks at me like he is looking at me, it always makes my heart flutter dangerous in my chest and it always ends with my panties down today is no different but I guess the moment is different and we will have to wait.

I stare in his ocean blue-like gaze and the moment feels so monumental and familiar.

Me in white and him waiting for me except he is not waiting beside the car. He is also not waiting to chauffeur for me. He is waiting for me to make me his wife. To make me his in front of everyone and everything and I can't help but go along to be his.

I don't realize we have reached the altar until Dad leans in and kisses my cheek before whispering in my ear.

"I love you, darling, every moment of your breath remember that, and just know am a proud father always." I nod my head at him.

I feel like I could cry and I still do.

He pats my hand before he gives them to Kai who holds on to me so tightly. He helps me to his side to stand in front of him beside the officiant.

Looking up at him with tears in his eyes and smelling so amazing takes my breath away.

I am getting married to this gorgeous man that I have been living with for the past four to five years and it's still a dream.

The gorgeous man who treats me nothing close to anything else but like a queen, the gorgeous that means the world and everything in it to me.

"Hey." He mutters for only me to hear which makes me realize I have been staring at him but I just offer him a smile.

"You look beautiful in white." I nod my head at him but tears fill my eyes even more and a lump fills my throat making it hard for me to say anything back to him.

God Kai.

He raises my hands to his lips and kisses them.

The officiant clears his throat and starts the ceremony but I can't get over how gorgeous Kai looks.

It's like I am seeing him for the first time.

The feeling of standing here going over my vows with Kai going over his is so monumental.

So magical and so right.

We seal our promises to one another, I am in tears and so is my man.

The moment is surreal.

"By the power I was invested in by the government, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Groom you may kiss the bride."

I hold my breath when he starts revealing my veil from my eyes.

I bite my lip in anticipation, he pulls the veil off of my face.

I bite my lower lip when he cups my cheeks in both of his hands.

He takes his time roaming his eyes over my face now that there is no veil covering it.

He runs his thumb on my lower lip making me pull it away from my lips.

He looks down at them before he pulls me up closer to his face.

He brushes his lips alongside and am not going to lie, I swear I hear a groan coming from his lips.

"I have been waiting to do this all day." I smile at him but he tilts his head to the side and smashes his lips on mine. He devours me and pours his feelings in the kiss but I give him just the same thing.

The audience's cheering is what makes us pull away.

Suddenly for a moment, Kai's lips and his scent were the only things on my mind like it was the two of us.

I look at the crowd and then turn to smile at my man.

He is looking at me with the same look I mentioned earlier.

"What are you thinking about Mrs Royal?" I grin when he calls me that.

"Am thinking of how Samantha Lily Adams Royal has a nice ring to it." He grins too. "Were you reading my mind?"

"Something like that." We chuckle together before he pulls me in his arms.

I rest my head over his shoulder and he does the same too.

We pull back and go to greet our family members, we take pictures and make a lot of memories but eventually when I go to change out of the wedding dress to the dress I had reserved for the reception.

Am changing out of my dress and strapping my heels back on my feet when the door of the room am in is opened.

I look up and smile when I realize it's my husband. "Hey, husband." He grins closing the door behind him.

"Hello, wifey." I strap my heels before I get up and walk closer to him.

He rests his hand on the lower of my back and the sensation of his bare palm on my bare skin brings goosebumps to my skin.

I am wearing a small turtleneck white dress that has a long cut that shows my back but flows down my body flawlessly.

It overflows to my feet and it makes me feel so beautiful and graceful.

"That has another nice ring to it."

"What can I say? Marrying a beautiful wife tops all of the rings to be out there." I can feel a creep blush growing on my cheeks.

"What are you doing here Kai? The guests will realize we are all missing and think we ditched our own wedding for them." He raises his hand to my cheek and runs the back of it on my cheek.

"You ditched me too for long, let them feel the taste of that."

"That's rude," I comment because it is. "We can't be like that Kai. Come let's go back to them, I am done here."

I retouched my makeup before I changed so am ready to leave.

"Not so soon Mrs Royal." I tilt my head to look at Kai and he takes the opportunity and places an open mouth kiss on my lips.

I return the kiss as I open my lips slightly and tease my tongue alongside his in his mouth.

He moves his hands down my back and moves them down to my ass. When he grabs and grips my butt cheeks in his hands pulling a moan out of my lips.

One hand stays there while the other moves in my hair. He tilts my head and then moves his lips on my neck and sucks on my skin.

"Oh, Kai." I moan out loud but suddenly stop when I realize what we are doing.

"Kai," I say slowly pulling myself away from him but he moves his lips back on mine and shuts me down with his kiss.

I have to hold on to him because his kiss feels more than just a kiss and it's hitting at every fiber in my body.

We pull back and I run my finger at his swollen lips. "We should go back to the guest." I pull myself away from his arms because I know if he keeps kissing me the way he is kissing me eventually it will lead to something more.

I withdraw myself from his arms again and run to the bathroom to fix my look. "Remind me again why we invited people to our wedding when it was ours to live and do it on our own rules?" I laugh while I aspect my looks again in the mirror and fix my hair.

My lips are swollen too but it's not something that I would want to hide because it's after all my husband's lips that caused it.

"Kai, we invited them so they could come and celebrate with us our love. Let's go." I walk back out. "We should not be making them wait for us." He looks at me and just shakes his head with a teasing smile.

"Anyway, Leila told me to give you this." He says pulling something out of his suit jacket.

The envelope.

Sav's envelope.

I tense and stop right where I was standing.

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