Chapter Thirteen

Aidan

''What if I told you that your bride-to-be has somehow ran away?'' Dimitri appears from the door, his hand gripping tightly onto his phone as he looks at me with slight worry—causing my eyes to wander across his face in search for lies.

Just as I'm about to speak up, he has already burst out into laughters before entering the room and closing the door behind him. ''You, nugget. You should've seen the look on your face. Can we do that again because I need to record it?'' He raises his jet black phone up with a wide grin plastered on his face, clearly enjoying my reaction.

''That was not funny,'' I reply as I turn to look at the mirror again, fixing my tie. ''In fact, you shouldn't joke around with things like that. What if my mother heard you?'' I question before I start to take a few steps away from the mirror, eyeing down my suit; wanting myself to look very attractive and mouth-watering on my wedding day.

He rolls his eyes, ''Diana and apparently, most of the XX chromosomes in your family are with Kenna.'' He continues to speak as his lips curve up into a smile, ''I also heard that she's very beautiful today. I'm not sure if you'll be able to stand up straight when you see her,''

''Who?'' I ask, continuing to eye myself in the mirror before turning to look at him.

''Kenna. Obviously,'' He replies.

''I thought she has always been beautiful? How can she be any different today?'' My questions seem to have cause him to laugh, again. His lips remain curved as he mutters quite something under his breath in French—something I would be able to understand if he'd speak a little bit more louder than just mumbling.

''You . . . my man, has a lot to learn.'' He takes a seat, ''I'll tell you 'I told you so' when you see her walk down the aisle. The moment your breath hitches, your hands shake and your lips remain speechless at the sight of her beauty . . . that's when you'll lose grip of gravity. Trust me, I've been there.'' He says, confidently without a slight fear of being wrong.

''You know what, Dimitri? Sometimes I don't understand you,'' I reply before looking up at the door, seeing my father standing with a smile on his face.

Marc, my father, looks down at me with proud and happiness glistering in his eyes. He takes a few steps towards me, ''You clean up well, son. Your mother and I will always be happy for you and proud of every decision you make,'' He says, leaving me nodding my head with a smile.

All of a sudden, Alain appears near the door with Ava holding onto his hand. As soon as she sees me, her eyes widen before running towards me—causing me to pick her up from her feet. Her lips curve up into a smile as she bursts into laughters, ''Uncle Gabby, you look pretty.'' She says, both of her arms wrapping around my neck.

Both Alain and father watch with smiles on their faces.

Uncle Gabby . . . Ava calls me that ever since she learned how to talk. Just because she heard her grandmother calling me 'Gabriel' all the time whenever she's being serious and that's where she picked up the pieces—decided to call me Gabby. At first, I wasn't very fond of it but it started to sound cute, coming from her mouth.

I did search about the name Gabby on the internet when Dimitri told me it matches my personality whenever I nag. Apparently, Gabby means excessively or annoyingly talkative. That was definitely not true . . . I am not excessively or annoyingly talkative. In fact, I do not nag.

''What about me, Ava? We played dolls together,'' Dimitri starts to speak up as he pretends to be slightly hurt from not receiving any compliments from her, ''We even had our own tea time and I thought it meant something in our friendship,'' He adds, crossing his arms.

Ava chuckles, leaning closer towards me. ''You look okay, Dim.''

Dimitri is being called Dim by Ava. She likes giving people nicknames of her own choice because it's easier for her to pronounce and remember. Unlike my given name Gabby, I actually tease him with the name Dim because it's easily mistaken for Dim Sum. Ever since then, he wouldn't want to get anywhere near Chinese food—what a funny excuse?

''I think I look more than okay. Probably, perfect but beautiful, at least.'' He turns to look at Alain, ''One of the reasons why I taught my son to say nice words to people because sometimes, the truth can hurt.'' He says, leaving Alain to scoff at his childish behaviour.

Just as the four of us men, start to enjoy the company of Ava, my wedding planner starts to knock onto the door before stepping in—her eyes wandering around the room. ''Ava, honey. Are you ready to go and walk down the aisle with Aunt Kenna? We better get you in position,'' She says and I slowly place her down on the ground, letting her run towards Marie.

''We better get going, then.'' Alain says.

My eyes wander to the mirror beside me, staring at myself a little bit longer than before; wanting to look handsome—especially in Kenna's eyes. Instead of finding myself staring at her in awe or losing the ability to stand straight when I see her, I'd want her to find herself pulled towards me as her heart beats fast when she sees me.

''Father, would you please give us a moment?'' Alain asks, looking at our father who nods his head and walks out of the room with Dimitri trailing behind him.

Even though this whole wedding and marriage is planned, I want it to be one of the best memories we've ever had in our friendship. I want to be able to talk about it when we grow older other than just seeing it as something . . . unwanted or fake. It'd be better if we can see it as a memory worth telling or worth knowing.

''Cold feet?'' He asks, making me turn to look at him.

There are differences between Alain and I but there are also a lot of similarities. We're quite the opposite when it comes to our personality or attitude but when it comes to our features, we can actually be mistaken as fraternal twins. Other than that, both of our bodies are lean but his are slightly bigger than mine, yet it's unseen without observation.

''No . . . not really. Just scared if I might trip,'' I answer, leaving him laughing at my respond before joining him, afterwards.

He clears his throat, ''I was at your spot once and I know how it feels like. There's a lot of fun things when it comes to getting married, especially to the love of your life but there are also a lot of responsibilities. You're no longer a single man and things will start to change. In fact, a lot of things will start to change—when you buy dinner, you have to buy one for her. When you go grocery shopping, you can't just shop for one. When you sleep, you have to make sure that she's sleeping beside you. If not, you have to start worrying.'' He says.

''Well, you've been in the husband department for quite some time and I'm just here, minutes away from joining you.'' I reply.

''I still remember when we were kids. We were busy playing around and teasing Mia but now . . . we're both adults. We worry about a lot of things,'' He stops for awhile. ''I'm actually happy that you've come to your senses and I want you to be happy, too.'' He pats onto my shoulder, leaving me smiling.

Within seconds, Marie appears at the door and gestures for us to make our way towards the wedding hall. Alain trails behind as we both trail behind her, making sure we're heading towards the right room instead of being lost in the public library which is something pretty often being experienced by other brides and grooms, here.

My eyes wander around the amount of people that are seated as they turn to look at me, walking down the aisle with a smile plastered on my face. Fortunately, the wedding is a private wedding where only both of our families and friends are only attending. I've made sure of it as Flynn was the one who was checking the list of guests, not letting anyone in without an invitation card.

Dimitri, Alain and Flynn was trailing behind me when I was walking down the aisle but now they're all standing near me—waiting for the arrival of the bride.

To my surprise, an instrumental version of My Heart Will Go On starts to play by two violinists which causes me to clench my jaw in order to hold back my nervousness. For some reason, my heartbeat is beating faster than usual as people are starting to stand up and leaving me glancing down the aisle, waiting for the familiar face to show up.

Just as I look up, my eyes widen at the sight of her. Both of her blue eyes are nervously looking at the people around her as her lips are slowly curving up into a smile, leaving me stare at her in awe. As her eyes look up to meet mine, everything around me stops—somehow, we're in a world of our own with no people surrounding us.

I can't believe I'm saying but . . . god damn.

It takes me awhile to realise the sudden hitch of my breaths, the shakiness of my hands and the speechlessness of words at the sight of Kenna. My eyes couldn't look away from my best friend who appears to be breathtakingly beautiful, causing tears in my eyes.

Everything about her shows an infinite amount of perfection. From head to toe, she's the definition of beautifully mesmerising. There's not a single flaw showing through and even if there is . . . she'll be able to conceal just by the way she looks, completely silencing me and leaving me stand here in disbelief.

''Wow,'' I breathe out as I hold back the tears from forming again.

All I can think of at the moment is, what's happening to me? Why all of a sudden am I fully attracted to her? Is it the way she walks? The way she's smiling? Maybe, it's her gaze. There's just something radiating from her that causes me to forget about the world as she would be mine in a matter of time.

I take my time to eye her wedding dress, finding it a long backless dress which reveals her perfectly tanned skin but is being covered by the veil.

Just from the sight of her, I am completely blinded by the sight of others including my niece, Ava who seems to be throwing petals of roses onto the ground. It takes me awhile to let my lips curve up into a smile at Kenna as our eyes are still staring at one another—not a single care in the world for anyone else.

John pecks onto his daughter's cheek as I step down, slowly making my way towards her. As soon as we're close enough, he places her hand onto mine; leaving me grip onto it as we both turn to look at one another, everyone is being seated down and the music stops playing.

The hall is left with no sound as the priest starts to say, ''We gather here to unite these two people in marriage. Their decision to marry has not been entered into lightly and today they publicly declare their private devotion to each other. The essence of this commitment is the acceptance of each other in entirely, as lover, companion and friend. A good and balanced relationship is one in which neither person is overpowered nor absorbed by the other, one in which both give their love freely and without jealousy.''

The priest continues, ''Marriage, ideally, is a sharing of responsibilities, hopes and dreams. It takes a special effort to grow together, survive hard times and be loving and selfish.'' He adds before turning to look at us both, again. ''I assume you both have your own vows.''

My eyes are focusing into her blue ones as they meet mine.

She hasn't heard of my vows yet when we were busy preparing because apparently, according to Dimitri . . . my vows were horrible. So, I had a last minutes planning last night when I wasn't able to get a proper sleep. Hopefully, it'll be better than saying something simple but at least, it's not from the internet and sincerely from my heart and mind.

''Kenna, today . . . all other things melt away as I look at you and love you beyond all reason and beyond all ideal. I stand outside by myself and join with you my loving wife in our new life. From you, I've learned how to dream and what it is to have a loving partner who supports your dreams. I vow to help you in your dreams and desires, and to create a life, and a loving home as your best friend, your husband.'' I say with a smile on my face, including hers.

''Even after all we've been through, I still can't believe that I'm the one who gets to stand here and have you as my wife. I love you,'' I add before blinking a few times, not realising the words to have escaped my mouth but covering it quickly with another smile.

She smiles back, ''Aidan . . . it is clear to me now that everything in my life has led me to you. I think back on all my choices and consider even the bad ones blessed, because if I had done one thing differently, I might have never met you and become your wife. Technically speaking, if I hadn't gone to the same kindergarten as you, we might've never met.'' She says and the crowd starts to chuckle because believe it or not, most of them know about how we met.

''On this day, I'd like to admit how wrong I have always been. Love is not blind, in fact love sees all. I love all of you, Aidan. Your faults and flaws cast a beautiful light—like the flaws of a precious jewel. You are everything to me, my best friend. We've spent twenty-years, two hundred and forty months and seventy-three hundred days together. I can't wait for more,'' She ends with a grin, plastered on her face.

Dimitri walks up to give us the rings, instantly letting us exchange rings.

''I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,'' The priest says and my heart skips a beat as my hands go up to cup onto her face, leaning in.

Glancing one last time into her blue eyes before looking down at her lips, I see they're curving up into a smile as our lips meet. Our eyes close at the sudden jolts of electricity overflowing in my veins which causes me to deepen the kiss, ignoring the claps and the woos coming from the crowd as if there's only the two of us.

As I break the kiss, I find myself instantly looking up into her eyes. The sudden sparks were new and they were something I've never felt before—no matter how many times I've kissed someone on the lips. Not even Kenna when we've kissed, twice in the past month.

''Did you feel that?'' I whisper as she looks at me in confusion but before she can ask me the reason to my question, we're being congratulated by the crowd and Dimitri has already pulled both of us into a bone-crushing hug; trying my best not to die out of suffocation.

''That was really cute,'' Dimitri says before letting us go.

Both Kenna and I walk up the aisle, glancing at our parents and our families as they all clap and smile at us. It's not a surprise to see my mother and Julia to wipe their tears from streaming down their cheeks, leaving me turning to look at Kenna, again who is waving at Ava.

''Wait,'' I say as soon as we've entered the lobby, letting the rest of the guests to head straight towards the banquet hall before us.

Just as she turns to look at me, I immediately lean in to kiss her on the lips which surprises her immediately. Both of my hands are cupping onto her face as my head leans in due to our heights and within seconds, the cameras are flashing in at the scene—causing me to lean back to see Dimitri, is one of them, using his phone.

The sparks had disappeared which eases me slightly, knowing I was probably hallucinating when we kissed back in the wedding hall.

''Right. For the wedding album,'' She replies.

As we enter the banquet hall, we stop in the middle of the entrance as we both look around at the decorations. The sky has darken as our wedding was being held in the evening due to a better sky view during the ceremony which is the best choice as the stars are a brighter tonight, including the moon.

I let out a deep breath before turning to look at Kenna, seeing her smiling as she stares around in awe—liking, probably even loving the decorations. Ever since she was busy at work most of the time, I had planned the decorations with my mother and Julia. Julia did a great job describing Kenna's likings and it's no doubt . . . they're all true.

''I didn't expect this,'' She breathes.

I smile, ''It's all for you.''

The guests are clapping their hands at our presence, letting us pass through and towards the middle of the hall. Surprisingly, the music starts to play which causes me to look down at her who has a smile on her face before placing both of my hands on her waist as she places both of her hands on my shoulders near my neck.

''You chose Till The End by Jessie Ware?'' I ask, looking down at her face and instantly realising that we're inches apart.

''I didn't,'' She replies with a smile on her face as I twirl her once before pulling her towards me again, this time closer. Our eyes are staring into one another—remembering how we didn't exactly rehearse this during our rehearsal dinner because both of us knew how to slow dance.

''Thank you, Kenna for everything. You've been a great best friend and all you ever did is make me happy. I'm more than grateful for what you've done,'' I continue to speak as she looks into my eyes, ''And you're very beautiful, today.'' I add.

''Today? What about any other day?'' She raises an eyebrow, making me chuckle at the sight of her grin.

''Well, that's not fair because you're beautiful everyday. Honestly, I think I drooled a little bit and I'm only telling this to show how you are very mesmerising.'' I reply and she leans closer, wrapping his hands around my neck before letting out soft chuckles.

''You're welcome. I want to thank you for everything that you've done for me, too. There's no one out there that can replace you and I mean it . . . you will always be my best friend. No matter what we go through, we'll go through it together. Okay?'' She raises her right hand and I look down to find her lifting her pinky finger.

As my lips are curving up into a smile, I let my pinky finger entwine with hers and we both start to chuckle at one another—letting the cameras flash at us.

''I have a surprise for you. I'll be back,'' She whispers near my ear before walking away until she's out of my sight, Mia and Harley following behind her.

My eyes wander around to look for something particular that would come out as a surprise but my eyes landed on Julia who has a wide smile on her face as she heads towards me. Not just that but my mother is also trailing behind her which causes me to groan slightly but the smile never fading away from my face.

''Julia!'' I exclaim as she pulls me in for a hug.

''Welcome to the family!'' She says before patting onto my back which causes me to join her in laughters while my mother stands beside us with a glass of wine in her hand. ''You've made me the happiest mother alive for making my daughter happy. Thank you,'' She adds.

''Julia, that's—''

She cuts me off by patting onto my back again, causing me to yelp. ''Stop calling me Julia. You better start calling me mum because we're a family, now. If you ever call me Julia again, I'm not going to be very happy about it.'' She continues to speak, her voice sounding slightly drunk but very much sober.

''I need more wine. Diana come with me,'' Julia—mum, walks away with an empty glass.

My mother places her hand at the side of my face, ''We'll talk later.'' She says before walking away with Julia, leaving me eyeing them from behind. They both continue to talk about a few things but are unheard due to the distance between us.

All of a sudden, Yoncé by Beyoncé starts to play which causes me to furrow my eyebrows as I turn around, trying to find if someone might've turned it on by mistake. Shoving both of my hands into my slacks' pockets, I turn to look at the two doors opening, revealing Kenna but in a shorter wedding dress, hair down in waves and eyes are staring at me directly.

''See me up in the club with fifty-leven girls. Posted in the back diamond fangs in my grill, Brooklyn brim with my eyes sitting low. Every boy in here with me got that smoke and every girl in here gotta look me up and down. All on Instagram, cake by the pound, circulate the image every time I come around. G's up, tell me how I'm looking, babe,'' She starts to sing which causes everyone to cheer loudly, leaving me smiling at her—eyeing down her toned body.

Both of her blue eyes meet mine immediately before making her way towards me, causing me to stand still as she continues to sing. ''Boy, this all for you, just walk my way. Just tell me how it's looking, babe. I do this all for you, baby, just take aim and tell me how it's looking, babe. And tell me how I'm looking, babe.'' She runs her hand around my body and up to the side of my face, leaving me smirking down at her.

''Drop the bass, man, the bass get lower. Radio say, "speed it up," I just go slower, high like treble, puffing on them mids. The man ain't ever seen a booty like this,'' She points at her butt and the crowd claps, wooing even louder than before—leaving me chuckling but not placing a hand on her, at all.

They start to clap according to the beat as I turn to look at Alain, staring directly at Harley who is currently becoming one of Kenna's backup dancers with Mia. He has a smirk plastered on his face as he takes a sip of his wine, enjoying his wife's dancing to seductively attract him.

Just as I take a seat behind me, I start to see Kenna making her way towards me before sitting on my lap—wrapping her arms around my neck as she eyes down my lips. ''Do you like the surprise?'' She asks, her other hand on the side of my face.

With my lips curving up into a smirk, I pull her closer.