It's The Way You Look At Me Ch. 15

"I've always wanted to open my own store. Maybe this is my chance."

"Maybe," I sighed again.

"Don't worry about it baby," she smiled. "We have each other. That's all the more I need to know."

"I'm glad one of us is positive in all of this," I offered.

"Let me know what happens when you get the call. I have to get going or I will be late."

"Alright baby. Have a great day today."

"I have you to come home to tonight. Every day is a great day when I have that."

I smiled at her as she rounded the table and gave me a soft kiss. I sat there as she left the apartment and headed off to work.

*

It was just about time to go. Me and the guys stood in the room making last minute adjustments to our tuxes before we headed out.

"I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart that all you guys could be here today," I said. "It means the world to me to have you guys here."

"We wouldn't miss this for nothing Owen," Jordan said quickly. "Besides, I have to pay you back for that embarrassing best man's speech you gave at my wedding."

I smiled and shook my head a little as I chuckled. "Thank you all for being so understanding. I know it's not exactly normal but..."

"Owen," Shane interrupted now. "You're happy. That's all that matters."

"Yeah dude," Jordan added. "We have your back and we don't think it's strange. If you're happy then we are happy for you."

"Thanks guys," I smiled.

"Hey Owen," my dad said. "They are ready to go."

We left the room and walked to the front of the crowd to wait for bridesmaids to walk and join us.

"Is this good daddy?" Libby called as she threw another handful of flowers onto the ground.

"Yeah," Bobby chuckled along with everyone else that was here for the big day. "You're doing great honey."

She continued down the path and tossed a few more handfuls out before she reached Bobby. He wrapped her up in a hug as she stood in front of him and looked at the crowd. The violinist started playing as the crowd fell silent and stood to look back.

"You ready?" Jordan whispered.

"I'm standing here still ain't I?" I chuckled.

"Not too late to run," he joked.

"If you can do this I certainly can," I chuckled.

Jamie caught my eye as she came around the corner. She looked stunning and perfect as she slowly walked up the aisle towards me. The white dress hugged her curves on her upper body then flared out at her waist. She had designed it herself and I didn't expect anything less from her as she continued her slow walk towards me. She wore that big smile of hers as her eyes met mine.

Time stood still as she reached me and took my hands in hers. I smiled at her as she tried to keep it together now. She looked absolutely perfect. True to herself, she wore just the slightest amount of makeup. Just some eye shadow and some soft lipstick but that was all she needed.

"You look so beautiful Jamie," I whispered.

"Thank you," she smiled her big smile.

"We are gathered here today to witness the joining of two lives into one. Owen and Jamie have chosen to share their lives together in the vows of marriage. Marriage is a commitment built on trust, sacrifice, love, honor, faith, happiness, and the will to fight for each other. I've gotten to know Owen and Jamie over the past couple of weeks and have listened to their journey together as two separate lives. Hearing their story of struggle and triumph leaves me with little doubt that their love and faith in each other will bring them a lifetime of happiness and joy together."

Everything faded away as I focused on Jamie again. He could be telling me my pants were on fire and I wouldn't have heard a word of it. Jamie was the only thing I could focus on right now. It was the most beautiful I had ever seen her in all my years of knowing her. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She smiled shyly at me as I focused on her eyes.

He continued on talking about being married and how it was a lifelong sacrifice. I was still focused on Jamie as he spoke. She didn't hear a word of anything he said either. It was just the two of us standing here right now. It was just like it had always been, the two of us and nothing else really meaning anything.

"Owen and Jamie have chosen to write their own vows," he said. "If anyone has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Nobody said a word. Nothing but the birds singing and some background noise filled the backyard for a moment before he continued again.

"Owen," he smiled. "When you are ready you can start."

"Well," I smiled. "I didn't think she was serious when she said we were going to write our own vows."

There was some laughter as I stood there. Jamie smiled as I pulled my notecard from my pocket and looked at it.

"I really didn't write anything," I said. I turned the card around and showed that I wasn't bluffing. My note card was blank. "I have thought about it for weeks now and wrote a few things down here and there but nothing really felt right. I'm going to speak from the heart."

I tossed the card down and took Jamie's hands into mine as I looked at her face. She still wore her smile and trusted me completely.

"Wow, you look beautiful by the way, absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you," she smiled shyly.

I cleared my throat then started.

"We both have heard of love at first sight. It's a phrase and part of a story that's as old as time. Two people see each other for the first time and everything stops, everything changes and they just know. I don't remember the first time I saw you, I was just three weeks old back then. My mom said that the first time I saw you was the first time I smiled. Maybe it was love at first sight."

"I remember us growing up together as kid. I remember all the fun, the adventures, the good times we shared, the mischief we got into, and the small amounts of trouble we often found ourselves in because of the mischief. It's a good thing they only found out about half the stuff we did."

There was some laughter as I smiled at Jamie.

"But the one thing that stands out the most about all the times we shared together was this feeling I had for you. I couldn't put my finger on it back then, I just knew there was something about you that was different from every other girl I had known. Some people call it a crush or puppy love. Whatever it was it was a feeling I couldn't explain."

"It became clear what I was feeling for you that fateful night in late November though. It was the night that I kissed you for the first time. That one kiss sparked a flame that grew my feelings for you deeper and deeper every day after that night. I didn't realize it at the time but that one kiss was the defining moment in my life. It was the last time I would kiss somebody for the first time. That one single kiss changed my life forever. It was the beginning of us."

"I have been on the rollercoaster ride of my life since that night. We have had some incredible highs and some heartbreaking lows in the time we have shared together. But through it all we have fought for each other. We didn't let the weight of the world stop us from staying together and fighting for each other. It's truly what makes our love the most extraordinary thing in the world."

"Sometimes you question why. Why are you so certain about us and why are you so content with me? I'm not perfect and I'm never going to be perfect. My answer has always been the same, because it's you. To me, you are the perfect woman. On the outside you are the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Your smile lights up a room. Your laugh is infectious and brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. When I take you in my arms I still get butterflies in my stomach and I often ask myself as I'm holding you, how did I get so lucky to have someone like you."

"It's not just the physical beauty that I'm in love with though. It's who you are on the inside that sets you apart from everyone else. You inspire me to be a better man because of your character. I've learned to fight for what I believe in. I've learned that I don't need to hide my feelings, my fears, my concerns, and my weaknesses because I have your strength and courage to pull me through. I've learned a countless number of things from you. But the single most important thing that I've learned is that I can't live my life without you by my side. You could take away my football career, the money, the very shirt off my back and it wouldn't bother me as long as I have you. Without you I wouldn't have a meaning and a purpose in life."

"My vow to you is simple Jamie. I promise to love you each and every day with all my heart. I promise to put my back against the wall and fight for you no matter how much the odds are against us. I promise to remind you how important you are to me in the days of doubt. I promise to give you all of myself and not hold back so you will be the happiest woman in the world until my last breath. I'm going to be there for you and give the strength and the courage you ask for so you can make all your dreams come true. You're my best friend in the world, so I'm standing here today, taking your hand, and never letting go. My life wouldn't be the same without you in it. I love you with all my heart."

She smiled at me still, tears in her eyes as I stopped and waited for her now.

"You really didn't write anything down?" she sobbed.

"I have a good memory," I smiled.

"Apparently, my memory isn't as good as Owen's," she smiled as she wiped her face. "I had to write mine down so I wouldn't forget anything."

There was light laughter as she paused to gather herself before she started.

"Owen, where do I start? You've been more than just my best friend for my whole life. You've been like my knight in shining armor. You've always been there for me in the darkest moments in my life and have given me the courage and the strength to keep on pushing through."

"I remember the first time you came to my rescue. We were just fourteen and at the winter dance in junior high. My date dumped me, lucky for me I might add, and I felt about this big. You found me, took the time to comfort me and made what I thought was a disaster into the perfect night. You were a perfect gentleman that night and made me feel like I was the most important person in the world."

"Four short years later you were there again. You came to my rescue again and made my horrible night into something I never thought possible. We shared our first kiss that night and my life, too, changed forever that night. Somehow I knew that I had just kissed the man I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. Since then I feel like I've been living a dream. A dream where the perfect man comes along and makes a not so perfect girl feel like she is. Our love has only grown from there. I've loved you all my life, I just didn't fully understand it until that night."

"We struggled through the college years, the distance between us, me taking the job and moving to New York, and yes, the break we took from each other. But in all that time you always remained true to your character and told me to have faith in us, that we would make it. You made a promise to me that you would always be there and you have yet to let me down on that promise. At any time you could have thrown your hands in the air, slammed the door and walked out. You could have stopped trying and given up but you never did. You're stubborn and persistent to say the least but always faithful."

We both laughed a little before she looked back down and continued on.

"People sometimes ask me, how can you be so sure Jamie? How do you know Owen is the one you are meant to spend the rest of your life with? With everything you two have been through, how can you be so certain? The answer is so simple. It's the way you look at me. You look at me like I'm the only woman in the world. It's the love you show me each and every day."

"Love, it's a simple word with a complex meaning. Love is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection, a deep feeling of romantic or sexual attachment to someone. Our kind of love is more than that. I looked at hundreds of poems and listened to hundreds of love songs to try and find a better definition of our love. But I couldn't find anything even close to what we have. I had to define it myself."

"Your love, to me, is the beat of my heart, the air that I breathe, the untouchable feeling I get when I have you by my side. It's the strength you give me when I'm down. It's the laughter you bring into my life. It's the affection you show me when it's just us. It's the little things you tell me and the little things you do for me that make me smile. It's how you make a long and stressful day melt away when you take me into your arms and tell me that you love me. It's the little boost of encouragement you give me when I need it the most. You're my safe place, a shelter in the storm of life, my warmth on a cold winter's night. You're always strong, always faithful, always telling me to chase my dreams, never letting me doubt myself. I've never claimed to be perfect but you always make me feel I am. You pick up where I leave off and complete me. That's love, our kind of love."

"You've done more than just define love in my eyes. You live it, you do it every single day. You've resorted my belief in love because of the way you love me. I didn't think there was such a thing as true love until you came along and showed me that there is. I don't know what I did to deserve you and your love but I'm thankful for each and every day that I have you."

"This life would probably kill me if I didn't have you by my side. I couldn't live without you by my side so I'm going to do my damnedest to keep these simple promises that I make to you today so I don't have to live without you."

"Owen, I promise to always be there for you. I promise to love you with all my heart, to fight for us, to encourage you to chase all your dreams, to fill your life with happiness and joy, to chase away all your fears, to protect your secrets, and to comfort you in your times of need. I will remind you how much you mean to me, how much I need you, how important you are to me, how important our love is and the life we share together is. You're more than just my best friend, you're my love, my life and my happiness in it. I love you Owen, with all my heart."

"Wow baby," I whispered. "That was perfect."

She smiled that perfect smile as I took her hands back into mine.

"Can I have the rings please?"

I turned to Jordan and took the rings from him. We exchanged the standard vows now as we placed the rings on each other.

"Congratulations, you are now husband and wife. Kiss the bride."

I looked at her as she stood there smiling back at me. I will never forget how happy and beautiful she looked in that moment. I leaned closer to her then spoke softly.

"You look so beautiful baby."

She smiled shyly as she tried to hold back her tears of joy.

"First kiss of the rest of our lives," I whispered.

"Yeah," she giggled softly. "You better make it a good one then."

The photographer capture the moment with a simple eloquence that still brings a smile to my face every time I see the picture. Life changed for us after that first kiss of the rest of our lives. Jamie and I are still together and we couldn't be happier right now. My trade went through and we both moved to Miami. I won the starting job during the preseason and never looked back. Just like Phil predicted, I did very well down there. He worked out a deal the following offseason that was worth way more than I expected.

Jamie's career took off as well. Carrie had bought a store down in Miami the same year Jamie started her job at the company. Carrie had planned on opening it up but she never found the time or the right person to be in charge of it. When Jamie handed Carrie her resignation she gave it back to her along with a set of keys. She told Jamie to open the store and run it. Then when she was finished with her own line of fashion she could put it in the store. Jamie took the offer and, just like me, she never looked back.

*****

Thank you for reading. I hope you have enjoyed this story. Your comments are always welcome. I've carried this story as far as I can for the time being. Maybe in the future I will revisit this but for now this is the 'and they lived happily ever after' moment.