Jenna took a deep breath before she started, “My dearest Max. You came into my life like a true Knight. You made me see what real love is. You made me understand that I deserved better. You’ve shown me that I was worth fighting for. I’m beautiful when I’m around you. You bring out the best in me. The once insecure girl is gone. I’ve become more confident and wiser because of you. Ever since I met you, you lifted me up and never let me touch the ground. That is how you make me feel. I promise, from this day forward, that I will be the wife you deserve, because you have no idea how much you mean to me. I can’t put it into words. I will honor, respect, and show you every day how much I love you. You are everything to me. You are my something great, forever.”

Tears streamed down Jenna’s cheeks, and before I had a chance to wipe them, Becky handled her some Kleenex. She was crying, too. I wanted the pastor to hurry. It took every ounce of my energy to stop myself from kissing Jenna right now. If I could, I would have carried her back to our hotel room, stripped her naked, and made sweet, passionate love to my wife.

After we exchanged our rings, the pastor spoke again. We were near the end. “We have come together in this place and heard the willingness of Maxwell and Jenna to be joined in marriage. They have come of their own free will and in our hearing have made a covenant of faithfulness. They have given and received rings as their seal of the promises. By virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Carefully wrapping my arms around Jenna, I tilted her body just enough to make a show and gave her a kiss everyone would talk about. The sound of clapping and the wolf whistles blew like crazy. After I helped Jenna steady, I guided her arm through mine and we headed down the aisle. What an amazing experience.

Chapter 31

Jenna

Relief washed over me when the wedding was over. I cried, but I was able to maintain enough control not to sob like crazy. What an amazing opportunity for Max and I to show our love in front of our family and friends. As we proceeded down the long, white aisle, I noticed what a fabulous job our wedding coordinator had done with her staff.

The tower Max and I had stood under in front was draped in lavender material that looked like curtains. Long, grand vases were set on either side, filled with the most beautiful colors of flowers I had ever seen. They looked so perfect that I would have thought they were fake, but I knew they weren’t. White lace and small bouquets of flowers hung from one chair to the next in the center aisle. I was so busy making sure I wouldn’t trip and locking my eyes on Max that I hadn’t enjoyed the beauty of this set until now.

Our reception area was set outside of the restaurant called Amaya, on the deck adjacent to the area where we had exchanged vows. The tables were set up with white linens. On the center of each table was a vase of uniquely decorated purple, pink, and white flowers. Each place setting included a party favor filled with Godiva truffles in a silver paper box with purple and white ribbon. Everything was color coordinated to the tee, and I had to give big thanks to my mother-in-law.

Clink, clink, clink. Matthew hit his wine glass with a fork, standing up. The mic was right next to our table, so it was easy access for him. “Welcome everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, shame on you.”

The crowd laughed.

“Just kidding,” Matthew chuckled. “My name is Matthew Knight, the younger brother of the groom. I’d like to make a toast, but not the kind you would eat.”

The crowd laughed again.

“You can tell from my jokes that I’m the jokester of the family, and the better looking one. Just kidding again,” Matthew said, chuckling. “Okay, but seriously. I’m not going to bore you with what a great guy Max is, because all the wonderful stories you hear about him are true. And I’m not going to bore you with what a great brother he is, because everybody knows he is.

“I want to share a story that will touch your heart and is why we are here. When Max was in high school and I had no idea what falling in love was, I asked my brother what love meant. He said that he wasn’t sure, but when he knew, he would let me know. Time passed, and I asked him again in college. He said he didn’t know. To which I would say, ‘With all of the women you’ve dated, you don’t know?’ He simply said he would let me know.

“I asked him again after we started working with our parents. The answer was the same, until Jenna walked into his life. He spotted her at a restaurant and hadn’t officially met her yet. Max called me that day. And do you know what he said?” Matthew paused. “Max told me that when he saw Jenna, his heart thumped so hard that it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. And when she left, his heart had stopped beating. The reason why Max says his heart only beats for Jenna? Because it’s true.”

At that moment, my heart expanded with bliss. Max said that to Matthew? If I’d only known how he felt, I could have saved us a lot of heartaches. Max squeezed my shoulder. His arms were wrapped behind me. When I gazed into his eyes, he pressed his lips on mine softly and tenderly, as if to confirm Matthew’s words.

Matthew gazed directly at us. “Let’s raise our glasses and toast this amazing couple, who couldn’t be more perfect for each other.” He waited to see more glasses up in the air. “To Max and Jenna, may you have a fruitful life together with a minivan full of kids. And may your heart thump hard for each other for the rest of your lives. Here is to something forever.”