Mitchell's Power Play

I Do

MITCHELL

Nash was next to me as we stood in front of the arch and watched his wife and my fiancé slowly walk down the aisle towards us. Kennedy's dress was green, or as Sammy loved to point out, sea foam green. It twirled around her feet as she moved next to Sammy with a smile on her face and her hand wrapped around Sammy's arm.

And Sammy... wow. Just wow.

She was a vision in white. I can't even begin to describe her dress, but it fit her like a glove and showed off her tall model like body. She didn't wear a veil, her hair was pulled away from her face and it looked like there were some flowers pinned to the back of her head, but other than that everything was all white, big smile and shiny gorgeous eyes. Well, except for her bouquet, and the sight of it made me chuckle. It matched the floral centerpieces with the succulents and some vines. So typical Sammy.

All our guests stood as Sammy and Kennedy walked by and there were several sighs, and appreciative "oh's" and "ah's" as Sammy made her way towards me on the arm of her best friend.

Our wedding wasn't really what you'd call traditional, and the fact that Sammy's best friend was giving her way further showcased that.

Sammy had asked Kennedy to do so one night when the four of us were hanging out together at Nash and Kennedy's. We had eaten dinner and after Ethan had fallen asleep, we were lounging on their couch. The conversation had started when Kennedy asked Sam how she wanted to do the wedding procession, and whether she was going to walk down the aisle herself, or if she wanted someone to give her away?

Sammy had gone quiet for a while. It was almost like she hadn't thought about it at all until that moment. But I was pretty sure she had. Even though we hadn't directly talked about it, we'd had many conversations about her not having any relatives present. To which she had repeated over and over that it didn't matter to her. She just wanted to marry me, and as long as Nash and Kennedy were there, that was all she needed.

That was really all I needed, too.

Nash had gotten uncomfortable with the silence and offered Sammy to give her away, if that was what she wanted.

Sammy had looked up then, with a small smile, but a glassy look in her eyes. "Thank you, Nash. That truly means a lot to me, that you'd offer to do that for us. But you are Mitch's brother from anther mother. And as much as I appreciate it, you are his. You need to be there for him."

"Sam," I had started to protest, but she had just put her hand on my thigh to signal that she wasn't done yet.

"If I'm going to have someone give me away, I'd want that to be the one person who means the most to me, except for Mitch," she said and gave my thigh a couple of taps. "The one person who has always, always, stood behind me and cheered me on and believed in me no matter what others said." Sammy's voice shook a bit as she inhaled and I caught Nash reach for Kennedy's hand as her bottom lip began to quiver.

"So Ken," Sammy had said, the tears welling into her eyes, "give me away, please."

And that she did.

They smiled at each other, with eyes full of unshed tears as Kennedy placed Sammy's hand in mine, and took her place on the other side of Sammy, now as her matron of honor.

The actual ceremony was brief. Despite being nervous for some unknown reason, I managed to answer the questions correctly and timely, and then finally, finally, I was allowed to wrap my arms around Sammy and kiss her for the first time as my wife.

"I love you, Mrs. Evans," I whispered against her lips.

She had smiled with her entire face and given me another kiss that I quickly deepened, until she put her hand on my chest and pushed back slightly, which was a good thing. I'd almost forgotten that we were in front of the most important people in our lives, and they probably wouldn't have appreciated me mauling Sammy in front of them.