Shift OR Drift

Five Years Later (Killian)

"Come on man, you got this. You stand in front of a crowd for thirty minutes and then boom. Pop. Bang. You're done," Royce runs his hands over my shoulders and straightens out my three-piece suit.

"Yeah Killian, not like the bride won't hate you for getting cold feet or anything. We've all only been dealing with you two the past six plus years," AJ chimes in as he continues to incorrectly tie his tie.

I spin him toward me and help him tie it, "you two are real assholes you know," the photographer continues to act as if she is invisible as she snaps photos of us as we get ready. Glad she walked in after my pants were on, "just because you did this a hell of a lot sooner than us with Lexy does not mean you have the right to patronize me on my day. If my memory serves me correctly, you were just as much an asshole then as you are now."

"Nonetheless a married asshole," he tips his glass of bourbon toward me his silver wedding band still on his left hand.

"You are not helping his nerves AJ," Royce chuckles as a knock hits the door, Royce flings it open.

"You three look like you are having some real struggles," she chuckles and I move over to her and embrace her in a hug.

Shortly after Amberly took my sorry ass back, I apologized to my mother and made an effort to keep her in my life, unlike my father. No one has heard from or seen him in the last five years. We assumed he died but never got the full story. After Amberly took me back, I erased him from my life. Off my phone. Even changed my number and he never showed his face again.

For the first time in her life, my mother stayed and met a decent man by the name of Howard Crater. He is a touch older than my mother but, the first one who treats her well. Plus, he does not have the most amount of money in the world, telling me whatever they have is true. All that Royce and I could possibly want for them.

Royce prefers the player side of things and has yet to bring a single girl over to mine and Amberly's house. Lexy and AJ moved out three years ago after they walked in on Amberly and me for the hundredth time and right before their wedding. AJ bought them a small three-bed, two-bath home. The first signs Lexy put up were the live, laugh, and love ones. She domesticated my best friend and even though he pretends not to love it, we all read his lies.

My mother straightens my tie and hands me a small glass with barely any bourbon in it, "take your nerves drink. It's time." She rushes me out the door after I down the drink along with Royce and AJ. The anticipation to see my bride eats me alive as the song Parachute by Kyndal Inskeep and The House Song enters the speakers cueing me to walk followed by AJ and Lexy paired together, Royce and Miranda. As they are the last ones standing. My mother understood not standing, she said she would rather sit with Howard anyway.

My eyes flick to the barn doors, nerves rattle through me as they swing open, "wow." I mutter as tears of joy fall down my face. Amberly slowly makes her way toward me in a beautiful long white gown, a ribbon around her waist of the A-style dress. The music carries her as her feet are placed in front of me, "you look," I wipe the tears from my face leaving my smile, "stunning absolutely stunning."

We face the preacher and he continues on with his traditional ceremony.

After twenty-three minutes, Royce counted, he turned to us after Amberly and I traded the placement of rings, "Do you Amberly Shafer take Killian Scott to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," she beams with a smile.

"Do you Killian Scott take Amberly Shafer to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The preacher asks me.

"I do," I smile and continue to hold Amberly's small hands in mine.

"Then you may kiss the bride," I grab Amberly and pull her into me.

"I love you. Right now. Tomorrow. In eighty years, through forever," we say in unison and I kiss her in front of a large sum of people feeling as if we are the only ones in the room.