Georgia On My Mind

34

GEORGIA POV

6 Months Later

I let out a long, nervous breath as my feet sank into warm sand.

It was time.

"See you down there, Gigi," Mariah said with a bright smile. "Scout, are you ready?"

The sweet girl looked at us and pushed her glasses up her nose after Mariah adjusted the flower tucked behind her ear. "Set, Go!"

We laughed and I watched as they walked around the corner toward an archway set up on the beach. As happy as this moment was, someone was missing that would have loved to be here.

"Daddy?" I said softly, "I wish you were here with me..."

My heart ached knowing how proud he would be in this moment. The way he would tease Rome and have long chats with Max, how proud he would be that I was now willing to take chances.

I heard the music begin to play and blinked rapidly, looking down to make sure my dress was adjusted properly. The off white flowing gown draped over my body and had an open back, a soft cotton fabric that was perfect for Hawaii in the fall. I reached up and felt the flower crown made of Lily of the Valley that was pinned to my long waves.

This was what I had been waiting for.

One step at a time, I walked forward until I was facing Rome at the other end of the short aisle.

His blue eyes locked on mine and I had to take a deep breath to keep myself from sprinting toward him.

We had just a few friends at the resort with us for a week long vacation with our wedding tucked in the middle of the festivities. My morning was spent getting a manicure and pedicure along with Lila, Eve, and Mariah while Scout decided to join the guys and Archer at the beach. She was hooked on boogie boarding after just one lesson and I received a few videos showing her skills while we relaxed at the spa.

The kids loved being on the island, our days so far spent relaxing on the beach while the 8 of us adults kept watch over 2 busy toddlers. Archer was becoming a pro at digging in the sand and loved hunting for shells and silver dollars. Max teased that they would have to get another suitcase to check on the plane just to bring home all his souveniers.

My focus went back to the man I was about to marry while I felt the warm sun and could smell the salty ocean with every breath. Rome wiped away a tear and I took in how handsome he looked in the linen shirt and pants he chose. Max and Archer were wearing similar outfits, while Scout and Mariah had matching blush pink dresses.

We let Scout choose what they wore and she did not disappoint.

While I continued walking closer, I considered how far we had come in the past year. One year ago today, Rome was just getting home from Amsterdam. We decided our wedding date based on availability for our small group of guests but as soon as the timeline was figured out knew this was the perfect date.

The day he came home to me. The day we realized our feelings were real and worth fighting for.

I felt the rose gold bracelet on my wrist as I passed our friends that flanked the aisles. Titus and Lila on one side, Kraig and Eve on the other. We invited Miles to attend but Kayla refused to let him go without her and would not agree to take time off work.

It was a messy situation that caused more heartache for Mariah than she needed. She appreciated that we were open to however Miles chose to handle everything but I hated watching her deal with more drama.

Thankfully she was almost 5 months along now and baby girl was healthy with a strong heartbeat. The first few months were stressful but we were thrilled that everything was going smoothly. Max had been so nervous that he barely let her pour her own coffee much less lift a finger around the house. It was adorable to watch, even though I knew Ry was annoyed half the time.