Love Prevails (Kris Bryant)

59| Mr. and Mrs. Bryant

Kris

Today's the day. I stand at the alter in my grey suit and blue tie along with my groomsmen. Across for me are the bridesmaids in beautiful navy blue dresses looking happy as ever. I look out into the church pews and study the smiling faces. Friends from our past and present. This little life we created has been great and now we can continue it as husband and wife. My mom sat in front with McKenzie in her arms. She had a white onesie and a navy tutu on, she looked adorable. I wave at her and she waves back as the crowd "awwww"'s along. Eventually the music starts and everyone rises. I take a deep breath and prepare myself. But nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see.

My dad insisted he walked Kayla down the isle. He said it would be his greatest honor to give her away. I might be his pride and joy, but she brings him pride and joy. I see them appear at the end of the isle and my breath hitches in my throat. My palms start sweating and my hands shake. As she gets closer I get a good look at her and that's when the tears start.

I've seen Kayla through a lot of things. The wins and losses. I've seen her die and I've seen her give life. But none of that compares to what I see now. Her dress was beautiful, it had the right amount of blue in it and it complimented her caramel colored skin. Her long life hair was pinned loosely so it still lightly hit her shoulders. Her make up was subtle and made her green eyes stand out. I wipe away at the tears causing Anthony to snicker behind me. My dad kisses her cheek before handing her off to me. I lace my fingers through hers while she takes her place across from me. Trying to control my emotions wasn't working, I was happy and excited and in love. The priest starts but I can't hear him over how beautiful my future wife looked. Eventually it came time for vows and I go first.

"McKayla, for my whole entire existence you have been the only girl for me. Since the first day we met you had me in your trance and I never struggled to get out. You've always had me intrigued, and still you shock me with your pure will and power. You tackled being a mom like a champ even though you had no one to base it off of. There's not a second in the day where you're not constantly running through my head and I'm happy to say that is never going to change.

When I'm with you rules seem to get thrown out the window. The only way I would ever miss a game is to ensure you are being awesome like you always are. The only time I'll break focus is I feel like I need you in that moment. No matter what the situation is you will always be my top priority. I promise that will never change, your safety and your happiness is above everything.

Not too long ago you did something insane and I still can't wrap my head around it. You saved my life and nearly ended yours in the process. There's the saying that you will take a bullet for the ones you love, and you actually did. Watching your heart stop and have to be restarted, that was the scariest moment of my life. Those were the longest few days of my life, like a never ending nightmare I couldn't be woken up from. I still have nightmares that you didn't make it, I couldn't understand why did that for the longest time. I still wish you hadn't. Then I realized that if the roles were switched and that gun was pointed at you I would have done the same thing.

But you're still here, strong as ever, living your life as if it never happened. I know for a fact that my life without you in it isn't much of a life at all. Anyone who knows me knows just how much I love to talk about you. But I'm proud of you. It's not easy what you're doing, in fact if I didn't watch you fight through it first hand I would have said that it wasn't possible. But nothing's impossible with you, if you set your mind to it it's going to happen. It's one of the many qualities about you that I love.

Now I stand here feeling like the luckiest man alive because on top of all the accolades and becoming a father I can now call the most dynamic woman in the world my wife. I promise to always remind you of how great you are. I promise to be your biggest fan, through thick and thin. I promise to love you unconditionally, because I know no matter if I win or lose that I still win because I come home to you. And lastly I promise to always believe in you, because the first part of chasing a dream is finding something to believe in.

It hasn't always been easy with us, but it's always been worth it. I love you Big Mac, forever and for always" I finish. She wipes away a tear then squeezes my hand. I loved when she did that. Soon enough it was her turn and I hang onto each syllable she spoke.

"Love, noun. An intense feeling of affection. When words or phases are overused they often lose meaning. The value lessens and eventually it becomes routine, not wanted.

I use the word 'love' more often than most. There's not many things I this world I don't love and love passionately. I love baseball, I love talking, I love barbecue, I love our baby, I love looking up to the sky and be surrounded by nothing but darkness because it makes the stars shine brighter.

But for some reason when I say I love you it's different. When I say that I love you I feel different. Maybe it's because I denied my love for you the first few years or that you were the first person to ever love me back. Maybe it's because I loved you for so long and the love grew stronger throughout our ten years together. I don't know, all I know is that our love is one of a kind.

I can tell you I love you six times a day and I mean it every time, I never get tired of it. And although it's overused it's still valuable when I use it in the same sentence as you. Our love is strong, it's exciting and thrilling and everlasting.

Everyone says their love is unique but I have the scar to prove it. That day we were just starting to reconnect I almost lost you once again. But I kept breathing because I wasn't done with you yet. There was so much I needed from life and we were just getting started, I just couldn't lose you again. And when I finally woke up you were there just like you promised. I know you're upset I stepped in front of that gun for you but I saw the finger on the trigger. I knew that if that bullet would have hit you all the things I wanted for you would be gone. That situation could have happened a hundred different ways, and each and every time I'm stepping in front of you. No regrets.

It's been Kris and Kayla for so long, and on this day when we become Mr. and Mrs. Bryant I know that things have changed. We have a child and you are the most loved person in the world. But I look out into this small crowd of familiar faces from the past and the present and it feels like nothing has changed at all. We're still just two kids in love chasing a dream.

Life is complicated, but I've always enjoyed complicated. A good challenge is more satisfying to overcome than a small task. Maybe that's why I felt the need to move out to Boston. Most of my life I was looking for something, something without a name or face, which is why it was hard to find. But what I was looking for the whole time was in you, I was looking for a better me.

You supported me through my parent troubles and that one time I got a C on a calculus test and nearly had a breakdown. We know each other so well, when I'm hurt you're hurting too. When you're happy I'm happy too. It's always been us two and now we get to make it official.

Now I get to stand before you not only as your future wife but as your biggest fan, best friend, and co-baby maker telling you that love isn't all that special. I can say I love Anthony and I love pretzels in the same sentence and feel absolutely nothing. That is until I put your name into the equation it all changes. It suddenly becomes so heavy and hard to explain.

I don't know a lot of things. But I know enough to promise that I will give you all I have until the last breath I take. You're always number one on the field and number one in my heart. And you're living proof that through it all... love prevails."

Now we were both crying and our friends got a nice chuckle out of that. Bens little boy brings out the rings but I don't recognize one of them. I look up to McKayla who wore a smirk on her face. I say my vows and slip her ring onto her finger and she does the same for me. When I look down I see that my ring had baseball laces on it, which was a lot cooler than the one we originally picked out. Finally it came time that I could kiss my beautiful wife, I lift the vail and waste no time connecting my lips to hers. This just might be my favorite moment of my life.

We get outside and I look down at my ring.

"Did you do this" I ask and she nods.

"Look at the inside" she says and I remove my ring. It said 'number one on the field and number one in my heart' just like my bat. I look back up to her and see that spark in her eye. Yeah, this was defiantly my favorite moment of my life.