Smokin Gun

Chapter Thirteen: Part III

Stephanie's POV

I stood in the side room of the chapel, wringing my hands as I paced. I wasn't getting cold feet. I just wanted to get this over with. I wanted to be married to my best friend. Twenty-two years of memories, good and bad I thought as I rubbed my growing stomach. I was ready to make a lifetime more of them. A soft knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts as the door opened.

The lady in charge of the ceremony smiled at me.

"It's time dear," she said.

I nodded and walked to the door. I briefly wished I had Daddy here to walk me down the aisle but it would be ok. We've already been told for years that Brantley and I act like an old married couple so a traditional wedding would not be us. It will probably be a miracle if we make it through the vows without pissing each other off.

We had both come to a realization this morning on the flight out when we were talking and he had pointed out that it was possible it would be some talk that we rushed this because I was pregnant. I thought about it a minute before I busted out laughing. Yea, everyone knows we had been best friends for years, but what neither of us realized is that pretty much for the last year and a half after he and Amber had split up again, we had been dating.

We just didn't put a label on it and didn't want to admit our feelings to each other. We'd each went out on a few dates here and there but blamed it not getting past that on we were both too busy. I took a deep breath and walked to the double doors of the chapel.

I jumped when I felt a hand grasp my arm. I looked over in shock as Tim gave me a wink before looping my arm through his.

"Oh, come on Stephanie, I wasn't going to let you walk down the aisle alone," he said with a smile. I stood up on my tip toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks Tim," I said with a smile that turned to a smirk as I gave him a wink. "Well I guess with three daughters you need to start getting practice." I smothered a laugh as I notice him turn slightly green and tug at his shirt collar.

"Woman, hush your mouth," he said as he shuddered.

We made our way through the double doors as the music started. I tried to keep my eye roll and laugh in as "I Was Made For Lovin You" played. I really cracked up as I looked down to see guitar picks on the aisle instead of flower petals and then looked at Brantley standing at the end with that shit eating grin on his face with a perfect Gene Simmons look a like standing behind him.

He was right, Elvis was so not us. I barely remembered anything the officiant said because I couldn't stop looking in Brantley's eyes smiling up at him, our hands linked together. A loud cough from Tim startled us both as we turned to look at him as he pointed to the officiant, who was looking at us with a bemused look on his face.

"You indicated that you want to say your own vows," he rasped out. We both nodded.

"Brantley, you may proceed," he said. Brantley squeezed my hands gently before taking a deep breath and speaking.

"Stephanie, I fell in love with your sassy mouth when I was ten years old. Never would have dreamed that the spunky, little, pigtail wearing blonde who punched me for taking her swing would be the woman standing in front of me today. It was puppy love then and by the time we were sixteen, it had grown into what first love was supposed to feel like."

"Now here we are twenty-two years later. You have stuck by me through it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. I am honored to have you as my first and last love. I know I have been blessed by God to have you in my life. I have always been your best friend, shoulder to lean on, and protector. I promise to be all those things still as well as your husband until my time on earth is done."

He reached up to wipe a tear that had fallen down my cheek before slipping the diamond band off his pinkie finger and sliding it on my left hand.

" I know my job is going to take me away from you and our family, but anytime you get to missing me too much, I want you to look down at this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let the sparkle of the diamond remind you that you are the light of my life, even on my darkest days."

He picked my hand up to place a soft kiss over the ring before smiling down at me.

"Stephanie, you may proceed," the Gene Simmons wanted to be said.

"Brantley, I love you with all my heart and soul. It's probably a good thing that you are the one I wound up marrying because you have run off any other man who has looked at me over the years, whether intentional or not. "

He smirked down at me and laughed.

"Oh, trust me sweetheart, some of them were very intentional."

I rolled my eyes before continuing.

"I have watched you grow up from the little boy who was my partner in crime in all things into this amazing man that I am proud to be spending the rest of my life with. The only thing you have ever been able to hide from me was the fact that you were deeply in love with me. I will forever be grateful to this little man," I said as I placed my right hand over my stomach causing Brantley to tear up.

" I truly believe he was God's way of giving us a wake-up call on the way we felt about each other. Even though it seems people have been trying to tell us for years and we were just too stubborn to listen. We have a lifetime of memories together, the good and the bad, that most couples dream of even having. I look forward to making many more as the years pass and our family grows."

"I have been in love with you since I was that bratty little ten-year-old who just had to put the cocky badass wannabe in his place. I can promise you that I will be doing that even when we are old and grey."

"I can't imagine anyone else by my side sitting in rocking chairs on our front porch telling stories to our grandchildren. So, with this ring, I promise to love you until I take my last breath because no one never has, nor ever will, love you as much as I do honey. "

I pulled the titanium black and camo band off my thumb as slipped in onto his left hand.

The officiant smiled at both of us before speaking. I could her Faith sniffling behind us.

"Do you Brantley Keith Gilbert, promise to take Stephanie Lynn Davis as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and cherish, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Brantley rasped out smiling down at me.

"Do you Stephanie Lynn Davis, promise to take Brantley Keith Gilbert, as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and cherish, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I said squeezing his hand blinking back tears.

"By the power invested me by the State of Nevada, in the city of Las Vegas, here at the KISS Hotter Than Hell Wedding chapel, I now pronounce you husband and wife. BG, you may kiss your bride," he said giving Brantley the rock on sign in salute which caused everyone to laugh.

Brantley tugged me closer to him and gave me a grin before lowering his head to kiss me. At the moment, his lips brushed mine I felt something and jerked my head back in surprise my hand automatically going to my stomach.

"Steph, are you ok honey?" Brantley asked looking down at me as I started crying.

I nodded before I grabbed his hand to place it underneath mine. He jumped when he felt the slight nudge underneath his palm. He quickly looked at me as the tears welled him in his eyes. "Was that......".

I nodded my head yes as I smiled through my tears.

"Yes, someone didn't want to be left out it seems."