Love Endures All

Chapter 23: Everytime You Look At Me

A few months flew by and now here I am standing in “Bride’s room” of the church. I shook my head when I saw Jada waving her hands in my face and she snapped me back to reality. “Sorry Jada, I was just reminiscing. It’s okay, what I was saying was we have about five minutes to get you ready.” I took my robe off and stepped into my wedding dress and tried my best to keep calm while Jada and Sara buttoned all the buttons up on the back of my dress. I looked over in the corner and saw Landon standing in the corner playing with his ball. When the girls were done with my dress and the veil was covering my face I put a wireless microphone around my ear because I was going to surprise Jake by singing to him. Once it was in we walked out into the corridor and waited in line. Jada and Brady walked down the aisle first, then Sara and Bryson followed by one of his nieces and finally I walked over with Landon. He pointed down the aisle where he saw Jake, “Daddy!” I squatted down next to him and made sure my mic was off before saying, “That’s right Landon. Can you take this down to daddy?” He took the ring pillow from me and started to walk down the aisle and then ran the closer he got. Everyone cooed at the beautiful sight. I turned the mic back on when I heard the music come on. I stood at the entrance and slowly started walking down the aisle singing, “I would bet my life…like I bet my heart…That you were the one baby…I've never been so sure of anything before…It's driving my heart crazy…I can't hold out…I can't hold back now…Like I've done before…Darling look at me…I've fallen like a fool for you…Darling, can't you see…I'd do anything you want me to…I tell myself…I'm in too deep…Then I fall a little farther…Every time you look at me…” I slowly walked all the way down the aisle singing to my future husband not once taking my eyes off him. “How do you do that babe…Make me feel like I'm…the only girl alive for you…I don't know what it is…that makes me fall like this...First time in your arms I knew…The way you held me I knew…that this could be…What I've been waiting to find.” Every verse I sing brings tears to his eyes; this was the only way I could prove how much I love him. I wanted the first special moment of our lives together to be one he would never forget, “…Darling look at me…I've fallen like a fool for you…Darling can't you see…I'd do anything you want me to… I get to the altar and he reaches for my hand so I hand my bouquet to Sara and place my hands in his and stare into his eyes again, “I tell myself…I'm in too deep…Then I fall a little farther…Every time you look at me…Every time you look at me.” I reach up and turn my mic off and smile and wink at him. He squeezes my hands and the ceremony proceeds. We mix all three of our sands together then it came time for our wedding vows to each other. I decided to go first. “Jacob Ballard, I believe in you, the person you will grow to be and the couple we will be together. With my whole heart, I take you as my husband, acknowledging and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do mine. I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family’s love and happiness my priority. I will be yours in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph. I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring. On this day, I give you my heart, my promise that I will walk with you hand in hand wherever our journey leads us living, learning, loving, together, forever. You are my person—my love of my life, today and always. I love you with all of my heart.” Jake squeezed my hand after I slide the ring on; then it was his turn. “Bailey Daughtry, I promise to love and care for you, and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love. I will always be honest with you, kind, and patient and forgiving. I promise to try to be on time. I promise to be your lover, companion and friend, your partner in parenthood, your ally in conflict, your greatest fan and your toughest adversary, your comrade in adventure, your student and your teacher, your consolation in disappointment, your accomplice in mischief, but most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you. This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things. I too love you with all of my heart.” He slid the ring on my finger and bent down and kissed my finger. After that he picked up my son and we sat down next to him and said some sweet things to Landon, “I also commit myself to you Landon, promising to help guide you through life, during good times and bad. I promise to love and support you and your mother as long as we all shall live. You are my son and I love you.” At this point I was fighting back tears as he opens a box and handed it to my son. It had a bracelet with “Landon Ballard” inscribed on it. He took the bracelet out of the box and slid it on Landon’s wrist and gave him a kiss. Jake stood back up holding Landon with one arm and reached for my hand with the other. The preacher spoke loudly, “I would proudly like to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Ballard and son Landon.” We turn and face the crowd and slowly start to make our way down the aisle as husband and wife. We headed back to the room I was in earlier and waited as everyone had a chance to make it to the reception. Jake put Landon down so he could continue to play with his toys in the corner. He turned and looked at me as he held my hands, “We have been through so much together; good things and bad things. And in the end only one thing remains true……Love endures all things” and then he leaned down and kissed me.

                            THE END