163A/N: Just a little head's up. I wrote most of the chapter, and then I went back and changed the times. I read it through a few times to make sure that I caught everything, but I'm not entirely sure if I did. So if there are a few discrepancies here and there, I apologize. (:
Also, this is the last chapter. So prepare yourselves. This crazy journey has finally come to an end. It is bittersweet for me. I had such an amazing time, and I'm so thankful and honored that you all chose to read my little brain child.
Now. Onward!
~Emma
The house was quiet. She had slept a little, but she woke up around six in the morning; restless, excited, and unable to return to sleep. Mackenzie sat in her old bedroom at her father's house, in a Sukhasana pose, in front of a floor length mirror that she had propped up against her old dresser. She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply through her nose, and slowly out of her mouth. It was early, on the morning of her wedding day, and she was too excited to stay asleep. Her grandparents on her maternal side had shown up four days earlier, and her grandfather, who was a baker, had gone to work on a wedding cake. Neither Riley or Mackenzie had been allowed to see it, or be in the room when it was talked about. Her grandmother went straight to work on preparing a menu for the small reception, shopping, and doing the prep work.
The sound of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade playing softly in the background, and filled Mackenzie with a kind of peace that had been lost from her for a while. It was odd, she thought, being back in her old house and surrounded by silence. She couldn't sleep. Partially because she was excited, and partially because when she was in bed, she didn't hear the steady rise and fall, in and out of Riley's soft snoring. It was also the first night that she had been away from Sadie since she was born. She got up from her spot and went downstairs. She had promised not to peek out into the back yard, but she was tempted to break the promise. In the end, she couldn't do it, and just passed by the French doors on her way to get a glass of water. She wondered if Riley was having the same anxiety, and felt the same butterflies in her stomach, or if she was able to sleep through the night. Mackenzie wanted to call her, thinking that maybe Riley's voice would calm her nerves and help her to get to sleep, but she didn't want to take the chance that she was going to wake her bride-to-be up.
By her calculations, she had about eight hours until people started showing up. There ceremony was set to start around four in the afternoon, but Sam was supposed to be getting there early. The gathering was going to be very small; Mackenzie's family, Seth's boyfriend, and a few other serious girlfriends, Sam, Riley's siblings and father, and a few of her Army friends. About thirty people altogether. While the original wedding had been set at about one hundred and fifty people, Mackenzie was starting to realize that she much preferred the idea of a small, intimate gathering of the people that truly meant something to her and Riley. She made her way back upstairs and restarted the playlist on her phone, and slid into bed. She laid there for what felt like hours, and she couldn't fall asleep. Finally, her exhaustion overtook her excitement and she was able to drift off.
Across town, Riley was sitting on their couch. Sam had taken Sadie for the night, wanting to give both women a break before their big day. Riley had been restless all week, and it just got worse as the days ended, and the day got closer. She didn't understand why Mackenzie had to sleep at her father's house, but her grandparents had insisted, which only made Riley want to sleep less. She felt like she was counting the minutes until she got to see her fiance again. Her slight annoyance and not being with Mackenzie that night was soothed when she realize that the next time she got to see her, she would be in her dress, and it would be at their wedding. She was almost too excited to sleep. Almost. She fell asleep somewhere around two in the morning, after checking the three alarms that she had set on her phone, the one on the nightstand, and the loud one in the kitchen.
When Mackenzie woke up again, it was almost noon. The house was already bustling with excitement by the time she got downstairs. Both of her grandfathers, her grandmother, and her father were barking orders at her brothers, and they scurried around doing what they were told. She walked into the kitchen and was greeted by the smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee.
"Sit, sit, you must eat!" her grandmother, Fiona, called out. Mackenzie had inherited her red hair from her mother, who had gotten it from the woman standing before her, manning the stove.
"Oh, no, Gram," she put her hand on her stomach, "I couldn't eat a thing,"
"She's right," Alistair told his granddaughter, "You need to eat. We can' have one o' th' brides passing out, can we?"
Mackenzie sighed, but smiled, "I suppose not," she sat down. A hot cup of coffee and a plate of food were placed on the table in front of her, and truthfully, it was more than Mackenzie could have eaten on a normal day. Her stomach was in knots, with nerves and excitement, so she wasn't able to eat much of what was on her plate. She ate enough to pacify her grandparents, and then took her coffee cup and excused herself to take a shower.
It was a good thing that Riley set as many alarms as she did, because she didn't want to wake up on time. She would have assumed that it would have been the other way around, but she had the hardest time waking up. She rolled out of bed and shuffled into the kitchen to make coffee. She dialed Mackenzie's number, eager to hear her voice.
"Riley!"
Riley smiled, "Hey there, Red."
"Oh my god, I wish you were here,"
"I wish I were there too, babe," Riley told her, "But just think. In less than six hours, we are going to be married."
"I know.. I'm excited." Mackenzie paused, "I wish I could talk more, but they have me on a tight schedule. I have to get in the shower now."
"Oh, sure," the soldier sighed, "Hey, I love you."
Mackenzie smiled, "I love you too. I'll see you soon."
"Not soon enough," Riley said, "Bye."
She hung up the phone and fixed her coffee. She could have slept for a few more hours, because she didn't have all of the getting ready to do that Mackenzie did. She was going to shower, and put on her uniform. Her siblings were going to be there early, and ride over to the McDaniel house with her; Lizzy offered to do something with her hair. Mackenzie accepted the offer on Riley's behalf. She wasn't against getting dolled up, but the big, fancy hair and makeup thing was definitely out of her area of expertise. She could remember maybe three times in her life when she had worn makeup, and she disliked it every time. But she agreed to let Lizzy do her hair and makeup for that one day, because it was special, and she wanted everything to be perfect.
Mackenzie took her time in the shower; she was now silently thankful that she had let Sam talk her into getting her legs waxed two days before, though if her best friend asked, she would never admit to that. She was meticulous in her other areas of hair removal, and let the conditioner sit in her hair for longer than she normally did. Her shampoo smelled like vanilla, and her body wash like honey. It was the same thing that she always used, but it smelled better than it usually did. When she stepped out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her body, and hummed as she drove a brush through her hair. She moved to her room and sat on her bed, and began to rub lotion into her legs and arms.
She was standing in front of a mirror wearing nothing but her underwear when Sam came in. She knocked three times, with a slight pause between the second and the third. It was the knock that they had come up with when they were preteens, so that Mackenzie would know that it was Sam, and not her brothers.
"Riley is one lucky woman," Sam said as she put her bags down on the bed, and the baby carrier by the foot of the bed. She hung up the garment bag that held her dress on the corner of the closet door.
Mackenzie smiled at her and pulled her robe on, "Thanks." She walked over and picked Sadie up out of her seat, "Hi, baby! Did you have fun with Auntie Sammy?" she hugged the baby close and kissed her forehead.
"God, how do you look so calm? I'd be a wreck!"
"Oh, Sam, I'm so nervous," she watched as her friend plugged in a variety of blow dryers, curlers, and straighteners in various outlets around the room, "I feel like my entire body is shaking, you know?"
"Well, you look amazing." Sam hugged her, "I'm so excited for you, Kenz."
"Thanks. Do I have time to go get another cup of coffee?"
"I'll go get it! You're the bride. You shouldn't have to do anything but be excited. Need anything else?"
Mackenzie shook her head, "Nope. Oh... wait. Chocolate would be fantastic."
Sam laughed, "Sure, no problem," she said, and walked out of the room.
Across town, Riley answered the door for her family. Her father wasn't going to be there until just before the ceremony, so it was only her siblings who entered the apartment. She had just gotten out of the shower and was dressed in sweats. Her recently cut hair was still very wet and hanging down around her face. "Hey, guys. I'm glad you could come."
"Oh, my god, as if I would miss my little sister getting married!" Catherine was the first one to hug her, and then it was Lizzy, and then Mika. They made themselves comfortable around the apartment, which by that time, had been stripped bare of everything but the couch, chairs, television, and coffee table. Riley had to move boxes off to the coffee table so that they had a place to but their drinks.
"When does it start, again?" Lizzy asked.
"Four, but they want us to be there around three,"
"And it's one now," she said, "So I'll get to work." She got up from her seat and pulled a dining room chair over. "Come on, take a seat."
Reluctantly, Riley sat down in the chair and let her sister do whatever she had planned. She did not enjoy the pulling and yanking of her hair, or the painting of her face, but she let her mind travel somewhere else. She found herself mentally reciting the vows that she had written. They had decided to write their own vows instead of taking the traditional ones. They wanted their ceremony to be more personal than the sterile, formal vows that everyone used. When Lizzy was done with her hair and makeup, the soldier went to her room to get ready, and when she finished, they all headed over to the McDaniel house.
Up in Mackenzie's old bedroom, Sam wasn't letting the redhead look in a mirror. It took her nearly two hours to accomplish everything that she wanted to. Mackenzie sat as still as she could and chatted with Sam about everything from her nerves to their plans for that night from nine to eleven.
"Okay, go look," Sam told her.
Mackenzie gently lifted herself out of her chair and went into the bathroom. "Oh my god.. Sam,"
Sam stood behind her and grinned, "You like it?"
"I love it!" she turned and hugged her best friend, "Thank you!"
Sam smiled and hugged her back, careful not to mess up her hard work, "You look gorgeous, my friend." she said. She turned and looked through the the door to the bedroom, "I think I heard a car door shut."
"Oh! It's probably Riley. And I really want to see her."
"Not for another hour. But I'm going to go check and say hi, and I can send her up to talk to you through the door, if you want."
Mackenzie thought about it for a minute, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She finally shook her head, "No, that's okay. I can wait another hour."
"Okay," Sam replied, "I'll be back in fifteen minutes, and we'll get dressed, okay?"
Mackenzie nodded her head, and walked back to her bed as Sam left the room. She sat down and began to recite her vows to herself.
Sam headed downstairs, taking Sadie with her, and made it to the last step just as Riley and her siblings walked in the door. She knew who they were, having been at Riley and Mackenzie's apartment when they dropped by, but she had never officially met them.
"Riley! My god, you look amazing!" she smiled, and hugged the soldier with one arm, and then held Sadie out to her.
"Thanks, Sam." she replied; she took Sadie into her arms and hugged her close. "Uh, these are my siblings. Catherine, Mika, and Lizzy."
Sam shook each of their hands and smiled, "Nice to meet you guys." she said. Her hand lingered a little longer in Lizzy's, and their eyes met for just a few extra seconds. She pulled her hand away, "Right, well, I just came down to get you guys squared away. Um, there are two bathrooms upstairs and one down here if you need to freshen up or anything,"
"Thanks," Riley said, "How is Kenzie doing?"
"She's nervous, but she's fine. She looks beautiful. Speaking of which, I have to go finish getting her ready," she said, "I'll see you guys later." She turned and bounded up the steps, back to Mackenzie's room.
"How is she? Is she good? Does she look happy?"
"Whoa, calm down," Sam told her, "She's fine. And yes, she looks very happy. And totally yummy in that uniform! I mean, god. Where can I get one?"
"A uniform, or a man in one?"
Sam rolled her eyes, "Someone in a uniform," she said, "Maybe not necessarily a man."
Mackenzie looked at her with wide eyes, "Sam, are you... saying... what I think you're saying?"
"We can talk about it some other time, Kenz. Today is your day. I shouldn't have even brought it up."
"It's okay, we can talk about it."
"Another time. Right now we have to get you into your dress."
Mackenzie blinked, "Oh, okay. But we are definitely talking about this."
"Absolutely, dearest. Come on."
The forty or so minutes until the wedding was set to start passed more quickly than Mackenzie thought that it would. But before she knew it, she was standing in front of the mirror and smoothing out the front of her dress while Sam adjusted her veil.
"Okay. Something old?" Sam asked.
"The veil. It was my mothers."
"Something new?"
Mackenzie lifted the skirt of her dress and held out one foot, that had a brand new, silver toe ring around one toe on her left foot. "The toe ring."
"Something borrowed?"
She touched the necklace around her neck, "The necklace. Yours."
"Something blue?"
"The ribbon that Riley tied around Sparky's neck when she proposed. It's sewn onto my garter."
Sam smiled at her, "You're ready, my friend." she told her. "I'll go make sure that the coast is clear."
But Mackenzie had already begun to hear the music that they had picked out, so she knew that Riley would be in her place. She followed Sam down the stairs to where her father was waiting at the bottom. Dressed in a tux, with his hair slicked back, he looked almost exactly like he did in his wedding pictures. Mackenzie held her dress up as she walked down, careful not to go to fast.
"You look absolutely beautiful, Mackenzie," Vince told her. He held out his arm to her, and she slid her arm around it. "Your mother would be proud of you."
The redhead smiled and kissed her dad's cheek, leaving a faint light pink lipstick mark there, "That means a lot."
He smiled back at her, "Are you ready?" he asked.
She nodded, "Are you?"
"As I'll ever be," he said.
They moved toward the door; the plan was for Riley to open them just before they got there. But she stopped her Dad before they went through the kitchen. "Daddy,"
He looked at her, and concern filled his eyes, "What? What is it?"
"I just want you to know that just because I'm getting married doesn't mean that I'm not your little girl anymore."
He lowered his head and pressed a kiss into her forehead, "I know, honey," he said. When he lifted his head again, Mackenzie could have sworn that she saw his eyes fill up with tears. Then he cleared his throat, and took a deep breath. "Let's get you married."
She smiled, "Okay."
Sam opened the French doors, and everyone stood to their feet. Mackenzie and Vince lingered out of sight until she was halfway down the aisle, like they had practiced, and then they moved into view. She didn't have a direct line of sight to Riley, because of the way that they had set up the yard, she had to make a small turn before getting to the actual aisle. She stepped out onto the cool grass; the blades poked the bottoms of her bare feet. The song that they had chosen, Kiss The Rain by Yiruma played, and they rounded the little corner.
Mackenzie's eyes found Riley at the end of the aisle and locked on her form. She looked amazing in her uniform, and on her trip toward her, it occurred to Mackenzie that it was the first time she had ever seen the soldier in her dress uniform. Her hair was back and up off of her neck the way that she liked it, and it wasn't obvious that she was wearing makeup. Her dark blue uniform, her perfect posture, made her simply breathtaking to Mackenzie.
Riley's breath caught in her throat at the sight of Mackenzie. The redhead literally took her breath away. Her dress was simple. It flowed past her feet in two layers of the most brilliant white organza that Riley had ever seen; it had a sweet-heart neckline, that was neither too tight or too revealing. A silk sash in the same white was tied just below the bust. There were two straps, neither of which really held the dress up. They came from the left side of the dress, and one went around her neck, while the other went around her shoulder. There was a flower that was sewn on top of where the straps met the dress. Her veil didn't cover her face, but rather just rested on top of her head, and surrounded her shoulders and framed her silhouette perfectly. Her hair, which was quite long when curly, had been lovingly, painstakingly, and meticulously straightened, and reached down past the small of her back. Sam had put in soft curls at the end. She had taken the side of the hair and braided them back so they wouldn't fall in her face.
The music faded out as Mackenzie reached her fiance. After her father giving his permission for their union, she kissed his cheek again and whispered a soft 'I love you' in his ear before he shook Riley's hand and took his seat. The women faced each other and joined their hands, and listened as Cheryl went through a list of reasons that they had been gathered. Mackenzie couldn't focus on her words, really, but was focused mostly on Riley. The way that her eyes seemed to be smiling, and the way that the sunlight glinted off of them; the slight upturn of the corner of her mouth; her soft lips. Mackenzie found herself thinking that she couldn't wait to kiss them. "At this time, the couple has prepared their own vows, which they will now recite." Cheryl took a step back, to focus the attention on the two women.
Riley went first. She cleared her throat and squeezed Mackenzie's hands, and took in a deep breath. "Mackenzie McDaniel, love of my life. I have so many things that I want to promise you, but I guess I'll stick with the most important ones. I promise to give you the best of myself, and probably to ask more of you than you can give. I promise to realize that your opinions and interests are just as valid as mine. I promise to always be there for you and to hold you when you cry. I promise to always open myself up to you. I promise to eat your cooking experiments gone wrong with a smile on my face, and not to get angry when you leave your hair in the sink. I promise to always love you the only way that I know how, with all of my heart."
Mackenzie had tears in her eyes when Riley finished. She reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks, and waited a few seconds before speaking, "Today is the most ordinary day; babies have been born, people slept in, the sun rose in the East, and will set in the West. The only not-so-ordinary part is that we're getting married, and the promises that we're making to each other. So. I promise to comfort you in sorrows, and laugh with you in times of joy. I promise to follow you wherever life takes us. I promise to love our daughter and any other children that we have. I promise to listen to you, even when I disagree. I promise to always pick your dirty socks up off of the floor, and put your boots in the closet. I promise to always spell check your emails and correct your lyrics. But most of all, I promise to love you with my whole heart, even on days I don't like you, until I draw my last breath."
There was a long moment of silence, and their words of affirmation hung in the air. Riley wasn't a crier, but her eyes were filled with tears that were threatening to spill over. If the couple had looked anywhere but at each other, they would have seen that nearly everyone in attendance also had misty eyes. Cheryl let the words stand for nearly a full thirty seconds before she took a small step forward to finish the ceremony.
"Mackenzie Isobel McDaniel, do you accept Riley's vows?"
Mackenzie smiled up at Riley and nodded her head, "I do."
"And do you, Riley Alison de Luca, accept Mackenzie's vows?"
Riley's smile got huge then. "I do."
The officiant handed each woman their ring, "Place these rings on each others fingers," they did, "By the power vested in me by the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may now kiss your bride."
Riley grinned, and Mackenzie's smile matched hers, and pulled the redhead close to her body. Their kiss didn't last for a long time; it was chaste and simple. They pulled away and turned toward their families. They were grinning; their fingers were laced together at their sides. The audience stood up as Cheryl introduced them, for the first time ever, as a married couple. It was hard for them not to run back up the aisle, both eager to have a few minutes alone. Finally, they made it back into the house; Riley shut the door behind them, before she turned to her new wife.
Mackenzie just looked at her with wide eyes, "I can't believe it."
"Believe it, babe," Riley told her; she pulled her into her arms and hugged her, "I love you,"
"I love you, too." the redhead smiled. She kissed her again, and Riley eagerly responded. Mackenzie arms went around her neck and held on tightly. She got a little thrill in the pit of her stomach as the realization that she was kissing her wife sunk in. She thoroughly enjoyed the moment, and the feeling of Riley's lips on hers, and hands on the small of her back.
Riley pulled away, "You look beautiful, by the way,"
"You look amazing, too,"
"Yeah? Lizzy didn't do too much?"
Mackenzie laughed and shook her head, "No, Lizzy did an amazing job."
"Thanks," she rested her forehead against her wife's, "We did it, Red,"
"Your vows were so beautiful."
"I meant every word of them."
The redhead smiled, "I know you did. Thank you."
"And I loved yours, Red."
"Thank you."
"No, babe, thank you. Those words meant more to me than anything anyone has over said to me."
"Well, then. You are very welcome."
Riley kissed her forehead, "You're amazing, you know that?"
"I try."
"You succeed."
Just then, Sam stuck her head into the door, "Sorry to break this up, but the natives are getting restless, and Vince wants to get the tables set up. Cool if I open the flood gates?"
Riley turned to her and nodded, "Yeah, we're good in here,"
"If you guys want to run away and hide, I'll wait a couple more minutes."
Mackenzie moved her arms from around Riley's neck to around her waist, and shook her head, "No, that's okay, Sam,"
"Okay," she opened the doors all the way, and their guests started to trickle in and form sort of a line to give the couple their best wishes. Riley kept her arm around Mackenzie the entire time, and neither woman's smile ever faltered. Nothing could bring them down from the emotional high that they were on. After a while, they moved outside, where Mackenzie's brothers and father had rearranged the chairs and set up tables for the reception. Mackenzie and Riley had a table at the front, under the canopy that had been set up. A sturdy bamboo structure covered by sheer, dark purple tulle, that the two had gotten married under. They were joined by Sam, Mackenzie's maid of honor, Logan, Riley's best man, and Kara.
While Sam was busy talking to Logan, Mackenzie turned to Sam, "Okay, I'm married now," she said, "So spill about this not necessarily a man thing,"
Sam rolled her eyes and laughed a little and turned to her. "I don't know if it's actually a thing. I guess I'm kind of just curious. I've never, you know, like kissed a girl or anything."
"Uh-huh. How long has this been a... curiosity of yours?"
"Since you called me up and told me that you broke things off with Riley and I just thought that I had never felt like that. I mean, we were only eighteen, but I had been with Trent since forever, and I never loved him as much as you did."
"Well, yeah, but maybe you just haven't met the right guy yet."
"Maybe. But guys at school are just... ugh. Stupid." she said, "Like I said, I don't know if it's an actual thing. I kind of just want to see."
"Mmm, okay," Mackenzie leaned over and kissed her cheek, "Well, I support you no matter what. Just remember that relationships with girls are just as hard as relationships with guys."
Sam laughed, "Okay, I'll keep that in mind," she said, "Now pay attention to your wife."
"If I must," Mackenzie sighed, smiling, and turned her attention back to Riley, who kissed her cheek. "Have I told you how amazing you look today?"
"I'd be happy to here it again,"
"I bet you would, but the last thing you need is an ego stroke," Mackenzie told her, "But since it's a special day... you do look absolutely amazing. I love the way you look in your dress blues."
"Why thank you," Riley grinned, "Good enough to get me lucky tonight?"
The redhead grinned, "You'll have to wait and find out."
"Mmm... I can handle that. Hey, now that we're married, I can finally tell you what I've been planning."
"Ohh. Okay. I'm all ears."
"Well, tonight, we're staying in a hotel, and then tomorrow, we're flying to Tacoma to look for a house. Mika and his wife offered to watch Sadie. And then Lizzy is hanging out in our apartment and supervising the movers as they finish packing up the apartment and load everything into a truck. And once we find a place, we'll fly back here, and the movers will head out to Tacoma, and we'll spend a few days here to get everything squared away before officially moving."
"Huh. Do you have the rest of our life planned out, too?"
"At least the next three years."
Mackenzie turned in her seat to face her all the way, grabbed her champagne flute, and took a sip, "This ought to be good. Let's here it."
"Okay, here's what I'm thinking. We'll be living in a nice house, right? And we're happy, being Moms, and you'll go back to school. Because Washington has some really good culinary schools. And then, in about a year and a half, we'll have another baby. Only it'll be you with the baby inside of you this time, as previously discussed."
"And then?"
"And then we'll be very happy, and Sadie with have a brother or sister. And then... who knows?"
The redhead's mouth grew into a huge smile. She put her glass down and reached over to hold her hand. "I love those plans."
Riley's face seemed to light up, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," she smiled, "I'm excited to get started."
The soldier smiled at her, and leaned over to kiss her cheek, "So am I, babe."
They were so involved with each other, that neither one of them really registered anyone else; the guests were alright with that. The couple's happiness was infectious, and no one went away feeling anything but warm and fuzzy inside. As the sun began to set, after the photographer had taken most of the pictures, Riley pulled Mackenzie out of her seat, and into her arms. The song that they had chosen, You Belong to Me by Carla Bruni, played in the background, but Riley and Mackenzie barely heard it. Riley held her wife close to her and Mackenzie wrapped her arms around the soldier's neck. Mackenzie, who had been quiet and pensive at the beginning and Riley, who had more than enough emotional baggage to last two lifetimes, had come together in a meeting of the minds, bodies, and hearts. They weren't the perfect couple, and neither had illusions that they were. But for those few hours, where they were the only two in the world that existed, they were perfect; perfect for each other, perfect in that moment.
The End.