Life Support (The Breathe Series Book 2)

by Zoe Norman

  Drew freezes mid stride, surveys the crowd, and then instinctively wraps his little arms around Emily’s lower legs. You can hear a few coos and giggles from the crowd as he presses his face to Emily’s knees. With some coaxing, she manages to get him down the stairs of the deck and they begin the walk down the aisle. Once Drew sees me, he smiles, drops Emily’s hand, and takes off in a wobbly run down the aisle. I crouch down and extend my arms to my son as he dodges flashing cameras and curious guests trying to get a better view.

  Drew crashes into my chest with a thud. I smile wide and lift him up into my arms, kissing his forehead. As I prop him on my hip, he looks over the crowd and shyly buries his head into the crook of my neck. I nuzzle into him and do my best to distract him, pointing out Auntie Emily, who is walking down the aisle, and Grandma Maxwell and Nana Burke. He smiles apprehensively and gives them a small wave while trying to brush his hair up and away from his face.

  “You look good, little man. You ready for the party?” I ask Drew in a hushed whisper.

  “Mommy says I look hanthum,” he replies with a full voice.

  “You do look very handsome, son. Did you catch a look at your mom?”

  He nods. “She’s preddy, Daddy. Auntie Reese said you would attack Mommy when you saw her. Be nice to Mommy, okay?” he says, lovingly patting my face with his little hand.

  I stifle a chuckle. “Oh, I’ll be very, very nice to Mommy. Don’t you worry.” I give him a kiss on the top of his head and put him down to stand beside me.

  I take hold of his small hand as, together, we watch the groomsmen walk the bridesmaids down the aisle. After everyone has taken their predetermined spot, the music changes again and all the guests stand to face the house. Ready or not, here she comes.

  My heart is beating so fast that I can feel it in my temples, and it crosses my mind that I may very well pass out. I start to breathe deeply. In through my nose. Out through the mouth. In and out. Slow and steady. My nerves are shot to hell. I know without a doubt that marrying Olivia is the right thing to do, but that doesn’t stop me from being so freaking nervous. I mean, my legs are sweating for crying out loud. My legs.

  I swipe a bead of sweat that starts to trickle down the side of my face and smile nervously at my mom. She smiles sweetly, reassuring me the way only a mother can. Travis, standing behind me, squeezes my shoulder, showing me his support. I swivel around, give him a smile, and nod my head. I’m okay. I’m great, actually. I just want to see Olivia.

  I roll my shoulders and look up at the sky while taking a final deep, calming breath. As I exhale, the curtains sweep open and there she is. All the air leaves my lungs as my eyes start to sting with tears. My throat constricts and I inhale sharply, amazed by Olivia’s beauty. I can feel my chin start to quiver as I am completely overcome with emotion.

  My steepled hands cover my mouth as I whisper, “Oh my God…”

  Olivia takes my breath away. She is so stunningly beautiful.

  When her eyes meet mine, I can see that she’s started to cry too. She begins her last walk as a single woman toward me. She is every dream I’ve ever had, and she’s more than I deserve.

  Suddenly, I no longer hear the music. The crowd is gone. Olivia’s father fades away and I zero in on Olivia. She’s all I ever see. In return, there is only pure love radiating back from her.

  I can barely see where I’m going through the tears. Thank God for waterproof makeup, I think absently.

  If you had asked if Owen could ever look more handsome, I would have told you that it’s impossible. Until now. Owen Maxwell in a tux would bring any woman to her knees. Owen Maxwell crying in a tux while you walk down the aisle to become his wife? I literally can’t breathe. He is beaming at me, his hands clenched together in front of him. I can see him fidgeting on his feet, like it’s taking all of his strength not to come to me. I understand this because it’s taking everything in me not to bolt down the aisle and throw myself into his arms.

  We finally get to the end of the aisle, my father patting my hand.

  “Who gives this woman’s hand in marriage today?”

  “I do,” my father says. He turns to me and lifts my veil. “I love you sweet girl—so much. You are a beautiful bride and a phenomenal mother. Take good care of them.” He kisses me on the cheek, which is wet from a new set of tears falling, and gently replaces my veil.

  Owen steps toward me and takes my father’s hand.

  “Take good care of my girl, Owen.”

  It’s hard to believe, but in an effort to do the whole proposal thing right, Owen actually asked my father for my hand in marriage. My dad was really touched—as was I.

  “It’s my life’s mission, sir. Thank you.”

  They shake hands, and my father unexpectedly pulls Owen in for a hug. I hear my mother sob from our side of the seats.

  Then Owen turns to me and slides his arm through mine. Before we move, he looks down at me, his eyes swimming in tears, his smile brighter than any I’ve seen before.

  “Hi,” he says simply.

  “Hi to you,” I reply, too choked up for more.

  He leans in to whisper into my ear as the guests take a seat, “You’re the most beautiful I’ve ever seen you, Olivia Burke soon-to-be-Maxwell.”

  I smile shyly and sneak a peek at the Justice of the Peace, who is oblivious to our sidebar conversation.

  “I am so in love with you, baby. Marry me,” Owen continues.

  I wipe away another stray tear, bite my lower lip, and nod. It’s all I can manage for fear of turning into a blubbering mess.

  We walk up to the Justice of the Peace as he starts the ceremony. At some point, Owen takes his arm from mine and joins our hands. As the Justice goes through his initial comments—“Two people in love…” and “Joined in this union…”—Owen’s hand squeezes mine tighter and tighter. I look up at him. He is staring straight ahead, but even through my veil, I can see the lone tear sliding down his cheek. I squeeze his hand back and he relaxes a bit.

  “Now, for the vows,” the Justice announces.

  Owen and I turn toward each other, grasping each other’s hands. His feet are doing their little nervous dance, and I can’t help but giggle. I know this part is going to destroy him. The combination of nerves and emotions are overwhelming to him and part of why I offered to have a smaller-scale wedding. This is way, way out of Owen’s comfort zone.

  “Olivia and Owen have chosen to write their own vows. Olivia, are you ready to recite yours?”

  I nod and take a deep breath, finding Owen’s eyes.

  “Owen. There was a time in my life where I wasn’t sure I would ever be happy. When I was certain that love would never find me. But you did. In the most unexpected place, in the most unexpected way. I felt you before you walked into that bar the night I met you. I don’t know how. I don’t care how. But I know I did. And from that moment forward, I knew one thing that I carried with me until you were mine. I knew you had saved me. Just the ease with which I could talk to you, from that first moment in the bar, I knew I was going to move in the right direction if I could do it with you. By the time that trip was over, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to live without you. I thank God every day that you felt the same way. It didn’t come easily to us, the healing of our hearts. But how lucky, how unbelievably lucky, are we that we got to do that together?

  “And now… Oh look at us now, baby. I have never loved anyone in the way I love you. You own my heart, my soul, my body. And I will spend every moment of my life, awake or dreaming, giving you that love in every way I know how. Today, we’re here, surrounded by our family. Surrounded by our friends, who have become our family. And joined by that little angel, the evidence of how much we love each other. That little soul that is part me, part you. If you are half as amazing a husband as you are a father, I will be the happiest woman alive for the rest of my life.

  “We are already a family. A piece of paper will never change that. But I will now have the same last name as the tw
o most important men in my world. There is nothing sweeter than that. So with that, I promise you my love every day. I promise to share my happiness with you and to offer you mine when you need it. I will be your strength, and I will allow you to be mine. I love you, Owen, and I am honored to become your wife.”

  Owen blinks rapidly, trying to fight back the tears that fill his eyes. He grips my hands tight and mouths, “I love you so much.”

  “Owen, are you prepared to speak your vows to Olivia?” the Justice asks.

  Owen nods, shuffles his feet nervously, and begins.

  “Olivia, the way in which we met was unconventional at best, but don’t most great moments start out how you least expect them? When I saw you sitting alone in the airport bar, nursing a glass of white wine, I knew I had to meet you. I was inexplicably drawn to you. I said later that night on our flight out to Seattle that fate was at work and you brushed me off, saying that psychologists don’t believe in fate. I think you’d now agree that fate had a hand in bringing us together, and I am forever grateful that it did because it led me to you. You found me when I was struggling. You threw me a lifeline I didn’t know I needed. You are my life support, Olivia. I need you to breathe, to function. Without you, I am nothing. With you, I thrive.

  “You are perfect for me. I didn’t know that I could love someone as fiercely as I love you. Nor did I know that someone as amazing and smart and kind and loving and beautiful as you could manage to love me. We have shared a kind of love that other people only dream of, and until my dying breath, I will prove my love to you…and to be worthy of yours. My whole heart is yours, Olivia.

  “I stand before you today, before our closest family and dearest friends, and promise to be your husband, friend, lover, and partner for life. I promise to give you the best of myself, because you deserve nothing less. I promise to empower you to do the things you dream. I promise to be your biggest advocate and best friend. I promise to passionately fight with you and, just as equally, passionately love you.

  “Over the past few years, we have endured things that have tested us. I cannot promise you that things will always be easy and that I will not disappoint you at times. What I can promise you is that I will always love you and that I will never stop kissing you. I promise to respect you and encourage you and be compassionate toward you.

  “You have already given me two of the greatest gifts in the world – your unconditional love and our son, Andrew. I see how you are with our son, and it makes me fall more and more in love with you. I promise to always put you and Drew first and to be your encourager, protector, advocate, and confidant.

  “Everything that is me was yours long before today and will be yours long after. You are all I could ever want and way more than I deserve. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being an amazing mother to Drew and for the gift of him in our lives. You are the very best of me, Olivia, and I would be honored and humbled to have you as my wife.”

  I remove a handkerchief from my pants pocket and slip my hand under Olivia’s veil to dab the tears falling from her eyes. She tenderly leans into my touch and tells me that she loves me. I’ll never tire of hearing her say those three simple yet powerful words to me.

  "I must say, I have officiated a lot of weddings over the years and those have to be the most heartfelt vows I’ve ever heard. Thank you for letting us all be witness to that and to your love for each other.” The Justice smiles, looking to Olivia and back to me with a wide grin. “Now, let’s get you two married, shall we? May I have the rings?” he asks, turning to Travis.

  Travis takes the rings out of his suit pocket and places them in the palm of the Justice’s hand.

  “Owen, repeat after me: I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, my faith in our strength together, and my promise to learn and grow with you.”

  I repeat the words verbatim as I slip the sparkling diamond ring onto Olivia’s left ring finger. It slides on with ease—like it was always meant to be there. Olivia beams as she looks up to me, biting her lower lip, and I know she’s tripping out just as much as I am right now.

  “Olivia, if you’re ready, please repeat after me.”

  She recites the same words as she places a brushed, black, tungsten carbide ring onto my left ring finger, pushing hard past the second knuckle to get the sucker on. We both laugh at the irony of how difficult it was to get the ring on, but it’s there. It’s most definitely there.

  “Now…” the Justice says loudly for everyone to hear. I take hold of both of Olivia’s hands and flash my eyes wide. She smiles, showing me her beautiful, straight, white teeth. “By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  I squeeze Olivia’s hand and whoop loudly with joy. The guests start to applaud.

  “Owen, you’ve been waiting for this moment. You may now kiss your wife.”

  As the crowd claps their approval and congratulations, I delicately and reverently lift Olivia’s veil, laying it over her head and down her back. Then I wrap my hands around her neck and gently place my thumbs on her chin, tilting her face up toward mine. I brush my lips over hers, whispering, “Forever mine,” before lightly kissing her full lips and claiming her for the first time as my wife.

  My hands slip down from her neck to her back, molding her body to mine. Deepening the kiss, I trace my tongue along the seam of her lips then dip it inside, licking and teasing as if this were our honeymoon night and we weren’t in front of our parents and guests. Regaining my composure, I plant a soft kiss on her lips and reluctantly pull away. Olivia and I look at each other, already greedy for more and elated with the fact that we have a whole lifetime ahead of us for just that.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pride that I present to you Owen and Olivia Maxwell.”

  The crowd erupts at the announcement, and we can’t help but beam. I imagine that fireworks are shooting from us, the intensity of this moment so overwhelming. Then I hear a cry and turn to see Drew squirming out of Emily’s arms, hysterical, likely due to the shock of the loud noises. In an effort to help I nod toward Emily, who looks like she’s really struggling, and she puts him down. Drew bolts for me and throws himself into my arms, only to be usurped by Owen who hoists him up on to his shoulders.

  “Hey, little man! No tears today! We’re celebrating our family!” Owen says as I lean in and wipe his tears away, giving him a kiss on the nose.

  “It’s scawy,” Drew says, still sniffling.

  “No, baby boy. It’s going to be a party now!”

  “A pawty?”

  “Yup. We’re going to celebrate Mommy and Daddy. Look over at your mommy, Drew. She looks like an angel, doesn’t she?”

  “She’s a printhess” Drew is beaming at me.

  “In every way, son. In every way. Come on. Let’s go see Uncle Simon. He needs a little Drew time.”

  Owen leans over to kiss me before he takes our son over to Simon in the hopes of distracting him. As he does, I watch the wedding guests gather, talking to each other as they start to move toward the reception tents. There are drinks and appetizers for the guests while we take a few photos with the wedding party on another part of the property. We didn’t want anything too fancy, so we’re just taking a few with a friend of Laney’s as the photographer. Simple. Just like we like it.

  When Owen gets back to me after handing off Drew, his eyes have a heat in them they didn’t have when he left. He slides his hands around my waist and pulls me to him nuzzling my neck and humming with happiness.

  Owen murmurs against my skin, “I can’t stop looking at you. You’re breathtaking. I love this dress”—he pauses to pull back and assess me again, his eye gazing over me from head to toe—“but I have a really major desire to rip it off you.”

  I grin at my husband—my dirty boy. “Don’t you think people will wonder where we are?”

  “I don’t give a fuck,” he growls and pulls me in for a deep kiss.

  One hand rests on the small of my b
ack and pushes me against his groin while the other lands behind my neck, intensifying our kiss. His tongue sweeps through my mouth, dancing with mine. I can’t help but moan. As his lips start to work down my chin, to my neck, he begins to whisper.

  “My wife… So beautiful… Sexiest woman alive… Mine… Mine… Wife… Olivia Maxwell… Mine…” He finally backs away, breathless and looks me in the eye. “Upstairs. Quick. Now.”

  I nod my head with a look on my face that is likely somewhere between reverence and zombie. He grabs my hand and practically drags me toward the house. We barely make it through the drapery when the photographer grabs us.

  “I was just looking for you two! Hurry we need to get this light!”

  Owen and I groan and glare at each other. Sighing, we follow the photographer out to the side yard to take more pictures.

  One hour, a gazillion pictures, and one very cranky two-year-old later, we have finished. The family has moved into the tent and the sky has grown darker, my mother taking Drew so he can eat his dinner. We planned in advance for Drew’s presence here and brought with us our babysitter. She’s amazing, and the plan is for her to take Drew into the house after he gets his dinner.

  Owen and I make our way to the side of the tent and await the announcer to usher us in. Suddenly, Justin Timberlake’s “Not a Bad Thing” starts to play over the loudspeakers and we hear the whine of the microphone.

  “Ladies and gentleman, please find your seats, because we would like to introduce to you all, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Owen and Olivia Maxwell!”

  Owen squeezes my hand and gives me a quick kiss before we walk in, our clutched hands raised above our heads, sashaying to the music.