Emmerson's Heart Page 31
Marc came back, taking his place and waiting for her as he wiped the tear from his eye. I knew what it was all about. I knew what the delay was. She was hurting. She was missing Jackson on the day that had meant everything to her and he hadn’t been here to walk her down the aisle himself. God, her heart was still so broken not having him here, but she was thankful for each day that she had shared with him. That pain would never go away, but someday it would get a little easier for her to get through. I am sure that the next big event in our lives, she would miss him even more. He may have been my blood, my dad, but he was the man that had given his life for her and she would never forget that.
When Mr. Andrews had given me her hand in honor of Jackson Huck, I almost lost it myself. I couldn’t even speak. I just shook his hand and collected my bride, taking her right into my arms and letting her cry as hard as she wanted to, as hard as she could. God, I didn’t want to ever let her go. I couldn’t. I just held her to me while feeling that grief that was still so deep inside of her, pouring through her eyes and collecting her tears on my black tux jacket. I didn’t care. I loved it. I loved her even more that I could imagine.
The ceremony was long, watching those tears raining down her face every second. I looked at her as she was barely able to slip the gold band on my finger. Marc reached around and caught it before it had fallen. Her glassy, red, and puffy eyes shifted over to him, thanking him quickly before she just stopped and held my hand. Pressing it to her chest, she closed her eyes and let a few more tears go.
“Thank you for giving me him, Jackson. Thank you for this.” When her eyes opened, her chin trembled and her eyes danced with the fresh wave of tears. Slipping the ring on my finger, I reached up to cup her cheek and bring those beautiful aqua eyes to mine. Her hand rested on mine as she sniffled a little while just holding it here.
“You may kiss your bride,” Pastor Don finally said after his whole passage and smiled.
Stepping closer to her, I smiled as I let her tears dampen my skin. “Emmerson Huck, I love you so very much and you have never looked more beautiful than you do right now.”
“You better just kiss me nice right now.” The little smile came through her tears as she reached up to cup my cheek.
“Like hell I will kiss you nice, woman. I just made you all mine.” Grabbing hold of her, I pulled her tight to me and kissed her with everything that I had inside of me, everything that she had given me in my heart, I gave her too. God, I didn’t want it to stop. I couldn’t let it stop.
The reception was nice and as I sat by Emmy, my fingers tangled in hers, I couldn’t be happier in my life. My mom had stood and given her speech, of course making a few people cry, mostly Emmy. And when Mr. Andrew had stood he cleared his throat and forced a deep breath.
“I know that this would be where Jackson would say something and I…I hadn’t told anyone this, but he had come to see me a while back, in between our wonderful fights. He had looked at me and held up his hands, and said ‘Truce for just a few minutes and then we can box, old man’. He had a letter that he wanted me to hang onto just in case if something ever happened to him. I would rather him be here reading it and me sitting in the back on a truce for this occasion. If it is alright, I would like to read this for my friend.” His eyes drifted over to me as I nodded, scooting closer to Emmy. Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I kissed the top of her head and felt her cries shaking inside of her. Pulling out his reading glasses, he shook his head. “Damn, his handwriting.” Straightening his blue tie, he swallowed hard. “There may be a time in your life, my dearest Emmerson, that I will not be there to say these words to you. If I am not there on the most special day of your life, just know that I am watching over you and your husband will get his ass beat down every chance that I get. He not only stole my little girl away, but he has stolen her heart also. Emmy, there are so many things that I would like to say to you and I will because you are my special little girl, the special little girl that will always have my heart. No one will ever be good enough for you. My little angel who has been through so much in her life already—now I have to let another man take you away from me. God had brought you to us, to me, and I have done everything I possibly could to protect you.”
Her hand tightened on mine as she leaned into me. Reaching over, she grabbed hold of Marc’s hand, causing his eyes to shift to me nervously. Smiling, I nodded in approval knowing that she would need the both of us while hearing those words that my dad had left her.
“I would give my life for you and if I ever had the chance to change it, I would do it all over again. When you were little, you had snuck out to Ben for comfort and you told me that he knew the pain that you had deep inside of you. Well, Honey, so do I. I know what it was like to come from a home in which you had also. Maybe that was why I was so damn protective over you. I love you so much, Emmerson. So very much, and I know that it will hurt if I am not there on your special day. Just remember that I love you and cherished every day that I had you in my life.” His voice cracked a little as the cries poured from Emmy. God, it was just breaking my heart to see her crying like that, but I knew that she had just missed him still to this day and nothing would make our day any better than her tears. “You were a little spitfire and some days, I pulled my hair out while wondering how in the world a little girl could put me in my place as no others could. You are my weakness and I would never trade that in. I have sheltered you, sent you away thinking that I was protecting you, when I had been nothing but a fool about it. I was wrong to be that overbearing with you and I can’t say that I would change it. Seeing you so hurt inside and out, I wasn’t going to allow a man to ever hurt you again, not as long as I could help it.
His eyes shifted a little as he took a moment to pull back his tears. “This is your special day, Emmy. My little Emmy is no longer a little girl, but a beautiful woman. I will always be in your heart, Emmy, as you are always in mine. On the day that you marry your best friend, I want you to know that I have seen where I had gone wrong on trying to keep you apart. Truth is: I couldn’t be happier knowing that you are marrying my son. Seeing his deep love for you, I know this is the right thing to do and I want you to look at him every day and love him with all your heart like I know that you do already. And Paul, I couldn’t think of anyone better for my little girl to marry and to love. I just hope that fool of an old man you call your dad doesn’t do anything more to keep you two apart. Take her hand on your special day and hold that hand tight to your heart for me. Love her and cherish her because she is really something special….. And Ben, stay out of the house.”
He sighed a little as he choked back a cry. “I have asked George to deliver this on the day of your wedding because he is the only one that I know of that would be able to stand there in my place for me, if needed. He is a great man, my brother, and the best friend anyone could ever ask for. Emmy, if you ever need me and I cannot be there, don’t ever be afraid to turn to George. Just make sure that you smack him upside the head a time or two for me. So, live each day with the one that you love and be happy, Paul and Emmer. Be happy and let yourselves love each other like I know that you both already do.” He chuckled a little. “And Paul, just kiss her because I know that you want to or I will slap you upside the head again.”
Nodding, I looked at her as she looked up at me with the tears rolling down her face. “He told me to, Emmer. Just doing what he said to do.” Smiling, I covered her mouth with mine, kissing her straight from my heart. Not only had I just married the little girl that I had once saved from freezing to death, but the one who saved me years of living in constant misery without her.
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