A gentle breeze blows, causing the ribbons tied to the metal chairs to wave gently. My mother, who is obsessed with every last detail of this wedding, reties the one to her chair and smiles at me while Tamera sucks gently on her fist. For the time being the nine-month-old child manages to sit still on her grandmother’s lap, but the moment she spots me she shrieks and reaches across the space dividing us. I know it isn’t traditional to hold your child at your wedding ceremony, but I can hardly deny myself the joy of having those pudgy little hands clinging to my suit and remove her from my mother’s lap.

“Mijo,” she scolds, knowing that my daughter will be spoiled rotten someday. It isn’t completely unusual for me to give in to every request my darling little girl has, so her future is looking very promising when it comes to both love and material belongings. This child is going to have the world.

“I know, Mama,” I smooth the darling pink dress my daughter is wearing. It’s the exact color of the matron-of-honor gown Sheridan has chosen for our wedding. “But how can you say no to this face?” I tap Tam’s button nose and she grins at me, proudly displaying the teeth she has. I know not to trust that angelic face; when she’s angry those little teeth are weapons!

“Almost ready, buddy?” Hank asks, clapping my shoulder and prompting a laugh from my daughter when he makes one of his classic faces. My best friend is a goofball.

“I’ve been waiting for this day forever,” I tell my best friend, puckering my lips. “Give Daddy a kiss, Tam.”

She replies with the stickiest, wettest, slobber kiss ever to grace the face of any man, but it’s come from my daughter so I don’t wipe even the tiniest bit of baby spittle from my face. This, of course, grosses out my dear friend Hank, but I don’t care. Nothing could ruin my mood today. I am finally marrying the woman of my dreams.

Sheridan and I discussed having a small, quick wedding the month after my proposal, but after many talks we both decided that we wanted to have a wedding on the beach, preferably as close to the date we first met as possible. We met in August, the fifth to be exact, but Sheridan and I decided that the end of the summer was far too long a wait. Instead, we decided that the very start, early June, was going to be our new wedding date. Now, it was mere minutes to the moment that Sheridan would walk down that aisle and promise herself to me like she once did my brother. Everyone asked how I deal with the fact that she had not only been married before, but married to my brother and I always replied with two words: endless love. My love for her is eternal and today I am going to make her mine forever.

Music from the electric piano begins and Mama reaches for Tam, who gives her a look but holds tight to my jacket. This is definitely the byproduct of Lopez-Fitzgerald and Crane genes! I shrug, letting my mother know that I don’t mind holding her during the ceremony, and take my place beneath the trellis, which is covered in beautiful red, pink and white roses. Hank stands behind me, the guests take their seats and Father Lonigan smiles, waiting for someone to tell him to begin.

In a few minutes, Sheridan will finally be my wife…

My cream colored dressed ruffles in the breeze and I flatten it with my hand. I opted to have a simple but beautiful lace gown for my second wedding but I love it more than the white and gold one I wore when I married Antonio. Atop my head is a simple crown of silk roses and I carry three long-stem white buds: one for each member of our family. Before me, Theresa stands in a baby pink dress, her long chestnut colored curls cascading down her back. She turns slightly, smiles at me, and then commences her descent down the aisle towards Luis and Father Lonigan. The wedding has officially begun.

As Theresa walks slowly away from me, the butterflies in my stomach start flying around at warp speed. I had thought that I wouldn’t feel their nervous flutters considering I had been through a wedding before; but this is different. This time I’m not marrying out of some distorted sense of duty and loyalty to a man I don’t love. In fact, this time I am marrying the man that was my first real love, the man that holds my heart in the palm of his hand and my soul is already bound to his for the rest of time. He’s the air I breathe and I cannot live another moment without becoming his wife.

The music changes slightly and suddenly the guests are on their feet. Little Tam squeals in delight, bouncing wildly in her father’s arms. I can’t help but smile. Tamera is the spitting image of her father, except of course for her eyes, and the two of them are so close that it warms my heart. I know that Luis hasn’t quite forgiven himself for missing her birth and her first month on earth, but he has more than made up for it by being the father she needs and deserves from the moment of his return until today. There’s no love greater than that between these too except perhaps the love between him and me.

Ethan takes my arm and smiles gently, kissing my cheek before leading me down the aisle to my future husband. Neither of us is able to speak as we slowly walk to the beautiful strains of music coming from the electric piano. Chad is doing all of the music for our wedding and reception keeping the affair personal.

When we reach the trellis, Ethan again pecks my cheek and hands me over to Luis and Tamera, who is now excitedly gurgling and clapping her hands. Tamera can say three words: Mama, love and Dada. I suppose it’s because she has heard them so often in the house that she repeats whatever she hears most often. We lavish her with love and attention; she wants for nothing at all.

I take one more step forward, hand Theresa my flowers and then take Luis’ right hand into my own. With his other hand he props Tam on his hip and I whisper, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he replies, smiling brightly.

“Mama! Dada!” Tam cheers, patting Luis’ cheek with her sticky brown fingers and leaving behind a translucent trail of drool. We laugh.

“I take that as the sign that we are ready to start,” Father Lonigan chuckles and our gathered friends and relatives chortle. When everyone calms, he continues, “Today we are celebrating a union, which recognizes a special bond between this couple before me. For many of us, including the bride and groom, this wedding has already taken place in heart and spirit, now it will be legal in the eyes of the Church and the law. Today they will state their commitment to each other before friends, family and God himself. Their joining is not based only on mutual love, but on the desire to join their spirits for eternity, to raise their daughter together and to establish a true family within the church.”

My eyes meet and lock with Luis’, both of us focused solely on each other. Today will make our dreams come true. Today we’ll prove our endless love.

My hands itch to touch Sheridan’s soft face and to caress every curve of her body. She’s never looked more beautiful to me in all the years I’ve known her. My dreams cannot compare to the beauty of the woman before me. She is simply breathtaking, perfect in every way, shape and form. I couldn’t love anyone else more and here she stands ready to promise to love me forever and ever before God and our family. Tamera rests her head on my shoulder, suddenly quieting. Even she seems to sense the importance of the minutes to come. She, our lasting legacy of our love, is ready to witness what will be considered one of our most memorable moments ever: our wedding day, the day we are finally Mr. and Mrs. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald.

“Luis and Sheridan, I ask you now to listen to these words from 1 Corinthians 13 and allow the meaning behind this passage to lift your hearts this day. Remember these words always and keep them in your heart whenever you feel you need support in your marriage.”

He pauses a moment and then reads:

“Love is always patient and kind,
It is never jealous.
Love is never boastful or conceited,
It is never rude or selfish.
It does not take offence,
And it is not resentful.
Love takes no pleasure
In other people’s faults
But delights in the truth.
It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope.
It is always ready to endure whatever comes, and finally,
True love does not come to an end.”

I wonder if Father Lonigan realizes just what this passage means to all those present, especially those of us who had originally thought our true love had ended when the person that was to receive our love moved on without us. In my case, I think of Sheridan’s marrying Antonio and the long months that followed when I was away from her. Many nights I lay awake knowing that my love for her had not come to an end but believing that hers for me had. I was, of course, mistaken, but I didn’t know then like I do now that a love so deep and so true as Sheridan and mine could never be ended, not even by something so binding as marriage to another.

Simply put: our love is endless.

“Both of you have already made your way though so many trials and tribulations. You both have learned that your love can never be destroyed, can never fade, no matter what the circumstances. That is why you have come here today with your family and friends behind you. You have come to prove to the world and to God what you already know: your love is true and pure, everlasting and solid.”

I look at Tamera, a tangible reminder of our love, and feel each of Father Lonigan’s words being etched into my heart and mind. I know I can never forget how close I came to losing this very moment with my decision. How I spent a year pinning for the love of the man I lost because of my own choices. I remember how he walked out the door the night of my wedding reception, leaving me to face the emptiness in my heart and the loneliness of my married days. When he closed the door that night, I felt like I was being locked inside the prison of a loveless marriage, forced to spend my life as a maid and a nurse to a man I didn’t love.

But I wasn’t being trapped. Luis returned, unlocking me from a prison of a life and reminding me just what a real love feels like. It was as if he had never been gone; I had never been alone. It is perfect; our love and life together is perfect and now we were only making it better by promising to love each other for the rest of our lives, not that we needed a formal ceremony to make such a vow. We already knew we’d love each other forever. Our love is and always will be endless.

“Despite the fact that in heart and mind you are married to each other, I must remind you of the solemn, serious and binding nature of the relationship into which you are about to enter. Marriage is the voluntary and full commitment of a two people and it is made in the deepest sense, to the exclusion of all others, and is entered into with the desire, the hope and the intention that it will last forever.” He looks around with unseeing eyes. “With that said, I will now ask you to repeat these promises after me.”

I can almost feel every beat of Sheridan’s heart and I know that it is merely beating in time with mine. Both our hearts, our blood and genes, beat in one heart: our daughters. Together, we are going to bind the lives of three different people and yet, we are all very much the same. The same blood flows through our bodies and the same air enters our lungs. I am more than ready to swear that this will never change.

“Luis, will you take Sheridan to be your lawful wedded wife, will you love and respect her, be honest with her, and stand by her through whatever may come, so that you can share your life together eternally?” he asks.

“I will.” My eyes never move away from hers and I can see the tears pool in her eyes. “Forever,” I add. That one little word keeps the dam that was holding back her tears break open and they start to roll down her cheek. Tam whimpers, which is her way of asking Sheridan not to cry, but we both know it is useless. These aren’t tears of sadness; they hold the most joy any tears in the world could ever hold. Soon we’ll be man and wife: our dreams will come true.

Endlessly.

With a smile, Father Lonigan turns towards me but I witness this only out of the corner of my eye. I’m still focused completely on Luis and our daughter. Nothing else is in my line of vision and I pray that nothing interrupts this moment. Everything is going so well, perfectly and completely wonderful. I can hardly wait for our self-written vows. Luis and I have asked to write our own on top of the traditional vows. We wanted something special, something that conveyed what we believed deep down inside of our hearts. I’ve been looking forward to this for my entire life and now my heart is racing as we near it.

“Sheridan, will you take Luis to be your lawful wedded husband, will you love and respect him, be honest with him, and stand by him through whatever may come, so that you can your life together eternally?”

“I do and I will, forever,” my voice cracks, but my message is clear. Luis squeezes my hand gently and I squeeze back, letting him know that I adore him more than anything else in the world, except perhaps our daughter.

“Luis and Sheridan have also asked that they be allowed to write their own vows. Because of the unusual circumstance surrounding their wedding, I have granted them use of this time to convey to you the truth behind their love.”

I smile wishing he had said what Luis and I both believe: endless love.

I take a deep breath. I didn’t plan my vows in advance because I want Sheridan to know not only how I feel at this very moment, but every moment with her: speechless. No words could possibly make anyone understand the feelings and thoughts I have whenever she is near me, whenever I look into her eyes or see her smile. But I am going to try.

“I’m not sure what to say or where to begin. I didn’t want to rehearse some trite speech or long verse of poetry and find myself using someone else’s thoughts and emotions to tell you what you mean to me.” I pause for a moment, my voice catching in my throat as I look at her. I’m overwhelmed by the sensations raging through my body. “Honestly, I don’t think there are enough words in any language to describe what I feel just by looking into your eyes or feeling your touch against any part of my body. When I’m with you and Tamera, I feel like I’ve finally come home. It’s like I’ve been lost for the last thirty-something years and then I’m with you and our daughter and everything is clear and I realize that I’m right where I belong. Without you, I was dead, just a man trying to do a job and make it through his dark, dreary existence. With you, there is color in my life. I love you, Sheridan. I won’t let anything come between us, not now or ever. From this moment on we’re going to journey through life together: hand in hand, heart to heart. I intend to spend the rest of my life proving the depth of my everlasting, endless love.”

I know that it is my turn to speak, but Luis’ declaration of love has left me not only flabbergasted, but also completely breathless. I knew Luis loved me, but before now I never realized just how deep that love is, how complete it makes him. Here I thought that Luis had saved my life and kept me from dying so many times when it was the same for him. I kept him alive; I made his life worth living. I don’t know how to thank him for what he’s done for me and yet thanking him means nothing compared to what we both have given each other.

Everyone is waiting for me to finally say something, but I can’t find my voice. For a while my lips move, but no sound comes out. Luis’ gentle chuckle makes me blush but it’s Tam’s high-pitched laugh that truly wakes me from my silence. I laugh with her for a moment, tugging on her little shoe and then sniffling.

“How do I reply to something so wonderful?” I speak softly and Luis moves closer to hear me. Tam, of course, thinks he’s trying to hand her to me and clings to him tightly, whining quietly. “I know how she feels,” I motion to our daughter. “Whenever I’m in your arms, I feel so safe and protected that I don’t ever want to leave them. Over a year ago, you handed me over to someone else and I felt as if I were dying. You were giving me away and even though I know you were just as hurt as I was at the time, I felt like everything I hoped and dreamed of was slipping away from me. But now, you came back to me and suddenly it’s like the sun is rising on a land that had never been touching by it’s warming, life giving rays. Tam and I come to you today to become the wife and daughter you’ve always wanted not because it’s what we should do, but because it’s something we want to do and need to do. You mean the world to me and you support me when times are rough. I will never be able to live without you, Luis. That’s why I know you are my endless love, the one that I will be with forever.”

Father Lonigan nods to Hank and Theresa. Both of them lay a pair of shining gold bands against his Bible. He makes the sign of the cross over the small rings and then murmurs a prayer. “I have asked the Lord to bless the rings that symbolize your new life together as husband and wife. I have asked Him to mark your hearts with the binding of two lives becoming one. I ask you now to take the ring that belongs to your spouse.”

I remove Sheridan’s ring from the Bible, cautious not to drop either the symbol of our love or the child I hold in my arms. Tam, of course, reaches for the glimmering object because she is attracted to its sparkle. She pouts when I move it away from her grubby little fingers and shake my head. Denying her things is a lot harder than people thinks. When she gives me that quivering lower lip of her mother’s, I’m a goner.

“Luis, place Sheridan’s ring onto her finger and repeat these words: with this ring, I wed you and pledge to you my faithful and endless love.”

It isn’t easy taking Sheridan’s hand into my own, but she cooperates as best she can, knowing that Tamera isn’t going to relieve her deadly grip on my clothing. It takes some finagling, but I manage to get the ring onto Sheridan’s third finger and say the words that Father Lonigan has asked me to speak. Loudly, I echo, “With this ring, I wed you and pledge to you my faithful and endless love.”

“Sheridan, take Luis’ ring and place it on his third finger, repeating these words: with this ring, I wed you and pledge to you my faithful and endless love.”

My hand is shaking as I lift the ring to my lips and kiss it. Luis has switched sides and moved Tamera to his right hip so I can put the ring on his hand. But my trembling hands are unable to hold onto the ring for long and I am forced to bend and find his ring in the sand. He chuckles, which annoys and embarrasses me. Eventually I find the ring, take hold of his hand and slide it onto his finger.

“With this ring, I wed you and pledge to you my faithful and endless love,” my vacillating voice cracks slightly and I blush more deeply. I cannot believe how nervous I am finally marrying the man I have loved for so very long. It seems almost like a dream, too good to be true. But it is. I am finally his wife. Soon, Father Lonigan will make it official and we will kiss, joining us forever in heart, mind and soul.

“Sheridan and Luis, you have declared before friends and family that your love is whole and perfect, undying and endless, ready to face the challenges that life may bring. You have bound yourselves together with love by the joining of hands, taking of vows and exchanging of rings. Now, by the powers vested in me by the state of Maine, I pronounce you husband and wife.” With a large smile on his face, Father Lonigan continues, “You may now kiss the bride.”

“With pleasure,” Luis mumbles, pulling me to him.

And with our daughter trapped between us, we kiss. Sweetly, lovingly, with all the love and desire we hold in our bodies and hearts. Tamera starts applauding, causing our friends to join in as Father Lonigan says, “It is my great pleasure to introduce the endless lovers: Mr. and Mrs. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. What God has united, may no man break apart!”

Luis rests his head against mine and at the same time we whisper, “I love you,” to each other. Tam starts repeating the word love over and over, almost endlessly.

And then I smile and he smiles.

We have given each other our all…

Our endless love…