You Got Me Poppin Champagne

ALEX'S POV

Once I had got Erin calm again, I left the room and stepped out of the way as her cluster of bridesmaids and my parents bustled into it. But Erin's mother just stayed outside and stared at me.

"You look after her, okay? You make sure she's happy. She'll need you. Make sure you're always there for her."

I furrowed my eye brows. "Of course I'll be there for her. I'm about to become her fucking husband. Why would you even need to ask that?"

Those dull green eyes met mine with a fire burning bright within them. "A mother knows. A mother always knows. But I won't be here for her."

"Why not? Where the hell are you going? If you know your daughter needs you why don't you do the decent thing for once in your life and stay?"

"Because I can't. I've done so many things...it's time I paid the price. I'm doing this for her. She'll be safer. Stronger, but she needs you to get her there." There was something earnest in her voice and eyes and grip on my arm that made me wonder...was she being serious? Should I be scared? Or was Erin's mother officially a lunatic? It wouldn't surprise me given what she had been through with her husband when Erin was growing up.

So I nodded, not quite sure what to make of everything. "Yeah...fine, I'll be there for her. I promise. You know I'll be there for her. Even when I'm touring...I'll make sure to keep on top of things."

Erin's mother smiled weakly and a vague expression crossed her face. "That's when it all starts."

ERIN'S POV

My make up was retouched, my hair was double checked, my dress was smoothed down, and then it was time. I bit my lip to stop the smile forming on my face to become too large, but I honestly couldn't stop it.

"You ready?" Cass asked me as she handed me my flowers.

I took in a deep breath, collected myself and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. Yeah I'm ready. I'm so ready...but I'm so nervous...ah!" I spent a few moments squealing random things about how excited and happy I was and Cass just stood there patiently and laughed at me.

"Alright babe, I get it, you're happy. You're excited. You're marrying the man of your dreams...literally!" I giggled when she said that, but it was true. Alex Gaskarth was...no, is, the man of my dreams. "Now chill the fuck out and get your sweet little butt down that aisle! It'll be the best day of your life!" I giggled again and let any worry I had wash away as she led me out of the room, and Peter Gaskarth took my arm, smiling down at me with the love of a father I ha never had. I smiled back up at him, unable to contain my happiness. It was too much ecstasy for one person. 

The music started and the large double doors opened, revealing to me the hall decorated in pale yellow roses and ivory satin sashes. It was perfect. Everything I'd ever dreamed of, and the one man who completed the puzzle was stood at the foot of the altar, a tentative and gentle smile full of pure adoration on his face, endeavouring itself to spread to his eyes, and I shocked myself a little when I remembered that that smile was all for me.

ALEX'S POV

The time in which it took Erin to float from one end of the aisle to the other, her perfect place next to me, seemed like the blink of an eye. And when my father placed Erin's hand in mine, and he brought her head up to smile softly at me through her lashes, I could barely contain the butterflies I felt rise in my stomach. My gut. God she was beautiful. She was perfect. She wouldn't believe it, of course he wouldn't. And sometimes it hurt and frustrated me that I couldn't get her to see the brilliance within her, because I didn't know what I could do to help her see it, but right now, that didn't matter. Because she was here. She was with me. She was carrying my next two children. And I loved her.

All of which were things I mentioned in my vows, which seemed to pass in a hazy blur, and the next thing I knew my brain was focusing on the elegant gold band that I was placing right on top of Erin's engagement ring as we declared the only two words that mattered in the world to each other.

"I do." 

As those two words escaped in all their beauty from Erin's perfectly shaped lips, I barely gave the pastor time to state that we were now husband and wife before I took her face in my callous hands, guiding her lips to mine, just about registering that Erin was officially all mine. 

Our lips merged in a fit of passion and love as all those around us exploded into a frenzy of glorious sound. I felt Jack slap me on the back, but it wasn't hard to ignore my best man, busying myself in Erin's taste, her warmth, her tongue, her soft lips that giggled into the kiss beneath mine, sweet breath that I had grown so fond of. 

"I love you, Mrs. Gaskarth," I whispered as I pulled away slightly to see her bright eyes open slowly, still filled with the exquisiteness of our first kiss as a married couple, glimmering with the vibrant love pouring between us. 

"I love you too, Alex...I love you so much..." Her voice cracked and tears slid down her cheeks, making faint tracks on them as they had earlier, but at least this time I knew her tears were from happiness. 

I smiled gently at her and stroked the tears away, allowing my hands to caress the sides of her face. 

We stood there for a moment, entranced by the others presence, taking it all in. The simple band on my left hand now felt like it had its place. I felt more complete. It was meant to be, some part of me noted. 

But we couldn't stand like this forever, unfortunately, as we had family and friends who wanted our attention, and we had a reception to get to, where we would actually get some food in our bodies, much to Erin's delight, I'm sure, as the menu had a lot of bacon in it. Okay, it wasn't so much a menu as a buffet, okay? But she wanted bacon, and what my wife wanted, she would get.

Wife.

Erin. My wife. 

Mrs. Gaskarth. Mrs. Erin Gaskarth. 

She was my wife. She had my last name now. She really was part of me...and I was part of her. We well and truly belonged together. She was mine. Yeah, that may sound real egotistical and primeval of me, but she was. And I was hers. And we were both okay with that, more than okay. We were fucking stoked!

Erin pulled on my hand and my attention was torn away from my inner thoughts, my inner happiness; and was concentrated solely on the beauty before me. 

"The reception...we kinda have to go there now..." she told me sweetly.

I smiled, took her hand, kissed it, and said, "Yeah. We gotta have our first dance."