Like You Did Before

Adjusting the knot in his tie, Iker glanced at the mirror in front of himself, a slightly hesitant smile pulling at the corner of his lips. It wasn’t the first time he had checked his reflection. Since he had been ushered into getting dressed almost half an hour previous, he had stopped in front of the mirror numerous times to check how straight his tie was, or whether his jacket fitted correctly, but after the knock at the door that had come just a couple of minutes previous, he had finally allowed himself a smile, knowing that he was only a few more minutes away from watching Matilda walk up the aisle towards him.

It hadn’t happened quickly. After Max had been born, neither Matilda nor Iker had been in any great hurry to start planning a wedding, and it meant that their engagement had spanned a couple of years before they had even started to talk about it, and a further year before they had finally made it to that afternoon. They hadn’t felt the need to hurry. They were happy together, and had always maintained that a wedding would happen eventually, but there hadn’t been a need to rush into it. They’d had a lot on their plate. Only a handful of months after Max had arrived, they had moved to Madrid, and with new jobs, as well as two young children, wedding planning had been the last of their priorities, but eventually, things had settled and, after months of planning, they were only a matter of minutes away from being husband and wife.

Smoothing the material of his tie against his shirt, Iker let out a soft noise in awe before he heard the door open again, something which caused him to lift his head, watching Micah into the room. “Is it time?” he prodded.

Micah nodded, a warm smile on his face. “It is” he confirmed “The car has just pulled up outside, so we should probably get you out there before Mattie appears. You ready to go?” he asked.

Iker adjusted his jacket on his shoulders, and stuck a hand in his pocket, making sure that the piece of paper that he had written his vows on was still tucked inside, before he returned Micah’s smile and nodded his head.

Micah pushed the door open, allowing Iker to step past him, before they walked down the corridor towards the door that led outside. “How are you feeling?” Micah asked.

Iker drew in a deep breath before he let it out slowly, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. “I’m excited” he quipped “Me and Mattie, we’ve been engaged for a long time, and the idea that, after today, Adrienne can stop badgering us about a wedding is really exciting” he added impishly.

Micah scoffed out a laugh.

“Seriously, though” Iker continued “I am excited. It’s been a long time coming, and I am pretty sure that all of the nerves will disappear quickly when I see Mattie. I know it’s not been the easiest road to the point, but I wouldn’t change it, not if it means that we end up here” he added, a slightly softer smile on his face.

“I’m glad that you guys figured everything out” Micah mused “I know that Mimi gave you a little trouble after Max came along, but I think even she would have to admit that you two are just good together” he added.

Iker smiled ruefully down at his feet. It hadn’t been a complete surprise to him. Naomi had always been close to Arthur, and whilst she had never overtly said that she would have liked to see him and Matilda together, it was something that Iker had always suspected, but he knew that it had caught Matilda by surprise.

She hadn’t liked that Matilda had decided to cut ties with Arthur again after Max had arrived. She had been quick to blame Iker, to tell Matilda that he was the one getting in the middle of their group of friends and causing problems, and she had told Matilda that she thought that she was making a mistake, something which Matilda had refuted immediately. She was happy, and as much as she hated that it had come at the expense of her friendship with Arthur, she wouldn’t have changed it. She loved Iker, and Naomi’s opinion, or anyone else’s, wasn’t going to change her mind.

“I’d hope so” Iker quipped “If not, her maid of honour speech at the reception is going to be pretty awkward” he added.

“It’s beautiful” Micah said “I made sure” he added.

Iker nodded his head as they stopped on the threshold, allowing him to survey the crowd for a moment. It was small. Matilda’s only real request about what their wedding looked like was that it was small, and intimate, and Iker hadn’t hesitated to agree. Small and intimate had sounded perfect to him.

Smiling to himself, he adjusted his tie once more before he walked up the aisle, accepting the hugs and handshakes that lined it. Reaching the top of it, he wrapped each of his parents in a warm hug before he stepped up towards the officiant, not able to stop his smile from growing when the music struck up.

He watched as the bridesmaids padded up the aisle, and happily accepted the hugs they offered him. Even Naomi stopped and wrapped her arms around him. Once they had stepped aside, he watched as Lola padded up the aisle, throwing flower petals. Crouching down, he waited for her to reach him before he swept her into a hug, causing her to giggle happily before he placed her back onto her feet and guided her towards her grandmother. Standing up again, he watched as Adrienne walked towards him, her hand holding Max’s. Smiling bashfully, he ducked down so that Adrienne could place a kiss on his cheek before bent over, kissing the top of Max’s head.

Max smiled up at him before Adrienne gently pulled him away, allowing Iker to focus his full attention on Matilda as she moved into sight. He could barely hear the soft gasps of awe around him, and he barely registered the reassuring pat that someone put on his shoulder. He just stared at Matilda, lost in all of the memories that had led them to that point.

He remembered sitting in her father’s restaurant and feeling his heart leap when she came over to his table. He remembered how nervous he’d been when he’d first dialled the number she had written onto the back of his receipt. He could remember all of their dates, and all of the kisses they’d shared. He remembered how badly it had hurt when they’d broken up, but how excited he had been when had found out that they were going to have a baby. He remembered the morning that Lola had been born, and the feeling he’d had when he had first seen Max. He remembered asking her to marry him, and the delight he’d felt when she’d said yes. He could remember everything about them, and each thought he had only made him surer that they were exactly where they were supposed to be.

Taking a step forwards, he shook Luis’s hand before he gently took Matilda’s in his, smiling at her gently. “Do you still think that we’re a waste of time?” he asked impishly.

Matilda’s answering laugh was soft, her smile bright. “If we are, I am going to be happy wasting time with you for the rest of my life” she answered.

Iker grinned at her before they stepped towards the officiant, Matilda’s hand happily wrapped in his.