Durability (The LockDown Series Book 3) (39 page)

Soon she returns, making me bend again. “He says, get your bum down there now.” I smile widely at Leighton as he looks at me like I am the only person in the world. His eyes shine so brightly, the green so intense and beautiful I’m captivated from the get-go
. Everything about him draws me in, makes me feel alive and safe, like there isn’t a thing in this world that can ever hurt me or bring me down again.

I nod to him, taking a deep breath. “Come on princess,” I say to my daughter and she takes position. Music begins around me, a beautiful mixture of stringed instruments and a piano creating a melody that warms my soul.

Melissa begins down the aisle, spreading flowers as she does. Petals float down to the ground, creating a fairy-like haven that leads to my husband, to my life. My father hands me over to Leighton, kissing my cheek as he does. But then, unexpectedly, he takes the position in front of us, smiling with pride as Leighton kisses me.

“I love you, baby. This is the beginning to a beautiful life,” Leighton tells me before turning us to face my dad.

“Abigail and Leighton, when you first joined hands and hearts in marriage nine months ago, you did not know where life would take you. You promised to love, honour and cherish one another through all things. Life has surely brought you both wonderful blessings and difficult challenges over the months. But here you are today, having fulfilled the vows to love, honour and cherish you each made on your wedding day. As you celebrate here today, and as you reflect back over the months as husband and wife, do you now wish to reaffirm the vows you took nine months ago?” my father speaks, swelling my heart. I feel tears already forming in my eyes.

“I do,” Leighton answers, stroking his fingertips across my knuckles.

“I do,” I choke out, trying to hold it together. We have been through so much over the past months that it almost seems like years. Finally, we are at peace and safe and this is the most perfect way to celebrate this.

“Please face each other and join hands.” My dad speaks again and Leighton turns me in his arms and holds onto my hands. His eyes stare into mine, so light and intoxicating. Every ounce of love he holds for me, all the strength and determination he has had to face to get us to the now, is present there.

“Leighton, will you continue to have Abigail as your wife and continue to live in this happy and loving marriage?”

“I WILL.” Leighton almost shouts, his happiness so bright and overwhelming.

“Do you reaffirm your love for her, and will you love, honour and cherish her in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her for as long as you both shall live?” my dad asks and I can feel the pride in my dad, just by his words and how softly and caring he pronounces them.

“I DO,” Leighton talks again.

“Abigail, sweetheart, will you continue to have Leighton as your husband and continue to live in this happy and loving marriage?”

“Absolutely I will,” I answer excitedly.

“Do you reaffirm your love for him, and will you love, honour and cherish him in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” I breathe heavily, trying to control the need to cry my fucking eyes out in joy.

“Although you can do this anywhere you like, this might be a good place for you to both say something about one another.” Leighton takes a breath in and I exhale, waiting for his words.

“Abigail, Angel. You are the very thing that brought me back to life, made me breathe again. You made it possible to wake every day and see a ray of sunshine in a dismal world. We have been through so much since I met you, so many bad things, but also so many unbelievably amazing things that I couldn’t think of anyone better to spend the rest of my life with. You have given me my daughter, my beautiful little girl and you have loved my son, Joseph as though you had carried and birthed him yourself. Your strength and perseverance is admirable and makes me love you all the more.” I begin to cry, big fat ugly tears trailing my face.

“Leighton,” I say, needing him to finish.

“Please, let me finish baby.” I nod to him to continue. “Sweetheart, you are the blood that pumps in my veins, you are every breath I take, every thrum of my heart. You control me, you own me and keep me alive. There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for you, I would cross endless waters and deserts to have you with me forever. When I take my last breath in this life, I will do so loving you and holding onto the precious memories we have created. All I ask is that you love me the way I do you. It’s you and me Angel, forever and eternity.” He finishes and I smile at him, my tears falling free. Leighton’s own tears have spilled
, trailing his perfect face.

“Abigail, would you like to say something?” my dad asks me and I nod, breathing deeply to calm myself.

“Leighton, God, where do I start? Before I met you, I was nothing. I was homeless, destroyed and beyond help. I imagined my last day being around the corner and I begged for it. Then one day, as though someone had heard my prayers, you appeared in that dark alleyway and dragged me back to life. You grabbed a hold of my heart and gave it the squeeze it needed to pump again, you gave me a reason to want to live another day. It took months to have you as mine, but just knowing you were there, keeping me safe, was what made me love you. You have given me so much in this new life that I would spend every living breath making you happy and making sure I deserved you. When we found out we were expecting Melissa, God that day completed everything. We were finally a family and I couldn’t have asked for more in this world. Then Joe.” I look to my son sitting on the front row, his smile so bright and carefree.

“Then Joe appeared from nowhere and suddenly I saw the world so much clearer. I took him in and loved him the second I saw him. Seeing him, seeing what he had created,
made me want to be a part of his life. I will always love him like my own son, he is my son Leighton. I guess, what I want you to know is that with every waking breath and every dying thought, you will be forever on my mind, forever in my heart and forever in my soul. I love you Leighton and I always will.” I breathe out in relief, glad to get all of it off my chest.

“Leighton, I understand you have rings.” my father asks and Leighton signals for Antonio.

“Abigail and Leighton, on your wedding day you exchanged rings as a symbol of the never-ending circle that symbolises the eternal quality of God
’s, unending strength, and unending love.

May you always wear your rings as a reminder of your wedding vows to each other, and your commitment to continue to live in unity, love and happiness. To remind you of that commitment made on your wedding day, you will now renew your pledge.

Leighton, please place your gift of a ring on Abigail’s hand with the words, ‘With this ring I renew my pledge of love and commitment. ’”

Leighton slides the new ring above my wedding ring, the simple platinum band with diamonds so beautiful and perfect. “With this ring I renew my pledge of love and commitment.” He speaks, lifting my hand to kiss my rings.

“Abigail, please place your gift of a ring on Leighton’s hand with the words, ‘With this ring I renew my pledge of love and commitment.’”

I do the same, slipping the platinum band over his finger, lifting and kissing them. “With this ring I renew my pledge of love and commitment.”

My father speaks out.
“God bless these rings and the two who exchanged them in love on their wedding day. Keep Abigail and Leighton safe in the circle of your protection and love.
Marriage is a commitment to learning to care for one another in mutually fulfilling ways. It is not an act but a life-long relationship always in the making. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher, commitment is stronger, even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly. Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing a love that is deeper than life. When two people pledge their love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique unto themselves which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise made in the hearts of two people who love each other and the potential of marriage requires a lifetime to fulfil.”

“One of the great blessings of marriage is the joy and responsibility of raising a family. Abigail and Leighton have been blessed with the lives of their children, Melissa and Joseph. We now have somebody very important who wants to say something.” I watch as my son, Joseph stands and makes his way to me.

“Baby,” I say as he leans up and kisses my cheek. The boy is tall, far taller than anyone else his age.

“Mum, you look beautiful,” he says to me, budging his father aside to take my hands. Before placing his right hand in my left, he hands Leighton a piece of paper. “I have come up here today to pledge my love to you as my mother. You were there when I was lost, I had no one. I lost my auntie, the only person I considered a mother and you were there for me without a second thought. You have treated me as your own and loved me the same. You gave me the gift of family. I now have parents, a sister and so many uncles, aunties and cousins I’ve lost count.
Today, I want you to give me the gift of legally becoming my mum. I want the world to know how special you are and how much I love you.” He reaches round and takes the paper from his dad. He opens it and shows me.

A handmade certificate is presented to me along with a legitimate form.

This is to confirm that Abigail Rose Lock is the legal parent of Joseph Leigh Lock.
I read those words, ignoring everything else on the paper. Tears fall again as I look to my son, smiling. “So what do you say mum, you in for the long run?” Joe asks me and I fall into him, wrapping him in my arms.

“Joe, I love you so much. You are my son forever,” I tell him. He looks to me and wipes my tears away before kissing my cheek.

“Thank you for everything you have given me, I am the luckiest kid alive. Now, finish remarrying dad so we can party.” He smiles and backs away, placing my husband’s hands back into mine.

“Leighton and Abigail, today you have renewed the promises and vows you made to each other on your wedding day. You have symbolized the renewal of the marriage union by the joining of hands, the taking of vows, and by
the exchanging of rings. It is with pleasure that I conclude the ceremony of renewing the vows of marriage that joined you and forever binds you as husband and wife. Please celebrate this renewal of vows with a sign of affection…. You may kiss!” my father says and Leighton takes his permission and grabs me around the waist, looking into my eyes.

“I love you, Mrs Lock,” he whispers before dipping me and smashing his lips against mine. His tongue invades my mouth and explores me so expertly I’m a puddle on the floor. “I love you too, Mr Lock,” I reply as he releases me.

“Everyone, I give you Mr and Mrs Leighton Lock.” Everyone in the room stands and applauds, cheering and yelling at us. My daughter runs to me, launching herself into my arms. Joseph joins us and hugs his father. “Love you mummy,” Melissa says, placing a big sloppy kiss to my cheek before squeezing me really tight.

I am finally home, I’m finally complete.

I hadn’t even known Joe was going to do what he had done. I had helped him get the adoption through but he had planned this interruption to the ceremony himself. It was the most incredible thing I have ever seen him do. To see the joy on Abigail’s face when he told her they are legally son and mother, is beyond anything I could dream for.

He is something incredible that is for sure. He is so smart and knowledgeable. His brain is always on overdrive, learning and trying to find out everything about everything there is to know about. He follows Stephen Hawking like his life depends on it, always reading his work and trying to know everything there is about space and the endless possibilities it holds.

I watch as my wife dances and enjoys her evening. Her face, the smile that lights up the room when she walks in hasn’t left her face since this morning. I love surprising her, it’s the most beautiful thing in the world to see her excitement and elation.

I turn as I hear the microphone screech, a tapping clearing the noise. “Can I have everyone’s attention please?” Antonio calls out and we all turn to face him. I make my way to the front with my brother, sister, wife and children.

“Many years ago, I fell in love with the most incredible girl there was. Stupidly, I let her arsehole brother scare me away from her. It was the worst mistake I have ever made, but being away from her, brought me my daughter, Chloe. This life, as we all know it, has had some major ups and downs. And the biggest high, other than the birth of my little girl, was Georgia walking back into my life and completing me again.” Antonio holds his hand out to the bottom of the stage, asking for my sister to climb up. We help her, lifting her up so she can get footing on the makeshift area.