#Because her mom does NOT succeed in reaching out! She tries too late (deeply sad) and the dad makes a way by going behind her back.

[nuggets-and-french-fries]

Sunsets & Whiskey Kisses: Chapter Eighteen.

Note: Everything that is spoken by the officiant and Jack and Ryleigh in the wedding ceremony was found on two wedding script sites. Please come for me just because I don’t know what’s said at weddings. Please also note that there are quite possibly a lot of grammatical errors in this as it is very late and my eyes are tired. I have re written this chapter so many times and I feel like everything wrote in this still sucks but nevertheless, I really hope that you enjoy this. 

Just a heads up, if weddings make you cry, you may want to have some tissues with you just incase you need them.

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My dearest daughter,

Today is your wedding day and I'm so excited to see you in your dress. I'm excited to walk you down the aisle and give you away to the man of your dreams. 

As I write this letter, you are in the living room playing with your Lego and insisting that your mother help you. It's melting my heart. You really are the most adorable 3 year old a man could ever hope to be blessed with. 

I can't wait to see what my grandkids are going to be like. I hope that they are as strong, independent and beautiful, just like you are, my precious daughter.

My hope for you is that no matter what life throws at you, you come to know just how strong you can be. I want you to know that if you ever need us, your mother and I are always here for you. As are your aunt Anna and uncle Gabriel. We all love you so much. 

So my darling girl, as we walk down the aisle, I want you to know that you can lean on me if you need to.

I love you, my sweet Ryleigh Jay.

Love always, Dad.

Ryleigh read this as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "Where did you find this?" Ryleigh asked as her mother stood before her. "It was in a small box on his side of the closet and when I saw your name on it, I figured that you'd like it today." Grace explained and Ryleigh hugged her tight. "I really wish that he was here right now. I need him and I need one of his hugs." Ryleigh said as Grace broke the hug. "He is right here you with you my darling. So are Anna and Gabriel and I know for a fact that they are all smiling down on you and Jack today. They are so proud of you and so am I." Grace said and Ryleigh cried some more. The women hugged again and stayed like that until Dakota came in to tell Ryleigh that it was time to get into her dress. 

Dakota helped her friend into the dress and when it was secured on her body, Ryleigh looked into the full length mirror. "You look beautiful Ryles." Dakota said softly as she helped Ryleigh smooth out her dress. "You think he'll like it?" The bride asked and Dakota smiled. "I think he's going to weep when he sees you." Dakota replied with a chuckle. Ryleigh smiled as well. "You there mom?" Ryleigh called in question. "Yes and your uncle Peter's with me." Grace replied. Ryleigh looked at Dakota and Dakota nodded in reassurance. 

The bride walked out and Grace let out a choked sob. "Oh my baby. You look so beautiful and so grown up." Grace said as she walked away. Ryleigh smiled. "How do I look uncle Pete?" Ryleigh asked. Peter wiped at his eyes and hugged her. "Your father would be so proud of you and In fact, he would sobbing louder than your mother." He joked, making Ryleigh laughed. "I'm sorry you're stuck with getting married at the boat house instead of the lake house. I know how important it was to you." Peter said as he broke the hug. "I was angry but I'm not now. It's where our parents got married and in a way, I feel closer to them." Ryleigh shrugged. Grace smiled and Dakota helped to calm the mother down. "Ok, it's time." Dakota said and Grace nodded before wishing her daughter well. Grace then went to Jack as she would be doubling as mother of the groom. 

"I'll see you down there." Dakota said as she walked downstairs. "Ready pumpkin?" Peter asked and Ryleigh nodded. "As I'll ever be." She breathed out as she tried to calm her nerves. "Just remember that he's with you and so am I." Peter said. "That means a lot." Ryleigh said as they walked downstairs and to where her and Jack were saying 'I do'. "Seeing your face helps." Ryleigh joked. "Did you just ask me to do this because your father and I are identical twins?" He teased. "You are the closest thing I have to him and because there is no one in this world that I trust more than you to step into his spot." Ryleigh replied. Peter smiled at his niece. Before they knew it, Ryleigh and Peter stood in place as they watched as Chase and Dakota walk down the aisle. "I'm right here Ryleigh." Peter whispered as he saw the nerves etched in her eyes. She nodded and they walked down the aisle. 

Jack stood with his back to the door as he tried to calm himself down. When the music started playing, he turned to face her and as soon as he did, he wept just like Dakota said he would. Ryleigh's smile grew when she saw how well Jack had cleaned up. He had shaved and sported a navy tux. His eyes screamed love and kindness and Ryleigh felt her heart slam against her ribcage. Peter and Ryleigh reached Jack and he handed his niece off to her almost husband. "Hi baby." Ryleigh whispered before Jack kissed her hand. The couple then turned their attention to the officiant before them. 

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, and to cherish the words which shall unite Ryleigh and Jackson." The officiant started. "Marriage is the promise between two people who love each other, and who trust in that love, who honour each other as individuals, and who chose to spend the rest of their lives together." The officiant continued. Jack and Ryleigh looked at each other and beamed. "This ceremony will not create a relationship that does not already exist between you. It is a symbol of how far you've come these past few years. It is a symbol of the promises you will make to each other to continue growing stronger as individuals and as partners. No matter what challenges you face, you now face them together, and no matter how much you succeed, you now succeed together. The love between you joins you now as one." The officiant said as everyone listened. "Ryleigh and Jackson, please join hands, look at one another now and remember this moment in time." The officiant concluded.

The officiant looked at Jack. "Jackson, do you take Ryleigh to be your wife?" The older man asked and Jack smiled. "I do." Jack said and the officiant turned his attention to Ryleigh. "Ryleigh, do you take Jackson to be your husband?" The older man asked again. Ryleigh returned Jack's smile. "I do." She replied as she felt the flutters erupt in her bell at the mention of Jack being her husband. Jack felt the same at the though Ryleigh as his wife. 

"Ryleigh, Please take Jackson's hand and repeat after me." The man spoke and Ryleigh nodded and did as she was told. "Jackson, I take you as you are, loving who you are. I promise from this day forward to be grateful for our love and our life. To be generous with my time, my energy and my affection. To be patient with you and with myself. To fill our life with adventure and our home with laughter. To encourage you to grow as an individual and to love you completely. This I pledge to you." Ryleigh spoke. Jack then repeated the words through his stray tears. 

"Please present the rings." The officiant spoke. Chase and Dakota handed Jack and Ryleigh the rings and the officiant spoke again. "Your wedding ring is a symbol of your promise to one another. The ring, an unbroken. never-ending circle, is a symbol of committed, unending love." The older man spoke with a small smile playing at his lips. "Jackson, as you place this ring on Ryleigh's finger, repeat these words after me." The man spoke again. "This ring symbolizes my love for you and the commitments we made today." Jack spoke as he slid the ring on Ryleigh's finger. Ryleigh repeated the same words and slid the ring on Jack's finger. She looked at him in awe of how handsome and sexy he looked. 

"Jackson and Ryleigh, you have come here today of your own free will and in the presence of family and friends, have declared your love and commitment to each other. You have given and received a ring as a symbol of your promises. By the power of your love and commitment to each other, and by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The officiant said as he looked between the pair. "Jackson, you may now kiss your bride." The older man said and Jack did. He kissed Ryleigh good. "Congratulations. Friends and family, I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Mason." The officiant concluded. The couple joined hands and walked back up the aisle with face splitting smiles.

"Holy fuck. Did we really just do that?" Ryleigh asked and Jack nodded. "We sure did." He said as he kissed her deeply. "I love you Roo." Jack said when he broke the kiss. "I love you too duckie." Ryleigh replied. 

=

"How does it feel to be married?" Peter asked as he handed Ryleigh a beer. "It feels good. All I can say is that we could have the reception outside ad still have the BBQ style food we wanted." Ryleigh joked. "I'm glad we could have reception outside as well. It's the most perfect weather for a wedding." He said as Kate, Grace and Dakota walked up to them. "Well, how do you feel?" Dakota asked in a teasing tone. "Today has been the best. I married my best friend." Ryleigh replied as she looked over at Chase and her husband. "I think I'm going to take a walk. Excuse me." Ryleigh said as she walked off. Jack saw this and he too excused himself. 

"You ok baby?" He questioned as he found his wife down by the semi frozen water. "I should be asking you that." Ryleigh admitted with a sad smile. Jack knew that look all too well. "Look at me." Jack said and Ryleigh continued to watch the water. "Do you remember that day we stood in this spot and promised each other that we would forget the night we slept together?" Ryleigh questioned and Jack gave her a small smile. "Of course I remember. We ended up sleeping together again and then you told me that you were pregnant." He replied. "You asked me to marry you. Said you wanted to the honourable thing." Ryleigh responded. "Then you miscarried the baby right?" Jack wondered and Ryleigh nodded. "It was a boy you know. I named him Ethan." Ryleigh admitted and Jack wrapped her in a hug. "That was our only chance to have a baby and he slipped through my fingers." Ryleigh mumbled as she buried her face in his chest. "Why are you telling me this now?" Jack asked and Ryleigh looked up at him. "I miscarried him on May 30th." She said and Jack's heart broke even more so but then he smiled. "I know for a fact that he is with his grandparents and they are taking care of him. We will have a baby Ryleigh and when we do, it will be so worth the wait. Adopted or surrogate, it doesn't matter because if it means we get to raise a baby together, I'm here for you." Jack explained and Ryleigh smiled and kissed him. "What did I do to deserve you?" The woman asked and Jack shrugged with a boyish grin. "Let's go back and we can dance the night away, drink and eat." Jack said and they walked back hand in hand.

=

By the time that the father daughter dance rolled around, the stars twinkled against the black sky. The men had removed their jackets and had their sleeves rolled up to their elbows and their waistcoats were open. The thing that caught Ryleigh's attention was how Jack's hair was now slightly dishevelled and his bow tie hung loose around his neck. He looked good enough to eat. 

"Ready kiddo?" Peter asked as he walked toward his niece. She nodded and they walked to the dancefloor. As the music started, an old home video of Ryleigh and David started to play. Ryleigh was three years old and stood on her father's feet as he swayed with her to the music. Ryleigh's bright smile tugged at her little lips as she looked up at her father. David smiled down at her and mouthed 'I love you' to her. In the same way Ryleigh danced with her father in the video, she danced with Peter. Except she was much taller and she wasn't standing on his feet. Watching them dance was like watching David and Ryleigh. It made Grace tear up at the sight. She really wished that her husband and two friends were here for this moment. 

Note: The song above is what Ryleigh and her uncle dance to.

When the dance was done. People were invited to dance on the dance floor again. Ryleigh walked over to Jack and kissed him softly. "I had no idea you were going to use that video." Jack said and Ryleigh shrugged with a smile. "I wanted him here and I wasn't missing out on my father daughter dance." Ryleigh explained and Jack chuckled. "Well my beautiful bride, what do you say to water?" Jack asked and Ryleigh nodded. "First one to admit they're drunk looses?" She teased and Jack shook his head. "I would but I have a surprise for you later and I need to be sober for it and so do you." He explained and Ryleigh quirked her brow at him. "I'm not saying anything." He said as he walked off. "Would you like to dance?" Calvin asked his granddaughter. "I'd love to grandpa." The woman said as she got up to dance with him.

Many dances later, the night was starting to wind down. A few guests were still around. Jack and Ryleigh were on the dance floor swaying to the music that played. Jack occasionally twirled his wife and she would smile at him when she was back in his strong arms. The feeling of a new chapter settled into their bones and it made them giddy with happiness and joy. "Thank you for marrying me." Jack whispered as he held Ryleigh close. "Thank you for asking me to marry you." She replied back with a soft chuckle before giving him a small kiss. "God I can't wait to get you back to our suite, tear that dress off you, bend you over and fuck you so hard, you look too innocent in that dress when I know how much of a good little slut you can be for me and what that pretty little mouth of yours can do." Jack whispered into her ear as he held her close once again. Ryleigh moaned and smashed her lips to his in a heated kiss. "Get a room you two." Dakota shouted as feigned a grimace. Jack and Ryleigh broke apart and laughed with embarrassment. "Want to take a walk?" Jack asked and Ryleigh nodded. The couple left the boat house giggling.

"Why are we going to the Lake house. I though mom said she had closed it?" Ryleigh asked when she was led toward the said house. Jack just looked at her. "I thought maybe we could sit on the porch swing for a few minutes. I have something for you." Jack said as they got closer. Ryleigh rolled her eyes but smiled. "Fine but I really do just want to fuck you already." Ryleigh whined. Jack sat down on the swing and Ryleigh sat next to him. "What did you want to give me?" The woman asked. Jack reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a smallish box and handed it to his wife. She looked at him with slight confusion. "Just open it." He said as he watched her. "Is this supposed to mean something?" Ryleigh asked as she held up a key. Jack smiled and nodded. "Welcome home Ryleigh." He said and she looked at him. "What?" She asked quietly. "I changed the address on the invitations." Jack admitted and Ryleigh started to smile. "Why?" She asked. "Chase, Dakota, your mother and I have been getting this house ready for us to move into." He replied and Ryleigh teared up. "I bought the Lake house." Jack admitted and Ryleigh threw her arms around him and held him tightly. Jack knew how much this house meant to her and he wanted to surprise her. "What about the farm?" She asked as she broke the hug. "I'll still help but I gave it to Dakota and Chase." He said and Ryleigh started laughing. "Seriously?" She asked and he kissed her cheek. 

"Want to go in and have a look inside?" He asked and she nodded. Ryleigh unlocked the door and before she step foot inside, Jack picked her up and carried her through the door. "Love you." She breathed out tenderly. Jack kissed her as passionately as he could with her in his arms. "Take me to bed Mr. Mason." Ryleigh mumbled against his lips. "Anything for you Mrs. Mason." He whispered back. "Wait." She said loudly with amusement as her eyes landed on a framed photo. Jack noticed where her eyes had landed. The man rolled his eyes and Ryleigh laughed. "Did you do that?" Ryleigh asked and Jack shook his head. "That has Dakota written all over it." He replied as he went to take it down. "No, just leave it. It can be a reminder of where we really started and where we ended up." Ryleigh said and the couple walked up to the very same room they first slept together. What was once Ryleigh's room was now theirs. Oh yeah, things that belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Mason had a nice ring to it.

Note: This is supposed to be the framed photo that Dakota hung on the entry way wall.

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