Wildflower (Kris Bryant)

70 Old Place New Memories

Kris

Usually April isn't that hot or cold when it comes to the Midwest. If anything it's cold, but for some reason today was a toasty 80 degrees. Like smoking hot for this time of the year. Usually I would love that for I am from Nevada and I was born and raised in the heat, this is more what I'm used to in the winters than in the spring. But I'm getting married today and I've had my tux on for a while, it was getting pretty hot in here.

But I just unbutton my suit to get some air flow and keep walking. And walking and walking and walking. The sun beats down on me as I walk a familiar path. My nice suede shoes hit the dirty sidewalk of the park where a year ago today I met the love of my life. I smile when I get to the bean and I look in it. So much has changed since I first came here that day.

And in the reflection of the bean I see my future wife sitting there in her wedding dress. I turn around and walk over to her as she had her nose in a book. I just shake my head as I make my way to her. I stand in front of her so I take away her reading light and she knew I was there. "You got my message Huh" she asks and I laugh.

She looks up from the book she was reading and smiles at me. I've never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life. She insisted my mom do her makeup for the wedding and it wasn't anything crazy, she still looked like that simple book worm I fell in love with. But she looks so good, better than anything I've ever known.

"Can I sit" I ask as I point to the spot next to her. She moved over and I sit down next to her. She continues to read as I just watch her. "What are we doing here" I finally ask.

"I figured it would be nice to come back to where it all started" she claims.

"There's a lot of people looking for you you know" I tell her. She told them she needed a second, didn't mention she walked ten blocks in this dress to come read a book on the park bench.

"The only person I need is sitting right beside me" she assures me.

I lean my head on her shoulder and just close my eyes. I try my best to remember this precious moment before we go get married. "Hey Kris" she asks.

"Yeah baby" I happily sigh.

"You know that I love you more than anything, right" she asks.

"Yeah, I do" I assure her.

"And you know that I would go through all the bad parts just to be here on our wedding day, right" she wonders.

"Of course" she assures me.

"Good" she smiles.

I press a soft kiss on her forehead before she closes up the book. She tangled her fingers in mine and we just sit there. "We should probably get back before they call the cops to come find us" I tell her.

"Okay. But stay like this a few more moments" she begs.

"Alright" I agree.

So we sit there and watch people walk by. They stare but no one says anything. They let us just be together, which is my favorite place to be. "You know, when I sat here a year ago I was a dead woman walking. I wasn't really all that into trying to save my own life. I moved back to spend time with my family and be there for them. I didn't see myself getting a new heart, I didn't really want one. I didn't see the point of it all, why continue when all I've done is read and admire this world for what it offers even though I can never have it.

Honestly wasn't looking that hard for a job, but when a opportunity presents itself I take it. I don't have a lot of opportunities that come my way, not any good ones at least. Then you walked over to me and you just smiled. You didn't know it but you saved my life.

From that day on I wanted to get better. I wanted to watch you play, I wanted to see you smile. I finally found something worth living for" she explains.

I turn to her as her brown eyes shine in the sunlight. She looks up to me with that expression I haven't quite figured out. But I have the rest of my life to figure it out.

So I pull her into a soft kiss as I know this is going to be the second best moment of the day today. Second to when I finally get to kiss my wife.

So we walk back to the wedding where we got a stern talking to from our families. But they wouldn't understand what just happened and I don't expect them to. It's our wedding day and that's the only moment we will have when it's really just her and I and no one else.

After getting yelled at for 22 straight minutes we start the wedding. It wasn't all that long, it was mostly family and close friends and the guys on the baseball team who were somewhere in between the two. And it was a beautiful set up, the rose gold made it feel so elegant and royal.

Finally Serenity comes down the isle with her dad on her arm. And I promised I wouldn't cry, I swore up and down I wouldn't. But none of that mattered when I saw her at the end of the isle. I know that what comes next is something that means the world to me and I was the luckiest man in the universe.

She reaches me and her dad kisses her cheek before handing her off to me. She looks up to me with those bright brown eyes and I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. "Why are you crying? You saw me earlier" she teases.

"I know. But your just so darn beautiful" I sniffle. She wipes a stray tear away before grabbing hands again. She gives me a assurance nod and I nod back.

The ceremony comes and goes and we put on our new rings and share our first kiss as man and wife. We turn down the isle and I look out to the life that awaits us. I know not a lot