Braxton

"Dude, chill the fuck out." I take a deep breath, so I don't knock Henry's teeth out.

"I'm chill. I just want to get on with it. Why is it taking so long?" We are sitting in traffic on the way to the hotel by Surfside beach.

Em insisted that we go to a different one than she went to with the girls to make sure we didn't see each other, but I'm losing my patience quickly.

It's already noon, which means that we get married in two hours and time is going by so slowly.

We are only five minutes away from the hotel, but we have been sitting at this light for 20 minutes, at least it feels like it.

"I don't know, but just think you'll be married to her by the end of the day. Also, I met her and your daughter. They seem pretty great, so don't fuck it up." I nod.

Em and Cora met Henry a few weeks ago, when we had a family meeting to announce our wedding.

They instantly clicked and it was probably hilarious for them, not so much for me.

Considering I was the bud of their jokes it's not surprising, but he already acts like another brother for her and uncle for Cora, so I'm not too pissed at him.

I'm going to need all the help I can get to keep all those horny teenagers away from my little girl.

I'll raise my son to protect his sister too, but since she'll be almost four years older than him, that might have to wait a few years. 

Maybe our next baby will be a boy too, or maybe she'll be another beautiful little princess that looks just like her mama.

"Finally!" We turn into the hotel parking lot and climb out. I motion for Henry to grab the clothes and I walk up to the desk.

"Hello, how can I help you today?" The woman is probably in her late 50s, but her kind smile is genuine.

"I'm Braxton Thompson and have a room booked. I'd like to check in." She types a few things into the computer and then looks back up.

"How many room keys do you need?"

"Two, please." She does some more typing, then hands me two keys over the counter.

"Thank you." I see Henry walking with the bags and he waits by the elevator for me.

"Enjoy your stay."

We get into the elevator and head up to the 3rd floor.

"Are you nervous?"

"Hell no. I just want to be married to her. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her and our family." I grin thinking of Thursday night.

We were laying in bed and I was having my daily baby time. I usually just rub her belly with lotion and talk to him, but I was asking him about what he thought his name should be.

Em thought it was hilarious. She kept laughing at me and the baby would kick around.

I was content to chase his kicks and punches around her belly.

At 26 weeks, it's pretty easy to feel his kicks, sometimes I can even see it.

I have been looking all over for different boy names that start with C and I think I might have found a winner. Of course, this happened last night when I couldn't just move her to look at me in my arms.

"Braxton!" Henry is waving his hand in my face and I notice that the elevator is on the third floor.

"Sorry, I'm coming." I walk out and locate the room.

"You good?" Henry is looking at me like I'm crazy.

Probably a pretty good guess, I was just grinning like a lunatic completely lost in the memory.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." He gives me a weird look, but drops it.

I know Em likes me a little scruffy, so I shaved yesterday and I just need to do something with my hair and get dressed. I showered this morning before we left, it wasn't as if I got much sleep without Em last night.

I text Ethan, Leo, and my dad the room number, so they can come up.

I walk into the bathroom and change into my khaki suit and white dress shirt. Em didn't ask me to wear a vest, thank god. I would have done it though, but she just asked that Henry and I would wear khaki suits. No ties, just simple.

I hear a knock on the door and go out to answer it.

"Hey, guys." I widen the door and they walk in.

They are already dressed and ready, but Henry is changing and I still need to fix my hair.

"Are you ready?" Leo looks at me a little protective. Henry walks out and laughs.

"Ready? He's already complained 30 times about it being too long from now and gone into multiple trances with that big grin on his face. I'd say he's ready." They all laugh and I just grin. I am ready, simple as that.

"It only happened once, in the elevator. He's just grouchy because he knows I'm a lucky bastard." He gives me a look that says yeah right.

"You are. I know us warning you away from her once never worked, but I saw what Ethan did to your face after you hurt Em. Believe me, I'll do that and worse if you hurt her again. Be the man that she needs. Obviously, she thinks you are. She forgave you after all."

"I'll be forever grateful. I won't hurt her again." I shake Leo and Ethan's hand.

My dad pulls me into a hug.

"I'm proud of you, son." He releases and I walk to the bathroom again.

I grab the hair jell. I don't normally wear it, but I know she likes the look.

When I get it just right, I walk out to find all the guys sitting around. I grab the tiny box from my pocket and walk up to Leo.

"I know you need to get going, so could you give this to Em. She will kill me if I see her." He laughs and takes the box.

"Yeah, in fact. I was given instructions to give you this." He hands me another box and stands.

"I should probably get going. I have a bride to walk down the aisle." He shakes me hand again and leaves the room.

I sit down and open the box. Inside there is a letter, so I grab that first.

Dear Brax,

When you read this, I will be minutes away from walking down the aisle towards the man I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. Our life together has been a series of ups and downs. Not only have you traveled through the journey with me, but you've made me feel loved. You have given our daughter the best father a little girl could ask for and to top it all off, you have given me another child, this time a boy.

I know that you said that you just needed us, but I knew I had to get you something. You have already given me so much and the things that are important. Like your love and time. I don't want you to doubt how much I appreciate you or how much I love you. I appreciate the protection you provide and the joy. You have brought so much joy into my life, that I never had without you. I may not have had the privilege to enjoy the time with you while Cora was young, but that makes me cherish it now all the more. Every time I've needed you, you were right there holding me up.

In fear, you pushed us away, but even then, you fought for my forgiveness. Some might have just accepted defeat, but you refused. You fought and it wasn't a choice to forgive you. If it was, I would have chosen to, but I can't live without you. You have made it up to me a thousand times over and I know you will never intentionally hurt me, but the opposite. Thank you, Brax for everything. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you and our perfect little family.

Love, Em

I can barely read the last paragraph because tears are dripping from my eyes. I wipe them and fold up the letter, then look inside the box. It's a pair of cufflinks with an inscription. One has B+E and the other is a big C.

The fact that she added in Cora and our son, but also all our future children is why she's perfect for me. I'm ready to marry her!

"Okay, let's go." I put the cufflinks on and stand.

"Alright, we still have an hour, but I guess it can't hurt to be early."

We head out of the hotel and get in the car.

"Ethan, how's your wedding planning going?"

"Good, actually I'm not really sure. My part is nodding whenever Julie suggests something, I just want her to be happy." I smile and nod. I know how that feels.

"I feel you, man. What about kids? Are you gonna make Em an aunt one day?"

Henry's driving and I'm in the passenger seat, so when he doesn't reply, I look back.

His face is a mixture of excitement and fear all at once.

"Ethan?"

"Yeah, umm yeah. I'm sure we'll have kids. Probably not too far from now." His voice steadies and he inhales and exhales deeply a few times.

"That's a good thing. It may be terrifying, but there is nothing better than hearing your child call you 'daddy'. Everything they do is amazing. Cora just learned how to ride a bike without training wheels and that made me more proud than the day I graduated from med school." 

"Yeah, I'm excited, but being responsible to a whole other person is terrifying. Plus, Julie will be so much better than me." I bark out a laugh and he looks up.

"Hell yeah she will, you are gonna feel useless. She will be carrying your kid for nine months. She's gonna have mood swings and cravings. Stuff you never even thought of will happen. Then she's going to go through arguably the worst pain known to man to birth your child. After that, she's gonna have to let a newborn nurse for hours a day. It is not an easy thing. Imagine having little knives trying to suck milk out of you. Then you will get no sleep. What do you do when the baby is hungry, but Julie is asleep. Do you wake her up even though she has gotten 3 hours of sleep the past week or do you try to get the baby to fall back to sleep while they scream? She is gonna know what to do and if she doesn't, then she'll know who to ask. You won't know a thing. You are also completely responsible for taking care of this kid, if they become a serial killer it's your fault. Are you scared?" He looks at me terrified and nods.

"Good. If you weren't then you would probably suck as a parent. No good parent isn't scared they will screw their kid up. I'm terrified, absolutely terrified. Emily raised Cora for the first 3 years of her life without help from me and look at how well she turned out. What if I screw up our son? But you can't think like that. It may be scary, but being a parent is one of the greatest joys. It doesn't always feel like that, like when Cora wants to buy another toy and we have to tell her no, then she has a meltdown in Target. It is not all amazing, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. You'll be a good dad, Ethan." He nods, but still looks terrified.

"That was a nice speech, shall we get you hitched now, brother?" I look over at Henry giving me a smirk.

"Yes!" He may not understand yet, but some woman is going to knock his ass down a few pegs and he'll understand then.

He will understand how amazing it is to know that you get to spend the rest of your life with the most beautiful woman in the world. But she isn't just beautiful, she is perfect in every way.