Natalie looked at me and smiled. “He’ll always be my daddy. I don’t care how old I am.”
“Just like you’ll always be my munchkin. Even when you’re older with children of your own, if you want them that this.”
“I’m definitely having children. I want to be a mother too, daddy.”
“I’m going to check your birth certificate later as there’s no way you’re as young as you are,” I joked.
Cindy had been counting down the days to our wedding, but when it reached single digits, the nerves slightly kicked in again. Not due to any fear I wouldn’t be there, it was just the usual nerves a bride would feel, worrying about any little thing that could possibly go wrong on the big day. I did my best to keep her on an even keel, something I know she appreciated.
We agreed to spend the night before our wedding apart. We both actually hated the idea of being apart, as it was something we hadn’t done since the earliest days of our relationship, but with all the preparations required, it was probably for the best. We both had to work on the day, Cindy arriving home in the afternoon a whirlwind as she readied herself to head to her mother’s place. Her mother and sister were coming over to pick her up before dinner. Mike and Chris would be joining me for the evening to keep me company.
Her mother was ever so excited about the wedding. Stephanie was too, but being heavily pregnant, she was feeling a little emotional. She loved seeing her sister so excited, but she admitted to me in private it was a reminder she was still single and feeling a little lonely. Escorting them downstairs once Cindy was ready, she hugged me for so long, I almost had to push her into the car so she could go home, sleep and then prepare for the next day.
“Love you, love you, love you,” she whispered into my ear, “I won’t sleep tonight.”
“Try and get a few hours at least. Last thing you want is to be tired tomorrow.”
“Will you be drinking with your friends?”
“Only a bottle or two of beer. We’ll watch the game, have a feed, just chill out. I will be there tomorrow, Cindy. I love you.”
We kept hugging until her mother did suggest getting home so they could eat, shower and relax would be a good idea. Cindy was crying by this time, helping her into the back seat of the car. She kept kissing me until I simply had to close the door and wave her off. She was texting me within a couple of minutes, telling me she how much she loved me and that she couldn’t wait until the next day.
Neither could I, to be honest. Getting married was just step one of our lives together.
Mark and Chris arrived an hour or so later with a case of beer, some take-out food, and their suits, ready for tomorrow. My father called and let me know everything was being prepared at their place, Mum and my sister taking charge there, though caterers would be taking care of the food and whatever else was necessary for the reception itself.
Cindy called me just before she went to bed, asking if I’d behaved myself that night. I assured her all we’d done is eat some food, drink a couple of beers and watch the footy. Desperate to see me one last time, we shared a video call, Cindy’s face lit up with a smile the entire time, explaining how excited her sister was, Stephanie in bed beside her to keep her company, simply as she wasn’t used to sleeping alone.
“Mike and Chris are in the spare room,” I stated, “Don’t want to wake up with one of them spooning against me!”
“Well, I do wake up pressing into you sometimes,” she giggled.
“That’s different.”
“I know, but I still like to see you, baby.”
“Are you okay, Stephanie?”
“I won’t say pregnancy is a breeze, but it is quite the experience. I’ll be honest and admit I can’t wait to give birth though.” She paused before adding, “I haven’t actually given birth, read all about it, but I’ll say right now I would like to do this again, knowing it would be my own child. But rest assured, I am glad I’ve done this for my little sister.”
The pair cuddled together, both faces appearing on my screen. “Okay, I’ll let you both get your beauty sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After exchanging ‘Goodnights’, she disconnected though did keep messaging until around midnight when she did finally go to sleep. Waking up the next morning alone was a strange sensation, rolling over to cuddle Cindy before remembering she wasn’t there. Getting up to shower and shave, I prepared breakfast for my mates, who got up and went through the same routine before joining me at the table.
“How are you feeling?” Mike wondered.
I knew I was smiling when I replied, “I’m so fucking excited, mate. I thought I’d married my soulmate when I married Megan. No, now I’m marrying her. I didn’t really believe in that sort of thing, to be honest, until I met Cindy. The fact I fell in love with her so quickly…”
“Love at first sight?”
“Almost. It surprised me, the depth of feeling I felt for her so quickly.”
The three of us got to the park early, meeting my parents and brother there, with a couple of others helping us set up. The celebrant was also there early. She’s already called Cindy to explain the process, and though I’d been through it once, she went through it with me too. Neither of us was religious in anyway so it was only going to be as simple marriage ceremony. Some nice words, exchanging of vows and rings, a kiss, sign the certificate, and that would be it.
My father and brother were surprised at my calm demeanour, exclaiming more than once I should be more nervous. “Why should I be nervous? I want to marry her!”
They both fell silent before chuckling. “Well, he’s done it before,” my father stated.
“And I wanted to marry Megan too. Swear you two have read too many horror stories of men getting married who were doing it because it was something they thought they should do and not because they wanted to. Trust me, I wanted to propose to Cindy very early on but waited as I didn’t want to rush either of us into anything.”
We hadn’t changed into our suits while setting everything up, so when the ceremony was approaching, we used a nearby cabin to change into our suits and make any last-minute preparations. Standing in front of the mirror, I had to admit I thought I looked rather handsome. My father stood beside me and grinned, patting my shoulder and nodding. Didn’t need to say anything really.
“Ready?” Mike asked.
Taking a deep breath, we headed outside, the seats we’d set up starting to fill as we waited for Cindy to arrive. We hadn’t gone for a limousine or anything. Being a mechanic, I obviously had an interest in cars. It had never particularly interested Cindy, but she did like an old-fashioned car that made a lot of noise. Always made her giggle.
Her bridesmaids were the first to arrive. Cindy’s taste was perfect as they were simple gowns that suited all of them perfectly. She obviously had a lot of bridesmaids, which was amusing as they walked down the aisle. My daughter looked utterly beautiful, enough that I near enough had to dry my eyes. If you’re wondering, my son was in the audience with my parents, hand in hand with Emily.
Alexa was her maid of honour. When I finally saw Cindy in her dress, that’s when I needed to wipe my eyes. The white dress was elegant. Gorgeous. Spectacular. Everyone stood and smiled as she slowly walked down the aisle towards me, a veil covering most of her face, though I could see her smiling, her eyes never leaving mine with each step she took. Laura guided her, and she looked ever so proud.
Handing her daughter’s hand over to mine, she leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Take care of my daughter for me,” she whispered.
“Rest of my life, Laura.”
Lifting the veil, Cindy’s lower lip started to tremble, watching her take a couple of deep breaths as she whispered, “Don’t cry. Don’t cry.”
“Ruin the make-up?” I whispered.
“Had to re-apply it twice because I kept tearing up! Thankfully, it was due to being so happy and not due to any nerves.”
We both chuckled and it settled her nerves, turning to face the celebrant. It was a simple speech, thanking friends and family for attending the ceremony and taking part in the commitment Cindy and I would be making to each other. She spoke of our relationship together, as we’d told her of our life together from the first time we met all the way to the current day. She also spoke of Cindy being trans, my immediate acceptance of that fact, and how loved she felt that we were taking her journey together.
After the exchanging of vows, keeping them simple as Cindy barely got through hers, needing to stop more than once to contain her emotions, it was then the exchanging of rings. Her hands couldn’t stop shaking when I placed on her wedding ring, while she did need to be a little more forceful when trying to put the ring on my finger. I knew we were smiling the entire time.
Announcing us ‘husband and wife’, she practically leapt on me, though we did keep the kiss somewhat PG-rated, before we just cuddled for a couple of minutes. “You’re so beautiful,” I whispered, “My goddess, Mrs Pritchard.”
“You scrub up rather nicely yourself, Mr Pritchard.”
After the formalities of signing the certificate and other minor details, it was time for photos, thankful it was a sunny day, the trees were full of leaves, the flowers were in full bloom and colourful, so we knew our pictures were going to be spectacular. The photographer was great at her job, showing us some of the photos as she was working. When we were done, I was hard to choose just one favourite. I knew a particular one of my wife and I, standing under a tree, the way she was looking up at me, would take pride of place in the living room. But one of my favourites was of my wife and I, my son and daughter, a beautiful, pregnant Stephanie and an absolutely gorgeous, mother of my two children so far, Megan. All three women would be mothers in the end with myself as the lone father. We were one large family in my eyes.
I’d organised another car for Cindy and I to leave, as we would go for a drive to get a few minutes of privacy before heading to my parents for the reception party. Helping her into the car, she pulled me in and kissed me hard, a far naughtier kiss than the one we’d shared earlier. Sliding behind the wheel, she took my hand once I’d started up the engine.