Begin Again novel Chapter 230

As Liam watched Eden slowly make her way to him, he was overcome with emotion.

The whole day he had tried to keep it together, and he had lost track of the number of times his cousins had had to stop him from running to her guest suite to see her. And now that she was here, and they were so close to the start of their next chapter, hard as he tried to blink away his tears, Liam couldn't. He choked back a sob, unable to believe how lucky he was.

He had never seen that many brides before, but Eden took the number one spot from the few that he had.

She looked incredible in her dress, a vision of grace and elegance and beauty, exactly how he imagined a real-life princess would look. But then again, she was his Princess, his hell, his paradise, and her slow progress down the aisle wasn't working for him.

He crossed the room in few quick strides, and in a heartbeat, he had her in his embrace as he kissed her fiercely, much to everyone's surprise and cheers.

"I don't think it's time for that yet," Eden murmured on his lips.

"You have no idea how I've wanted to do this the whole day." He was almost tearing up now as he held her close.

"Well, I did offer! But someone didn't want to tempt fate!" She pulled him in for another slow kiss.

Steve cleared his throat and gently reminded them they were way off the program. "There'll be plenty of time for that later."

They reluctantly pulled apart, and Liam turned to his soon to be father-in-law and shook his hand. "Thank you for bringing her to me. I'll handle it from here."

With that, he picked Eden up and carried her to the altar. Her slow pace would have taken way too long.

The priest opened the ceremony with his greeting, an opening prayer, and a sermon about marriage after Lois and Erica read the scriptures Eden had selected.

A large part of the forty-minute long ceremony was a blur for Liam. If he had to write a test about the priest's sermons, he would fail dismally because Eden was the only person in his orbit.

But when it was time to exchange their vows, he made sure he was present in the moment. After all, the words he has struggled to put down on paper were his solemn promise to her for all of eternity, and they had to be treated with the level of focus, commitment and seriousness they deserved.

At the priest's encouragement, Liam turned to Eden and took her hands in his.

"Princess," he began as he lost himself in the russet pools in her eyes. "When I met you two years ago, I didn't know just how important you were to me. If I knew then, what I know now, I would never have let you go, and I would have tried so much harder to find you and bring you home. You are my heart, my love, my hell, my paradise. And because of you, my world has become a little bigger, my days a little brighter and my nights less lonely. You've shown me how to love, how to be brave and how to be vulnerable. You've taught me what it means to love someone without reservations and expectations. Because of you and Aiden and our little warrior, I'm learning to be a better version of myself. So thank you for coming back to me—"

He wasn't done, but Eden stood on tiptoes and kissed him, her sobs carrying through the room.

"So in front of our family and friends," Liam continued when he had pried himself from her at last. "I promise to be your shelter, your safe harbour and to love you and make you happy for the rest of our lives."

"You'd better," Eden kissed his hands and whispered her vows, her voice catching in her throat. "Liam, two years ago, when I met you, I was so heartbroken I didn't think I'd ever love again. My heart was so dark and heavy with sadness I never thought I'd be happy again. I was so disillusioned by everything I didn't want to trust anyone ever again. But you made me look at all my flaws and helped me fix the parts of myself I thought were broken and heal the scars I thought were too deep. You made me see there's always a second chance if we open ourselves up to the possibility. You ignite me. You challenge me. But most of all, you make me feel safe. My heart is full and light all at once because of you. You made me want to begin again. So in front of our family and friends, I promise to be your rock, your home and your fire. I will love you and make you happy for the rest of our lives."

Liam's hands never shook as much as they did when he slipped the wedding band on Eden's finger. But he was somewhat relieved to see he was not the only one nervous because she, too, took a little long to slip his ring on.

The priest didn't have to tell him to kiss his bride. Eden was barely done placing his wedding band on his finger when he swooped down on her.

For a little while, it was just the two of them in the room as they cried and held each other close, only pausing when Aiden ran up from the front pew where he sat with Lois and Clarke to hand Eden a tissue because she was sobbing so loud.

"Thank you, baby," she smiled and patted his head, and they watched him run back to his seat.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife!" The priest proclaimed, and Liam couldn't wait to carry Eden out of the chapel. He scooped her up amidst her giggly protests and ran with her down the aisle as everyone threw rice and daffodil petals at them.

"It's over," Eden said when he finally set her down in the dining hall.

"It's just beginning," Liam reminded her.

"No, dummy, I meant the ceremony," she rested her head on his chest, and he held her tight as she shook from relief. "I was so anxious. I kept thinking something would go wrong. I thought the Ivanovs would show up—"