Only Yours

They talked and discussed for only half an hour before coming to a conclusion, but decided to sleep on it before telling their parents. When Thomas and Julia woke the next morning, nothing had changed so they let their parents know that they had chosen to accept the offer.

"Just lean back and relax, and the picture will appear on the screen." Doctor Harding said as she applied some gel to Julia's still flat stomach.

It was the Tuesday before the wedding and Julia had an appointment for a checkup.

The screen came to life as Doctor Harding placed the sensor against the skin and a black and white picture appeared. Thomas could not make out much of anything on the screen, neither could Julia, but after a few seconds the doctor made a small "huh," causing Thomas to ask.

"What's the matter? Is something wrong with the baby?"

Doctor Harding smiled calmly, "No, nothing like that." She adjusted the sensor and pressed a button, freezing the image on the screen. She put the sensor on the tray next to Julia and pointed to a shape on the screen, "See, this here is your baby..."

"Wait, what's that other thing there next to it?" Julia asked.

"Well, that's your other baby."

"What?!" Julia and Thomas exclaimed in unison.

"You're having twins it seems."

Julia had made dinner for their parents as well as Sophia and Ben once more.

"That was a nice dinner Julia, so what news are you springing on us this time?" Sophia joked.

Ben chimed in, "Let me guess, you want to travel the world as pirates."

"Maybe just become professional racecar drivers," Sophia laughed.

"No, nothing like that," Julia answered, "we went to the ultrasound today and wanted to show you the picture."

Thomas fished the picture from his pocket and handed it to his mother; the others at the table quickly stacked up behind her so they could also see.

"What am I looking at?" asked William, clueless.

Joan answered her husband first, "That is the baby." She pointed at the rightmost figure.

"I think that is the baby," argued Elizabeth, pointing to the left one.

"Can you help us out here?" Sophia said to Julia.

"They're right," was the only answer she received.

No one caught on immediately, so there were a few seconds of silence. Everyone seemed to figure it out at the same time and after a quick look at each other, they turned their gaze to the smiling Tom and Julia.

"Better than pirates or racecars, right?" Thomas asked before hugs and congratulations filled the room.

Thomas' eyes glowed with love when Julia appeared and made her way down the aisle. His heart beat fast at the vision before him; dressed in an elegant white dress, Julia had never looked better than she did on that day. Much of her beauty came from the joy and love that shined from her face. Radiant, was the word that came to Thomas' mind.

William walked along side Julia. Julia had been sad that her father could not be the one to give her away, or even be there to witness her wedding, but William was honored to take that responsibility.

It felt a little weird that Elizabeth and Thomas' parents sat on opposite sides since they felt like one family, but since all the grandparents were there they could not have all fit on one bench anyway.

William gave Julia a kiss on the cheek and found his seat next to Joan.

Thomas and Julia had trouble keeping from locking eyes as Christian spoke his blessings.

Two words from both, and Thomas and Julia were wed. They sealed their vows with a deep kiss, causing them both to feel a tingle of weakness in their knees. Reluctantly they separated and noticed the cheering that their kiss had rendered them unable to perceive when their lips were locked.

"I love you," they whispered in unison.

Once their guests had left for the reception, Thomas and Julia stayed behind for a few photos and to pay a visit to Frank's tombstone.

They both kneeled down, holding each other's hand as they did. Mist appeared in their eyes. They thought silently about Frank for a second before kissing the tombstone bearing his name.

"We miss you, Dad," Julia whispered.

Their hands gave a comforting squeeze and the two newlyweds rose.

The music started and all eyes were on the bride and groom. Thomas and Julia began moving to the music in their first dance as man and wife, of course the song that played was the one they had danced to the night they became a couple.

As Mandy Moore's voice flowed from the speakers, Thomas and Julia moved around the dance floor. All their guests stood in a circle and watched, but Julia's eyes never left Thomas' and Thomas' never left Julia's.

Thomas looked into Julia's beautiful gray eyes that glimmered with tears of joy not yet ready to fall. He saw in those eyes the love that would keep them together forever, he saw the history they had shared and he saw the excitement about the experiences they had yet to share. Julia's eyes saw the same thing when they were locked on Thomas'. Neither could remember ever being as happy as when they were in each other's arms.

As the final notes of the song flowed from the speakers, their dancing stopped and they came together for a kiss. They kept gazing into the soul of the other as their lips drew nearer. When the contact was made, their eyes closed. The taste and feel of Thomas added even more happiness in Julia and she felt like bursting from joy.

Reluctantly they separated to cheers from their guests, all of which knew without a shadow of doubt that Thomas and Julia were hopelessly and completely in love.

After having eaten, William gave his speech. Everyone loved the anecdote of Thomas and Julia's first kiss in the sandbox. William had arranged for the tent flaps to be pulled back, letting all the guests see the infamous sandbox as well as an enlarged copy of the photo of said kiss.

Julia and Thomas became misty eyed when William brought up Frank, culminating in a single fallen tear from Julia when she hugged William after the speech.

Both Julia and Thomas were nervous about their own speeches. Neither really craved the spotlight and confessing your deepest feelings in front of a big crowd was far from their favorite thing in the world.

Thomas went first, feeling very anxious as he looked out on the guests, but as he turned to his new wife, he found his strength in her loving gray eyes.

"Firstly, I want to thank everybody here for sharing in our happy day, it really means a lot to us.

"I have been thinking about love... hard not to when I have such a wonderful girl by my side. What I have found is that love is the most special thing in the whole world. There are seven billion people in the world, so every single day, thousands and thousands of people fall in love. Yet every single time it happens it is unique and magnificent.

"I really hope that all those other people who fell in love the same day as I did with Julia, felt just a fraction of what I felt when I looked at her, what I still feel when I look at her. If so, they are blessed with knowing that there is nothing more beautiful to be found than love.

"Julia, ever since we were kids, you have been the best part of my day, my best friend. You have been the best thing to ever happen to me, and now, today, you have made me so immensely happy by agreeing to spend the rest of our lives together.

"I know without a fraction of doubt that no-one could ever make me happier than you. You are beautiful and sweet and if it wasn't because I have known you forever, I think I would have trouble believing just how wonderful you are.

"People who don't know us might ask how we met, but since I was only twenty days old at the time, I don't remember it that well, but I know that those twenty days without you were the loneliest days in my life, and when you finally joined us, my life became instantly better.

"You have been my better half my whole life and that is why I don't doubt us for a single second. You have been and always will be my best friend and the one I share my life with. Our friends can attest to that, though maybe now they will stop asking if we are more than friends.

"We have always been more than friends. We are soulmates. We have always been there for each other, shared both happiness and pain. You will get your turn in a minute to claim that I have done so much more for you than you have for me, but I want everyone to know that it's not true.

"While I have no direct memory of this, I know that it was not an exaggeration when my mother told me that you barely left my side when I was in the coma. I know firsthand that when I woke up from the coma, you were there for me. All through my recovery you were there for me. I hope we never have to experience anything like it again, but it is a very comforting feeling to know that we can get through anything together.

"I hope you know that there is nothing I wouldn't do to make you happy, nothing of myself I wouldn't give. Today you allowed me to give you all of me and offered me yourself in return. I know it's corny, but that's just how I am.

"What is even more important than what we have shared together, is all the things we will share in the future. A future I will do my best to make as good as I can.

"All those words and I am left with only the three most important ones; the only three words that really matter. So to my wife Julia, I would like to say: I love you."

Both Julia and Thomas were teary; as were most of the guests. A deep kiss and a deep look into the other's eyes followed Thomas' speech.

Julia whispered an "I love you," before wiping away another tear and rising from her chair. She cleared her throat and grabbed Thomas' hand.

"Good thing I didn't promise myself I wouldn't cry," Julia started, getting a small laugh from the crowd.

"I have cried too much this last year, but lately the tears have been of joy instead of sadness. I cried when I asked you for a place to stay, which you offered in a heartbeat. I cried when my dad got sick, and even more when he died, but again you were there to cry with me and comfort me. I cried at his funeral and I wept when you got hurt. Especially since you got hurt saving my life; so don't let anybody believe you when you said that I had done as much for you as you have for me.

"Through all those tears, you were what I needed. But then I cried when you finally opened your eyes. I cried when you danced with me and I cried when you kissed me. I cried when you told me you loved me and I cried when you proposed. I cried when we said 'I do' and as everyone know, I cried when you held your speech. Heck, I'm crying now."

She turned her gaze from Thomas to the guests, ready to make the announcement.

"Few of you know, but I also cried when I told Thomas I was pregnant, though I was too stunned to cry when we were told it is going to be twins."

Most of their friends gasped at the news. Julia gave them a second to process it before going on with her speech, turning her full attention back to Thomas.

"I really hope that the tears we shed in the future will be tears of joy. And I promise, like you, to do my best to make that happen. How could I not when I have found the perfect man.

"You are sweet and caring; strong and handsome. I don't think I will ever forget that, because you keep reminding me. You remind me in the way we kiss, the way we dance, and especially in the way you look at me. I look into your eyes and I see the love that we have for each other, I see the hope and promise of a future filled with joy, laughter and happiness.

"I want to thank my mother for teaching us to dance, because you told me you fell in love with me while we danced. Like my mother has said many times, we are perfect partners. That holds true both on the dance floor and off. You are my perfect match, my perfect partner.

"We have a whole lifetime of dances in front of us and I look so much forward to sharing every one of them with you.

"You are the love of my life, my ultimate joy. Forever I will be, like Mandy sings in our song, Only Yours!"

To the cheering of their guests, they shared another deep kiss.

A little more than a year later, Thomas and Julia were really getting a hang of being parents to two perfect little girls, though they still often relied on the happy new grandparents for help. At first, both, but especially Thomas, had been a mess, constantly getting overwhelmed and suffering from sleep deprivation, much to the amusement of Joan and Elizabeth. William had a little more sympathy for his son, remembering how he himself had handled becoming a parent.

The picture of Thomas and Julia in the sandbox was no longer at the front of the stacks found in the wallets of Joan, William and Elizabeth; instead it featured the two beautiful baby girls in their crib, Mr. Snuggles between them and their beautiful gray eyes staring up at the camera.

That picture was also the first in two smaller stacks, found in the wallets of Thomas and Julia, though the stacks would soon grow, since a little brother for the twins had just started growing in Julia's belly.

Auther's Note: Big thanks to anyone who took the time to read this story. I would love to hear what you thought, so please leave a comment.