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Smoothing her hands down over the fabric of her dress, Riley frowns at her reflection, taking in the way the material curves snuggly over her baby belly, making it far more noticeable than it is when she's wearing one of Mac's t-shirts or flannels. If she didn't love Mac as much as she does, then she would not have agreed to get married while her bump is so prominent. But he was incredibly persuasive and made her cry with his sweet words about how beautiful he thinks she'll look in their wedding photos with her baby bump.
She can't say that she entirely hates the idea, though. It is a pretty sweet sentiment. And she knows she'll love looking back on the photos later in life and telling the story to their kid.
A soft knock at the door grabs her attention but she doesn't look away from the mirror. "Come in."
The door creaks open and footsteps follow, hitting softly against the carpet. "Wow, Ri, you look breathtaking."
Spinning around, she smiles softly at Jack. "You think so?"
He nods, stepping closer to her. "Absolutely. Come here." He holds his arms open and pulls her into a hug.
She happily returns the hug, holding onto him tightly. "I'm really glad you're here, Jack."
"Me too, kiddo." He pulls back and cups her face in his hands, smiling softly. "I'm so proud of you, honey. You're happy and you're building a real life for yourself. That's all I've ever wanted for you. You know that, right?"
She nods. "Yeah, I know."
"Good. I know Elwood's gonna come in here at some point to see you before things get going, and your mom too, but I thought I'd beat them to it."
She laughs. "Thanks, Jack."
"Of course. Do you need anything from me before I finish getting ready?"
"No…" she trails off, her brows furrowing slightly.
"What? What is it?"
She glances down at her belly and then back up at Jack. "Do you...do you think it looks weird? Wearing a wedding dress that shows off my bump?"
Jack laughs quietly. "No, I don't think it looks weird at all. I think having that bump makes you look even more beautiful. Mac's a real lucky guy."
She smiles. "Yeah, he is. And he knows it."
"That's good. Keep him in his place." He chuckles as he takes a few small steps back. "I'm gonna get back out there, see how your man's doing. Boy's probably got a whole mess of paper clip shapes put together by now."
Riley smiles at the thought. She steps forward and reaches out to grab Jack's arm as he's leaving. "Wait. Um, I just...I'm really glad you came back into my life when you did all those years ago. I might not have met Mac otherwise, and then I wouldn't have any of this and be the happiest I've ever been."
He smiles. "I'm glad I came back too. I'll see you out there." He steps forward to press a quick kiss to her temple and then leaves the room, pulling the door closed behind him.
Turning back to the full-length mirror, Riley lets her mind wander to how bittersweet this day might have been had Jack only been able to be there in spirit. If things had gone a lot differently on his mission, then he wouldn't be preparing himself to walk her down the aisle, something she hadn't known she wanted until she feared she might not have it. She'd been going back and forth in her head since he came back alive, about whether or not to ask him to walk her down the aisle. Elwood had already been lined up to do it, and she felt bad at just the thought of asking him to let another man do it.
But before she had a chance to broach the subject, both Elwood and Jack had come to her, asking if she would be okay if Jack walked her down the aisle, that it just felt right. She mostly blames the pregnancy hormones for why she broke down into tears.
.
.
.
Breathing deeply, Riley waits for her cue to start walking, cradling her baby bump in one hand and clutching a small bouquet in the other. She has to force herself to keep from peeking around the corner, to keep herself out of sight until it's time for her to go. She just wants to be married to Mac already. She never thought she'd be this eager to marry someone, but then Mac came into her life, and now here she is.
When the music shifts, she stands up a little taller, straightening out her shoulders, and then steps to the end of the aisle. The music swells—not the typical wedding march music—and she starts walking with one of her arms looped through Jack's, a bright smile pulling at her lips. Tears build in her eyes and she partially blames it on the hormones.
Her breath catches in her throat when she spots Mac waiting for her at the other end of the aisle. He's dressed handsomely in an all-black tux, nothing but love in his eyes as he watches her. Bozer stands right beside him with a bright smile, but nowhere near as bright as Mac's.
Once she finally reaches him, she hugs Jack and kisses him on the cheek, and then continues the rest of the way herself. Mac grabs her hand and helps her up the small step so they're now standing facing each other. She turns just enough to hand her bouquet to Kai—Matty somehow managed to convince the powers that be to give Kai a day pass for the wedding—with a smile and then returns her focus to her soon-to-be husband.
"You look beautiful," he says quietly, giving her hand a small squeeze.
She smiles. "You don't look half bad yourself."
Mac just laughs quietly, taking her other hand in his and holding tightly to both of them.
"It is my honor to be standing before you all today," Matty speaks up from her place beside them, officiating the ceremony. When they'd been planning everything, neither of them could think of a better person to be the one to marry them. "Watching Mac and Riley's relationship grow over the years into what it is today has been nothing short of wonderful. Though, at times a little frustrating when they couldn't keep their eyes or hands off of each other."
The small crowd laughs and Riley just blushes. Mac does too, thankfully, and they share a sweet smile. She's not ashamed of how affectionate she's been with Mac since they got together. She loves him with her whole heart and wants everyone to know that.
"But at the end of the day," Matty continues, "their love truly has been something beautiful to watch as it grew. I've seen these two go through so much together, and now they're about to embark on what many would argue is the greatest journey of all; marriage and parenthood. As I understand it, you two have prepared your own vows?" she asks, glancing between them.
Mac nods. "Yeah." He shifts a little on his feet, holding her hands a little tighter and smiling. "I never expected to meet anyone like you, Riles. You are...so much more than I could have ever hoped to have in a lifelong partner. I thought I had found the love of my life before. But I was wrong. Because you are the love of my life, Riley Davis, and I am so incredibly happy that you are. I can't imagine doing what I do anymore without you at my side. You trust me without hesitation, you love me completely, and you always have my back, no matter what. Our kid is so lucky because you're going to be an amazing mother, and I am so lucky to be standing here right now with you. There is nowhere else in the world I'd rather be."
Riley laughs quietly as she wipes at her eyes, clearing away the tears that had fallen down her cheeks during Mac's speech. "Damn hormones," she mutters, eliciting a laugh from the man in front of her.
She grabs his hand again and gives it a small squeeze as she smiles up at him. "There is no one in the world quite like you, Angus Macgyver. In more ways than one. I don't think I've ever known anyone as sweet, caring, and generous as you. You gave me a second chance when I never thought I'd get one, when you didn't even know me, and allowed me to become part of something amazing. But most importantly, you love me and care about me while still letting me be myself and rooting for me the whole time. For a long time, I didn't think you'd love me back, that I'd just have to get over how quickly and deeply I was falling in love with you. But thankfully, you ended up loving me back. And now we're here, and we're growing our family and I'm really, really happy."
Matty glances between them with a smile. "The rings?"
"Oh! That's me! I've got those."
Riley laughs as Bozer steps forward, digging a small box out of his pocket and handing it over. He claps Mac on the back, smiles sweetly at her, and then returns to his spot.
She takes the slightly larger of the two silver bands from Mac and easily slips it on his finger, smiling brightly as she does so.
Mac returns the gesture, sliding her wedding band onto her finger, his thumb gently passing over it once he does.
"And now, by the power vested in me by the great state of California, it is my honor and my privilege to pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
With the widest grin she's ever seen him have, Mac closes the space between them and kisses her deeply. His arms circle her waist to pull her close and she grabs onto his arms to keep herself steady on her feet.
She smiles against his lips, laughing quietly as she pulls away, the baby kicking lightly at her insides. She rests her forehead against his as one hand drifts to her stomach, hoping to soothe their child's movements. "I love you," she says quietly.
"I love you too."
Reluctantly breaking away, they turn to face their guests, raising their joined hands in the air in celebration. They share another kiss for the crowd and then make their way back down the aisle together. She makes sure to grab her bouquet from her friend as they go, holding it tightly in one hand and holding firmly to Mac's hand in her other. This is it, they finally did it. Now they have the birth of their daughter to look forward to. And Riley can't wait.