"Two," I correct. "And they're not paranoia when you're worth three billion dollars and value your solitude."
"Three billion? It went up?"
"Crypto investment. Don't ask me to explain it."
Through the cabin window, I can see our guests gathering in the meadow where Maxim proposed six months ago. It's a smallgroup: Maya and her husband, Elena and her family, Maxim's sister and her family, and a handful of close friends. Exactly what we both wanted.
"You look happy," Maya observes, stepping back to survey her handiwork. "Like, genuinely, completely happy. It's disgusting."
"I am happy. Disgustingly so."
"Good. You deserve it." She hugs me carefully, mindful of my dress. "Though I still can't believe you're moving here permanently."
"I'm not moving here permanently. We're splitting time between here, Atlanta, and San Francisco. Plus, we both travel for work." I check my lipstick one final time. "It's called compromise, Maya. You should try it sometime."
"I compromise. I compromised by wearing heels to your mountain wedding."
A knock on the door interrupts our banter. "Chantay? It's Elena. Maxim wants to know if you're ready, or if he should keep pacing like a caged animal."
"Tell him I'm ready," I call back. "And Elena? Thank you for talking sense into him about the prenup."
"You're welcome. Though I think you talking sense into him about the prenup was more effective."
Maya raises an eyebrow. "Prenup drama?"
"He wanted one that gave me half of everything immediately. I wanted one that protected his assets and treated our marriage like a partnership, not a merger." I grab my simple bouquet of wildflowers. "It took three lawyers and two months to find a middle ground."
"Only you would argue for less money in a prenup."
"It's not about the money, Maya. It's about building something together instead of him just handing me everything out of guilt."
"And that's why you're perfect for each other. You're both crazy."
The cabin door opens, and Zennika peeks in. "Ready? Your billionaire is about to wear a hole in the ground from pacing."
"Ready."
We make our way outside, where the late afternoon sun is painting the mountains gold. Our guests are seated in two small sections of chairs, with an aisle between them leading to an arch covered in wildflowers. It's simple, beautiful, and perfectly us.
But I only have eyes for Maxim, standing at the end of the aisle in a charcoal suit that makes him look devastatingly handsome. When he sees me, his face lights up with a smile that makes my heart skip.
Ranger sits beside him in a bow tie, serving as best man. Ghost lounges in the front row, wearing what I can only describe as a judgmental expression about the whole human mating ritual.
I walk down the aisle without anyone giving me away, because I'm not property to be transferred. I'm a woman choosing to build a life with the man I love.
When I reach Maxim, he takes my hands and leans down to whisper, "You look incredible."
"You clean up pretty well yourself, mountain man."
The ceremony is short and sweet, officiated by a friend of Elena's who drove up from Reno. We exchange vows we wrote ourselves, promising honesty, partnership, and enough compromise to make living together bearable for our animals.
"Do you, Maxim James Chen, take Chantay Rose Jackson to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do. And I promise to never lie about my identity again, no matter how scared I get."
The crowd chuckles.
"Do you, Chantay Rose Jackson, take Maxim James Chen to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
