“Hi, Solarin,” he whispers back, and then we’re both grinning like idiots.
The ceremony passes in a blur of emotion. When it’s my turn to speak, I have to pause to collect myself.
“Ryder Stone, six months ago, I was convinced that love meant loss. You showed up at my cabin in the middle of a snowstorm and somehow convinced me that it was possible and that I was worth staying for.” My voice cracks. “You didn’t just save my Christmas. You opened my world and showed me what it means to let people in, to build a family that isn’t just blood but choice—earned through showing up every day.”
I gesture at the surrounding crowd—Zone family and human family, all gathered in this meadow.
“I choose you, Ryder. Today, tomorrow, always. I choose us.” My voice steadies on the word “us,” because it’s powerful and important and makes me so very happy.
Ryder’s voice is rough with emotion when he speaks.
“Laney, you’ve been my home since the moment I met you. Not a place, not a dream—you.You’re the calm after the call, the warmth after the fire. You’re the reason I finally stopped running.” He squeezes my hands, his gaze never leaving mine.
“You challenged me to be braver, to fight for what I wanted, to believe that an orc firefighter and a stubborn animal-lover could build something extraordinary together. And we are. One day at a time, one choice at a time.”
“You’re my safe haven, Laney. My Solarin—my light in every darkness. I choose you. Every single day, for the rest of our lives.”
The officiant clears her throat. “By the power vested in me by the state of California, I pronounce you married. Ryder, you may kiss your bride.”
And he does. Thoroughly. To the point where Kam starts whooping, and Jake yells, “Get a room!”
We’re married.
We walk back down the aisle together, hand in hand.
“Mrs. Hillman-Stone,” he says.
“Mr. Hillman-Stone,” I say.
“I like the sound of that.”
“Me too.”
What could be more exciting and fulfilling than that? The reception. It’s turning out to be everything I dreamed of and nothing I planned.
Brokka’s feast is legendary—mountains of barbecue, sides that could feed an army, and enough desserts to satisfy even the Zone contingent’s legendary appetites. Marissa’s cake is a work of art, five tiers decorated with edible wildflowers.
The toasts begin as the sun starts to set.
Dad goes first. He stands up, looks at me and Ryder, and his voice catches immediately.
“Twenty years,” he begins, then has to pause and clear his throat. “I waited twenty years to be part of my daughter’s life again. And now I get to watch her marry a male who—”
He stops, blinking rapidly, composing himself.
“A male who loves her the way she deserves.” He raises his glass, hand trembling slightly. “Ryder, welcome to our family, son.”
I cross to his table and hug him tight. “I love you too, Dad.”
Kam’s toast is full of terrible jokes that have everyone groaning, but he ends with surprising sincerity: “I’ve never seen this male happier than he is with you, Laney. That’s magic.”
Yara speaks in Orcish and then English, blessing our union. “To my new daughter. Welcome to the family. We’ve been waiting for you.”
As everyone is dancing, Emma pulls me aside near the dessert table.
“So,” she says with a knowing smile, “Ryder mentioned you made a decision about school. Wildlife rehabilitation instead of vet school?”
“Yeah.” I can’t help but smile. “It took me a while to realize it, but it’s actually perfect. I can work with injured and orphaned wild animals, use all my medical knowledge, and do it right here from the cabin. No four years of schooling, no crushing debt, no working in a clinic when what I really love is hands-on rehabilitation.”
