“I have vows.”
Graham’s heart skipped in his chest. This all seemed like a dream, and he hoped he didn’t wake up and it was gone. It would kill him.
Graham did too.
“I want to give my vows to the man I gave my heart to all of those years ago,” Graham said.
For Michael, it wasn’t necessary, since he knew the man had already kept his. This was about him keeping them, too.
To his husband.
“Then go ahead, Laddies,” the judge said.
Michael kissed their joined fingers, and went first, sharing how he felt.
“My dearest love,” he began. “I can’t believe we’ve come full circle, but I’m grateful that we have. Seven and a half yearsago, I thought my life was over. When I walked away, I believed that I’d never find love again, but here I am. I did find the kind of love I craved, and it was with you.”
Graham stood there, and he couldn’t believe how handsome his lover was. He couldn’t believe that in a few short minutes, they’d be man and man.
Forever.
“Now, I’m blessed that the universe knew what I knew. You were, and always will be, my soulmate. No matter what happened in the years we were apart, there is only one truth to this, and it’s that we were always meant to be. That’s the only way to explain how the universe put us right back on the same path like we never deviated from it.”
Michael brushed some hair from Graham’s forehead so lovingly that one of Finn’s sisters whispered in the audience.
“I want that kind of love,” Bonnie admitted.
It made Michael smile.
Because he wanted this kind of love for the rest of his life, too, and he found it. He wanted to live in a haunted castle with the sexiest man he’d ever seen in his life.
The heart wanted what it wanted.
“I vow to love you until the end of my life. I promise to never forget how close we came to being apart forever. I vow my fidelity, my honor, and my undying adoration for you. You’ve had it for seven and a half years as we waited for the perfect time to come together.”
A tear slipped down Graham’s cheek.
Michael wiped it away.
“We both needed time apart to build our worlds. In that time, we went from alone to having family,” he said, looking around. “We built it from nothing, and now, today, they are witnessing our story.”
Graham sniffled, and his heart was so full, not only because he was getting his man, but D’Artangnan was right. They did have family.
They were no longer alone.
“So, in front of our families, I promise to love you in sickness and in health, through the good times, and the bad—until our last breaths. I vow to be buried with you, like how Duncan and Ciarán wanted, and I promise to wait for you on the other side if I cross first. You, Graham David Lainey are my greatest achievement, and my person. In you, I trust and love forever.”
Reaching back, he took the worn ring that he’d gotten polished at the jeweler’s, so it was back to being shiny and new. Then, he slipped it onto Graham’s finger, sealing his vow with the man.
The judge looked at Graham.
“Speak your vows.”
Oh, and he did.
“My beloved. My only. My true love. I stand here to speak the truth. You have, and always will be, the only person I love in life. I’ve walked with you, and I’ve walked without you, and I know the only way I can survive is to walk beside you,” he offered.
Michael stared into his green eyes, and everything felt right with the world.
