I can’t take my eyes off the man who’s holding my hands, staring down into my eyes with so much promise and tenderness, it makes my breath catch.
“I do,” he says.
“I do,” I echo.
“Go ahead with your vows,” the judge says, nodding at me first.
“Thank you for waiting for me,” I begin, and Brooks brings his hand up, brushing a tear off my cheek. “I know it took us a long time to get here, but I like to think that it was always destined to happen this way. I vow to stand by your side, no matter what kind of insanity comes our way. I will love you, honor you, always make sure that you are my priority, and take care of you when we’re old and gray and sitting in the porch swing I’m going to ask you to install at our house.”
His lips twitch, and his eyes fill, making my chest swell.
“I will respect you andlisten to you.I will be your constant, your home base, and your safe place for as long as we both shall live.”
Brooks takes a deep breath, then answers with vows of his own.
“They say that you should never refer to the person you love as what completes you because you should come to them as a whole person already. But that’s bullsh—” He glances at the judge. “Crap. Becauseyoucomplete me, Juliet, and for fifteen years, I walked around with a huge chunk of myself missing. You are the only thing I need. I look in your eyes, and I see our future so perfectly; our babies in your arms, our kids running around that backyard. School pictures and anniversaries and weekends away together. Graduations, weddings. And, one day,us swinging on our porch. It sounds so simple, but nothing could be more valuable or more exciting to me.”
I sniff and brush away a tear, and he continues.
“I vow to be the man who deserves you. Who wakes up every day with a mission to make sure you’re so well loved, respected, and taken care of that you never regret this day. Not for one minute. I promise to give you a life that keeps you guessing, that keeps you walking funny?—”
I snort in surprise.
“And makes you the happiest woman on earth, for as long as we both shall live.”
“By the power vested in me by the state of Montana, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Brooks growls—freakinggrowls—then bends me backward and crushes his lips to mine, kissing me more passionately than he ever has before.
And that’s saying a lot.
When we leave the courthouse, we stand on the sidewalk, staring at each other.
“Hi, Mr. Blackwell.”
“Hello, Mrs. Blackwell.”
I press my lips together and then do a little happy dance, making him chuckle.
“We need to get you a ring,” I inform him, brushing over his ring finger.
“We’ll go there next,” he says and brings me to him for a hug. My ear is pressed to his chest, and I can hear the wild thumping of his heart. “Fuck, we did it, Wildfire.”
“Wetotallydid it. Oh,andwe got married.”
He laughs and kisses my head. “Let’s walk down to the jeweler.”
“And I need coffee,” I inform him. “I was too nervous to drink it earlier.”
“There was no reason to be nervous, baby.”
He takes my hand and leads me around the corner to where Millie’s coffee shop is, and when we walk inside, Millie glances over and smiles.
“Hey, you two. What are you up to?”
“WE GOT MARRIED!” I’m jumping up and down as I scream it, showing her my hand, and then she’s screaming too, and runs around the counter to hug us both. “You’re the first person we’ve told.”
“I won’t say anything.” She mimes zipping her lips. “Did you go to the courthouse?”
