There was no one better to ask to marry us today.
We wanted to keep the ceremony short and personal, which Arun abides by. He shares a story of when he first met Reid and how Reid told him at the end of the meeting, if he wasn’t going to sign them, then he’d be agiant fucking idiot. Laughter flits through the crowd, no one at all surprised by the jab of the man that’s mine forever.
“The couple chose to do private vows earlier today, and instead would like to make their promises to each other in front of their friends and family,” Arun says. He hands me Reid’s ring for me to slip on his finger. “Aspen, if you’d like to start.”
Reid’s ring is cold against my heated skin. Nerves suddenly rack through my body as my palms grow sweaty against Reid’s, but he swipes a thumb gently across the top of my hand, helping me focus on him, letting the others surrounding us blur in our periphery.
We wanted to keep our vows just for the two of us. I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of having our full hearts on display, even in front of our most trusted friends and family. This is about us, and so much of our lives have been things only the two of us can understand.
But we still wanted our promises to each other to be heard, to be accountable to them, even though I have trust in Reid like I’ve never known I was capable of.
I gaze into his eyes, allowing myself to get sucked into them and tune out everything else as I bind myself to him.
“Reid,” I start, voice shaking, “I promise to never let you know what it’s like to be alone again. I promise that as long as I live, I’ll be by your side, at your back, and with you through everything that life may throw your way. I promise to challenge you to be the best version of yourself, even if you don’t always want it.” That earns a few chuckles from the audience. “I promise to love you the way that you were always meant to be loved. Deeply, profoundly, and endlessly. It’s you and me, the way it’s always been meant to be.”
Tears prickle at the corners of his eyes, and instead of blinking them back, he lets them fall. The sight just about sends me to my knees.
There was a time, not all that long ago, where the only emotion Reid was comfortable showing was anger. And now standing in front of me, he’s unashamed to show his vulnerability.
For me.
I slip the ring on his finger, sealing my promises with it. “I love you.”
He inhales a shaky breath, trying to collect himself as Arun hands him my wedding band. True to his word, Reid went out and bought me an engagement ring the day after he proposed. It’s a beautiful, bezeled emerald cut with a white gold band.
The band is a simple matching gold with a delicate, hand carved design weaving across it. It trembles slightly as Reid holds it but steadies as he locks eyes with me.
It’s my turn to be his anchor, just like he was mine.
“Aspen, I don’t make a lot of promises in my life, because no one ever showed me how to keep them.” Hisvoice wobbles, but his face shows the resilience I love in him. “But for you, I’d promise anything in this life and die trying to make it come true. I promise to never forget you, or the small details that make youyou. I promise to cherish them, to honor you, to put you first in everything I do. I promise to always try to be better for you, to be the man you deserve, and who you know I can be. I promise to support you in all your dreams, even if that means overrunning our house with cats.”
My head tips back in laughter, Reid grinning himself at the thought of our three babies at home.
“But most of all, I promise to never let a day pass where you don’t know how much I love you, and how grateful I am to have my lucky Penny in my life forever.”
We’re standing out in the open, but in this moment, it feels like it’s just the two of us. The promises we made to each other sink in, sealed with the band he slides on my finger.
Arun ducks his head, wiping at the corner of his eye before he clears his throat. “You have declared your promises not only to each other, but to everyone you called here to witness.” Then speaking to the crowd, he asks, “Do you all promise to uphold these two to the words they spoke to each other today?”
I glance out at the crowd gathered. Reid’s brothers sit front row, their partners all by their sides. Tears track down Nikolai’s cheeks, but he smiles brighter than the sun above as he watches the two of us. Hayden sits back casually in his chair, but his mouth is tipped up in a genuine smile. Walker has his arm wrapped around his girlfriend, sitting tall like a proud father as he looks at Reid.
I catch sight of Reid looking them all over, like he’s once again checking to see that this is real. That the three ofthem are front row, here to support him on his wedding day, just like they had always planned.
Everyone murmurs their assent.
Arun closes his notebook. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” He barely finishes the words before Reid pounces. Slipping one arm around my waist and the other behind my neck, he dips us forward.
I laugh into our kiss, the strength of his hold reminding me that he won’t let me fall. Ever. He’ll be there to catch me, from now until my final breath. Cheers ring out around us.
“Introducing for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Keely!”
Reid brings us upright. Everyone stands, clapping over the music queued up for our exit. I go to reach for my bouquet, but Reid has other plans.
He sweeps me off my feet, cradling me to his chest. “Are you ready to go home, Mrs. Keely?”
I cup his face, pressing another kiss to his mouth. “Yes. Take me home.”
EPILOGUE
