I stretch and yawn, a soft sigh escaping my lips as I sit up. Despite my expectations, I slept soundly. No tossing and turning, no nerves. Just a calm, quiet happiness humming inside me.
It’s strange how people get caught up in the idea that marriage changes things.
But really, it’s just a piece of paper.
It doesn’t deepen love or magically make a relationship better. If anything, it should be a formality, a symbol of something that already exists. If you’re getting married, it should be because you’re already in deep. After all, that person is your everything. Not because you’re hoping a ceremony will make things feel more real.
That’s what I love about Colt and me.
We don’t need to prove anything to anyone.
Still, I’m not going to lie, it’ll feel incredible to call myselfhis wife.
Officially.
That paper won’t define us. It won’t measure the love we’ve bled for, fought for, and chosen time and again. The valid proof is in our commitment—our fire, our resilience, our raw, unapologetic love.
His wife.
Colter Slade’s wife.
God, I can’t wait.
The door creaks open slowly, and I look up to see a familiar face peek around the edge.
“Hey, sorry, did I wake you?” Joseph asks softly.
I shake my head, smiling. “No, it’s fine. I was already awake. Come in.”
He crosses the room and sits beside me on the bed. I shift up, tucking my knees beneath me as he takes my hands.
“How are you feeling?”
I beam. “Amazing.”
He chuckles, a warm sound that fills the room. “This could have been us, you know.”
I smirk, rolling my eyes. “Hmm… yeah, what a great marriage that would’ve been.”
“Right? Your husband sneaking off with another man. Ford would’ve murdered me.”
“Yep.” I giggle. “Things have a way of working out, don’t they?”
Joseph’s smile turns softer as he tightens his grip on my hands. “Dee, I’m sorry for how I treated you when we ended. But honestly? I’m kinda glad I was a dick. Because if I hadn’t been, you might not have gone to the Hyatt, and you might not have met Colt.”
I smile at the memory—the tears, the vodka, the tub of Ben and Jerry’s. The man who knocked on my door and didn’t run when I fell apart.
“That feels like a lifetime ago,” I whisper. “Seriously, Joseph, you don’t owe me an apology. If anything, you saved me that night from a life I didn’t even realize I was spiraling into. I hated you for a while, sure. But then I realized it was the best thing that could’ve happened to both of us. And thank God it happened that night. If it had been the next one, Colt would’ve alreadybeen in America, and we never would have met. Life works in funny, fated ways.”
His eyes glimmer as he nods. “Well, I couldn’t be prouder of you than I am right now, Princess. Let’s get you ready to marry your prince, yeah?”
I nod, a flutter of anticipation taking root in my chest.
We head downstairs to the kitchen, and the scent of fresh fruit and flaky pastries fills the air. Anna and Sia are bustling around, prepping breakfast.
“Can I help with anything?” I ask, stepping forward.
Anna scoffs, hand on hip. “Uh-uh, Dee. This isyourday. You’re not lifting a damn finger. Sit down. Kira will go over your makeup while we get everything ready. No arguments either, missy.”
