Or if maybe, hopefully, she was imagining something different. Something better.
With me,Mac thought.Please let it be with me.
"Marriage is not to be entered into lightly," Pastor Williams continued, "but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted..."
Cole was still holding Ellie's hands, both of them locked in their own world. Jamie shifted slightly beside Mac, and Mac caught the subtle movement. Jamie checking his phone briefly during the pastoral reading.
Jamie caught Mac's eye and gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head.Still nothing. Coast clear.
Mac’s shoulders relax another fraction.
"Cole and Ellie have chosen to write their own vows," Pastor Williams said, stepping back slightly. "Cole, whenever you're ready."
Cole took a shaky breath, his hands trembling slightly as he held Ellie's. For a moment, he just looked at her, like he couldn't quite believe she was real.
"I wrote these down," Cole admitted, his voice carrying through the church. "Three pages. Single-spaced. Because I had a lot to say."
Gentle laughter rippled through the congregation. Ellie laughed too, tears streaming down her face.
"But looking at you now—" Cole's voice broke. He cleared his throat, tried again. "Ellie, I never believed in second chances until I met you. I thought my career was over. My shoulder was destroyed. I'd given up."
The church was completely silent now, everyone leaning forward.
"You didn't give up," Cole continued. "Every single dayyoushowed up. You worked with me when I was angry and frustrated and probably the worst patient you'd ever had—"
"You were!" Ellie agreed, laughing through tears.
More laughter from the congregation.
"You saved more than my career," Cole said. "You saved me. You showed me what it means to be loved without reservation, without conditions. And I promise you. I will spend every day of my life proving I deserve that love. I will choose you every single day. When you're happy and when you're sad. When we agree and when we fight, because we will fight, probably about my recovery protocols—"
"Definitely," Ellie said, smiling.
"I choose you, Noelle Winters. Today and every day after. Forever."
Mac's throat tightened. His eyes found Rachel again in the crowd.
Ellie took a steadying breath, squeezing Cole's hands. "Cole Hansen. You are the most stubborn, infuriating, wonderful man I've ever met."
Cole grinned through his tears.
"You taught me that love doesn't have to be perfect to be real," Ellie continued. "That the best things come from the hardest struggles. You fought for your career when everyone said it was impossible. You fought for us when I didn’t think we could work." Her voice grew stronger. "And now I'm fighting for us too. I choose you, Cole Hansen. Today and every day after. In sickness and in health, and knowing you, there will be more injuries because you don't know when to stop—"
"Accurate," Cole admitted.
"In good times and bad. For better or worse. Forever."
"The rings," Pastor Williams prompted gently.
Mac reached into his pocket, and his heart stopped.
Nothing.
He tried the other pocket. Also nothing.
Oh God. Oh no. Where—
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Cole was looking at him expectantly. Sophie was trying not to laugh across from him. The entire congregation was waiting.
