"Confident," he corrects, pressing a kiss to my temple.
"What if I'd said no?"
"Then we would still have had this very romantic dinner, but I would still call you my girlfriend, not fiancée."
I bite my lip, warmth flooding through me at the word. "Fiancée. God, that sounds better."
"Doesn't it?" He kisses me softly, and my smile against his lips is my unspoken answer.
Chapter thirteen
Avery
Istand in a small garden venue in Napa Valley wearing a simple white dress and holding a bouquet of peonies. The late afternoon sun filters through the oak trees, casting everything in warm gold, and I breathe in the scent of roses and fresh grass and possibility.
Through the archway draped with white fabric and more peonies, I can see Dylan waiting for me at the altar. He's wearing a charcoal gray suit that fits him perfectly, and even from here I can see the emotion on his face. Thomas stands beside him, beaming with pride, while Jake fidgets with his boutonniere, looking uncharacteristically serious for once.
"You ready?" Jessica whispers beside me, squeezing my hand. She looks stunning in the dusty rose dress we picked out together, her eyes already bright with unshed tears.
I nod, not trusting my voice, because ready doesn't even begin to cover what I feel. I'm certain. Completely, absolutely, unshakably certain.
The string quartet begins playing, and Jessica starts down the aisle. I watch her go, thinking about everything that'sled to this moment. Breakup with Oliver and having to pull myself together. The promotion to Senior Legal Counsel—a position I got through hours of documented merit and glowing performance reviews from third-party clients that no one could question. I already worked over-time before this, but this time, I put in so many hours that the Board practically begged me to take my accumulated vacation leave. Two months of wedding planning where we learned to compromise and build traditions together, choosing what mattered to each of us and letting go of what didn't.
The music shifts, and suddenly it's my turn. I step though the archway, and every head turns, but I only have eyes for Dylan.
His face transforms when he sees me, and he presses his fist to his mouth for a moment before dropping his hand and just... looking at me. Like I'm everything. Like I'm exactly where I belong.
The walk down the aisle feels both endless and instant. I pass Madeline and other colleagues from Vance Enterprises, who've become friends, Dylan's extended family, who've welcomed me like I've always belonged.
Then I'm there, standing in front of Dylan, and he takes my hands with a grip that's steady despite the tears in his eyes.
"You look beautiful," he whispers, just for me.
"So do you," I whisper back, and Jake snorts softly, earning an elbow from Thomas.
The officiant begins, talking about love and commitment and the journey that brings two people together, but I barely hear the words. I'm lost in Dylan's eyes, in the way his thumbs stroke over my knuckles, in the absolute rightness of this moment.
When it's time for vows, Dylan goes first. He clears his throat, pulls a folded paper from his pocket, then sets it aside without looking at it.
"Avery," he begins, his voice steady despite the emotion, making it rough around the edges. "When you first walked into my office and told me my filing system was archaic, you were right. And you've been right about almost everything since then. You challenged me every single day to be better, braver, more honest about what I wanted. You taught me that trust is earned through actions, not words, through showing up consistently, through proving with every choice that you're worthy of someone's heart."
He pauses, squeezes my hands tighter. "I promise to spend every day earning yours. I promise to support your dreams even when they scare me, to celebrate your victories like they're my own, and to stand beside you through whatever challenges come. I promise to never ask you to be less than you are. I promise to love and to cherish you fiercely and honestly and completely, exactly as you are, while also loving whoever you become. Till death do us part."
I'm crying openly now, not even trying to stop the tears. Jessica hands me a tissue, and I dab at my eyes, trying not to ruin the makeup she spent an hour perfecting.
"Your turn," the officiant says gently, and I take a shaky breath.
I had vows written. Beautiful, polished vows that I practiced in front of the mirror. But standing here, looking at Dylan's face, I forget every word.
"Dylan," I start, my voice wobbling. "Months ago, I was broken. I thought I knew what love looked like, but I was wrong. So wrong. And then you showed me what healthy love actually looks like. You taught me that love isn't about control or possession—it's about celebrating the person you love exactly as they are, not as you want them to be."
I have to pause, swallow hard past the lump in my throat. "You proved every day that I could be vulnerable without being weak.You gave me your family when I needed support, wrapping me in this warm, chaotic, wonderful embrace that made me feel like I belonged somewhere for the first time in so long."
Thomas makes a soft sound, and when I glance over, he's wiping at his eyes. Margaret is openly sobbing into her handkerchief.
"You gave me patience when I needed time," I continue, looking back at Dylan. "You gave me faith when I doubted myself, when I was so scared of ruining everything that I almost ran. You stood by me when it would have been easier to walk away."
Dylan's eyes are bright with tears now too, one escaping down his cheek. I reach up and wipe it away with my thumb.
