“He is,” I replied, nodding. “But you’ll be next to get married, just mark my words.”
Maxime smiled, looking genuinely happy, and I couldn’t have been more pleased to see it.
Cody’s brother, Brian, stands at his side as best man, and his sister, Kim, is one of our three bridesmaids. The others are Joyce, his best friend from Brussels, and my colleague andfriend Zoé, with whom I hit it off the day I started working at Utopie, the cake shop in Besançon. They each look beautiful in their burnt-yellow dresses, which perfectly match the sunflower theme.
Everything looks fantastic, and the pieces are finally falling into place, creating what feels like the perfect wedding day. We’ve arrived at the most important part: Cody and I will now exchange wedding rings, recite our vows, and then we’ll officially be declared husbands.
He’s up first, and his brother Brian steps up to hand over the ring he kept for safekeeping as the best man. I’m glad that even though he has reservations, he’s done nothing to obstruct this wedding.
“I’m going to do this in French,” Cody says, surprising me with it. “Because I know you prefer it. Not everyone will understand, but don’t worry; I have it all written down in English for those who are interested,” he adds, looking at his family members.
Some people chuckle, and my stomach swirls. He guessed right; hearing the wedding vows in French will be another absolute highlight of my wedding day.
“Luc, we were born a continent apart, and the chances of our paths crossing were almost zero,” he says in French. “If either of us had made one different choice, we might never have met in your father’s cake shop. But we did, and I count myself lucky for it every single day. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank the universe—and Joyce—for that coupon that led me to you.” He glances at Joyce, the crowd laughs, and I melt. “I almost threw it away, but I’m endlessly grateful I didn’t. Because from the moment I met you, my life has felt complete. We may speak different languages, but with you, words hardly matter. I feel seen, known, and loved for who I am, just as I see and love you. We want the same things, dream the same dreams, and I cannotwait to spend this life we’re building together, side by side. I love you.”
Warmth fills my chest, and I press my lips together, emotions filling me. My goodness, that was beautiful. Not only has he done the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me, he’s also said the most wonderful thing anyone’s ever said. Okay, so the French is a little flawed, and he needed to read it off a piece of paper to get the right words, but still... it’s perfect. So perfect that it almost makes me cry again, but I can’t do that. Maybe after the ceremony I can let some of it out, but not now.
It becomes especially difficult to keep myself together when Cody takes my hand and slides the ring onto my finger. The rings we picked are golden, elegant in their simplicity, and in tune with the theme. They consist of two bands seamlessly fused together—one a bright, polished strip, the other a softer matte finish. Combined, they create a clean, modern design that suits both of us.
With the ring on my finger and Cody holding my hand, a lump forms in my throat. It’s inconvenient since it’s now my turn to speak my vows. What’s funny is that I decided to recite my vows in English. There were plenty of reasons to do it in French—we’re in France, most of our guests are French, and my native language is French—but ultimately, what’s most important is not that the guests understand it, but that Cody does. And the only way to ensure that is to speak English. Maybe it’s actually perfect; he recites his vows in French to accommodate me, and I recite them in English to accommodate him. It’s a promising start to our marriage if you ask me.
Maxime steps up and hands me an identical ring to the one that’s now on my finger. That’s my cue.
“Exactly three hundred and sixty-five days ago, I met a man in Brussels. He had a silly name and a kind face, looking completely lost in my father’s cake shop. And deep down,even though I told myself otherwise, I knew he wasn’t just a customer... you were someone special. When you flirted with me and asked me out, it only confirmed what I already felt. It took me some time to admit it, but I’m so glad I didn’t have to spend many days without you because I fell for you so hard. Every day with you feels like a gift, another chance to see how you’ll make me smile. And you always do. I may not always make it easy for you, but you never fail to make me happy. I want to spend my life doing the same for you. Thank you for marrying me, Cody. I love you.”
When I finish, I reach for Cody’s hand and slide on the ring like he just did with me. He smiles widely, the happiness showing in his eyes, and my heart skips a beat.
The officiant continues, asking us whether we take each other as husbands, to which we both respond, “Je le veux.” And then finally, I hear the words I’ve longed for: “Je vous déclare maintenant mari et mari.”
I now declare you husband and husband.
Chapter 40: Luc
The rest of our wedding day passes in a haze. After the ceremony, a select group of our closest friends and family remain with us to celebrate. At five o’clock, dinner is served in one of the renovated barns, where long tables are lined along the walls. Soft French ballads play in the background, and atmospheric light bulbs hanging from the high ceiling cast a pleasant glow around us.
We eat, laugh, and talk, though I hardly taste the food. There are too many congratulations, friends and family wanting to talk and compliment us. Before I know it, it’s time for dessert, which my dad and Claire wheel out to loud clapping and cheers. Cody and I take our time to create a significant moment of slicing the cake, feeding it to each other as we hold our forks in crossed arms. After all, this is, as we established, one of the most important elements of our wedding day.
The cake is then served as dessert, and together with the guests, we enjoy our last course and drinks as the evening deepens. While the guests enjoy another drink, Cody and I slip away with the photographer to have more pictures taken in the flower fields under the stars. It truly turns out to be a magical evening that ends with everyone partying by the bar with a DJ. Cody and I have our first dance and celebrate with our loved ones. Eventually, the festivities end, and at midnight it’s time for everyone to go home. Cody and I leave as well, ready for what comes next: our wedding night.
When we drive home together, and I sit beside him in the passenger seat, everything feels surprisingly the same, but something is now very different: we’re married. For traditional couples, this might be the first time they have sex. For Cody andme, there isn’t much we haven’t done at this point, but still, there are new things we can try.
And I already have an idea. The thought of it is both exhilarating and a little scary.
“How are you feeling?” he asks me. “Happy? Tired? Excited? Overwhelmed?”
It’s funny; until he asked me that, I hadn’t really paid attention to my body. I was too busy with my wedding day. But now that he asks, I take a moment to focus on how I feel.
“All those things, actually. It’s late, I’m living on little sleep, and today was filled with ups and downs.”
“Mostly ups, I hope?”
“Yes, definitely. Despite some hiccups, today was parfait—absolutely perfect,” I tell Cody.
“It absolutely was.” Cody turns briefly to look at me, smiling. “What was your favorite part?”
I take a moment to think. “I’m torn between seeing the wedding cake for the first time with my dad, and having you recite your wedding vows in French. How about yours?”
“Similar. Watching your expression to the cake and then the ceremony.” He shifts the car into second gear. “What do you want to do when we get home?”
