His fingers closed around mine, warm and careful, like I was something precious.
“You take care of her,” Granny told him, her voice firm despite its softness.
“With my life,” he promised, his voice low and rough.
She smiled, satisfied, and Henry guided her back to her chair.
The officiant began, keeping the ceremony simple, with no fluff. Then came time for the vows we’d written ourselves.
Ben spoke first, eyes never leaving mine.
“Chrissy, I don’t deserve you.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Off to a great start.”
His mouth twitched. Then the humor died and something stark replaced it.
“I mean it,” he said. “I lied to you. I manipulated you. I set up an entire game to drag you back into my orbit because I didn’t know how to ask for what I wanted like a normal man. I hurt you in ways I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes burning with unshed tears.
“But you saw me anyway,” he said. “You saw past all of that. Past the scars, past the money, past the facade. You treated me like a human being when I was convinced I’d become a monster. You patched up my hand in a hardware store and told me to sit down like you were the queen of the world. You stood between my staff and cruelty. You put yourself in harm’s way for people who weren’t even yours to protect.”
His fingers tightened around mine.
“You are the bravest person I’ve ever met,” he said. “And the most stubborn. And the kindest. And every day that you’re in my life, you make me want to be a man who deserves to stand next to you.”
My vision blurred.
“I can’t promise I’ll never screw up,” he said quietly. “Hell, I can guarantee I will. I still have nightmares. I still get lost in my own head. I still default to the need for control when I’m scared. But I can promise you this, Chrissy. I will never lie to you again. I will never use your love as a weapon. I will never deliberately put you through hell just to soothe my own insecurities.”
His jaw flexed.
“I will protect you until my last breath,” he finished. “I will provide for you and your grandmother and whatever family we build together. And I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for all the ways I failed you… if you’ll let me.”
I had not planned to cry.
Unfortunately for me and my plans, I was absolutely crying.
Henry handed me a handkerchief without taking his eyes off us, always the consummate professional.
“My turn,” I said, sniffling, dabbing under my eyes carefully so Lucia wouldn’t lose her mind about my makeup getting ruined, and drawing in a shaky breath.
“Okay,” I said. “Um. Hi.”
Ben huffed out a low laugh, his blue eyes shining.
“When I walked into Stonewood Hardware four years ago,” I said, “I was having a really shitty day.”
There were a few quiet chuckles from Henry and Lucia.
“The girls behind the counter were so busy staring at your face that they’d forgotten how to human,” I went on. “You were bleeding and trying to pretend you weren’t, and they were treating you like you were a horror movie audition, not like a person who needed a first aid kit. I was pissed on your behalf before I even really looked at you.”
I met his gaze, steady now.
“And then I did look at you,” I said softly. “And I thought, huh. He’s beautiful.”
