His voice carries across the terrace with calm authority, shaped by years of boardrooms and negotiations, yet softened now by memory.
“In the years since, you’ve honored that promise in the way that matters most—through consistency, grace, and the willingness to grow together. It has been one of my great privileges to witness your marriage strengthen not just the two of you, but all of us who love you.”
His gaze lingers on Olivia for a beat, warm and unmistakably grateful, before returning to me.
“Today, we celebrate that choice again.”
He lets the silence sit for a moment before turning toward me with a small nod. An invitation.
I take Olivia’s hands. They feel small in mine, warm and familiar. Even after a decade, the simple act of holding her feels momentous.
“Olivia.” Her jade eyes lift to mine, bright and clear.
“My father once said that a good woman can change everything.” I glance briefly toward him, then back to her. “He was right, because that’s exactly what you’ve done for me.”
My thumb brushes lightly against her knuckles.
“You brought me back to life, baby, just by loving me the way you do. Thank you for being my partner, my anchor, and my motivation to be a better man every day.”
I pause, swallowing once before continuing.
“Over the past decade, I’ve loved watching you grow into the woman you always aspired to be. One I admire more than I can say.”
Her eyes shine now, but she doesn’t look away.
“You inspire me every day with your grace, your tenacity, and the unconditional love you bestow on our family.”
My voice steadies as I finish.
“Loving you has been the greatest honor and joy of my life. I promise that I will continue to choose you, today, tomorrow, and for all my days that follow.”
When I fall silent, she squeezes my hands once, anchoring us both.
My father turns to her now.
“Nathaniel.” She breathes my name.
“You were the first person who ever looked at me and saw more,” she says, her voice calm, sure. “Someone capable. Someone worthy. Someone who deserved to take up space.”
I remain perfectly still, absorbing her every word.
“You never faltered in your belief in who I was, and who I could be, long before I had the courage to believe it myself. Thank you for standing by me, lifting me up, and giving me space to become the woman I always hoped I might be.”
She smiles then, a small, intimate thing meant only for me.
“And over these years, it’s been a privilege to watch you become the man you are today—still fiercely determined and devoted, but softer around the edges, with a heart that has only widened to hold our family. I find myself falling in love with you again and again with each passing day.”
I feel my own eyes begin to water at the sight of her tears now rolling down her cheeks. However, her voice doesn’t waver.
“I promise to keep choosing you too, with the same heart you have always chosen me.”
Something in me yields at that. This woman. This love. This life. It is more than I ever believed I deserved.
My father lifts the box that Max handed him earlier, opening it with care. Inside rest the same bands we placed on each other’s hands ten years ago, refined by time, marked by the life we built together.
We exchange them, the familiar weight settling back where it belongs.
Then, my father steps back, his voice warm. “You may seal your vows.”
