Xander threw an arm over Rylee’s shoulder and asked, “What venue could we find that we wouldn’t have to book a year in advance, Snoop?”
She smiled up at him, her beautiful eyes sparkling, making him smile back. “The backyard.”
That night, when they returned home, the two toasted to the decision with sparkling ginger ale in champagne glasses—since Rylee was nursing—and got to work planning the small event they now stood in the center of.
“The way you came into my world and turned it upside down in the best way.” He shook his head, smiling, eyes only on her. “Only you could do that, baby. Only you could make the man who never thought past what the day offered, open himself to a world so big, so full of love and light.”
Rylee’s smile grew grand, revealing a toothy grin.
“You, Nova, LJ, and Junior,” Xander continued, his eyes moving to his other favorite people. “Y’all gave me purpose. Something to look forward to. Something to love outside of myself, but that I quickly considered an extension of me. Y’all are my family, my heart. And you, Rylee?” He swallowed backthe tears welling in his eyes. “You’re one of the greatest things to ever happen to me. Only second to our boy who wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you… so I guess that moves you up in rank to becoming the greatest. Congrats.”
Everyone expressed humor around them, including Rylee.
“From the moment I stepped into your world, I felt it…” He nodded. “You were home for me. And that’s when everything became clear… I’d be good anywhere, as long as I’m with you.”
Though they’d done well with making the Greene Gardens house a safe haven they all looked forward to coming back to, it was at the insistence of Xander to keep the brownstone and not sell.
“It’ll be cool for us to go there when we want to get away from perfect.” He grinned. “Have a vacation in Brooklyn.”
Though they all still saw Brooklyn throughout the week—Xander still worked at the firehouse in Park Slope and the kids were still enrolled in their schools in Brooklyn Heights—their time was limited in their home city. So, Xander reasoned the brownstone could be their escape whenever Rylee and the kids became homesick.
“Rylee, I promise to be the calm when life gets chaotic.” He held her hand tighter, nodding to seal his words.
Xander’s eyes darted between Rylee’s, his heart full, his pulse steady.
None of this made him nervous. Not the uncertainty of the future. Not the feeling that he could never be enough for her.
The journey they’d been on was proof enough that their life together was fated. And her life before him was destined because of that.
“I promise to honor your story,” he continued. “Even the chapters I didn’t write.”
Rylee closed her eyes, sniffed back tears.
Xander pressed a hand to her cheek and felt warmth rush through him when she leaned into his touch, resting her head in his hand.
“I vow to kiss you slow,” he added, caressing her skin. “And fold the laundry fast because I know you run a tight ship around here, and youmadstrict mama. But I respect it.”
Rylee snorted, playfully tapping his chest. As expected, their family and friends joined in with a laugh of their own.
“Most of all, I promise to raise our kids like they’re my heartbeat.”
He threw a glance at Nova and LJ, then at Junior, who sat on the lap of Xander’s smiling mother. “Because they are.”
When he looked in that direction, he caught sight of the empty chair beside The Walkers—the one that bore their son, Lennox’s name on a card propped up on the cushion.
Xander smiled at it with acknowledgment, respect, and understanding. Finally.
Life for Xander had been one he hadn’t expected or really planned for. And it was that—that unpredictability—that made him excited to live it these days.
He had the woman. The great kids. The career and the friends to boost.
Life was officially great… and for him, he was just getting warmed up.
“I vow to keep choosing you, Snoop,” he recited, refocusing on her and giving her a wink. “Even on the hard days, the quiet days, and the days when choosing means learning how to love you better.”
Xander pinched her chin, running his thumb lovingly down the center.
“I may not be your first chapter… but I plan on being your favorite one.”
