Leon moves closer and hooks his finger into the pocket of my scrub pants, leaving no space between us. “It doesn’t matter because we’re going to repeat the vows we made in Bora Bora. Feel free to add anything new if you want.”
I lay my arms on his shoulders. “We’re doing that tonight?” I bet Lily organized all of this today; it has her name written all over it.
“Yes. Here tonight. Now. On this ice. It feels right. This is where we met. Where we fell in love and kept it a secret from each other and everyone else. We’re back to where it all started.”
The circle is complete.
“You’re crazy.” And it’s oh, so perfect.
“I’m crazy about you.” He pauses, looking deep into my eyes. “I love you, baby.”
His words wipe away all the pain and hurt, the uncertainty we’ve been through these past few months. Leaving only love and memories. “I love you, Leon.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Leon
Surrounded by our friends and family who are seated all around us on the ice in a special one-of-a-kind ceremony only Lily could pull off, Erika and I are standing on the rink on a rolled-out cream carpet.
In record time, Lily, Gemma, Lucia and Sofia, gathered in the locker rooms to make sure Erika was showered and ready to be pampered by a hair stylist and makeup artist, then changed into a floor-length white silk dress that caresses her curves.
She looks stunning standing opposite me, her warm hand in mine, as I rub my thumb over her wedding and engagement ring. She’s mine. My wife.
“You’re shaking.” I point out.
“I’m not cold, Leon. I’m excited.” She pulls her shoulders up to her ears, her smile so big she’s struggling to contain it.
Erika must be freezing, but she refused to wear the wrap Lily bought because she loves her dress and didn’t want to cover it up.
“You look beautiful.” I still wonder how she ever said yes to me, and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
“Thank you,” she replies in a whisper.
The world fades away, and then it’s just me and her in this heartfelt moment.
“Leon, you’re first.”
Oh, and of course, the wedding celebrant.
I repeat the words I said all those weeks ago, meaning every single one. “I vow to be your light in the dark, bring joy to your days, and I promise to support your dreams, laugh with you, and love you endlessly. For me, there is only you. My body, my soul, my heart, my mind. I give myself to you. Forever.”
“You remembered your vows from that day?”
“I told you, I remember it all. The way you hum when you’re enjoying your food, the perfume you wear that I bought you for Christmas, that you’re a savage when you eat fruit because you don’t wash it first.”
That makes her laugh.
“And also, I know that you prefer wearing sneakers over heels, and that is why Lily has a pair on standby for you to change into after the ceremony.”
“You thought of everything.”
“Every thought I have is always about you.”
There’s a pause, the icy air swirling around us, a sharp reminder of how we met: her brother and hockey, the two things that brought us together but held us apart for so long.
I was resentful of that for a while, and now? Now I love how deeply ingrained she is in my past, my present, my future.
“Erika.” The celebrant gently urges her to go next.
