“Nora.” Lila turned her to face away from the mirror. “You’ve been living with Carson for over a year. You’ve already figured out how to be partners. The wedding is just making it official. Nothing fundamental changes tomorrow.”
“Except my last name.”
“Except your last name. Nora Black. How does that sound?”
“Good. It sounds really good.” Nora smiled, liking the sound of it. “Okay. I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
Lila handed her the bouquet—simple white roses and greenery—and they walked to the garden’s entrance where the ceremony would take place.
Through the doorway, Nora could see the setup. Rows of chairs filled with their friends and family—not many, maybe fifty people total. Anarchway covered in flowers at the front. And Carson, standing under that archway looking nervous and hopeful and handsome in his dark suit.
Captain Holloway stood next to him, prepared to officiate. They’d asked him specifically—the man who’d been like a father to Carson, who’d given him the push to take leave and work on himself. Who’d believed in and supported them even when things looked hopeless.
“Ready?” Lila asked.
“Ready.”
The music started—a string quartet playing something soft and romantic. Lila walked down the aisle first as maid of honor. Then Jade Matthews as a bridesmaid. Then Finn, who’d insisted on being a bridesman because “I was there from the beginning and I’m not missing this.”
She smiled, thinking of how he’d insisted he would wear a dress so he matched the other bridesmaids and how Carson had talked him down, citing the spectacle he would make, taking all the attention from the bride.
Then it was Nora’s turn.
She stepped into the aisle, and Carson’s face lit up. Actually lit up. Like she was the only person in the world. Like this moment was everything he’d been waiting for.
Nora walked toward him, taking in the faces on either side. Finn grinning. Holloway’s wife dabbing her eyes. Silas, Knox, Dax, Anthony, all in suits they probably hadn’t worn in years. AveryShone, the woman from her building who’d also been stalked—now a friend. Carson’s mother in the front row, beaming. Lila’s fiancé Jake. The entire life they’d built reflected in the people gathered to celebrate them.
When she reached Carson, he took both her hands and whispered, “You’re beautiful.”
“You clean up pretty nice yourself,” she said with a hitch in her voice.
Holloway cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today...”
Nora barely heard the standard wedding ceremony words. Too focused on Carson. On the way he looked at her. On the promises they were about to make.
When it came time for vows, Carson went first.
“Nora,” he said, his voice steady despite the emotion in his eyes. “A year and a half ago, you walked into my life when you needed help. You were scared and alone and no one believed you. But you trusted me anyway. You gave me the chance to be the person you needed. And in doing that, you changed my life. You taught me that work isn’t everything. That being present matters more than being perfect. That love requires showing up every single day, not just when it’s convenient. You saved me in ways you’ll never fully understand. And I promise—for the rest of my life—to be the man you deserve. To choose you. To show up. To love you with everything I have.”
Nora was crying before he finished. So much for the waterproof mascara.
“Carson,” she said when it was her turn, “you believed me when no one else would. When I said something was wrong, when I said I was in danger, you listened. You took me seriously. You protected me. But more than that—you saw me. Really saw me. Not just as a victim who needed saving, but as a person who was strong and capable and worth fighting for. You taught me that I deserve to be chosen. That love doesn’t mean settling. That the right person will do the work to be what you need. I love you. I choose you. Today and every day for the rest of our lives.”
Holloway was definitely tearing up now. “By the power vested in me by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Carson, you may kiss your bride.”
And he did. Thoroughly. To enthusiastic applause and a few wolf whistles from his detective friends.
When they broke apart, both grinning, Holloway said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Black.”
The reception was held in the same gardens, under a tent strung with lights. Dinner, dancing, toasts that made everyone laugh and cry.
Finn’s best man speech was predictably inappropriate. “I’ve known Carson for eight years, and I’ve never seen him smile until Nora came along. Like, never. I was starting to think his facedidn’t have those muscles. But she showed up and suddenly he’s leaving work on time and cooking dinner and being an actual human person instead of a robot who only knows how to solve crimes. So thank you, Nora, for domesticating our favorite detective. We owe you one.”
Lila’s maid of honor speech was more sentimental. “Nora is the strongest person I know. She survived things that would break most people and came out kind and compassionate and full of love. And, Carson, you better spend every day being worthy of her. Because if you mess this up, you’ll have to answer to me.”
“Noted,” Carson said, raising his glass.
They danced their first dance to a song about coming home. About finding the person who makes everywhere feel like safety.
