When the music starts, I walk down the aisle and everything else fades.
He doesn’t look away.
Not once.
When I reach him, he shifts Emmy to Wolf, who looks mildly panicked but manages.
Saint takes my hands.
They’re warm.
Steady.
The pastor smiles at us.
“We’re here for something simple,” he says. “Two people choosing to build a life.”
Saint swallows.
I squeeze his hands.
We write our own vows.
Saint goes first.
He takes a breath like he’s about to walk into something dangerous.
“I don’t promise you a quiet life,” he says. “But I promise you an honest one.”
I feel my eyes burn.
“I promise to come home,” he continues. “I promise to stand between you and anything that thinks it can take you from me.”
A few Rangers shift.
He looks at me.
“And I promise to learn how to live, not just survive. With you.”
I’m crying openly now.
When it’s my turn,my voice shakes.
“I promise to remind you that you’re more than your armor,” I say. “I promise to hold you when the war comes home anyway.”
He blinks hard.
“I promise to choose you. Every day. Even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.”
When he slidesthe ring onto my finger, his hands are shaking.
So are mine.
When he kisses me, the chapel fills with laughter and applause and at least one very enthusiastic whoop from Havoc.
Emmy decides this is also her moment and announces it loudly.
Saint laughs into my mouth.
