We walk. My steps are slow because my dress is long and I'm not trying to become a headline.
Jace goes ahead, ring pillow clutched in both hands. He looks serious enough to be a tiny bodyguard. He stops halfway down the aisle to glare at a man in the second row like he's checking for threats. The man looks confused. Jace nods once, satisfied, then continues.
People laugh softly.
I reach the front, and Dad pauses. He looks at Gabe, and I see the moment he chooses to be a father instead of a judge.
Dad says, quiet but clear, "Take care of her."
Gabe answers without hesitation. "I will."
Dad looks at me. His voice cracks. "You look beautiful."
"Thanks," I say, and my voice shakes. "Thanks for coming."
He nods like he can't speak anymore. Then he steps back and takes his seat.
Gabe turns fully toward me, and the world narrows.
"You're here," he whispers.
"I'm here," I whisper back.
He exhales hard, like he's been holding his breath for a year. "I love you."
"I love you too," I say. "A lot."
The officiant starts, and I hear the words, but mostly, I hear Gabe's breathing and feel the steady look he's giving me like he's choosing me in real time, again and again.
When it's time for vows, Gabe doesn't pull out a long speech. He keeps it simple, because that's who he is when he's being honest.
"I used to think I didn't deserve a life like this," he says, voice steady but rough. "I thought I'd already used up whatever good I had in me. Then you walked back into my life, and you didn't let me hide. You made me show up. You made me stay. You didn't ask for perfect. You asked for real, and I can do real."
His eyes stay locked on mine.
"I'm going to be your husband," he continues. "I'm going to be the man who keeps your home safe, who holds you when you're tired, who backs you when you say no, and who loves you in a way you never have to earn. I'm going to love Jace like he's my own, because he is. He's part of you, and you're the best thing that ever happened to me."
My face is soaked. I don't even wipe it.
The officiant looks at me, and my throat tightens so hard I almost can't speak. I take a breath and steady myself because I'm not letting fear steal this from me.
"I spent a long time thinking love was something you had to be small enough for," I say. "Pretty enough. Quiet enough. Easy enough. I tried to be all those things for people who didn't even value me. Then I became a mom, and I had to learn how to stand up. I learned it for Jace first. I learned it because he needed me. I didn't realize I was also learning it for myself."
Gabe's eyes stay wet. He doesn't look away.
"You came back into my life, and I wanted to hate you," I admit, and a few people laugh softly because it's true. "I wanted you out. I wanted safety. I wanted control. But you kept showing up. You kept being kind. You kept being patient. You listened. You made space for my anger, and you didn't punish me for it."
I swallow hard. "I don't need you to save me. I needed you to respect me, and you do. You love me in a way that doesn't ask me to shrink. So I'm choosing you. I'm choosing you even when people stare. I'm choosing you even when my fear tries to run the show. I'm choosing you because you're the man I trust, and you're the man I want to come home to for the rest of my life."
Gabe's mouth trembles, and he laughs once like he can't help it.
The rings come out. Jace holds them up like he's delivering a royal treasure. Gabe thanks him seriously, which makes Jace stand taller.
Gabe slides the ring onto my finger, hands careful. I slide his on, and my fingers shake.
The officiant says the words, and then it happens.
"You may kiss the bride."
