“You may begin.” The judge gestured at her.
She bit her lip for a few seconds, then pulled something out of her pocket.
She smiled at me apologetically, then unrolled it.
Like a damn scroll containing her vows.
“I had to write them all down,” she admitted sheepishly.
“It’s okay,” I urged.
She continued the twisting motion with her hips as she started.
“The day that I met you, I was at the lowest point in my life.” She paused. “I was young, opinionated, and desperate for a way out of a life that was slowly suffocating me. Then you came along. You smiled at me that day, and somehow, I knew that everything was going to be okay.” She pressed her lips together. “We made mistakes. We did things the wrong way. But I knew, whatever mess I made, you’d be there to help me through. You encouraged me to continue to play soccer even though I couldn’t afford to play. You begged your dad to help sponsor my sister and me so that we could continue doing what we loved. You didn’t freak out when I told you that I was pregnant at sixteen. You were my rock when we lost our baby. You fought for me for years while I tried to make sense of my life. And you never once complained when I left after you helped me make that sense. I’m sorry that I waited so long to finally get my head on straight. But I promise you now, I will forever try to make that up to you. I won’t stop until those shadows are long banished from your eyes. I’ll be your wife. I’ll bear your children. I’ll carry your name. I’ll wait for you on the front porch every night when you come home. I’ll cook all the meals. I’ll make sure you’re so happy that you’ll never remember being unhappy. I’ll teach our kids how to love nature. I’ll…”
I stopped her with a kiss on her mouth. “You already make me happy.”
Her shoulders wilted.
“You don’t have to apologize or make up for anything,” I told her. “This is the first time you’re living your life just like it’s mine. We don’t have to make apologies for anything. We just have to be happy. Nothing stands in our way anymore.”
She threw her arms around my shoulder, knocking my hat clean off my head.
It hit with a thud behind me, but neither one of us made a move to pick it up.
“Do you have any vows, kid?” the judge asked me.
I smiled. “Nothing more than I love her with my whole heart and won’t ever stop.”
She started to sob in my arms.
“Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
She pulled back and pressed her wet lips to my own.
She tasted of salt and forever.
Seventeen
On the bright side, my coffee will never get cold in hell.
—Boone to Nettie
Boone
Everyone showed up to the reception. Even my actual sister.
Sure, she had no clue who we were.
But it was great having her there.
Plus, it gave my grams a chance to talk to her without it looking suspicious, which was what she was doing right then.
“What a turnout,” Dad said when he came to a stop beside me.
“It is pretty great, isn’t it?” I asked.
“It is,” he agreed. “What’s the long stare for?”
