Jessa and Jesse; my oldest friend, and his oldestfriend.
After that he wanted Brody and Jude, I wanted Katie and Talia, but then he wanted Seth, too, which meant he wanted Dylan, and then he wanted Ash… and I wanted Elle, but then I didn’t want to leave Amber and Roni out, or my female cousin… and the whole thing snowballed into a ridiculous negotiation over who would get left out, until we would’ve had the entire guest list crammed out here on the balcony to make each otherhappy.
So instead… just Jessa andJesse.
And ourvows?
We made them up on thefly.
Well, Zane had maybe a little more time than me to prepare his, but we improvised alot.
“I love you, Maggie, and I’m always gonna love you, so you’re just gonna have to deal with it,” was how hestarted.
“Absolutely the same right back at you,” Isaid.
“And I’m never gonna promise you I won’t fuck up. We both know I’m gonna fuck up, but I’m never gonna give up on trying to do right byyou.”
“Samehere.”
“This marriage means more to me than any other thing in my life, and I’m gonna make sure you know that, everyday.”
“Me,too.”
“You can’t just ditto your way through these vows, Maggs,” he said, a happy sparkle in hiseyes.
“I know.” I squeezed his hands. “You just pretty much said it all. I love you. That’s where this all started, but that’s not where it ends. You know… Seth said something to me the other day, about love being averb—”
He kinda rolled his eyes. “FuckingSeth.”
“Don’t roll your eyes at me. You hate it when I do that to you, Mr.Omura.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Mr.Omura?”
“Well, I’m not taking your lastname.”
“I’m not taking yours, either. Mine’s pretty famous,Maggs.”
“Which is why I’m not takingit.”
The cocked eyebrow went higher. “Are you turning our vows into anargument?”
“As I was saying. Seth said love is a verb, and he’s right. I’m telling you right here and now at our wedding reception and vow renewal party that I love you, Zane Traynor. And to me that means I’m going to love you, actively love you, every day for the rest of my life. My love for you will be… you know, the wind beneath my wings and allthat.”
“Holy shit. You are not gonna start serenading me with SarahMcLachlan…?”
“Holy Christ. It’s Bette Midler. What rock have you been livingunder?”
“Are you still talking? These are the worst vowsever.”
“Agreed. I didn’t have much time toprepare.”
“Maybe we’ll just have to redo them.” He grinned at me. “You know, again. In two moreyears.”
“Yeah.” I grinned back. “But they’re the best vows ever, okay? Because they’re ours.” I squeezed his hands again, pulling him closer to me. “Seriously. You’re the love of my life and my best friend, and you’re kinda mylifein a way that, as a strong, independent woman of the now, I don’t like to admit. But you know what? I couldn’t be who or what I am without you, and I swear to you I will fight for that. I’ll fight for you and for us to my dying breath, because you are it for me, Zane.” Suddenly the humor had faded and this shit had gotten real. My breath hitched and his blue eyessoftened.
“Maggie…”
“I love you in ways I never knew I could love until I met you. And to quote your vows from our first wedding, ‘I’m never letting yougo.’”
