“Still my girl.”
Yeah. I always was. Even when I didn’t know it.
“How’s Bri?” I ask, glancing around as sun rays spills across the buildings.
“She’s pretending not to be emotional about the rehearsal dinner,” he chuckles. “Currently sitting on the floor eating cereal straight from the box.”
I laugh softly.
“I’m proud of you,” Worth adds.
My chest tightens. “You’ve said that already.”
“I’ll say it the rest of your life if I need to. Project Rebuild… it’s you, Mya. Every inch of it. You did this. You fought for it. You didn’t need me to make it happen, and that makes me love you even more.”
Tears sting my eyes.
“That’s funny,” I breathe, “because building something real, choosing this life, choosingyou… makes me loveyoumore.”
Worth exhales like I gave him something precious. “Tomorrow,” he says softly.
“Tomorrow,” I echo.
We hang up, and I slip the phone back into my pocket, pressing a hand against my chest for just a second before straightening my shoulders.
Across the courtyard, a group of local teens laughs while helping paint one of the murals. A woman watches with a stroller nearby.
This is community. Hope.
Today, I get to stand in the sunlight of what I built for myself.
Tomorrow I marry the love of my life.
And both things feel equally like destiny.
“Oh my God,Worth! Put me down.”
“No chance.” His voice is dark and amused as he carries me over the threshold of our honeymoon suite at the Thompson Hotel, his hand landing on my ass in a lingering sting that makes me squeak.
He finally sets me on my feet, only to crowd me back against the wall, his body pressing into mine. His mouth is on my throat before I can even catch a breath, slow kisses trailing heat along my skin.
“Hi, husband,” I whisper breathlessly.
“Hi, wife,” he murmurs against my pulse, smiling. “God, I’ve been waiting for tonight.”
Worth and I are finally married—again—and it was the best day of my life.
Technically, this was round two. But this time, it felt like our first. Today, we did it in front of our friends, family, and colleagues at Worth’s—our—mansion. Even though it was a bigger celebration than the first time, I still wanted an intimate ceremony, and Worth didn’t object.
We turned the backyard into something out of a dream. Soft white drapery hung from wooden beams, fairy lights threaded through the trees like fallen stars, and blush flowers lined the aisle and bloomed across the arch where we stood.
Brianna walked ahead of me, determined and proud, biting her lip to hold back tears. Tiana cried openly, fanning her face and whispering dramatic commentary that somehow made the moment even sweeter. My mom cried. My stepdad squeezed my hand as he walked me down the aisle, whispering that he had never seen me happier.
Worth waited under the arch, smiling at me. We kissed, and everything that had come before this moment finally found peace.
Now here we are.
Worth tilts my chin up, his forehead brushing mine. “Still with me, Mrs. Miller?”