“You trusted me with your heart. With Bruiser. With this life. And I’m going to mess up sometimes. I hate that. I’m going to count things when I’m anxious. I’m going to try to fix things that don’t need fixing. But I’m also going to show up. Every day. For you. For our son. For this family.”
My voice breaks. “I love you, Harper. And I’m staying. Forever. I promise.”
She’s full-on crying now.
I pull out tissues from my suit-coat and offer them to her.
She laughs, then cries harder, snatching them from me so she can wipe her eyes and blow her nose.
I give her a moment before whispering, “Your turn.”
She takes a shaky breath and tries to compose herself. Fails, and tries again.
“Stupid emotions!” She dabs at her eyes. “Okay.Okay. Um.”
Someone in the crowd laughs softly.
“Caleb, I—” Her voice breaks. She tries again. “I’ve spent my whole life running. From everything. From pain. And love. From anything that felt too good to be real.”
She looks at me, her dark eyes fierce through the tears.
“I ran from you so many times. And you never once gave up on me.”
She squeezes my hands hard.
“You made me believe I deserved this. I finally believe I deserve something good that won’t get ripped away, and I believe I can be a good partner to you, too.”
Her voice drops to a whisper.
“I choose you. Every day and every moment. In the mess and the chaos.” She’s crying so hard she can barely talk. “You and Bruiser—you’re my home.”
Her hands shake in mine and I squeeze them as she finishes, “I’m staying too, Caleb. I’m staying for always.”
I’m crying now too and I don’t even care.
The officiant says something about rings. Bruiser steps forward carefully, handing the pillow to Harper.
She takes my ring and slides it onto my finger with shaking hands.
I take hers and do the same.
“By the power vested in me,” the officiant says, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss?—”
I don’t wait for him to finish.
I pull Harper to me and kiss her hard. She kisses me back just as fiercely, hands in my hair, and people are clapping and cheering but all I hear is my heartbeat and her breath and the sound of everything finally falling into place.
When we pull apart, she’s grinning through tears.
“We did it,” she whispers.
“Yeah. We really did.”
The reception is just as simple. Music plays and there’s food, and people dance. Bruiser runs around shrieking with some other kids.
Harper and I can’t stop touching each other. Her hand in mine or my arm around her waist. We steal kisses when we think no one’s looking or even if they are. Too many years were stolen from us and we’re not letting another moment pass us by.
“Ugh, you two are disgusting,” Ximena says, appearing with champagne. She’s kicked off her heels and has her hair pulled back. “Get a room.”