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A holler interrupts us, and I recognize the voice of Jax, Sage's best buddy. "Get a room, you two!" Oh, the nerve of that guy. Can't he see we're having a moment?
Sage's lips tug upward, mischief dancing in his eyes. "He might be onto something."
The party's in full swing. Lights, laughter, the familiar tunes playing. But it's our moment on the dance floor that takes the cake. We move in harmony, my thoughts wander to our shared challenges, how we’ve grown, how love's shaped us.
Suddenly, he pulls away, a hint of vulnerability in his gaze. "Sweetheart, been thinking," he begins, and my heart skips a beat. "The bronc riding? Might hang up my spurs."
I search his eyes, seeking clarity. "Why?"
He swallows, hesitates. "The fall, it messed with my head. There's more to life, y'know? Like this, us."
Breathing deep, I pull him close, seeking the comforting rhythm of his heartbeat. “Together then, through thick and thin?”
His nod is everything. The affirmation, the promise, the unwavering commitment.
Our laughter dances through the night, blending with the melodies, the hum of conversations, the clinking of glasses. Every smile, every whispered secret, cements the fact that we're on this journey, united by heartstrings that refuse to snap.
EPILOGUE
The little white church has stood here for over a hundred years. More marriages have seen their officiating in these walls than people left living in this tiny town. I couldn’t be happier to say my vows today though.
* * *
I stand here with Sage across from me, the preacher between us, and our friends and family filling the pews behind us. I am elated.
I feel pretty in my strapless mermaid dress. A hue of teal in the tulle and lace, we all know I wouldn’t fit the white virginal bride situation anyway. But more so with the little baby bump that is barely more than a food baby at this point, but he’s in there.
Sage always used a condom, but sometimes things happen for a reason. We are meant to have this little baby, and get hitched in this little town. I feel that deep in my soul.
“Do you Sage, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
The tears prickling his eyes tell me so much about the man’s heart. That he is one hundred percent in this. That he loves with all of himself.
“I do. Forever and ever.”
“Do you Iris take Sage to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“The rings?”
Jax steps forward, and hands Sage both of the rings from his breast pocket. They both wore matching gray tuxes, and their white stetsons of course. Wouldn’t want a cowboy to get married without his hat. Even in a church.
“Place the ring on her finger, this is the symbol of love everlasting, a physical representation of the bond you both share.”
His hands are shaking as he slips the ring onto my finger. He places a gentle kiss to the finger after he seats the ring against the diamond engagement ring.
“The same for you Iris, place the ring on his finger. Your announcement to the world that this man is wedded, that your bond is everlasting.”
Sage hands me the ring so I can slide it onto his finger. A bit of a snag on his bigger knuckle. With a twist back and forth I am able to slip it all the way down. Where it will sit until there is nothing but bone to hold it.
“ I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Sage Tanner. You may kiss your bride.”
THE END
