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In a classic first-look-moment, he tears up. He takes my hands in his, his dark brown eyes taking in every detail of my hair, my face, my dress, my presence.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers. “You are so beautiful.”
“My handsome guy,” I reply, giving him a quick kiss because I can and because it’s better than any possible combination of words. I use my thumb to wipe my lipstick off his mouth and he smiles.
“Can I go first?” he asks, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. His hands are shaking as he unfolds it. He looks to me and I nod for him to go ahead.
“Laina Annalisa Freya Milenna, you are the love of my life and there is no one on this earth better suited for me than you. You are so out of my league, I shouldn’t have had a shot, but the fact that you love me and want to be with me is motivation for me to be the best man I could ever be. You are the calm in my anxious world. You as my wife is an indescribable gift and I am the luckiest man alive. I have always been your protector and that will never change. I promise to put you first, no matter what, and prefer you in all things, as long as we both shall live.”
Everett folds his paper and immediately passes his pocket square to me. I have to laugh at the two of us, teary messes just so desperately in love with each other that our emotions never stop overflowing.
I clutch the satin square in my hand as I pull my little rectangle of notebook paper out of my pocket. I didn’t expect my voice to shake as much as it does, but I hope he knows it’s from sheer gratitude and humility.
“Everett, my rock and my protector, time has only grown my appreciation, respect, admiration, and love for you. To have you as my husband is the greatest honor of my life. You are my soulmate, and there is nothing more worthwhile for me than to be your life partner. I consider it a privilege that I get to be the one to lift you up, to encourage you, and to constantly remind you that you are my favorite person, my treasured friend, and you are my family. I promise to love you with devotion, faithfulness, and joy. Everett, I am yours and you are mine, forever.”
I tuck away my paper and the handkerchief and we take each other’s hands. There’s a moment where we look into each other’s eyes, letting our words, our promises to each other sink in. A marriage bond is invisibly woven between us, threading through our hearts and souls, pulling us ever together.
Everett runs his thumb over my hand and I’m reminded of one more thing we have to do.
“Our rings,” I say. I’m first to find his new ring in my pocket and I’m so excited my hands are shaking. It’s squared-off silver with beveled edges and a matte ribbon in the middle. I bought it a month after he left for Poland. I saw it in the window of an uptown jewelry store and immediately thought, “Everett.”
I pull it out and take his left hand in mine, the hand that could have been gone or been limply hanging by his side, but is healthy and whole. I slide his ring on and he marvels at it, flexing his hand, then making a fist.
“You can keep the other one around your neck forever,” I say.
“Thank you,” he says with a grin. “I love it.”
It looks so good on him, I might say forget my ring altogether, let’s get to the kissing part. But he’s already pulling something out of his pocket, then hiding it in his fist, sheepishly grinning.
“I got you exactly what you asked for. For the record, I wanted to buy you something a lot more expensive, but this is what you wanted and I want you to be happy.”
I laugh as he takes off my engagement ring, slips on the plain gold band I requested, then adds the engagement ring back. My first wedding ring adorns my right hand and I love that I have something from him on both hands.
I look up at him with a smile so wide my cheeks ache.
“Thank you, Ev.”
“You’re welcome,” he says, but his eyes are already looking at my lips and there’s no reason not to move to the end of our little wedding.
“You can now kiss your bride,” I whisper to him.
He sweeps me up in his arms, picking me up off my feet and spinning me around, while somehow managing to give me the most heart-melting, soul-splitting kiss of my life.
“I’m so going to sleep with you tonight,” Everett says in a heated whisper, mid-kiss.
Trust me, I’m the happiest woman alive.
