AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cole parted from the kiss. He brushed his nose against mine and smiled.
“So,” he said. “Me first?”
“Well, I have to read mine. So unless you feel like freeing me from your entrapment, I’m afraid you must go first,” I teased.
He chuckled and gave me a lingering kiss, parting from it loudly. “Marley Lucas,” he started. “I’m going to use your married name since we’re, you know, married now.”
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll allow it.”
“Generous wife of mine,” he said with a grin before continuing. “Marley Lucas, you have shown me new ways to love, not only romantically, but in every facet of life. With you by my side, everything has more color, more warmth, more wonder. In seeing the way you love my son, I learn new ways to love him. In seeing how easily you think of the needs of others, I learn how to contribute to the world in ways that leave me feeling fulfilled like I never have been. In seeing you overcome the struggles of your life, I learn a new way to be strong.
“I have never been so certain of something in my life,” he continued. “I have never met someone who could so easily change my mind and my heart. I have never met someone who had as much joy for all she knows as you, and every one of my days is more beautiful than the last because of that warmth you radiate like the sun.
“Marley Lucas, as your husband and your mate, I vow to be the moon to that sun, reflecting the love you give off in everything I do. I vow to be your protector, both from the people who would love to see us fail and from the everyday heartaches of this life. I vow to hold you in the highest esteem, and to never let your name fall into darkness without interfering. From this day on, you are my wife, my mate, my partner, my everything.”
His vows had made me cry the first time, and they made me cry again. I cupped his face in my hands, tracing the edges of his cheekbones with my thumbs as my eyes teared up and spilled over. The tears streamed down to my ears as I sniffled.
“Cole Lucas,” I began softly, “You have shown me what protection and family truly is. Before I knew you, I was drifting through my life, waiting for it to happen to me. Everything changed when I slammed into you and ruined your coffee.”
“I thought you didn’t remember,” he teased.
“Hearing your vows again jogged my memory,” I said with a breathy laugh.
“Well, then. Pardon my interruption.”
I kissed the tip of his nose before continuing, “I have come to love you in a way I didn’t know was possible. And I have come to know your son and your parents and your friends, and have had the genuine joy of being integrated into their lives. With your help, I learned to take care of myself and stand up for myself, but I’ve also learned how to ask for help when I’ve needed it.”
“It is through your generosity and patience that I’m standing here today with my parents witnessing this. It’s through your understanding and your devotion that I am alive. And it’s through your sacrifice that we stand before what will soon be the home of our family—both found and made—”
“That was my favorite part,” he cut in softly, brushing hair away from my face. “The idea of building even more of a family with you. Children with you.”
“We have a child,” I reminded him with a chuckle. “Noah.”
“I think Noah deserves a little brother, don’t you?” he asked. “Would be an excellent Christmas gift.”
“First of all, who says it would be a little brother? We don’t get to pick that, you know. Secondly, do you want me to finish reciting my vows, or do you want to daydream about me being the size of a whale and even more weepy than I already am?”
“Is it too much to ask for both?” he teased.
“You’re not supposed be enticed by me being hormonal and blown up like a balloon,” I said.
“Well, then, you’re gonna have a problem because I love every version of you,” he said. “Anyway, carry on.”
“Cole Lucas,” I said, still smiling after his sweet, supportive words, “I vow to be a shoulder to cry on and a space where you can sit to rest your weary bones. I vow to love you and your son with my entire heart. I vow to be the best mate I can be, and support you in whatever way I can as you build up our pack and our home.”
“Our pack,” he repeated. “Our home.” He pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes. “I think that’s my favorite part of the whole thing, the fact that you’re taking ownership of it, too.”
“You and our pack are more my family than most of my actual family is,” I said. “Of course I’m taking ownership. I love you guys.”
“And I love you,” he said, pressing another lingering kiss to my lips. “I love you so, so much.”
The kiss that followed was even slower and more lingering his tongue barely sliding over the edge of my lower lip in a tentative little invitation.
I accepted it, still feeling the anticipation in my stomach from the earlier kisses. My desire had become quieter than it used to be when we first met, but that didn’t mean it didn’t still burn at a scorching temperature.
Where our lovemaking had once been a wild and frantic thing, it had become slower and more precious, each moment explored for its full potential instead of being rushed through because it might be fleeting. Cole and I had every moment of the future now, and we could enjoy each one.
Our kisses deepened and slowed even more. I found myself focused on the texture of his lips—soft and full and pliant. Each kiss started to melt into the next, and it felt as if I was getting swept away in the tide of him. One of his hands coursed down the side of my body, gentle but heavy with hunger to feel my body beneath his palm.
