Caulfield is hanging on by a thread now. So is my brother.
Declan and Mr. Sweeten share a few quiet words. Penny’s dad pulls him in for a hug, and it lingers, like it will be the honour of Declan’s lifetime to take care of her from this point onward, and like Mr. Sweeten fully believes that he will.
And I’m gone. I’m a sucker for a dad who loves his daughter, clearly. I suck in a shaky breath, trying to suffocate the emotion before it overflows and ruins my makeup, but I amdone.My throat itches as I clear it, lip wobbling at the idea of a love that I never want.
A hand suddenly appears in front of my face, holding a tissue.
Callum is still staring straight at the ceremony as he offers it.
I thank him quietly and he nods. I dab the tears from the corner of my eyes desperately before they can fall.
Damn, I really didn’t think I’d cry today.
Declan and Penny find their place at the altar. He studies every inch of her face the entire time. They stay completelyfocused on one another throughout the duration of the ceremony. Smiling, winking, squeezing hands—forcing the other to stay calm and in the moment. It’s their moment. Nobody else matters.
It’s sweet. Endearingly sweet.
Then, there are the vows. I don’t think there is a dry eye in the house after those.
Declan goes first.
“Lucky,” Declan says, sucking in a breath. He swallows, reciting from memory. “If someone would have told me all those years ago that the girl I met in college would end up being my wife, I would have counted down the seconds until this very moment with bated breath. I would have stopped worrying about who you were spending your time with, and instead spent those years waiting for you to smarten up and fall in love with me instead.”
EJ barks out a laugh.
“I would have probably saved myself a ton of headaches with the knowledge that it would be me and you at the end of the day, no matter what. As it should be. As it was always going to be.”
He clears his throat, and Penny’s eyes glisten with tears.
“Oh god, I can’t look at you,” he says, tearing his gaze away as his voice breaks. She breathes out a laugh. “I have loved you through college. I have loved you through fights and fallouts. I have loved our friendship, both its ups and its downs. I have survived the woman you are before caffeine, and loved the woman you are after that hazelnut latte hits your bloodstream.”
The crowd erupts in laughter. I dab at my eyes again because they won’t stop watering. I’m malfunctioning.
“I have endured mouthfuls of dog hair, nights of sore hands from all the neck massages you need after headbanging to eighties rock songs, and endless moments lost in those eyes that I’ve loved this whole fucking time.”
That’s the part that sends Tiffany and Avery right over the edge.
“Every single version of you is a version of you that I love. I don’t think there is a luckier man on the planet. You’ve taught me patience, you’ve taught me courage, and you’ve taught me what it means to love someone in a way that changeseverything.”
Well, god damn. The bar is now set way too high, Declan Lowes.
I think about all the men I’ve dated, the people I choose to spend my time with, and I could not think of a single person alive who would ever talk about me this way. Who would ever love me like this.
“I am in awe of who you are. I admire you every morning, and thank god for you every night. You are my soulmate. You are the love of my life. There is nothing I want more than to be your husband, so that I have the undeniable privilege of telling the whole damn world that you’re my wife.”
He sucks in a big breath, relief washing over him.
“I love you, Lucky.”
Penny leans back, blinking away the tears so that they don’t fall, her hands trembling in his.
Wyatt's eyes flicker to our row. Callum is already looking right back at him, his lip twitching upwardjustenough for it to be visible. He gives him a little wink, and Wyatt smiles in return.
I really need to step away from all of this love surrounding me. It’s making me weak.
Penny reaches behind Declan to his best man, who slides a little white book out from his suit pocket and passes it to her.
Declan shoots Seth a look of surprise. He smiles innocently and shrugs.
