Reed’s smile widens, trembling yet confident. “I do,” he says, his voice breaking in the most beautiful way.
The officiant nods, turning to me. “And do you, Layla, take this man to be your husband?”
My throat tightens, my heart pounding against my ribs, and all I can do is stare at him—his scarred jaw, his tearful eyes, the way his thumb never stops tracing along me as if he’s afraid to let go.
“I do,” I whisper, voice barely holding together.
We say I do, and it doesn’t feel like a ritual or a formality. It feels like a heartbeat—two finally syncing after years of searching. His fingers tighten around mine, anchoring me to everything good and real.
Maverick’s voice booms on Reed’s side. “Hell yeah, they do!”
The entire chapel bursts into laughter. Even the officiant smiles and shakes his head.
Reed laughs through his tears, pressing his forehead to mine as the room fills with joy and applause. “There’s my damn brother,” he murmurs, chuckling softly.
The officiant adjusts his glasses and mutters, “You may now kiss the bride.”
He kisses me, gentle at first, then deep enough to steal the air from my lungs.
The crowd cheers, but everything blurs—the music, the light, the sound—until it’s just us, standing in front of the tall glass windows, sunlight pouring over the pine trees.
Wrecked hearts. Stitched together.
Two souls who made a home out of the ruins.
He presses his forehead to mine, whispering, “You and me, always.”
I know that invisible string never stood a chance of detaching us.
The reception feels like a dream as the chapel is cleared for the dance, and warm strands of lights hang from the beams, enveloping the room in gold.
Our song floods the chapel, and Reed turns to me, his hand outstretched, that boyish grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Dance with me, Mrs. Hayes.”
Mrs. Hayes.
My heart actually skips a beat.
I laugh, slipping my hand into his. “God, that sounds so good when you say it.”
He pulls me close as his hand settles at my waist, the other lacing with mine. “Better get used to it, sunshine. You’re stuck with me.”
The first notes ofFade Into You by Mazzy Stardrift through the air, the same song that played the night we danced under the stars before I left for LA.
I sink into him, my head resting against his chest, and feel his heartbeat beneath my palm.
Reed’s eyes are glossy, revealing the quiet storm of emotion he no longer hides from me.
“My wife,” he murmurs against my temple, his voice thick with awe. “You’re my damn wife.”
The way he says it makes me press closer. “Your wife,” I whisper back, smiling into his shoulder. “Guess you’re stuck with me, too.”
He chuckles softly, guiding me gently across the wooden floor.
Life hums softly around us.
Catalina and Carter are slow dancing near the windows, her hand resting on her belly, his other hand covering hers as if he’s holding the world there. She laughs at something he whispers, glowing in a way only she can.
Maverick spins Amelia near the center, his blonde hair catching the light. Leo’s in his arms, giggling as his parents sway. Amelia’s dress skims her small bump—pregnant again, radiant as ever—and she leans her head against her husband’s chest, love spilling from every look.
