Page 132 of What Should Have Been Ours

My hands tremble slightly in his, and I tighten my grip, grounding myself in the warmth of his touch.

“Cameron Mathew Hayes. You have been my best friend, my greatest heartbreak, my biggest what-if, and my purest love.”

His fingers squeeze mine.

“We have lived a thousand lives in the time we’ve spent together—some filled with laughter, some with pain, some where I thought I’d never get you back. But if I’ve learned anything through it all, it’s that no matter where life took us, no matter how much time or distance there was between us, you have always been the love of my life.”

His eyes shine with unshed tears.

“There was never a version of our lives where I didn’t love you, Cam. Not when we were kids, lying side by side in hospital beds, dreaming about a world beyond those walls, not when we were teenagers, figuring out how to love each other in a way that was so much bigger than either of us understood, and not when we were apart—when I spent every day trying to convince myself I was okay without you when that was the furthest thing from the truth.”

A tear spills down his cheek, and I reach up, brushing it away like he did for me.

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You are the reason I believe in soul mates, the reason I believe in love that defies time, distance, and every obstacle the universe has thrown at us.”

I take a shaky breath, trying to calm my nerves and emotions.

“I wish I could promise us a different future. I wish I could promise us all the years back we lost, what should have been ours, and all the things we still deserve to have together, but what I can promise is this—I will love you until your last breath. And after that, I will keep loving you until my last breath. I will love you in the quiet moments, in the chaos, in the laughter, and in the tears. I will love you through the hardest days, through the uncertainty, through whatever comes next. I will love you in this lifetime and every lifetime after that. You are my home, Cam. My beginning, my middle, and my end. I am so lucky to be standing here with you today, and I will cherish every day we’re blessed with after this together.”

His breath shudders as his forehead falls against mine. The world around us simply disappears in this moment.

When the officiant finally says, “Cam, you may kiss your bride,” he doesn’t hesitate. He dips me, one hand pressed firmly to my back, the other tangled in my hair, and he kisses me so deeply, so thoroughly, it’s like he’s breathing what’s left of his life into me.

For the first time in months, I don’t think about the countdown. I don’t think about what’s waiting for us on the other side of this moment. I just exist in it.

Today I became a wife, his wife, Mrs. Hayes, and I will die his wife, even if it’s long after he does.

58

Cameron

The night is soaked in a golden hue.

The string lights overhead flicker like stars caught in the branches, casting a soft glow over the long wooden tables, the endless rows of candles are set up along the seating area, and the people we love most are all gathered under the night sky, making it all look like something out of a dream.

But nothing, nothing is as breathtaking as Gabrielle.

She moves through the night like she’s woven into it—like it was designed specifically for her presence.

Her dress sways around her feet, catching the light, and every time I look at her, I swear, my heart wants to jump out of my chest just for a chance to get closer to hers.

This is everything I ever wanted. Everything I’ve ever dreamed of.

I take a slow breath, letting the moment soak in before reaching for her hand. “It’s time,” I say quietly, squeezing her fingers.

She looks up at me, a soft smile on her lips as she nods.

I lead her to the open space in the grass, the area set aside for our first dance. She doesn’t know what song I chose, only that I asked for this one thing at our wedding—to pick our first dance.

—Work Song by Hozier—

The first chords hum through the speakers, low and haunting, and the second, she recognizes it, her lips part, her eyes lifting to mine.

Work Song—Hozier.

A song about love so deep, so consuming, that not even death can break it.

I pull her in close, one hand on her waist, the other clasping hers tightly against my chest. We sway together, slow and steady, the night folding around us like it was made just for this. Just for us.