Page 44 of Roundabout

Drew reads from his phone, skipping over parts that we groan at, and getting to the only part we actually care about.

“Coty, do you take Angela—”

“I do.”

“Okay… Angela, do you—”

“I do.”

Angela’s ex-stepbrother sighs. “Why did I even bother downloading this script at all? Screw it. Rings, please.”

Angela chuckles at Drew’s irritated yet polished tone while I pull out her ring and my…lug nut.

Drew eyes my hexagonal-shaped ring as he says, “Let these rings serve as symbols of not only your love and devotion to each other, but also your promise to have and to hold and to never let go.” I told him to add that part.

“Never,” I say, sliding hers on.

Without blinking, Angela repeats, “Never,” and guides my lug nut down my ring finger.

My cock tries to stiffen in my suit pants, but I shut that shit down. We’ll get there, just not right this minute.

“It is my honor to pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your—”

My lips meet Angela’s in the middle and we kiss like it’s our first time all over again except we’re no longer strangers, or neighbors—we’re motherfucking husband and wife.

Cheers from our family erupt and some of them even clap, but still, I kiss my wife, ignoring the rest of the world.

It’s only when Jace yells, “Daddy, Mommy can’t breathe!” that I break the kiss.

“Is that true?”

She shrugs with a sated smile. “I figured you’d be the death of me.”

I give her another peck, laughing against her lips, then we turn to face our family, holding our conjoined hands high in the air.

We gaze at each other, and Angela says, “Sweetest demise I could ever hope for.”

“I’m just getting started,” I promise her with a wink.

This morning I woke up in a spare bed, missing half of my existence, but tonight I’ll go to sleep in my own bed, with my own wife, with our kids just across the hall from us, and everything—everything—will be exactly the way it’s supposed to be.

I chased after this moment like it was our final destination, but now that we’re here, it’s not an end at all, it’s just the beginning.

This is our beginning.