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“True. You haven’t exactly been subtle. But I mean . . . who could blame you, right?”
She rolled her eyes, earning another wide grin.
God, I love this man.
Draven cleared his throat, gently reminding them to move things along.
Blake drew in a deep and recited his vows.
“Dev, before you came into my life, I thought I had everything I needed. A career I loved, friends who were more like family, and enough computer equipment to make a small government agency jealous.” Everyone laughed. “Then I met you, and suddenly, none of that seemed quite as important as it used to. You’ve made my life better in ways I never expected. You challenge me, make me laugh, and you put up with my dumb jokes.”
“Barely,” Devon whispered.
Blake chuckled, but then his handsome face became serious again.
“I promise to love you, respect you, and stand beside you through whatever life throws our way. I’ll celebrate your victories, help you through the harder days, and remind you how incredible you are whenever you forget.” His thumb brushed gently across her knuckles. “And I promise that no matter what happens, you’ll never have to face any of it alone. I love you, Devon, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
A single tear slipped down her cheek.
Blake smiled as he reached up and brushed it away.
“When I met you,” Devon began, “I was afraid of just about everything. I thought the only way to protect myself was to keep everyone at a distance. And for a long time, I convinced myself I was perfectly fine living that way.” She shook her head. “Then you came along with those ridiculous flowers, your terrible jokes, and more patience than anyone should reasonably possess.”
Blake’s lips twitched, and a few of the guests chuckled.
“You never pushed me to become someone I wasn’t,” she continued. “You simply reminded me that I deserved more than the life I’d settled for. And somewhere along the way, I realized that being brave didn’t have to mean never being afraid.” She squeezed his hands. “I promise to love you, believe in you, and stand beside you through the good and the bad. I promise to laugh at least half of your jokes—”
“Half?” His beautiful stare grew playfully wide. “Come on, you gotta give me at least seventy-five percent.”
“Don’t push it.”
Everyone laughed.
“Anyway . . .” Devon went on. “I promise never to take a single day with you for granted. Because you, Blake Savage, are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you, and I choose you. Today and every day after.”
Blake’s eyes glistened as Draven—who’d gone online and gotten himself ordained for the occasion—continued with the exchange of rings. When Blake’s teammate finally pronounced them husband and wife, Blake wasted no time drawing Devon into his arms.
His kiss was warm, tender, and filled with promises she knew he’d spend a lifetime keeping.
Their friends erupted into applause. Devon smiled against his mouth. For the first time in longer than she could remember, there wasn’t a single part of her waiting for something terrible to happen.
She was happy. Completely, wonderfully happy. And she intended to enjoy every second of it.
“I love you so damn much, Mrs. Savage.”
Her lips spread into the widest of smiles. “I love you just as much, Mr. Savage.”
They kissed again, and this time, for just a moment, the rest of the world disappeared.
An hour later, Janie and Emmett’s backyard had transformed into an intimate reception. Music played softly from speakers near the patio, and the long table Janie had arranged held enough food to feed a small army.
Devon stood beside her new husband, watching Emmett attempt to convince his fiancée that they’d ordered entirely too much cake.
“You realize he’s going to lose that argument,” Blake murmured.
Devon smiled. “Oh, absolutely.”
Across the patio, Gwen was speaking with Lincoln, whose expression suggested he’d just been on the receiving end of one of the woman’s more colorful quips. Gwen, on the other hand, looked thoroughly pleased with herself.
