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The officiant began his speech, reminding us that we were all gathered here to join a family together, to witness two people in love, and so on. I desperately scrambled to remember my vows. We’d written our own, and I had worked for weeks on them, panicking on getting them just right, and then practicing them for hours in the mirror with the bathroom door locked. But now my mind was a blank. I was just staring at Pike, thinking that I couldn’t possibly think of all the words to describe how much I loved him, and then freaking out because, well, I couldn’t remember my vows!
Luckily, Pike spoke first.
“Billie.” He smiled at me. “You are a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. I have always admired that about you. The first time we got together, you made it clear that you knew you wanted me and you were going to show me that you could be what I wanted, too, and I know this might seem ridiculous, but that is one of the things that won me over to you.”
“Growing up, I never really knew what I wanted. I knew what I liked, but I didn’t really think about how to turn that into something real, something concrete. You were the opposite. You always knew how to go after what you wanted and you’ve given me the courage to do the same. And the number one thing that I want is you. I still can’t quite believe that I have this life, that I get to be with you. Everything good in my life that I have, all of my dreams that I’ve achieved, I’ve gotten it because of you.”
I knew what he was referring to. Thanks to my standing up to Morgan, and Morgan’s change of heart, he and Pike were becoming friends again. And because of that, they had decided to go in together on buying Jones’ garage and running it. They were still calling it the same name, out of respect for Jones. They both loved the guy, Pike especially, and wanted to preserve his legacy.
Morgan was so much happier now that he was a part of the garage. He was able to provide the money to pay for everything, no questions asked, and he hadn’t given up his fancy mechanical engineering job, but he loved coming down to the garage to help fix up cars or just hang out. That was where he was really happy.
Pike was overjoyed with how things had worked out. He was grinning all the time now, so much happier than he had been before. I knew that he loved me and that I made him happy, but nobody could live with just one person in their life. You needed a lover, and friends, and family. It was just how humans were. We’re social animals. To be able to do what he loved, with his best friend back by his side again, as a valued member of the community… I knew that it meant more to him than he was able to even express.
“You are my dream,” Pike finished. “Everything in my life that brings me joy is because of you. You made me a better person, and you helped me to become happy. I love you already, but I love you even more for that.”
He finished, squeezing my hands again, and I realized that I knew what my vows were. That they flowed out of me without thinking. All of that practice in the bathroom was paying off.
“I had the biggest crush on you since I was about fourteen,” I told him. This wasn’t news to Pike, of course. I had even shown him some of my embarrassing diary entries from that period. But the rest of the crowd tittered with laughter. “Back then you were so cool to me. Cool and untouchable. I would’ve done anything for you to notice me. But now that we’re adults, and I’ve gotten to know you, I see that you’re so much more complex, and so much better for it, than the cool bad boy that I thought you were.
“You’re so supportive of me, and you’re such a gentleman. You stand up for me when you have to but you also know that I can stand up for myself. You respect me, so much, and you’ll kick the crap out of anyone who doesn’t, and I’ve always felt safe and valued with you. You’ve never looked down on me because I was younger. You’ve always treated me as an equal. You share your vulnerabilities with me, you share your hopes and dreams, and you’re so committed to our relationship. I was scared, and I went hot and cold on you, but you didn’t let it faze you. You stuck by me and you loved me so clearly, through all of it.
