AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Impulsive,” Coop mumbles. “But I love you just the way you are, Matthew Decker.”
ChapterSixty-One
Matthew
In frontof me stands the sweetest, most beautiful woman in the world as we seal our union with a blessing. Thea looks just perfect, with her loose hair adorned with a flower crown she made.
She’s wearing a white dress with delicate violet accents. Next to me is the man we love. The sight of him makes me as hot as the sight of our wife does. His lean, muscular body wrapped in a tuxedo—at the wife’s request. A little luxury for a simple wedding to celebrate our love.
The small ceremony is at Silver Moon—which is still under construction—illuminated by twinkle lights and candles, decorated with flowers throughout the room where we’re celebrating our love.
The decision on where to have this private affair happened as Coop showed us how close it was to being done. Thea suggested the idea as this place means everything to us. This is where we came together, where our lives shifted, and our souls combined with each other.
Reed, an ordained minister among his many talents, is officiating the ceremony, and only a few close friends and the Decker clan are here. We understand this isn’t legal, and we’ll deal with that part later. However, we want to celebrate our love as it deserves to be celebrated.
“Matt, you’ve been my rock, the whisper that reminded me I wasn’t as terrible as I thought I was.” I squeeze Thea’s hand as her voice trembles. “Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve experienced in my life. You make life fun, safe, and loving. You’re my best friend—my best friend for life.”
Her eyes shift to Tristan. “Coop, since the first time I met you, there’s been this thing between us. We recognized each other as soulmates the moment we laid eyes on each other. And how lucky for us to find our way to one another.”
She squeezes our hands. “From this day forward, we become partners, and I promise to endure and laugh at Matt’s terrible jokes, but also to always be by your side. To be patient when Tristan needs that extra time to talk out his feelings, to be there for you both, no matter what unexpected surprises we encounter on our way. I promise to love you even when I don’t like either one of you, to walk alongside you both. Always and forever.”
I love you,I mouth.
“Matthew?” Reed prompts me.
“Thea, my beautiful butterfly. You’re this mystical creature, half-fairy, half-butterfly. A creature with magical powers who came into my life and opened my heart, taught me to love and to live. You’re the light of my life, the thump of my heartbeat, the cream to my Oreos, the chocolate ice cream of my favorite shake.” That cute chuckle-whimper sound makes me want to stop and kiss her, and I do. I kiss each eye, her nose, and her lips.
“Tristan, you’re this complicated puzzle that from day one intrigued me. My soul knew you belonged to me but didn’t understand it fully until Thea came into our lives.”
Then I look at her. “You’re our glue, Thea, the one who brought us together, who’ll keep this family alive.”
I stop for a minute to take a deep breath and try fruitlessly to control my emotions. “From this day on and for eternity, I promise to work hard to be the man you both deserve. To make you fall in love with me every day. And as much as I’ll make you laugh with my terrible jokes, I’ll make sure, every day, you know I’m supportive of who you both are.
“I’ll protect you. Because that’s what love is about, accepting each other and loving our best and worst qualities. Thea Bradley, please be my wife, and Tristan Cooperson, be my husband, my partners in life, parents to our children, and my eternal companions. In exchange, Thea, I’ll love you forever and will always keep you safe in my arms.”
Pulling out his ring, I slip it on his finger. “Tristan, I’ll be your partner, the man to walk alongside you, that person who you can lean on when you feel alone and need strength, but never forget, you’re not alone. No matter how close or far you are, I’m with you. Forever.”
“Tristan?” Reed prompts him.
Tristan’s chest visibly expands as he takes a deep breath before beginning. “I never believed in soulmates, or love for that matter. My life was insignificant and lonely until I met you.”
He looks from Thea to me. “Thea, you told me one night that I wasn’t alone. Back then, I had no idea how important or essential you’d become to my life, but you began to transform it with just those words. The same night I found my first real friend, my lover, the man who understands me, and I want to think that you had something to do with it.
“That fairy inside you, or destiny finally setting the three of us together. We’re fated lovers, sharing an eternal light. Whatever it was, every day I’m thankful because even when I only spent months with the two of you, they were the happiest, the best of my life.”
He slips her wedding band on her right hand. “Thea, you entered into my life to teach me everything I needed to learn, and I could never find any other woman who would be more perfect for me. You understand everything about me and push me to become a better person, to be myself. Butterfly, you defined love to me, and let me tell you, it has many more meanings. It also means sacrifice, understanding, sharing, and you. You mean love, Thea.
“I vow to keep you happy and protect you from any harm—or your father and brother will kill me.” The audience releases a laugh, and Thea gives us one of those eye rolls I love.
He wipes Thea’s tears with his thumb. “I can’t promise that I won’t make more mistakes. I’m not perfect when it comes to relationships. But I can promise to love you and Matt with every cell and every breath—until the end of time. Every day I’ll work hard to deserve your love, to deserve his love. And I know these are only words, but they are promises that my actions will speak louder and that you’ll never doubt what I feel for you again.”
Thea’s eyes glimmer bright as the tears continue to fall one after the other. “I love you, Thea.” Then he looks at me, taking my hand and slipping on another ring. “I love you too, Matt. Thank you for being patient, for this second chance.”
Reed clears his throat. “Agatha, Matthew, and Tristan, in the presence of your family and friends who have joined you to share this moment of joy, you have declared your deep love and affection for each other.
“You have stated your wish to live together, always be open to a deeper, richer friendship and partnership. You have formed your own union based on respect and honor. Therefore, it is my joyful responsibility to acknowledge your union as husband, husband, and wife. You may now seal your marriage with a… kiss.”
It’s a chaste kiss—because after all, there are children around—that turns into a hug as we stand there, holding each other—my solid unit. I find Jacob’s gaze, and he nods. With a quick kiss and a few words, he leaves his wife and heads to the next room, bringing back the acoustic guitars while Mason carries the chairs.
