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thirty
William
I’mtheluckiestmanon the planet.
Staring at the only woman I’ve ever loved; I’m emotionally wrought from the heartfelt vows she just delivered.
My heart pounds inside my chest and my knees are weak at the thought of saying the vows I’ve been working on for weeks.
Are they good enough? Will they accurately express what I feel for her?
Darin’s voice pulls me from my thoughts as he dabs at his eyes. “I hate both of you,” he whispers, before blowing his nose. “I already know you’re gonna make me fucking cry as much as my sister just did.”
Chuckling, I glance over at him. “Challenge accepted.”
His eyes widen with horror. “No! That wasn’t meant to be a challenge.”
Everleigh and I laugh, our hands and hearts joined together. Staring into her big, honey brown eyes, the world disappears around us, until it’s just the two of us.
At the end of the day, that’s all that matters—the two of us.
Taking a deep breath, I speak directly from my heart. “The moment I locked eyes with you, something went through me that I’ve never experienced. I didn’t even know what the hell it was that I was feeling, and I blamed a host of things. Everything except what I was actually feeling, because I’d never felt it before.
One day, I was leaving campus, in a hurry to get back to my penthouse to see you, and it hit me like a ton of bricks:I was in love with you. It was exhilarating, yet terrifying, for me. Then a storm hit and you told me about dancing outside during thunderstorms when you were a kid. Nothing ever appealed to me more than dancing in one with you. As the storm raged around us, one raged inside me. I tumbled over the cliff, loving every single piece of you. It was heady and light, but also a little dark and scary.” Lifting my hands, I cup her face, catching her tears with my thumbs. “I experienced the darkest time of my life when you left, hitting rock bottom. Sometimes I was afraid…” My voice cracks and I pause, drawing in a deep breath, before releasing it. “I was terrified I’d lost you forever. That I’d never know love again if that happened.”
Irelynn sniffs behind us before a sob escapes her. I hear her muttering a shaky apology and my grin widens as Everleigh giggles.
I continue, my gaze never leaving Everleigh. “I was determined to find you, no matter what I had to go through, no matter how long it took. I’d fucking die trying to find you. I had nothing left to lose without you.” My thumbs caress her cheekbones, hating the pain in her eyes. “Luckily, fate stepped in, and you and I ended up running in the same woods. I saw you running away and even though you wore a wig, my heart knew it was you. With determination, I set out to find you… And I did. Even though it was a long, sometimes extremely painful road to get here, I don’t regret one damn second of it. Nothing that I’ve endured since the moment I laid eyes on you again could ever keep me from you, the love of my life.”
More sobs fill the room and this time, I’m pretty sure I hear my dad crying.
“No matter what happens, no matter who tries to come between us, we will prevail. Because I love you too fucking much and I’d burn this whole damn world down to find you if you’re lost to me.” Another tear falls as Everleigh stares at me, a radiant smile on her face, and I fucking ache from the desperation I feel to kiss her.
“No matter what obstacle we face, we will overcome it. We’ve proved it time and again. Whenever the darkness arrives, we fearlessly turn and face it, because we are comfortable with it. We know what it’s like to be lost to it. But since we’ve found one another, we’ve experienced a lightness, a clarity that showed us what it was like to experience a rare, one-of-a-kind love that illuminates our life. The darkness will never consume us completely because we will always be there to pull the other into the light.”
Darin chokes back a sob, whispering an apology, making me smile.
I continue, not missing a beat, completely focused on Everleigh. The love burning from her eyes sears my soul. “You illuminate my world, brightening it every single time you look at me. Your endless love will always light my path and guide me home, should I ever become lost.” I breathe her in, jasmine and amber filling my lungs, closing my eyes before releasing a slow exhale. “I feel you with me wherever I go because you’re locked inside my heart. You’re the full moon that lights my way, always leading me back to you.” Grabbing her hand, I twirl her around, causing her to release a surprised laugh, her eyes sparkling. “We will dance through every storm together for a fucking eternity.”
Tears stream down her face as she nods, taking in a shuttering breath.
“You’re my heart and soul, Everleigh. The light within me shines brightly because of you. I love you to the moon and back. To infinity and beyond.”
Not giving a fuck that we haven’t finished, or that Darin hasn’t given me permission to kiss my bride yet, I pull her against me, devouring her lips with mine, sealing the promises I made to her.
Our friends and family cheer and clap as I lose myself in her.
Darin mutters, “They never fucking listen. I should have brought my whip.”
Everleigh laughs against my lips, but I ignore Darin, deepening the kiss, the taste of forever on my tongue.
When we finally pull apart, Darin clears his throat. “Stop breaking the rules. I didn’t say you could kiss her yet.”
“Bite me,” I say with a grin, causing Everleigh to turn her head away, giggling.
Darin rolls his eyes. “You wish. If you two are done, shall we continue?”
“Hell yes. I want to marry this woman right now, dammit.” I wink at Everleigh, who beams at me.
