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No fancy speeches, no complicated vows.
Just us, an officiant, and simple promises.
"Do you, Nathan Christopher Black, take Emily Marie Carter..."
"I do." His voice was steady.
"Do you, Emily Marie Carter, take Nathan Christopher Black..."
I looked into his eyes.
Those deep, dark eyes I thought were beautiful the first time I saw them.
"I do."
"Then, by the power vested in me by the State of California, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the—"
Nathan didn't wait for him to finish.
His hands cupped my face, and he kissed me.
Gentle, soft, but with a kind of... hunger. Like he had been waiting a lifetime for this.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
When we pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine, whispering:
"Finally."
During the reception, Sophia pulled me aside.
"Okay, spill. Everything."
I told her about yesterday. The City Hall clerk, the license, everything.
"Holy shit," she gasped. "This... this is Rom-Com level drama."
"I know."
"Are you okay? No regrets?"
I looked at Nathan. He was talking to my dad, laughing, relaxed.
Then, as if sensing my gaze, he turned and smiled at me.
That smile...
"No regrets," I said.
"Good." Sophia squeezed my hand. "Because girl, that man is down bad. Like, tragically down bad. Look at how he looks at you."
"Stop."
"I'm serious! Brandon never looked at you like that. He looked at you like... like you were a convenient accessory. Nathan looks at you like you're oxygen."
Before I could respond, Nathan walked over.
"Mind if I borrow my wife?" he asked Sophia.
"She's all yours," Sophia grinned. "Literally."
He led me to the dance floor as the band started playing.
"What is this song?" I asked.
"'Can't Help Falling in Love,'" he said. "Elvis. Your grandmother used to play it in the vineyard all the time, remember?"
I did. That summer, Grandma played this song constantly.
"You remember."
"I remember everything about that summer, Emily." His hand tightened on my waist. "Every conversation. Every smile. Every moment."
"Nathan..."
"I know this is fast," he said. "I know we basically just... jumped off a cliff together. But I want you to know... I meant every word of those vows. All of it."
"Me too," I whispered.
"Really?" His eyes searched mine.
"Really."
He kissed my forehead. "Good. Because you're stuck with me now, Mrs. Black."
I laughed. "I can think of worse fates."
Halfway through the reception, I went to the restroom.
When I walked out, someone was standing in the hallway.
Brandon.
He looked wrecked. Eyes bloodshot, clothes rumpled, like he hadn't slept.
"Emily."
My heart raced, but not in the excited way it used to. It was... alarm.
"Brandon. What are you doing here?"
"I had to see you." He stepped toward me.
"I had to... Emily, what the hell? You married Nathan Black?"
"Yeah. I did."
"Why?" His voice cracked. "To get back at me? To prove a point?"
"To move on," I said calmly. "To marry someone who actually shows up."
"That's not fair—"
"Fair?" I laughed, a little hysterically.
"You want to talk about fair? You left me at City Hall, Brandon. On our wedding day. For Chloe. Again."
"Her ankle was broken—"
"And my heart was broken!" I finally shouted. "Every time, Brandon! Every date, every promise, every moment—you chose her! Over and over and over again!"
"I was trying to help her—"
"No, you were trying to save her. You always are. Because you feel guilty about her parents, or you feel like you owe her, I don't know! But Brandon..." My voice softened. "I needed saving too. From a relationship where I always came second."
He stared at me. "I love you."
"Maybe you do," I said. "But not enough. Not the right way."
"And Nathan does?" Bitterness crept into his tone. "You barely know him—"
"I know he shows up," I cut him off. "I know that yesterday when I needed someone, he came. No questions, no hesitation. He just came."
"Because he wants something from you—"
"No, Brandon." Nathan's voice came from behind me.
"Because I love her. Actually love her. Not that 'I love you but let me prioritize Chloe first' bullshit."
Brandon flushed red. "You don't know what you're talking about—"
"Don't I?" Nathan stepped up beside me, his hand finding mine.
"I know you stood her up seventeen times in the last year. I know you forgot your six-month anniversary. I know you gave the Lego Millennium Falcon Emily spent three months building for you to Chloe because she 'looked like she needed cheering up.' Should I go on?"
Brandon looked at me. "You told him all that?"
"She didn't have to tell me," Nathan said.
"I've been watching you break her heart for three years, wondering when she would finally realize she deserved better."
"You have no right—"
"I have every right. Because I've been in love with her since she was eighteen."
