The Truth

“Tiffany, it took me so long to get my head out of my . . . butt, but when I did, you hit me like a ton of bricks. I fell for you hard, and I’ve fallen for you forever. You’re the love of my life, the mother of our child. So, I’m going to dare you, Tiffany. I dare you to be your best self. To seize happiness in your hands. To love with the same fierce intensity that you have your whole life. I dare you to do these things with me at your side, loving you through it all. I dare you to share the burden you always carry on your shoulders with me. To hold me accountable, and to call me out if I ever do less than the same in return. I love you and vow to be the best husband I can be.”

Tiffany blinks, her eyes flashing with joy at each ‘dare’ I’ve laid out.

“Daniel, you’re my truth,” Tiffany says, taking a deep breath. “For so long, I didn’t recognize that, lost in the fantasy of a crush. But when I got to know the real you, the truth became clear. I couldn’t deny it. I love you, and that’s the truest thing I know. My love has become our love, and even then, it’s become deeper, richer, and more than I ever thought possible. I vow to be your wife, to love you, to bring you Thai food when you work late, and to drag you home when late becomes too late. To help with that, I vow to give you a reason to come home, a joy that only we can create together. I vow to love you with the same intensity that you bring to everything . . . and I dare you to be the best father you can be.” She smirks. “Ad-libbed that last one.”

We exchange our rings, declaring our love and the more formal ‘I thee wed’ lines, and then it’s time for the main event.

“By the powers vested in me by the ‘Get Ordained in Twenty Minutes or Less’ website, I now declare you husband and wife. You may kiss your husband!”

Elle’s last little twist stops me, and Tiffany swoops in, pulling me in for a deep, tender kiss that has everyone clapping and cheering. Ace’s is the loudest of the cheers, hooting before declaring, “Get you some, Tiffany!”

We walk down the aisle and into our bedroom. I have half a mind to begin our wedding night now, but Elle is loudly directing everyone to the dining table for dinner.

“They’ll be right back out. Tiff probably just needs to pee.” Louder, she says, “Because they know that I will come in there and pull them out by their hair in five, four, three . . .”

Not willing to risk it because I know Elle’s isn’t bluffing, I press a quick kiss to Tiffany’s mouth, wanting to feel her smile.

“We did it!” she whispers. “I’m Mrs. Tiffany Stryker!” She squeals, stomping her feet in an adorable dance beneath her dress.

“Ready?” I ask, my hand on the knob. When she nods, I open the door, and we rejoin our friends and family.

We sit down at my big dining table, which for the first time in too long is full of smiling faces.

I sit at the ‘head corner’, Tiffany at my side, our thighs touching intimately under the table. Still, as we eat—and yes, I make sure Tiffany eats enough for her and the baby—I can’t stop running my thumb over her skin, tracing the gold band that encircles her finger. It’s so little of a thing, a few ounces of gold, but I’m overwhelmed at the thought that she willingly took my ring on her finger so everyone knows that she is mine.

I glance to the matching gold band on my left hand. I never thought I’d marry again, but here I am. And yeah, it’s not a big thing, the ring.

But it’s the biggest thing in the world to me because of the woman it represents. I’m in love with the most amazing woman in the world, happily married and about to be a father again.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My future isn’t merely with Tiffany. She is my future. That’s the truth.

Though she’s listening to Ace tell a story about a wolf rescue organization that he and Harper visited on their honeymoon, Tiffany looks my way as if she can hear me thinking about her. “You okay?”

I nod, giving her a heartfelt smile. “Never better.”

Tiffany leans in, kissing me on the cheek. “I love you, Mr. Stryker.”

“I love you too, Mrs. Stryker . . . and Mini-Stryker.”

Tiffany’s eyes go dark, and she leans over to whisper in my ear. “Is it too soon to send everyone home?”