When James hands me off to Hawk and Hawk lifts my veil, he wipes away the tear that has managed to slide down my cheek. He leans down to kiss me and whispers in my ear that I’m beautiful and that he loves me. All I can do is stare back at him and try to hold it together.
He knows this too. I see it in his eyes.
The priest clears his throat to begin the ceremony and when it’s time to exchange rings, Hawk takes my hands in his and I look down at the ring he’s holding. A family ring, his mother’s once.
Strangely, his father hadn’t given it to his second wife. Instead, after the passing of Hawk’s mother, he’d set it aside for Hawk to give to his bride. Hawk only found out about it after his father’s death when his grandfather had given it to him and explained.
When we say our vows, he slips that ring onto my finger and I slide a gold band onto his and it’s like everything comes together, it’s complete and right and how it should be. How it was meant to be from the moment we came into each other’s lives.
Because I realize I’ve always belonged to Hawk.
And he’s always belonged to me.
And together, we’re home.
The End