Gavin takes a deep, shuddering breath and keeps his gaze locked on mine. “Cora… We have overcome so many obstacles to get to where we are right now. And I’m so glad we did. All that aside, I remember the first day I fell in love with you. The first day of freshman year. Yeah, we were barely friends that day, but one look at you and I knew you were the one. Under that shady oak tree, our tree, everything changed. And afterward, in art, when I caught you drawing me into a self-portrait, I fell even harder.”
The backs of my eyes burn. Tears threatening to break free. My throat closes in on itself as emotion chokes me. My fingers wring the stems of the bouquet as I hold his gaze.
“Months later, on this very day, we became more than friends. We became each other’s everything. Every single damn day, I am thankful for you. For the love you give me. To have you at my side. To have you in my life. More than anything, I am thankful you gave me your heart and love in return. I’ve already experienced life without you, and know that will never happen again. Cora Elizabeth Davies, I give you me. All of me. The good, the bad and all the parts in between. I want to experience every day, for the rest of our lives, with you by my side. Forever.”
He plucks the matching wedding band for my engagement ring from his pocket and slips it on my finger, resting it atop the tattoo that matches his own, then slides my engagement band on after. I stare down at our hands and breathe easier than I ever have. Everything about this moment, about Gavin and I joining our lives in every possible way, feels more right than anything.
Feels more at home than ever before.
Gavin finishes his vows and I swap my bouquet with Shelly for a tissue. I dab my eyes and take a deep breath. “Cora…” the minister says.
Gavin
Cora slips her hands into mine and her fingers tremble beneath mine. Her eyes stained red from the happy tears she cried while I said my vows and slipped her wedding band on her finger. She peeks skyward and bats her lashes a few times before bringing her eyes back to mine. Then she smiles and my heart gallops in my chest.
“Gavin…” My name is a prayer on her lips. “You have brought so much into my life. Laughter and love, strength and beauty. Together, we have been through so much. Time may have been stolen from us, but you can’t shake destiny. And that’s what you are—my fate. My destiny. Fifteen years ago, you became something greater than my best friend. You became my everything. My first boyfriend. My first real kiss. And some things we won’t discuss in front of company.”
I burst out in laughter and our audience mimics.
“From that fateful first day during freshman year, the one where you sat beside me and ate the nasty school casserole, I knew we would never only be friends. But friends was the perfect place for us to start. Because through our friendship, we fell madly and deeply in love with each other. Gavin, I never want to experience another day of our lives apart. How can I not believe in kismet when it brought you to me more than once? Gavin Eli Hunt—see, even our parents knew we were two halves of a whole and gave us similar middle names. Life without you isn’t one worth living and I am eager to see what the future holds for us. I love you beyond comprehension. Will love you until we both take our last breath. Always.”
Cora takes my black titanium band in her nimble fingers and slides it up my ring finger. Nothing has felt as amazing as this moment right here. The moment we seal our lives together and become one. A unit.
My life is her life. And hers is mine. My fucking wife.
Fuck.
The tears are coming and I am about to cry like a bitch. But I don’t give a shit. This woman is in my blood. My heart. My every breath. And fuck if I don’t want to kiss the hell out of her right now.
The minister starts talking and I work hard to listen. Needless to say, it is a challenge. “Cora, do you take Gavin to be your lawfully wedded husband? Through good times and bad, sickness and health, until death do you part?”
Cora’s smile brightens the setting sun. “Hell yes.”
“That’s my girl.” I laugh.
“Gavin, do you take Cora to be your lawfully wedded wife? Through good times and bad, sickness and health, until death do you part?”
“Fuck yeah. And we’re never dying, baby.”
The crowd roars in laughter as the minister pronounces us husband and wife, and finally gives us permission to kiss. I wrap my wife in my arms and kiss the fuck out of her. In front of everyone, I kiss her like no one else exists.
Because no one does. And never will. It is just me and my girl. Forever. Always.
Epilogue
Gavin
Five years later
“You alright, baby?” I ask Cora as we hit the three-mile marker of a five-mile trail in the redwood forest.
“I need a water break.”
We stop on the trail and drink water for a minute. We have been hiking a little more than an hour, but we are more than halfway. Cora has been a trooper during this trip. Nonstop adventure. But we plan to only be in California for a couple weeks and I want to show her all the wonderful parts. The places I knew she would fall in love with.
California is definitely different than Florida with all its monster-sized trees and mountains. The scent of the air and saltiness of the water is different too. As much as I miss the landscape and long list of adventures here, I love our little slice of Florida more.
For our five-year anniversary, Cora suggested we come out to California and visit Mom, but also share some adventures of our own. The redwoods, Yosemite, and some of the obvious tourist spots. Our trip so far has been incredible.