“I wasn’t expecting you, Declan Boudreaux,” I begin and grin at him. “You were not a part of any of my plans, but you were the best surprise I’ve ever been given, the piece of my puzzle that I didn’t know was missing.” I sniff and nod a thank you at Beau as he passes me a handkerchief. “I thought that I’d walk through life taking care of myself, and I’d done a pretty good job of it. But, then I met you and you taught me a few things.
“First, I learned that it’s okay to lean on someone who loves you. You are my greatest supporter, my fiercest advocate, and I know that when I can’t speak for myself, you are there to help me.” He nods, his beautiful hazel eyes smiling down at me.
“Second, I learned what true unconditional love is. It’s saying, I don’t care what happened yesterday, I’m going to love you today, and every day. No matter what.
“You’ve shown me patience, and loyalty, and you’ve shown me what it means to be truly safe with another person. Loving me isn’t always easy, but then, I guess the best loves aren’t. And ours is the best love I’ve ever been in.”
Declan’s eyes fill as he watches me, listening intently to every word.
“I promise to always value our love, and hold it in the highest regard. I promise to respect you, be faithful to you, and support you in every endeavor, at your side, for as long as we both live.”
He smiles, wipes a tear off his cheek, and pulls my rings, the engagement ring and a matching wedding band that he had made for me, out of his pocket, slipping them on my finger. “These rings represent my love for you.”
I’ve been wearing his band on my thumb, and I slide it onto his finger, repeating the same words back to him.
“I now pronounce you man and wife. And now, ladies and gentlemen,” the justice of the peace says happily, “it is my pleasure to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Declan Boudreaux.”
***
“It was such a pretty wedding,” Gabby says with a wistful sigh and leans on the table, resting her chin in her palm.
“Did you write your vows ahead of time?” Charly asks. The sisters and I are all sitting at a table, enjoying some girl talk, while the boys are standing nearby, laughing and giving each other shit about something.
“No, they were spur of the moment,” I reply. “That’s one of the reasons that I didn’t want a lot of people here. I knew I’d get stage fright.”
“Well, they were perfect,” Van says. “You and Dec had us all blubbering.”
“Are you leaving on your honeymoon right away?” Kate asks, taking a bite of cake.
“No, we leave in a couple of weeks,” I reply. “We have some work to do on the house still, and it just worked with our schedules that way. But don’t you leave tomorrow, Charly?”
She rolls her eyes and nods. “Yes. Van talked me into going to this retreat.”
“All I’m saying is, Simon is one hot man. There are worse things than having to look at him all day for two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” Kate asks. “That’s quite a retreat.”
“It’s in Montana,” Charly agrees with a nod. “I’ve never been up there, so it should be interesting.”
“I’m sorry, ladies,” Declan says, reaching over my shoulder from behind me to grab my hand. “I’d like to dance with my bride.”
“Take her,” Gabby says with a wide smile.
“I plan to,” Dec says, a mischievous grin on his handsome face as he guides me onto the brick path so my heels don’t sink into the ground.
“We don’t have dancing at this wedding,” I remind him.
“Is there music?” he asks, cocking a brow and leading me into a simple slow dance.
“You know there is,” I reply.
“Then, my lovely wife, there is dancing.” He pulls me against him and tips his forehead down to rest on mine. “How are you, Mrs. Boudreaux?”
“I’m great,” I reply with a laugh. “How are you?”
“Couldn’t be better. This dress is a work of art. Of course, so are you.”
“A work of art?” I reply with a smile.
“Yes. You never just look good, you look like art, and just like a piece of art, you make me feel things, Callie.”
I sigh. The words that come out of this man’s mouth never fail to surprise me.
“That’s a lovely thing to say.”
He spins me around and dips me deep, kissing me soundly as our family claps and laughs around us.
“When are we going to start filling that nursery we finished last month?” he asks.