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.As the pastor gained his composure, I mouthed to Gwen, “You look beautiful.”She mouthed back, “Thank you.”The pastor cleared his throat and began the ceremony.I wasn’t sure I heard a word of it.We repeated the vows the pastor spoke—words that had been spoken for centuries, by billions before us.They were our vows now.As Gwen placed a ring on my finger, and I did the same with the three rings that had been soldered together as a single unit, we meant those vows.There would be better times and worse times.There would be moments when we’d struggle or get sick.There would be days when we’d go without speaking, when we’d disagree on small things like dinner and big things like college applications.We’d want to kill each other at one point or another.But hadn’t we already been there?The pastor took a breath and beamed at me.“I said, ‘You may now kiss the bride.’ ”I hung my head in embarrassment and laughed before lowering my face to Gwen’s.She threw her arms around my neck and brought her lips to mine as I dipped her toward the guests and they erupted into cheers.“Gwoss,” Brady said.We smiled against each other’s lips, and her hands wound their way into my hair as I tightened my grip on her back.We kissed again and walked down to the edge of the trees to have our pictures taken as the band set up around the dance floor my mom had ordered.The cake was in place and candles were lit everywhere.White lights had been strung through trees and across tables, like hundreds of stars and fireflies illuminating the night.The DJ announced us, and the band cued up.I tilted my head and smiled before pulling Gwen into my arms.“I have a surprise for you.”“What’s that?” she asked.The music began, and Gwen looked over her shoulder to see Bree standing in front at the microphone.Bree smiled and cleared her throat.“My daddy used to hum this to us to get us to sleep.I think he would have wanted me to sing this song to make you happy today, too.” Her eyes glistened under the twinkling lights, and she took a deep breath before stepping over to the keyboard.Her fingers moved across the keys, and her little voice lifted above our heads into the air as she sang “In My Life.”Tears sprang to Gwen’s eyes, and her mouth dropped open.I wiped a stray one that fell onto her cheek and pulled her close.“She’s so good,” Gwen whispered, her voice tight.“She’s an excellent student.”Bree’s last note faded into the sky.She made her way over to us, and Gwen dropped to her knees to pull the little girl to her chest.That evening, we went to a hotel to rest before leaving for Hawaii.We spent the night reminiscing over the evening, worrying about the kids, discussing the future, and touching each other just because we could.We made love, exhausted and happy, before we fell asleep tangled in the sheets and in each other.A few days later, as Gwen was lying across my chest, watching the pinks and golds of sunset scatter across the sky, I felt like everything was right in the world.I ran a tanned hand over her cheek and smiled up at her from the sand.“What are you thinking about?” I asked.She breathed easy as the waves rolled in closer and closer, just missing our toes.“I was thinking this is the longest we’ve been alone together since we first met.And we have no one to interrupt us or walk in on us.No cartoons on in the background or homework to look over.It’s so quiet.”I quirked a brow.“And you do or don’t like this scenario?”Humming, she ran a thumb over my eyebrow.“Oh, I like it very much.Though I do miss The Wiggles.”I laughed and leaned up to kiss the tip of her nose.“I could say something perverted right now, but I won’t.”She scrunched up her face and pushed out her lower lip.“But your perverted ways are what made me fall for you in the first place.”I snickered, then our lips met and she shifted to straddle my hips.My hands settled on her back, my fingers dipping below the waist of her shorts and sliding against the exposed skin where her tank top had ridden up.I gripped her sides as we deepened the kiss, the waves now rolling in warm and steady, hitting my legs and splashing against her.“We’re lucky,” she said.“Luck has nothing to do with it.We just had to find our way, that’s all.”She tightened her thighs around my hips.“Take me home.”I grinned and leaned back.“You know the hotel room isn’t home, right?”She ran a hand across my cheek.“I know.Home is where you are.”We deserved that kind of love for the span of forever
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