She fiddled with her necklace and looked away. “I just wonder if you have really thought through what this life will look like.”
I had thought about it. Every single day I had thought about it, and every single time my answer came back the same. Rowan made my world feel larger, not smaller. He brought curiosity and warmth and humor to ordinary days. He had never once made me feel like I was settling.
He caught me later that evening tracing the edge of my wedding veil with one finger.
“Second thoughts?” he asked, with that quiet half-smile of his.
“Not unless you plan to leave the toothpaste cap off forever,” I told him.
He reached for my hand and laughed, and that was the end of that conversation.
The Wedding Day
Our wedding day arrived in a blur of lace and nerves and rain on the front steps of the church.
When I walked down the aisle and found Rowan’s eyes at the other end, the nervousness left me entirely. He was wearing his dress uniform, his medals catching the light, his expression completely open and unguarded in a way he rarely showed in public.
He wheeled himself to my side when I reached the altar and took both my hands in his.
The officiant made a gentle joke about Rowan standing if he wanted to. Everyone laughed, including Rowan, who squeezed my fingers and said he was perfectly fine right where he was.
Our vows were honest and a little messy, which felt exactly right. He promised me coffee every morning without being asked. I promised to love him with everything I had. He leaned close and whispered that I already did.
My mother watched from the front row with an expression I could not fully read.
Leave a Comment