Page 57 of Soaring and Steadfast

“I missed you too,” she admitted, marveling at how sweet he was. It wasn’t that he was some big brash guy, some strong bulky man, but rather how he wore his heart on his sleeve, believed the best in everyone, and always turned his face upwards, believing that a higher power led him. There was something so peaceful in his firmly tranquil outlook on life, so when he was shaken by what had happened to Ohio, his friend, she had worried it would tear his soul apart like she had experienced having lost her child.

“Let’s go,” she invited – only to see him pause as he dropped to his knee before her, pulling a tiny velvet box out of his pocket.

“Let’s go,” he agreed, smiling tenderly at her, “but to the chaplain because I don’t want to wait any longer for our forever to start.”

Louis turned to Trophy.

“Will you stand up for us?”

“Do you even have to ask, brother?”

Louis’s eyes met hers once more as she gave him her hand. The two of them silent as he slipped the engagement ring on her finger. He looked up from her finger, leaned forward, and kissed it gently, before standing.

She nodded, feeling like words would fail her if she spoke. It was intimidating to meet someone who just seemed to ‘fit’ so wonderfully with who you are at your deepest person… and then to fall in love with them?

A miracle indeed.

“Let’s go,” he urged softly, moving to pick up his bag. He clasped her hand in his, chuckling. “I want to stop and get carrot cake for our wedding.”

“I’ve got it already,” she smiled secretly, winking at him and treasured the way he laughed easily. His joy was a thing of beauty, but the best was yet to come.

And you have no idea, buddy.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

PASTEUR

Wednesday.

It was just supposed to be an ordinary Wednesday afternoon.

One-twenty-three in the afternoon precisely.

A day he would never forget.

Louis stood still, rooted in place, as the weight of the moment settled over him like a warm embrace. His crisp white Navy uniform was spotless, every thread, every polished button, and every deliberate crease a reflection of the discipline ingrained in him. But none of that mattered. Not today. Because today was the first day of the rest of his life.

The day he married his soulmate.

His heart pounded, a slow, reverent drum against his ribs as he stood at Lila’s side, his breath shallow, his pulse thrumming with an almost holy anticipation. The words of the chaplain wrapped around him like a sacred promise, filling the spaces between his ribs and sinking deep into his bones. He held onto them—every syllable, every sacred vow—as if they were written by fate itself, binding them together not just in this life, but in whatever came after.

He let his eyes close for just a moment, surrendering to the weight of it all. The sheer enormity ofher.

He’d thought he’d known love before. Thought he understood what it meant to care for someone, to treasure them. But nothing—nothing—could have prepared him for the tidal wave of devotion that crashed into him the first time he saw her at Trophy’s apartment, realizing who she was. That moment alone had staggered him, had shattered and rebuilt him all at once. And now, here she was.

His.

A quiet, unsteady breath left his lips as he cracked his eyes open, drawn—helplessly drawn—to her.

Lila.

She was breathtaking. Not because of the soft lace of her dress or the delicate glow of the sunlight spilling through the chapel window but because ofwho she was.Because of the way her face tilted slightly upward, her gaze locked on the simple crucifix behind the chaplain, her expression one of pure, unfiltered peace.

A whisper of awe curled around his heart, tightening it in a way that almost hurt.She belongs here. With me. With Him.

As if sensing his stare, Lila slowly opened her eyes and turned to him.

And then she smiled.

---