Page 89 of These Jagged Edges

Vic turns and gently cups Evie’s face in both his hands. “I love you Baby Girl, you and those boys are the things I’m most proud of.”

He gently kisses both her cheeks before making his way to sit by Aunt Joe. He puts an arm around her shoulders and tells her what a good job they’ve done and to quit being so damn dramatic.

I take his spot and finish walking Evie down the path to the water’s edge. Both boys rush to shower their mother with hugs and compliments. Compliments that pale in comparison to her, but their fucking seven not seventy so they don’t know that.

There are no words that could ever do justice to this moment, to her. I watch in awe as she silently hands off her bouquet, then turns to face me, taking my hands in hers. The world around us fades, my brother’s words becoming a distant hum as she pulls me in completely—not just with her beauty, but with the raw, undeniable strength of her spirit. In that instant, something inside me shifts. I know, with a certainty that cuts deep, that I have to die before her, because I can’t imagine living a single day without her by my side.

Henry stands and hands her a piece of paper, and as he takes his spot between mama and Lou, he flashes me a proud smile that I quickly return. Daddy died when I was so young I can hardly recall him, but Henry takes resident in every memory I have growing up. From teaching me how to cast a fishing pole to how to throw a punch. I didn’t know until this moment how much him being proud of me meant. To think I isolated myself for so long from my family and for what?

“Evie has prepared some words to share with you today,” my brother tells me.

Evie flashes me a coy smile before speaking. “It’s only been a year, but it feels like we’ve lived life in reverse. From one of my wild children climbing your roof.”

I look at Bash and smile. I thank God every day that rambunctious hellion climbed my roof that day.

“To accidentally tasing you, making you pee yourself on my front porch.”

Laughter erupts around us, and I find myself laughing along as well. Damned woman.

“From the very first night you knocked on my door, returning our dog, I told myself—that man is walking devastation. A part of me pulled back instinctively on edge, but another part, the part I couldn’t fight, was drawn to you. I couldn’t understand how someone I barely knew could make me feel so much, so quickly. But slowly, little by little, I began to see you. I saw the way you hid the most fragile parts of yourself, buried deep beneath the weight of grief, keeping those pieces of you that still longed to be loved locked away. Once I saw that I promised myself I would possess every fragment of your broken heart, hold it gently, and help you heal the parts you thought were beyond saving.”

I cup her face. “You did, Pretty Girl.”

“Her vows asshole. Shut up,” Mercy hisses beside me.

Evie holds the paper, but her eyes never leave mine. “You gave me back parts of myself I thought I’d lost forever—pieces I didn’t even realize were missing. You’ve shown me what it truly feels like to be cherished, loved in a way I never thought possible. You helped me find my strength again, to become my own hero. And you saved me—not because I asked for it, but because you knew it was time someone did. All the while fighting to keep your own head above water, trying not to let grief drown you.”

I’ve never felt so seen by another person, but she isn’t just any person, she’s my fucking person.

“I promise to be the light when you’re lost in the dark, the one who’ll always be there to help guide you through when things feel impossible. I’ll be your strength when you feel like you don’t have enough left to give, the steady presence you can always count on. I’ll remind you of your worth on the days you forget, and I’ll help you carry the weight of whatever hurts when you need me to, but I won’t let it take over.”

She pauses and gives me a watery smile before continuing, “Most of all, Maddox Cole, I promise to give you all of me—everypart of me, even the rough edges and the scars, because that’s exactly what you’ve given me. You’ve shown me what it means to be truly loved, to be accepted for everything I am, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life loving you the same way. With everything I’ve got.”

Her soft hand gently brushes away the single tear that slipped down my cheek, and with a tender touch she traces the scar across my lips. “I love you,” she whispers, her voice low and full of warmth, like a promise only she can keep.

“I love you, Pretty Girl,” I whisper back, my voice raw.

“Mercy, ask her.”

My brother smacks his lips clearly frustrated with my fucking up his grand performance, but not one part of me gives a fuck.

“Mercy,” I warn.

“Fine, fine. Evie do you?—"

“Fuck yeah she does,” I answer for her before crashing my mouth onto hers.

Cheers and hollers fill the air as I kiss my wife. She ends the kiss way sooner than I would have liked and I put my forehead against hers staring into those captivating eyes.

“I’m adopting my boys and giving them our last name.”

She laughs softly. “Damn straight.”

Epilogue: Part Two

EVIE

After the ceremonywe all head to the reception area of the lodge where everyone eats, laughs, dances, and takes advantage of the open bar.

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