Page 59 of BounBound By Scars

“After the vows,” Logan grinned.

I just winked at him—grinning at his antics.

When the time for vows came, Leora didn’t hesitate.

She turned to Zarek, took both his hands in hers, and exhaled softly, her fingers trembling just a little as they settled into his palms. The crowd quieted, the golden light catching in her curls as she looked up at him with so much love, it was almost too much to bear.

Her voice was steady at first—clear and sure—even if her lower lip trembled.

“You didn’t want this at first,” she said, smiling through a tear. “Not just this—this day, this moment—but me. You were this stone wall of silence and rules. I think I scared you a little.”

There was a soft laugh from the guests, but Zarek only gazed at her like she hung the damn sun.

“And now,” she continued, her voice thickening, “look where we are. You blinked, Ghost, and suddenly you were stuck with me. No takebacks.”

Zarek’s jaw clenched as if holding something back—and for once, it wasn’t irritation. His lashes dipped, and I saw the faint shimmer of unshed tears. My chest tightened.

Leora’s hand lifted to his cheek, her thumb brushing the corner of his mouth like she was memorizing it. “You’ve protected everyone for so long. Been everyone’s strength. But you let me in. You gave me your trust. Your love. And I know what it costs you, every day. So here, today, I give you mine. All of it. No armor. No hiding. No outs.”

A shaky breath left Zarek’s mouth, and his lips pressed into a thin line like he was trying not to fall apart.

“I promise to fight beside you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “To walk into every shadow, every storm, if it means finding you there. I promise to pull you back, again and again, no matter how far you fall. Because you’re it for me. You always were.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, and Zarek caught it with his thumb.

Even Dylan was smiling now, like he was remembering something soft and painful all at once.

And me?

God, I was a wreck.

Because the words Leora was saying? I felt every one of them in my bones. Not for the man standing beside me, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, officiating this perfect ceremony.

But for the man across the aisle.

The one who wasn’t looking at me.

The one I’d kissed and ran from.

Kabir.

This was the kind of love I wanted. The kind that cracked you open. The kind that made you fight. And if I had any doubts before, they were gone now.

Because Zarek ‘Ghost’ Rivera was tearing up.

What a sight!

And Logan was sniffing through his tears, his gaze landing on Kaylan behind me.

And all I could think was—I would burn every fucking thing to the ground for the chance to say something like that to Kabir Gill.

Zarek took a moment. Just one long, quiet breath as he composed himself. His fingers tightened around Leora’s for half a second before he brought them to his chest.

“Mi Corazón,”he said softly. “My heart.”

There was something so raw, so utterly undone about the way he said it, that the air left my lungs entirely.

“I started calling you that before you even knew you’d stolen it.” His voice was rough, like he had to fight every word past a wall of emotion. “You became my heart before I saved you. Before I kissed you. Before I let you in.”

---