Page 32 of The Mountain Man's Mail Order Surprise
But it's not just the dress or the flowers or even the way the golden light makes her glow. It's the joy on her face, the certainty in her step, the way her eyes find mine and never waver as she walks toward me.
She's choosing me. Again. In front of everyone who matters, with the whole world watching, she's choosing us.
"Breathe," Silas murmurs beside me, and I realize I've been holding my breath since she appeared.
When she reaches me, I take her hands, and they're steady. Warm. Real.
"Hi," she whispers.
"Hi yourself. You look incredible."
"So do you."
Silas clears his throat. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Rosco Kane and Gia Moreau, two people who found each other against all odds and chose to build a life together."
The ceremony is everything Jordyn promised it would be. Personal, meaningful, with readings about love and partnership that make half the guests tear up. When it's time for vows, my hands shake as I pull out the paper I've been working on all week.
"Gia," I start, then have to stop to clear my throat. "Six months ago, I thought I knew what I wanted. A simple life, a practical partnership, someone to share the quiet moments with. Then you showed up on my doorstep with your suitcaseand your secrets and your incredible courage, and you changed everything."
Her eyes fill with tears, but she's smiling.
"You taught me that love isn't practical or simple or quiet. It's brave and messy and worth fighting for. It's waking up every morning and choosing each other again. It's building something together that's stronger than what either of us could create alone."
I reach out to touch her belly, where our baby is growing.
"I promise to choose you every day for the rest of my life. To put you and our children first, to protect you, to love you through whatever comes. I promise to be the husband and father you both deserve, and to never let you doubt for a second that you're my whole world. I love you, Gia."
By the time I finish, there isn't a dry eye in the house. Gia's crying openly, and I have to blink back tears of my own.
"I love you too," she starts, her voice strong despite the emotions. "So so much. I came here looking for safety and found so much more. I found a home, a family, a man who sees my strength instead of my scars."
She takes a shaky breath.
"You could have any woman you wanted, but you chose me. Complicated, pregnant, running-from-my-past me. You made me believe in love again, in myself again, in the possibility of happiness."
She touches my face gently.
"I promise to trust you with my heart, to build this life with you, to love you and our children with everything I have. I promise to be brave enough to stay, even when I'm scared, because what we have is worth every risk."
"By the power vested in me by the province of British Columbia," Silas says, grinning widely, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Rosco, you may kiss your bride."
I don't need to be told twice. I kiss her like I've been waiting my whole life for this moment, which maybe I have. She tastes like joy and forever and the promise of everything I never dared hope for.
When we finally break apart, the crowd erupts in cheers and applause. Flower petals rain down on us, thrown by guests who are laughing and crying and celebrating like this is their own family getting married.
Which, I guess, it is.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Silas announces over the noise, "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Kane!"
As we walk back down the aisle together, the sun setting behind the mountains and our family cheering around us, I realize this is what happiness feels like. Not the absence of problems or complications, but the presence of someone worth fighting for.
Someone worth choosing, every single day, for the rest of my life.
The reception flows seamlessly from ceremony to celebration, with tables lit by candles and string lights as the stars come out. Sage has outdone herself with the food, and there's even a small wedding cake decorated with wildflowers that match Gia's bouquet.
"Thank you," Gia whispers to me during our first dance, a slow song that Jake apparently selected specifically for the moment the mountain peaks disappear into darkness. "For this, for your family, for making me feel like I belong somewhere."
"You do belong. Here, with me, with all of us." I spin her gently, careful of her balance. "This is your family now, Gia Kane."
