Page 23 of Always
I slip my third of the ring onto her finger as she puts mine on and it is the most incredible, weightless feeling- thiseternalfeeling. That everything is as it should be. I then step aside for Jonas.
Jonas
I don’t take her hands. When Damon steps back, mine find her hips and travel to the small of her back. I kiss her and then break away when I remember I’m not supposed to be doing that just yet. “You look so pretty, baby. My heart is so full right now and beating so fast. I forgot my speech again. I’m sorry.”
She giggles and I wipe at her tears. “It’s oh… kay. I love you so much-” I don’t think I’m supposed to be getting hard already- “Jonas… you are my beacon… of light. You… mm-make every day b-better.” She sniffs. “Jonas…”
Fuck, I love it when she says my name. I beam. I can’t believe it’s customary to stand so far away from each other. Okay, I’m only like, a foot away but still. I should be able to hold her. No, yeah. I’m gonna hold her. I yank her back to me making her giggle again. I love that so much.
“I vow to love you-”
“Always, baby?”
She smiles so pretty my whole heart smiles, too. “Always.”
“Fuck, I love you. I love you so much every day that it hurts but in the best way because I know you love me the same. I promise never to stop telling you how pretty you are. I vow to keep my promises. Like this one? Remember that? I said‘I’m going to marry you one day. Mark my words. You will be my wife.’in your dorm room after I tickled you and you snort-laughed. It was so cute.”
Her eyes go wide and she snort-laughs through her happy tears.
“Like that. I may not be able to remember my speeches but I remember every promise I’ve ever made to you. I remember everything when it comes to you. I may have known I loved you the second I saw you, but it was everything in-between then and now that has kept me falling for you every day. I never want to be without you, baby. I want it all with you. All the time. You make life better. You makemebetter. I don’t know how you do it but I know that you do. I know that I don't want to live without you. I know that when I have dark thoughts you push them away. I know that when I think about our future I feel the happiest and when you’re with me… I… can breathe.
“So if you vow to love me always, then I vow to love you always and forever after that. I vow to make you as happy as you make me.” I tip my forehead to hers. “I’m sorry I forgot my speech. It was a good one, I swear,” I whisper, kind of embarrassed now, hoping she doesn’t think I’m an idiot and regrets falling for me. My heart frowns and tears spring to my eyes at the thought of her evernotloving me. “You’re inside of my heart, my head, my soul. You own me. Damon’ll have to surgically remove you from me and I’m glad he’s not a surgeon ‘cause I’m keeping you forever.” I rasp.
“Jonas Anderson?”
I close my eyes and inhale sharply. “Yeah, baby?”
“Mmm… make me your wife n-now… please.”
I let out a soft laugh of relief, tears falling. “I thought you’d never ask.” I dip then kiss her, growing hard again. “You’re my heart, baby.”
“You’re my ss-soul, baby” she chimes back and it’severything. We slip our rings on each other, kissing her one last time before letting her go to Mav. I step back into Damon’s embrace, just to kiss him, too.
Maverick
With shaky fingers, I nervously push my frames up my nose that have been idly slipping down due to the tears escaping me. I clear my throat and grab her hands, keeping them between us, and the tremblingceases. I let my thumb run along her knuckles, feeling the soft skin underneath them, and take the sight of her small hands in mine.
Lethal hands that feel like silk. Dangerous hands that touch me tenderly, likeI’mthe fragile one… I sniff, blinking back the tears once more before I look into eyes I know will cause my heart to stammer.
And when I do peer into them, those radiant twin amber flames are highlighted by the setting sun. They ignite my soul and make my heart pump steadily in its wake. Steady and strong, like her love. I beam down at her. “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”
She nods, the breeze plays with her hair, making the lazy chocolate and silver curls cascading over her shoulder lift and fall consecutively. My god, what a fucking sight.
I tuck one of her hands to my other so I can still hold both with one of mine and pull out the folded piece of paper.
I hear Jonas groan then mutter, “Ahhh I should’ve done that,” under his breath.
I glance down at the square and shake my head. “I wrote my vows. I thought of every word I would use to be able to memorialize this monumental moment between us, to tell you how much you mean to me. But when I look at you…” I sniff again and tuck the piece of parchment back into my pocket. “When I look at you, Siren…” my tongue traces my bottom lip as another tear slips free and she wipes it away for me, keeping her hand on my cheek, ready to catch more. “Those words become irrelevant, another whisper in the wind to be carried away and possibly forgotten. I don’t want that. Damon may not have known just how lonely this world could be, but it’s all I’ve ever known… until you. I thought I was fine in my solitude and it turns out I was just waiting for you to disrupt it. Not someone like you, butyou.”
I blink rapidly as I take in another steady breath. “So here is my vow. I vow to make sure you never feel alone again. I vow to replenish what I take from your cup. I vow to love and cherish you. I vow my heart-" I croak. “I vow that my heart will only love you ever. I vow… ah, shit. I vow my devotion to the only religion I’ve ever known, which is you. I will love you andonlyyouand that is my vow.” I slip my ring on her finger, all three now in the order they’re supposed to be- keeping us aligned forever.
Raven wipes one more tear from my cheek and then wipes her own, sniffling in the process then clears her throat. “I vow t-to accept you as you are. To love you and s-s-supportyou in th-this life a-and…” more tears cascade and it’s my turn to wipe them for her because they are breathtaking. “And the n-next. Th-that is m-my v-vow to y-you.” She lifts both hands and begins to sign between us.I vow to disrupt your solitude.She slides my ring onto my finger- black titanium with an amethyst in the middle. Same as the others and yet, not. Because it’s ours. It’s mine.
I chuckle and lean in to whisper against her lips. “Good.”
With our kiss, our parents cheer for us and Damon and Jonas join me as our officiate legally binds us.It is everything. And so much more. It is the beginning of our forever.
Our reception is held in a small resort- just dinner once again in a private room with our family as our friends have other things to do. Sabrina, Maksim and Parker are in England attending Sabrina’s mother’s vow renewal.
