Page 156 of I Replaced His Husband
"Sometimes, some paths remain closed forever, for the good of both sides," he whispered with a hint of sadness.
"And sometimes new ones open in the most unexpected places. My life is proof of that."
Lake nodded and hugged me again, his eyes moist with emotion. "I'm so happy Rain found you, Kay. Fate couldn't have chosen better for him! Now let's go; the guests are waiting. It's time for the ceremony!"
We both stood up, and he adjusted my boutonniere once more, furrowing his brow in a funny way. "I know you're probably tired of hearing it, but you look beautiful," he said, gently stroking my loose hair.
"Thank you, so do you. We look like peers," I winked, and he chuckled like a teenager.
We stepped outside of Rain's parents' house. The whole lawn had been transformed into a wedding venue: rows of chairs, white garlands, guests, and a podium in the center where my future husband waited.
Music was playing all around; of course, it was "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley, a thousand-year-old, immortal hit.
A few months ago, I decided to leave behind the place where my previous life took place, White Cliffs. No matter how much I loved my hometown, I needed the change of energy.
We moved to Rain's parents' town and bought a big house, perfect for a family that wanted to grow. After much thought, I opted for it myself, surprising Rain, and it turned out to be the best decision possible.
The Sanderses owned one of their hotels about six miles from our new home, and to my surprise, they also decided to move to one of the top-floor apartments in that hotel to be closerto Ray. So he didn't lose contact with his grandparents; in fact, he gained two pairs of them!
There was also something quite unusual that had happened and was steadily gaining momentum.
John Sanders had apparently forgiven Rain for his lime-green, too-tight cardigan and started inviting him over often, talking with him about the hotel business. At first, Rain helped them replace their old booking software system with a new one, which he and Nathaniel had written specifically for the Sanderses’ hotels. After that, John began inviting Rain to more and more business meetings and discussions about expanding his hotel chain.
Rain was surprised at first, but he didn’t turn John down. Over the past few months, it had become clear to both of us that the Sanderses, both in their sixties, had in a way ‘adopted’ Rain and seemed to want him to eventually take on a managerial role in their hotel affairs once they had less energy for it.
I asked Rain if he felt comfortable with that, and he didn’t mind. Unlike Maurice, he wasn’t repelled by the hotel business. His calm personality and careful attention to detail actually made him a good fit for management.
In the meantime, another change had also taken place. Despite Marco and Adam grumbling a bit about it, they surprisingly decided to move to our area as well because they wanted to be part of Ray’s life and all their future nephews. They also grew fond of Rain’s family, especially his dad, Lake, who easily won everyone's hearts, being the center and the positive power inside their family.
Now, my dear brothers stood in the front row, Adam holding Ray in his arms. Next to Adam was Dominic, his college love, who he recently reconnected with and started dating again. They smiled at me, but Adam's eyes were red, and Marco's were too, though he hid it better. Lake led me toward the podiumwhere Rain waited, smiling. We stopped briefly by Adam, who gave me Ray to kiss and whispered, "I love you, little brother. May this blessed day always be in our hearts."
"I love you too, and you, Marco. Thank you for everything. If it weren't for you, this day wouldn't have happened!"
My brothers hugged and kissed me, and then I made my way to Rain, who looked at me with eyes shining with joy. It's the best feeling in the world when someone looks at you like that, with stars and love radiating from inside, when you know you're meant to be together, that your happiness is safe in the other person's hands. That's what I had with Rain.
The ceremony was led by Rain's uncle, Timothy Nolan, who had been a civil servant for many years. When I reached Rain, who took my hands in his, my heart filled with joy. I felt in the right place. I felt I had finally found my destination in life. The doubts disappeared a long time ago, and it was just us.
"We are gathered here today to join this couple in marriage…" The words echoed, but I had eyes and ears only for Rain.
When it was time to exchange our vows, he said,
"Kay, when we met, we were both walking through the valley of shadows, but after every storm, the sun comes out from behind the clouds. For me, you became the new sun. Your light brings my soul to life every day. You are in every breath I take; I wake up with you in my thoughts and fall asleep with your name as the last word in my mind. I believe in new beginnings, I believe in second chances, I believe in happily ever after, I believe in us… I love you, Kay, and I will love you for the rest of my days, not because Fate made us True Mates, but because I see you. I really see you, your strength, your wisdom, your kindness, your loyalty, your vulnerability, and all your truth. You are my whole world, and I promise to spend my life nurturing our love…"
It was hard to listen to all his words without tears streaming down my face. When it was my turn to make my vows, my voice trembled with emotion and happiness.
"The first thing I want to tell you is that I love you, Rain. Not because we're True Mates, the magic of that Bond can't conjure love. I love you because you're a pure-hearted, caring, good person. I never thought I could love again, and that this love would be so strong. You gave me everything: faith, hope, and devotion. You gave me protection and support far greater than I could have ever imagined. You gave me space and respect, something perhaps even more important, as within it there was a hidden pearl: my own growth. I know how much it cost you to wait until our relationship was truly possible, but you never rushed me, and for that, I'm grateful. That was your gift to me, a gift whose significance no one can understand, because it's a gift of love that expects nothing in return, that surrounded me gently with its mere presence, even when I pushed it away, when I felt guilty, when I felt bitter. Your presence and your feelings overcame all the resistance and doubts I carried within me. You won me over, Rain. You truly won me over, not through fighting, but by letting go. I am yours, forever."
And then, the joy was endless.
There was dancing, eating, and fun. All of Rain's brothers came to the wedding, even those who, in the past two years, had found their True Mates. Yes, yes… we were no longer the only ones!
There was even a moment when Rain came to Storm and they both hugged, and it was strangely uplifting. Since Storm had found his own True Mate, his position in the Nolan family had improved greatly, as if his TM had the power to heal even that.
But the biggest surprise was waiting for Lake.
As we stepped off the podium, a small, red-haired omega emerged from the back of the crowd and approached my in-laws. I instantly knew who it was; I recognized him just by seeing the tears streaming down Lake's cheeks. He collapsed to his knees, sobbing hysterically, while the unexpected guest wrapped him tightly in his arms.
But that… is another story.
