Page 75 of Papers Don't Lie

“Anything," I say. “As long as it is for you.” I offer her my hand, and with a smile, she takes it, threading her arm through mine as we walk, our families behind us.

I tilt a bit on my back, glancing at the purple and luxurious bow on her hair. “I’m glad you chose to wear it," I tell her, meaning it.

She bites her bottom lip, and we get to the back of the stage. Esmeray starts walking on the small staircase, swaying her hips as I remain in the back. I tug on her hand, stopping her from going.

“Wait,” I say, knowing I have to buy more time.

Esmeray turns around, glancing at me. “What happened?”

“Give me a part of you.”

She frowns, her beautiful eyes focusing on me as she tries to give my words sense. “Like what?"

“A secret. Something that nobody knows.”

Esmeray is silent for a few moments, thinking about what to say as she walks back to me, her hands finding shelter on my shoulders. My palms curve on her hips as I look down at her.

She’s fucking gorgeous.

“This is something only Raven knows,” she starts. “When I told Dad I’d never get married, he wanted to teach me a lesson and locked me in the basement with no food, water, or bed tosleep in for a few days. We rarely used the basement anymore, so it was full of junk. I happened to find an old sewing machine that wasn’t working next to a few silky materials, and because I couldn’t start the machine, I used a few needles and made a ribbon. It hardly looked like one, but it made me happy. I think I did dozens in one night to keep myself occupied. I didn’t know what to do with them, and I thought they’d look cute in my hair. Since then, I have worn one every day to remind myself that hard moments pass quickly if you find a way to handle them.”

A curly-lashed blink flickers on her face, her teeth sinking into her freshly painted lips. I reach out on my shoulder and take her hand in mine, caressing it with my thumb as her skin lifts in goosebumps under my touch. She takes a deep breath, watching me from under her eyelashes.

“You always find good in the bad,” I murmur, not once breaking eye contact.

She smiles softly, her fingers dragging down on the nape of my neck. “I’ll teach you one day, but until that comes, you have me.”

I nod, curling my arms around her waist and squeezing her tightly. “I have you.”

We sit in silence for a few seconds, only drinking each other in as if our bodies are the potion of our salvation. There’s no doubt now that I’m standing in front of her—my wife—that she’s my salvation.

“There’s something I have to show you,” I tell her, carefully removing her palms from myself. She grins, tilting her upper part and her head to the side, waiting for me to say what it is.

I lift my hand, pointing it at the stairs. “After you.”

She does as I tell her, her steps slowing down when she is close to reaching the top of the staircase. Esmeray stops, her palms rising to cover her mouth opened in shock. She walks a bit further, glancing at the mass of people in front of us, and Ijoin her, sighing in relief when I see our families in the crowd, respecting the dress code.

The people cheer, smiling at her, and Esmeray is still unmoving, no reaction getting out of her as she tries to comprehend what is happening.

“Kai,” she manages to say, her body still tilted toward the crowd.

I step closer, placing my hand on the small of her back. “Yes?”

“What did you do?” Esmeray asks, her voice breaking with a croak as she turns to me, her eyes glistening with tears.

My eyes follow to my left, where everyone is dressed in purple. At first, she wanted to have a color theme but then changed her mind because she didn’t want people to think she was a child or that she was forcing them to do anything.

The difference between us’ is that I don’t care. If my wife wants something, I will do anything to get it done.

“I can’t believe you did this,” Esmeray says, followed by a series of blinks, almost as if she’s trying to ensure she’s not having hallucinations. “But how… We were with my family minutes ago, and they weren’t wearing purple.”

I place us in front of the wedding officiant and give her a low smile. “Dragged the time a bit.”

She opens her mouth to say something, but then a bark interrupts her. If possible, tears pool in her eyes even more.

Esmeray breaks away from me and almost leans down on her knees to catch Purple, who has a purple ribbon around his neck in the costume Ray did for him, with a box where our rings are.

“Good boy.” She pats him on the head, then scoops him up in her arms.

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