“Don’t worry.” Kenzie grins. “I stole the paper and told him to speak from the heart. No madness today… or minimum madness, anyway.”
I shake my head, laughing, the nerves starting to bubble up now, in that electric way that makes my fingers twitch and my chest ache a little with anticipation. Not fear. Not regret.
Justbig feelings.
Because this? This isn’t just a wedding.
It’s a promise to a life I never planned for, but one I chose anyway.
One we all chose.
The music starts, some weird punk remix of a classical piece, because ofcourseit is, and Ally and Kenzie dart off, leaving me alone for one last breath before everything changes.
I step into the hall.
The moment hits me like a wave: people I love on either side of the aisle, grinning and tearing up, the scent of candles and lavender in the air, the faint rustle of fabric and whispers of “She looks so happy,”and“Is that a black dress?”.
Our kids are up front, throwing confetti like it’s a full-time job. One of them already has glitter in their hair, and another’s making a run for the cake table.
And there they are… my three.
Rowan, standing proud in dark green, looking like the woods and safety and the kind of forever that doesn’t scare me anymore. Bruno, strong and steady in deep wine red, his eyes already glassy. And Thomas in stormy blue, bouncing slightly on his heels like he might explode from joy.
They each hold a piece of my heart, and together, they make it whole.
We have our veryuswedding. Nontraditional, unconventional, borderline chaotic. A justice of the peace officiates the legal part, and I marry Rowan on paper, mostly because he’s the most likely to remember to handle the paperwork.
But he isn’t the only one who gets vows. This is for all of us.
I turn to Bruno first. His eyes are locked on mine, so open, so vulnerable, and I take a breath.
“Bruno,” I say, my voice soft but steady, “you are my calm. My steady hands when mine won’t stop shaking. You show up when it’s hard. You hold space when I don’t even know I need it. You’ve seen every messy, jagged, complicated part of me and never once looked away. With you, I’ve learned that quiet love can still burn just as bright. I promise to meet you in the quiet and hold you in the storm. I promise to keep learning how to love you better every day. And to always make room for your worries… even if I have to sneak them out of you like secrets.”
His fingers brush mine like he’s afraid I’ll disappear, and I lean in so he knows I won’t.
Then I turn to Thomas, who’s already wiping his eyes with his sleeve.
“Thomas,” I say, smiling through the thickness in my throat, “you are my spark. My chaos. My laughter when I need it most and my comfort when I least expect it. You light up rooms, you pull me into joy like it’s gravity, and you love with every piece of your whole, wild heart. You’ve made me brave in ways I didn’t know I needed. I promise to dance with you in every kitchen, to laugh when life is ridiculous, to adventure even when I’m tired, and to always,always, catch you when you leap before you look.”
He sniffles and grins, whispering, “I’d leap for you any day.”
Then I turn to Rowan. We’ve already signed the papers, done the official bit. But that’s not what matters now. Not really.
“Rowan,” I say, reaching for his hand, “you are my roots and my wings. You were the first to see me, all of me, and love me anyway. You’ve been my fiercest advocate, my softest landing, and the one who always believed in us, even when I didn’t. You’re the reason I said yes to a life that terrified me. I promise to choose you in every way I can, every day I can, even when it’s messy. Especially when it’s messy. You are my home.”
And then I look at all three of them. My partners. My loves. My future.
“Together, you are my balance, my team, my chaos and my comfort. I promise to keep growing with you, to keep fighting for this, to hold space for each of you and all of us. I promise to love you with every version of myself that exists, past, present, and whatever comes next.”
There’s not a dry eye in the room, not even from the officiant.
Bruno’s hands tremble when he lifts mine, his thumb brushing over my knuckles like he’s grounding himself.
He clears his throat, voice low and rough around the edges. “Jinx… I didn’t know love could feel like peace until you. I didn’t know it could be quiet and still shake me to the core.” He pauses, breath catching. “I promise to always be your safe place. To hold you when the world is too loud. To remind you how strong you are when you forget. And to love you with everything I have, even when I’m scared. Especially then.”
He slides the ring onto my finger, slow and reverent, and the way he looks at me, it’s like I’m made of galaxies.
Thomas is next—crying, of course, but still grinning like he’s won the best damn prize in the universe.