Page 125 of Lessons in Heartbreak

“Maggie ...”

She shrugged. “What? It’s not illegal. And if I win, I can get that Taser I’ve been eyeing. Dad refuses to buy it for me.”

Lauren chuckled under her breath. “Come on, kid. Time to line up. We can talk weapons another time.”

The two hustled out of the room, and I was left in the quiet. For a moment, I heard the string quartet playing out in the church, and I tried to imagine Griffin waiting for me at the end of the aisle. My smile was easy, my heart rate strong and steady as I left the bridal room with a bright flurry of anticipation taking wing in my stomach.

My parents waited for me by the doors, but instead of walking me down to Griffin, we’d agreed that because of my journey to get here, it made the most sense that I’d take the trip down the aisle on my own. They were both teary-eyed when they kissed my cheek, and my dad didn’t even try to wipe the tears off his cheeks when they went into the church to take their seats in the front row.

I let out a slow breath, my thoughts as clear and sharp as I’d ever experienced as the doors opened into the church.

There was music playing, but I couldn’t hear it.

Romantic lights and lush flowers decorated the front of the church, but I didn’t notice any of the details.

There were people in the rows, smiling and oohing and aahing as I made my entrance.

I saw nothing but him.

Griffin stood tall and proud at the front of the church, his hands clasped in front of him as tears streamed unabashedly down his face while he watched me. His hair was freshly cut, but I’d begged him to leave a little stubble on his face. I didn’t want him looking too proper, because that certainly wasn’t the man I fell in love with. It was his wild heart, the one that made him love so deeply, that made him perfect for me.

The cut of his deep charcoal-gray suit accentuated his broad frame, and when his chest rose and fell on a deep breath, it was all I could do not to sprint to the front of the church and throw myself into his arms.

When I came to the end of the aisle, his eyes locked on mine and he mouthed,I love you.

I love you too,I mouthed back, swiping at the stray tears on my cheeks.

We’d opted for a short ceremony with a small group of our closest friends and family, but as I handed my bouquet to Lauren and felt Griffin’s fingers slide between mine, we might as well have been alone in that room.

It was just me and him, our gazes never wavering, and my chest filled with the warm contentment of a life that was so much better than I could’ve imagined. It was just the vows we were making—my voice trembling and thick as I promised him my loyalty and my support and my love for the rest of my life. My eyes filled with tears again when he promised to be my protector and my confidant, my best friend, for the rest of his.

Griffin pushed a simple diamond wedding band onto my finger, sliding it into place next to the two-carat cushion-cut diamond he’d given me six months earlier, bringing my hand up to his mouth to pressa kiss onto my knuckles with his eyes pinched shut. I cupped his face for a moment before easing the black metal band over his finger.

He sighed in relief when it was on, and I grinned up at him.

“You’re stuck with me now, baby,” he whispered, tilting his head down toward mine.

“Good.”

His eyes locked on my mouth while the pastor pronounced us Griffin and Ruby King, and the moment he said, “You may now—” Griffin swept me up in his arms and stole a fierce, breathless kiss while attendees yelled and whistled and clapped. His tongue wound around mine, and I moaned helplessly at the sudden rush of heat, knowing that he was mine—mine—forever.

It wasn’t about taking his name or signing a piece of paper. It was so much more. Making promises we would never break, and proclaiming to the world that he loved me and I loved him and nothing could separate us—that’s what it was about. It wasn’t just saying we loved each other—it was showing it. Choosing each other, through all the hard.

Griffin broke away from the kiss, tilting his head back to give a triumphant shout. I clutched him around the neck and laughed, my feet dangling off the floor as he held me tight against his chest, burying his face into my curls.

“My wife,” he murmured. “My wife.”

We stayed like that for a few more moments—my eyes closed and my heart soaring—while the love in the room spread like sweet wildfire through my bones.

This is life,I thought. And I was more than ready to live it.

Second EpilogueGriffin

Ten years later

“I told you, no peeking.”

Ruby huffed, arms outstretched while I cupped her shoulders and led her into the room. “I feel like I’m going to trip on something.”

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