Page 104 of Emmy's Ride

He had one hand wrapped around hers and the other clenched tight at his side. His suit was rumpled in that way only Luke could pull off and still look like someone you didn’t want to mess with. His jaw was locked, but there was something in his eyes—pride, maybe. Or the weight of everything they'd both survived.

They started walking toward me, slow and steady, and my chest got tighter with every step. I hadn’t expected seeing Emmyin her wedding gown on the arm of my oldest and best friend to hit me like this.

Luke wasn’t just giving away his sister—he was giving me a piece of his heart. A piece he'd fought to protect, the same way I would for the rest of my life.

When they reached me, Luke looked me straight in the eye and didn’t say a word for a long second. I got it. We didn’t need words to get his message across. Then he took Emmy’s hand and placed it in mine.

“Don’t fuck it up,” he said, low enough only I could hear.

A grin tugged at the corner of my mouth.Yep, message received. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

He nodded once, sharp and sure, then leaned in to kiss Emmy’s cheek. She held onto his arm for just a second longer, whispering something to him that made his shoulders loosen before he stepped away to stand beside Tank.

Then it was just me and her.

Emmy.

My girl. My storm. My sanctuary.

She smiled, eyes shining, and slipped her hand fully into mine. My fingers curled around hers instinctively, steadying her—or maybe just anchoring me.

“You’re beautiful,” I whispered.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Prez,” she whispered back, lips twitching into that grin that always undid me.

The officiant began to speak, but all I could focus on was her. The fact that she was standing here. That despite everything we’d faced, she still chose me.

When it was time for the vows, I didn’t need the paper tucked in my jacket. Every word lived in my bones.

“I didn’t think I was meant for this,” I said. “Not love. Not softness. Not forever. But then you came back. Stormed into my life and refused to let me hide behind who I used to be. Youmade me believe I could be more—wecould be more. I’ll spend every day proving you were right. Loving you. Protecting you. Standing beside you, no matter what comes.”

I paused, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Always.”

Then she looked at me with that same spark I saw the first day she walked back into my life, except now it was laced with something deeper. Something permanent.

Her voice was soft, but every word hit me straight in the chest.

“I used to think love came with conditions,” she said, her fingers tightening around mine. “Rules. Expectations. A list of things I had to satisfy to deserve it.”

She took a breath, her eyes never leaving mine.

“But then I fell for a man who never asked me to be anyone but exactly who I am. Who held me when I was broken. Who didn’t try to fix me but stood by me while I put myself back together.”

Tears welled in her eyes. Mine, too.

“I vow to keep choosing you—even when it’s hard, even when the world tries to tear us apart. I vow to be your strength when you need it and your peace when the chaos creeps in. I vow to love every part of you, even the parts you still think you need to hide from the world.”

Her voice cracked slightly as she whispered, “I’m yours, Austin King. Heart, soul, scars, and all.”

Jesus. I’d never been more wrecked in my life. The officiant said something—I barely heard it.

“You may kiss the bride.”

I didn’t wait. I pulled her in and kissed her like it was our first and last breath all rolled into one. Her hands gripped the lapels of my jacket, and somewhere behind us someone whistled—probably Tank—but I didn’t care.

She was mine. Mrs. Emmy King. Queen of the Kings of Chaos and of my heart. And I’d spend every damn day making sure she never doubted it.

As I was waiting for her to change so we could leave for our honeymoon and I could finally get her all to myself, my phone rang. I almost ignored it. But when the unknown number flashed across the screen, something in my gut told me to answer.

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