Page 131 of Luck Be Mine
She met his green eyes and saw nothing else. A flash of memory of their first moment in the emergency room at Bagram came back to her. Her thoughts had been clear –no one else would work on him. Just me.
The team stood with him, all in white uniforms. Quaid was at his side, the dark tuxedo a great contrast in the sea of white. Doogie was all smiles.
She stepped to Hunt’s side. Mackey leaned to kiss her cheek. “Go get him, sister.”
Cait smiled, and kissed his cheek, too. “You’re the best, Mac.”
Hunt settled at her side. Suddenly, she wanted his hand in hers with an urgency that stole her breath. This time, she wasn’t marrying for protection or survival. She was marrying because she couldn’t imagine life without him. She reached with her left hand to take his because it mattered. She shut her eyes to quell the emotion.
He slipped his arm behind her back. His lips at her ear brought her back. “I’m right here.”
“I know.” She opened her eyes, even though she wasn’t sure if she could banish the hard memories and not cry.
He coaxed her forward to Doogie.
“Are you both ready?” His soft voice was totally at odds with his persona.
Hunt’s calm demeanor fueled hers. She took a settling breath and nodded at their friend.
Doogie took his time and eased into the moment. “Friends, family, and loved ones, we are gathered here to celebrate aunion, the anniversary of one and now the renewal of one. While the ‘I dos’ were said five years ago, life stays the same for no one. Cait and Hunt wanted to add to the vows of years ago, not repeat them. So, we’ll begin with Cait and let her speak her truth.
Cait wet her lips and took Hunt’s hands again. “I thought I wanted to write my vows to get them perfect.” She shook her head. “But nothing about us has ever been perfect. It’s been real, and real is better.
Her pulse steadied when he smiled, quiet and sure, his eyes already glistening. The soft chuckle from the gathering carried her forward.
She glanced at their joined hands. “You married me the first time when I was broken. When no one knew if I would ever walk again or feel my hand enough to hold a scalpel. I didn’t even know who I was. And you ?” Her voice hitched, “?you gave me more than vows. You gave me a reason to keep fighting. You gave me your name, your strength, and your stubborn faith in me.”
Her fingers tightened on his. “I stand here today because of you. Not because you carried me, but because you never stopped showing up. It’s what love does.”
Her voice deepened with conviction. “So this is me choosing you again. Not because we said vows once, but because every day since, you’ve been the man who holds me steady. I don’t need you, Travis. I want you. Always.”
Doogie spoke softly. “Your turn, brother.”
Hunt didn’t speak right away.
He took her hand and moved it to his chest, laying her fingers over his medals, his trident, and his heart. Keeping his fingers laced on top of hers, his voice came in low.
“I didn’t write anything either. I decided to wait until the moment and speak what came from my heart, not what I made work on a piece of paper.”
Seconds passed. His jaw flexed. “I’ve had five years of loving you. Five years of screwing up and trying again. Five years of figuring out us and holding on ? even when I didn’t think I deserved this.”
Cait swallowed. His eyes stayed steady and raw on hers, and she pushed back tears.
“I used to believe you’d be better off without me. Hell, sometimes I still do. But you keep proving me wrong. I need to be the man that proves you right.”
She tightened her fingers on him and nodded, mouthing ‘you do.’
His eyes swept over her face. “I’d marry you a hundred times, Cait. I will walk through every fire with you if it means I get to walk out with you. I love you. Forever.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers.
Quaid stepped forward and eased around Hunt, handing a ring to Doogie. The two men carefully hid it from her eyes.
Doogie gazed out at the guests. “Wedding rings symbolize eternal love and fidelity between a couple. As a friend of both, I can verify this commitment exists between Hunt and Cait, and I am happy to bless this ring for Cait’s hand. When you retire, my friend, there is a wedding ring waiting for your hand as well. May this ring be a symbol of all you wish to keep in your life.” He passed the ring to Hunt. Cait still couldn’t see it.
Cait handed her rose to Jackie and lifted her left hand to Hunt. He took her fingers and gazed at her. “You frequently take your ring off and put it on a necklace when surgeries come your way, so I continued our tradition of simple is best. Everything we are together is bound in this ring.”
A full circle platinum diamond wedding band slid easily on her finger, the brilliance of the diamonds stunning in their sparkle. She gasped and met his eyes, surprised beyond words. “Simple?” she mouthed at him.
“Serious marriage, serious ring.”
