Jay's pov
I stood in front of the floor length mirror. The reflection staring back at me didn't seem like my own.
I looked different. I felt different.
The makeup on my face was a light mask.
My hair pinned up in a perfect bun.
And the dress.
It sat on my body like it belonged there.
It hugged every curve. Every dip. Even bend.
The shimmering lace train ending just a few feet away from where i stood.
The veil rested at the top of my head. A slight weight at the top of my head.
The door to the room opened and my mother walked in.
She froze in the doorway. He gace moving up then down.
Lingering a little on my face each time.
"Soo…how do I look?"
"You look…absolutely stunning. I never imagined my little girl in a wedding dress. But I'm happy I didn't."
"Why?"
"Because this moment wouldn't have been this magical."
My eyes welled. Tears threatened to fall.
The mother I once thought had no care in the world for me was standing in front of me. Stunned by how I look. Calling this moment magical, special. On my wedding day.
"Come on. There's someone I aant you to meet before the ceremony."
She took my hand gently in hers and guided me to the garden.
Standing there, only a few feet away, was my father.
Jasper Mariano
"P-pa?"
He didn't say anything. Just opened his arms wide. Letting me run into them like I always hoped to
I broke down. Tears falling down my cheeks.
Thank God the make was waterproof. Well at least the setting spray was.
I would love to thank Freya for that.
Papa wrapped his arms around me. Cradling my head.
"You've grown so much."
"The why weren't you there to see me grow."
"I wish I could. But your brothers never let me."
"Who cares about them!"
"Jay. They had legal custody over you. I couldn't do anything. But I'll be around more now."
"Promise?"
I said sticking out my pinky finger.
"Promise"
As he locked his finger around mine.
"Now come on. Let's get you down that aisle"
He said wiping away tbe last bit of the tears that fell involuntarily.
I took his arm. Hooking mine with his.
My one wish for my wedding came true.
Well two including the fact that I am marrying Keifer but I had this wish since i was a child.
The Keifer one came way after.
——
I stood in front of the large mahogany doors.
The white flowers over the arch looked like a crown.
The silver lace slithered up the columns on each side.
I heard the music. The soft, slow melody. Floating through.
But my thoughts drowned out the music.
What if he doesn't love me anymore?
What if I'm not a good wife?
What if I kick him while sleeping?
JAY! WTH! Calma.
Like I don't already kick him all the time but…you know.
Before another thought could slip into my head i felt my father's arm tighten around mine. The large doors swung open, revealing a sea of midnight blue and silver.
The decorations matched. The dresses and suits. Everything.
And waiting there.
At the end of the aisle.
Was
…
…
…
Keifer.
My love
My life
My future husband
My best friend (after Ci)
My everything
His gaze never faltered. Those storm grey eyes never left mine.
And suddenly. All I could see was him.
All I could hear was him.
All I could feel was him.
Because I had somehow walked down the aisle while all there thoughts ran through my head. Standing right in front of him.
I felt the warmth of my fathers hand leave mine only to be replaced by the familiar feeling of Keifers.
"Son. She's my only daughter. I am trusting you. Take care if her."
"Always" Keifer replied.
And suddenly. My father wasn't beside me anymore. All that was there was him.
His feeling. His scent. His hand in mine. His piercing grey gaze, fixed on mine.
The priest cleared his throat, drawing the attention of everyone gathered in the grand hall.
"We are gathered here today to witness the union of two souls, two hearts, and two lives that have chosen to become one."
His gaze shifted between Keifer and me, a gentle smile settling upon his face.
"Marriage is not simply a promise to stand beside one another in moments of happiness. It is a promise to remain when the world becomes difficult, to offer a hand when the other begins to fall, and to choose one another even when the path ahead seems uncertain."
He paused, allowing his words to settle over the silent congregation.
"Today, these two stand before us not as perfect individuals, but as two people willing to build something imperfectly beautiful together. They stand here with the understanding that love is not merely found in grand gestures or whispered promises, but in the countless little choices made every day. In patience. In forgiveness. In trust. And in the courage to open one's heart completely to another."
The priest turned towards Keifer.
"Do you, Keifer, take Jay to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love her, honour her, and stand beside her through every season of life? To remain faithful to her, to protect the love you share, and to choose her, today and every day that follows, for as long as you both shall live?"
He waited for Keifer's answer before turning towards me.
"And do you, Jay, take Keifer to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love him, honour him, and stand beside him through every season of life? To remain faithful to him, to cherish the love you share, and to choose him, today and every day that follows, for as long as you both shall live?"
The priest nodded, his expression warm.
"Then, before we continue, I invite you both to exchange your vows. Speak not only of the love you feel in this moment, but of the promises you intend to keep long after this day has passed."
Keifer spoke first.
"Jay. The day you walked into my life, you didn't just bring yourself. You brought the light that led me back to living.
Before you, I was just a boy sitting in a classroom, with no real purpose in life other than protecting my brothers. I wasn't living, Jay. I was just existing. Waking up every morning, getting through the day, and waiting for it to be over.
But then you walked in.
And somehow, without even realising it, you made me want more. You made me want to live. Actually live. I started staying up for reasons other than the thoughts in my head. I started speaking when all I ever wanted to do was stay quiet. I started smiling without having to pretend. And somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you.
And that was one of the best things I have ever done.
We haven't always had it easy. We've had our ups and downs, our arguments, our moments when loving each other wasn't the easiest thing in the world. But through it all, you're still here. Standing in front of me, looking at me like I'm someone worth loving. Like I'm more than the broken boy I used to be.
And I don't think you'll ever understand what that means to me.
You didn't just fall in love with the person I am today, Jay. You loved the parts of me I was still trying to figure out how to fix. You stayed through the silence, the uncertainty, and the days when I couldn't even explain what was going on inside my own head. You gave me a reason to believe that maybe, just maybe, I deserved a little happiness, too.
So today, I promise you this.
I promise to love you in every version of yourself. To cherish you when the world is kind to you and hold you when it isn't. To protect your heart with the same care you've always shown mine. To listen when you need to be heard, to stay when things get difficult, and to never let you question whether you're loved.
I promise to keep choosing you. On the beautiful days, on the difficult ones, and on all the ordinary days in between.
Because you taught me that love isn't just about finding someone you can't live without. It's about finding someone who makes you want to live.
And, Jay, that's what you did for me.
You gave me a life I actually want to live. And if I had to go back and do it all over again, knowing every heartbreak, every argument, and every difficult moment we'd face, I'd still choose you. Every single time.
You were the girl who made a broken boy believe in love again. And now, for as long as I have breath in my lungs, I promise to spend my life making sure you never regret being the girl who chose him.
I love you, Jay. I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you until there is no breath left in me."
I felt tears forming. But I refused to let them fall.
"Kiefer. I wish I could tell you that I knew, from the very beginning, that I'd end up standing here one day, promising you forever. But the truth is, I didn't. I had no idea that the boy who barely spoke to me would one day become the person I'd want to tell everything to. I had no idea that somewhere between all our conversations, our arguments, our laughter, and all the moments in between, you would become my home.
But I did know one thing.
Even when you tried to hide from the world, I could see you.
I saw the boy who carried so much on his shoulders and still found a way to show up for the people he loved. I saw how fiercely you protected your brothers, how much you kept to yourself, and how often you put everyone else's happiness before your own. And I remember wishing, more than once, that someone would remind you that you deserved to be taken care of, too.
I just never imagined I'd be the one who got to do it.
Kiefer, you always say that I brought light into your life. But I don't think you realise that you brought something into mine, too. You taught me that love isn't always loud. Sometimes, it's in the way someone remembers the smallest things about you. In the way they look for you in a crowded room. In the way they make even the most ordinary moments feel like memories you'll want to keep forever.
You did that for me.
And somewhere along the way, you stopped being just the boy I wanted to understand and became the boy I couldn't imagine my future without.
We've made mistakes. We've hurt each other. We've had moments when we didn't know how to find our way back to one another. But if there's one thing loving you has taught me, it's that love isn't about never getting lost. It's about being willing to find each other again.
And I'd find you, Kiefer. In every lifetime, in every crowded room, in every version of this world where we somehow manage to cross paths. I'd find you.
So today, I promise to be your peace when the world becomes too loud. I promise to remind you to rest when you feel like you have to carry everything alone. I promise to stand beside you, not because I think you need someone to save you, but because you deserve someone who chooses to stay.
I promise to love you when you're confident and when you're uncertain. When you're smiling and when you don't have the words to explain why you're not. I promise to celebrate your victories, to hold your hand through your failures, and to remind you that neither changes the way I see you.
And I promise that you'll never have to earn my love by being strong all the time.
You don't have to be the protector every second of every day. You don't have to have all the answers. You don't have to pretend you're okay when you're not. With me, Kiefer, you can just be you. And I will love you just as fiercely.
Because I don't love you for the boy you might become, or for the things you do for the people around you. I love you for the person you are, even in the moments when you struggle to see him yourself.
You say I gave you a reason to live. But you gave me a thousand reasons to look forward to tomorrow. You gave me a love I never want to take for granted, a hand I never want to let go of, and a future that feels a little less frightening because I know you'll be in it.
So, Kiefer, if all we ever get is this one life, I want it with you. I want the quiet mornings, the ridiculous arguments, the late-night conversations, the difficult days, and every little moment that makes a life ours.
I want to grow old with you. I want to look back on this day when we're older and remember how we stood here, promising each other forever, without knowing all the things life would ask of us.
And even then, after everything, I want to look at you and make the same promise all over again.
You were never a broken boy to me, Kiefer. You were always someone worth loving. And I hope that for the rest of our lives, I get to remind you of that.
I choose you. Today, tomorrow, and every day after that.
And if forever is a promise I get to make only once, then I'm glad it's you I'm making it to.
I love you, Kiefer. And I will, for as long as you'll let me."
When we had finished, the priest smiled at us both, his eyes glistening ever so slightly.
"May the promises you have made today remain with you long after the flowers have withered and the music has faded. May you find comfort in one another, strength in one another, and a love that grows deeper with every passing year."
He turned towards the gathered guests before looking back at us.
"By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
A soft murmur of joy rippled through the hall.
The priest's smile widened.
"Keifer, you may kiss your bride."
——
By the time we arrived at the reception, the sun had begun to set, painting the sky in shades of soft pink and burnt orange.
For a moment, I genuinely forgot how to breathe.
The entire room looked like something straight out of a dream.
Soft peach and apricot flowers adorned the tables, their delicate petals arranged among little golden candleholders that reflected the warm light flickering around the room. Long ribbons of pale peach silk draped elegantly from the ceiling, intertwined with tiny fairy lights that made everything sparkle. The tables were covered in ivory linens, with gold-rimmed plates, delicate glassware, and little arrangements of roses in shades of peach, cream, and the palest orange.
Even the smallest details seemed to belong there. The golden cutlery. The peach-coloured candles. The tiny name cards edged in gold.
Everything was warm. Everything was beautiful.
And somehow, everything felt like us.
I stood at the entrance, taking it all in, my fingers still intertwined with Kiefer's.
"Jay?"
I turned towards him.
He was looking at me instead of the reception.
"What?" I asked, unable to stop the smile spreading across my face.
"You've been staring at the decorations for the past thirty seconds."
"Because they're beautiful."
He glanced around the room before looking back at me. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
His lips curved into that familiar smile, the one that always made me feel like I was the only person in the room.
"I can think of something more beautiful."
I rolled my eyes, laughing softly as I nudged his shoulder. "You are actually unbearable."
"And yet, you married me."
"Unfortunately."
"Too late to change your mind now, Mrs. —"
He stopped himself, his grin widening.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Finish that sentence, Kiefer."
He laughed, pulling me closer by the waist.
"Nothing, wife."
Wife.
The word settled somewhere deep in my chest.
My husband.
It still felt strange to think about. Wonderful, unbelievable, almost too big to fit inside my heart. Just hours ago, he had been standing in front of me, promising me forever, and now he was here, holding my hand as though he had every intention of keeping every single promise he'd made.
And the most incredible part?
I believed him.
The evening passed in a blur of laughter, photographs, congratulations, and far too many people reminding us how beautiful we looked together. I danced with people I had known for years, hugged family members until my cheeks hurt from smiling, and laughed until my stomach ached.
Through it all, Kiefer never seemed to stray too far.
Sometimes, I'd look across the room and catch him watching me. Other times, I'd feel his fingers brush against mine beneath the table, or find his hand settling at the small of my back as he guided me through the crowd.
It was the little things.
It had always been the little things with him.
And then, eventually, the music changed.
A softer melody drifted through the speakers, and the conversations around us gradually quieted as the lights dimmed. The golden fairy lights seemed to glow a little brighter against the dusky room, casting everything in a warm, honey-coloured haze.
Our first dance.
My stomach fluttered.
Kiefer appeared in front of me, holding out his hand with an exaggeratedly formal expression.
"May I have this dance, Mrs. —?"
I placed my hand in his, smiling. "You may."
He led me towards the centre of the room, where the other guests began gathering around us. I could feel their eyes on us, hear the occasional excited whisper, but the moment his hand settled against my waist, the rest of the room seemed to fade.
He drew me closer.
I rested one hand on his shoulder, the other still clasped in his, and let him guide me as we began to sway to the music.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
I looked up at him, taking in the familiar details of his face. The way his hair fell slightly out of place. The tiny crease beside his mouth when he smiled. The eyes I had spent so much time trying to understand, the same eyes that had looked at me when he promised to love me for the rest of his life.
"You're staring," he murmured.
"I'm allowed to stare at my husband."
His smile softened.
"Your husband," he repeated quietly, almost as though he was testing the words himself.
I nodded. "My husband."
He shook his head, a quiet laugh escaping him, but there was something different about his expression now. Something tender. Something that made my heart ache in the best possible way.
"God, I love you," he whispered.
I smiled, brushing my thumb across his knuckles. "I love you, too."
He pulled me a little closer, resting his forehead against mine for a brief moment as we continued to sway.
And suddenly, I didn't care about the flowers or the decorations or the hundreds of tiny golden lights surrounding us.
I didn't care who was watching.
I didn't care whether we were dancing perfectly or whether I had stepped on his shoes for the third time.
All I cared about was that it was him.
The boy who had once struggled to let people in. The boy who had taught me that love could be found in the quietest moments. The boy who was now holding me in the middle of a room full of people, wearing a wedding ring and looking at me as though he still couldn't quite believe I was real.
I rose onto my toes and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
He turned his head towards me. "What was that for?"
"For marrying me."
He laughed. "Pretty sure I should be thanking you for that."
"Then thank me properly."
His eyebrows lifted. "Oh, yeah?"
I nodded, trying desperately to look serious.
Instead of answering, he leaned down and kissed me.
It was soft and unhurried, his hand warm against my cheek, and somewhere behind us, our guests erupted into cheers.
I pulled away, laughing against his lips.
"They're watching!"
"Let them."
"Kiefer!"
"What?" he asked innocently, resting his forehead against mine. "I'm dancing with my wife."
And there it was again.
That word.
Wife.
I was going to be completely insufferable about it for the rest of my life.
The song eventually came to an end, but neither of us moved straight away. We stayed there for another moment, his arms wrapped around me, my cheek resting against his chest.
When I finally lifted my head, he brushed a stray strand of hair away from my face.
"Ready to go home?"
I smiled.
"With you? Always."
By the time we finally left, the night had settled over everything.
The last of our guests waved us goodbye, and I glanced back at the reception hall one final time. Through the windows, I could still see the soft peach flowers and the golden lights glowing against the darkness, a little piece of the day we would remember for the rest of our lives.
Kiefer slipped his jacket over my shoulders when he noticed me shiver.
"You cold?"
"A little."
He tucked me closer to his side. "There. Better?"
I looked up at him. "Much."
He kissed my forehead before guiding me towards the car.
The journey home was quieter than I expected. My feet hurt, my cheeks ached from smiling, and I was fairly certain I had never been so exhausted in my entire life.
But I was happy.
The kind of happy that made everything else feel unimportant.
I rested my head against Kiefer's shoulder, our fingers intertwined between us. Every so often, he would lift my hand to his lips and kiss my knuckles, and each time, I found myself smiling like an idiot.
At some point, I caught him looking at our hands.
"What?" I asked sleepily.
He turned my hand over, studying the ring on my finger.
"Nothing."
"Kiefer."
He smiled to himself. "I'm just trying to get used to it."
"To what?"
He lifted his eyes to mine.
"Being your husband."
My heart did that ridiculous little flip all over again.
I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You'd better get used to it. You've got a lifetime."
He looked at me for a long moment before threading his fingers through mine again.
"A lifetime," he repeated.
And the way he said it made it sound less like a promise and more like the most wonderful thing he had ever been given.
When we finally arrived home, Kiefer got out first and came around to open my door. I laughed when he offered me his hand as though I were a princess stepping out of a carriage.
"Very gentlemanly of you, husband."
He grinned. "I'm full of surprises, wife."
I took his hand, and he helped me out of the car before pulling me into his arms.
For a moment, we simply stood there beneath the night sky.
No music. No guests. No photographer asking us to look at each other for the hundredth time.
Just us.
Kiefer pressed a kiss to my forehead, then another to my cheek.
"Hi, wife," he whispered.
I laughed softly, wrapping my arms around his waist.
"Hi, husband."
He looked down at me, smiling in that quiet way that always made me feel like my heart had found its place.
Then he kissed me, and I rose onto my toes to meet him halfway.
When we finally pulled apart, I rested my forehead against his.
"Today was perfect," I whispered.
He brushed his thumb across my cheek.
"It was."
I smiled. "And tomorrow?"
He kissed the tip of my nose.
"Tomorrow, I get to wake up married to you."
I couldn't help it. I kissed him again.
Because perhaps that was the best part of all.
The wedding was over. The flowers would eventually wilt, the golden lights would be switched off, and the beautiful peach decorations would be packed away.
But he would still be there.
And I would still be his.
For the first time in my life, forever didn't feel like a distant, impossible thing.
It felt like home.
And home was standing right in front of me, holding my hand, wearing a ring that matched mine.
My Kiefer.
My husband.
My forever.
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