Page 117 of Best Kept Vows

“I’m still here,” I whispered.

He smiled, and I saw him not as the man of old promises but as a man who knew me.

"I see you now, Lia—not as the woman who waited nor merely as the wife who kept everything together. I see you as Ophelia Boone, the strongest woman I've ever known. I choose you. And I hope, baby, that I will remain worthy so you will choose me every day."

I exhaled shakily, pressing my lips together as his words made me emotional.

"Sebastian," I whispered with trembling certainty. "I was so afraid of vanishing into our marriage, of losing the very essence of who I was. Leaving wasn’t an escape from you—it was my quest to find myself. And now, I see that I don't have to choose between being your wife and being me. I can be both."

Sebastian’s fingers tightened around mine.

"So today, as the sunlight fades into dusk and our friends bear witness to these vows that renew our commitment to each other, I choose you, too.” I sniffled and then gave out a laugh when Sebastian wiped my tears with his fingers. "I choose the man who once made promises long ago and the man before me now—the one who fought for us, my friend, my lover, my confidante, my husband who truly sees me."

Tears glistened in his eyes, and as theofficiant pronounced us husband and wife once more, Sebastian’s kiss carried the magic of sealing our vows that I knew would span a lifetime.