Page 103 of Knot Your Romeo

The gathering has gone quiet. Everyone's attention focused on me with warm encouragement.

"But I was wrong. Because of all of you, I've learned that love doesn't follow rules or traditions or other people's expectations. But if you're brave enough to reach for it…if you're willing to build something new instead of settling for something safe. That's when you find it."

I turn to look at each of my mates. "You all taught me to believe in me." My voice wavers slightly, but I press on. "That I am enough, exactly as I am. That I deserve happiness, deserve love, deserve a place to belong."

"You do," my mother calls out, her voice thick with emotion. "You all do."

A chorus of agreement rises from our guests, and I feel overwhelmed by the support, the acceptance, the sheer amount of love surrounding us.

"So thank you," I continue, "for choosing us, for celebrating with us, for believing that love wins even when it looks different than expected."

"To love," Beck says, raising his glass.

"To love," everyone echoes, and the sound of clinking glasses fills the air like music.

Here I am, living proof that fairy tales don't always follow traditional scripts. Sometimes the princess saves herself. Sometimes she chooses three princes instead of one.

Sometimes the happily ever after looks nothing like what anyone expected.

And sometimes, that makes it even more beautiful.

The End.