Page 40 of Ex- Factor

“Who would’ve thought we’d end up like this?” I whispered, my voice barely louder than the breeze spilling through the open glass doors. The night air was warm, thick with the scent of salt and blooming jasmine. The waves played percussion in the background, soft and steady.

“One day, you just showed up at my house and never left.” I let out a low laugh, my fingers trailing down Silas’s arm where it rested heavy across my waist.

We were stretched out naked across the bed, fresh off the plane, finally starting our honeymoon.

Our skin was still damp from the shower, the sheets cool beneath us, the air conditioner humming low in the background.

Silas's fingertips moved in slow, lazy circles on my hip like he was trying to memorize me all over again.

He chuckled, deep and husky. “Not me. I always knew.” His lips grazed my temple. “Back then, I didn’t even believe in happy endings. But you…” He exhaled, voice catching just a little. “You gave me mine.”

We lay there for a beat, soaking in the quiet, the comfort, the miracle of it all.

“Feels like a song,” I murmured. “Some ‘90s R&B joint… We’re in the music video—me, you, this bed, the ocean just outside.”

Silas smirked. “If it’s a song, then you gotta give me the hook. Sing it to me.”

I laughed, burying my face in his chest. “You don’t want me to sing. I’d sound terrible.”

He tightened his arm around me, pulling me closer until I was flush against him, our legs tangled. “I know. I’ve heard you.” He laughed. “Doesn’t matter. I’d still want it.” His voice dropped, quiet and serious now. “I’d take your off-key forever over anyone else’s perfect.”

That made me pause. Made me swallow hard.

He kissed my forehead, then my cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered. “For choosing me. For staying. For seeing me through the worst parts of myself and still loving me anyway.”

I blinked back sudden tears. “You don’t have to thank me. We chose each other.”

“I know,” he murmured. “But I still thank you. Every day. You made me believe in things I thought I’d buried a long time ago.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head against his shoulder. My throat tightened. I turned to face him, eyes locked on his. “I wrote vows for you. I couldn’t find the words when they counted… but I want you to hear them now.”

His hand stilled. His gaze sharpened. “Say them, baby.”

I took a shaky breath. “Silas Wright… You are my proof that broken doesn’t mean unworthy.

That a man can carry scars and still hold a woman gentle.

You’re my protector, my peace, my mirror.

You make me brave. I promise to never let you forget who you are when the world tries to break you down.

I promise to laugh with you when it’s good, hold you when it’s bad, and remind you, always, that you are enough. You’re already enough.”

Tears welled in his eyes, but he smiled through them—slow and reverent. He leaned in, kissed me long and deep, until I felt like my soul was pressed against his.

Then he rolled over, his weight covering me, his mouth still on mine. His voice was a growl against my lips.

“I want to make love to my wife.”

And as he pushed into me, the ocean roared, the wind rushed through the room, and the world blurred into nothing but him.