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fifty-one

Rory

“I can’t believe we’re doing this!” I say happily, hand in Cole’s as we walk through the bustling crowds.

“And you’re still sure this is what you want?”

“I did say yes, didn’t I?”

Cole smiles widely, staring at the metal on my finger as he brushes his thumb over the stone.

He pulls me in for a kiss, murmuring against my lips. “You did say yes. Best moment of my life so far.”

I just grin as I recall the past hour.

“Do we have everything we need?” I ask, going through my mental checklist.

“Well, I grabbed myself an outfit. You grabbed a dress that you won’t let me see.”

“You’ll see it soon enough, Cole.”

He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me in tight as he kisses my forehead. “And you’re going to look incredibly beautiful, I’m sure.”

I smile against his chest, fisting the fabric of his shirt. “I love you.”

He tilts my chin up, softly kissing my lips. “I love you, too, baby.” He brushes his hand over my cheek, and the simple touch sends warmth coursing through me. “Do we need anything else?”

“I grabbed the makeup I need to get ready and a pair of heels. You grabbed yourself a pair of dress shoes. And we went to the jewelry store and got rings because you insisted we not use the ones they provide for us.”

The best part about Vegas is that you can find anything you want whenever you want it. The city never sleeps, so a number of stores are open twenty-four hours, and you can find whatever you need, including wedding bands at two in the morning.

“You’re worth more than silicone or cheap metal,” he laughs. “You deserve the best.”

“That’s why I have you.” I share a sweet smile with him. “You are the best.”

“You’re fucking incredible.” Cole pulls me into a tight hug before releasing me.

“I think we have everything we need. We’re ready to do this.”

“Almost,” he says, a sly smirk on his face. “There’s one thing left to do.”

He pulls us off of the crowded sidewalk of the Las Vegas Strip to a more secluded area. Well, as secluded as you can get among the busy city.

“What are you doing?” I laugh as we come to a stop in front of some greenery.

Cole stands before me and takes my hands in his. “There’s one thing I still want to do. That I need to do first.” He takes a deep breath before continuing. “I love you, Rory. More today than yesterday, and I’m sure I’ll love you even more tomorrow. I know we haven’t officially been together long, but I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. You’re meant to be mine, and I’m meant to be yours. We’re meant to be together . And having you for the rest of my life would only be the start. But before we can get to forever, I need to make my intentions clear.”

“What do you mean?” I ask breathlessly.

He gives me a boyish grin before falling down on one knee, reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, and pulling out a black velvet box. “You need to be engaged before you get married, Rory.”

“We’re already on our way to get married now,” I say, hands clasped over my mouth and tears pricking my eyes.

“Doesn’t matter.” Cole reaches out one of his hands, and I lower one of mine, letting him take hold of it. A crowd of people on the sidewalk have stopped moving, noticing the moment we’re having over here and watching to see how it unfolds. “I love you. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anybody. I can’t think of a better way to spend my life than by spending the rest of it with you.” He uses his other hand to flip open the box, revealing a large, solitary diamond atop a gold band. It’s exactly the kind of ring I would have picked for myself. “Rory Elizabeth Fisher, will you marry me?”

The tears finally spill over as I nod my head before I can finally squeak out, “Yes.”

The waiting crowd claps and cheers as Cole slides the ring onto my finger. He quickly stands up and claims me in a searing kiss, ready to spend the next hour as my fiancé.

We finally stop outside of the famous wedding chapel that sits right on the Vegas Strip. The same one Harlow stopped us at during Ella’s bachelorette weekend. The same one where I told Lucia that I’d happily elope in Vegas as long as I loved the man I was with.

I didn’t know it then, but I was predicting my own future.

Cole squeezes my hand, gazing at me with stars in his eyes. “You ready for this?”

I smile at him. “Ready for anything with you.”

“Wow,” I say, staring at my reflection in the floor-length mirror.

I feel beautiful right now.

The fact that I found the perfect outfit to marry my best friend just on the racks of the open stores seems like a feat, but it’s honestly stunning.

My dress is a one-shoulder white tea-length dress with a large bow on the shoulder strap and a gold metal band circling the waist. The skirt is loose and flared, flowing with every step I take. I dressed it up with a pair of matching strappy gold heels and a gold metal floral headband with my hair in a low bun, a few strands free to frame my face.

With the bouquet of deep red roses in my hand, I feel like a bride .

And my groom is currently waiting for me at the altar.

“Are you ready?” the chapel worker asks me.

“Yes,” I say with a bright smile. “I’m ready.”

“Then follow me,” she grins. “He’s waiting for you just in the other room.”

I flatten my palms against the skirt of my dress, laying the fabric out exactly the way I want it before I follow after her, standing just outside the doors of the chapel.

Cole and our officiant must be getting into their positions while I wait, and I’m curious to see how he dressed for this. He doesn’t dress up often, but he looks so damn good when he does.

The music starts, and that’s my cue to move.

It was hard to narrow down the song I wanted to use for the processional. I considered going with either one of our favorite songs— Chasing Cars or Halo . I even thought about using Starlight because I thought he might get a kick out of that.

But, as strange as it may seem, I’ve always enjoyed Paramore, and they have the absolute perfect song.

So when The Only Exception starts playing, I move to stand in the open doorway, eyes floating down the aisle and landing on my future husband.

Wow.

Cole’s gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

He went with a simpler look, but it suits him so well. He’s in black slacks, black Oxfords, and a crisp white dress shirt, tucked in but with the top couple of buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up, showing off the tattoos I love so much. He topped all of that off by pulling his hair up into his favorite bun, giving me a perfect view of his sweet face.

And his face is so sweet right now.

I can see his breath catch the moment he lays eyes on me, mouth open in awe. I know I blush when he does.

Cole makes me feel so beautiful.

The music continues, and I slowly walk down the aisle. I see Cole take his thumb and rub it under his eye.

He’s crying.

Because he gets to marry me.

And just like that, I fall even more in love with my almost-husband.

When I reach the end of the aisle and take the few steps up to the altar, a worker grabs my bouquet, freeing my hands for Cole to immediately reach over and grab, emotion swirling all over his face.

“Hi, Starlight,” he says softly.

“Hi, Sparrow.”

He lets out a breath and lowly says, “God, you’re beautiful.”

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” I reply with a light laugh.

My only response is the bright smile Cole sports throughout the ceremony.

We follow along with the officiant, repeating after him when he asks us to. When it comes time for our vows, we both agree that we want them to be personal, so we’ll just speak from our hearts.

“Rory,” Cole says as his eyes begin to water again. “I don’t think I can put into words how incredible you are. You’ve been my friend since we met, but loving you is all I ever wanted. Most days still feel like a dream. I wake up in the morning and expect to find that none of this is real, but then I see you in my arms, and I know my reality is a dream. Because you are a dream. You’re my dream. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved, and I vow that you’ll remain the only one for the rest of my life. I love you more than you can even imagine, and spending my life with you makes me the luckiest man alive.”

My own tears escape at his sweet words. I have no doubt that he means each and every one of them. I’ll spend my life being treasured, and that’s the life I want to have.

The officiant moves to me now, and I take a deep breath to compose myself.

“Cole,” I say through a watery breath. “I’ve never met anyone like you. I didn’t think we’d end up here, so I resigned myself to just being your friend. But that’s never what I wanted. I wanted you . The best thing we ever did was give in to those feelings because now we have each other, and I never plan on letting you go. You’re my love, my rock, and my best friend. Spending my life with you is everything I want and need. I vow to always love you and be the woman you deserve.”

“You already are,” he whispers, a stray tear rolling down his cheek.

The officiant finishes out the ceremony, my mind so preoccupied that I barely register what’s happening as we exchange rings and I Do’s and hardly hear another word until he says the ones we’ve both been waiting for.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

I have no time to react before Cole swoops me in, resting a hand low on my back with the other on my hip as he dips me backward, bending over the top of me and giving me the most loving kiss I’ve ever had.

Our life together starts right now, and what a life it’s going to be with Cole by my side.