Page 125 of Six Month Wife

“Somehow you keep getting better than age.” I glance down, then back up at him. “Though youdidwear a tie that day.”

He slips his fingers through mine. “Gotta keep you on your toes.”

The officiant clears her throat, trying not to smile. That’s our cue to step out of our little bubble and join everyone else for the ceremony.

“Adair and Parker have chosen to write their vows.”

Parker turns to me, clears his throat, and gives me that crooked half-smile that always spells trouble. Or, love.

“I didn’t expect the best thing in my life to start with a contract, a technicality, and a massage I’m still convinced was a setup.”

Laughter rolls through the crowd.

“But I’d do it all again, to end up with you.”

He breathes in, steady now.

“You’re the most brilliant, maddening, mesmerizing woman I’ve ever met. You push me, ground me, and somehow make me better without even trying. You make me want to be better. I dragged you into a storm of contracts, headlines, and complications, and you stayed anyway. That choice changed everything for me.”

His hands tighten gently around mine.

“I promise to love you with everything I’ve got. To listen when it matters. To argue fairly, unless you’re wrong, in which case I reserve the right to cite sources.”

More laughter.

“I vow to protect your heart like it’s my own. And to never forget what it means to be loved by you.”

I blink fast. My eyes sting, and my nose does that awful pre-cry tingle I can’t stop.

“Adair?”

I square up, heart pounding, but I'm resolved to project a clear voice. These are the most important words I've ever spoken.

"I never thought I'd be married twice by the time I was thirty."

That gets a loud chuckle.

“But here we are. Real vows. Real dress. Real feelings. And real witnesses.”

Parker’s shoulders shake with quiet laughter. I smile, then let it soften.

“You started as a strategy, a calculated risk I took with my head.”

I pause, eyes locked on his.

“But somewhere between fake vows and real mornings, between sales pitches and beach walks, I stopped thinking.”

I squeeze his hands.

“And I fell. Hard. With everything I had.”

“I vow to choose you. On the loud days, the slow days, the days when we’re too tired to do anything but order takeout and watch reruns. I’ll call you on your crap, cheer for your wild ideas, and make you laugh when you need it most. I promise to be all in, loudly, stubbornly, joyfully, all the days of our lives.”

The officiant smiles softly. “Adair and Parker, you’ve chosen each other with open hearts and honest words. In front of the people who love you, and the ones who still can't believe you're doing this twice—” a wave of laughter rolls through the crowd, “—you've made promises that matter.”

She pauses, letting it land.

“So now, by the power vested in me by the state of Florida and this wildly entertained wedding party, I pronounce you husband and wife.”