Page 88 of The Oath We Give

More than a voice. More than a phone number.

She will always have me.

I drop my forehead down to hers, taking a breath filled with her scent.

Her breath hitches in the back of her throat, head tilting back further as if to give me access, like she’d let me explore her mouth with my tongue right here. I dig my fingers into the back of her neck, clutching to my self-control.

“But I won’t,” I murmur, pulling back from her face, creating space between the two of us. “The first time I kiss you, Hex, is when I make you my wife.”

Coraline’s tongue traces her bottom lip, catching my thumb in the process.

“There is no one else in the world I’d rather do this with,” I say honestly. “Am I leaning enough?”

She clears her throat, nodding her head slowly as she takes a step back from my hold. Heat crawls up from her neck and tints her cheeks.

“We should…” She points toward the doors behind me. “We should probably get in there.”

My teeth pinch my bottom lip as I shake my head. This fucking girl.

Like it was her idea all along, I extend my hand, pressing the door open for her to walk through. To my surprise, we make it all the way to the end without a peep, finally standing in front of the judge.

“Glad we could all make it,” she says, readjusting her black robe and pressing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. “Are we ready to begin?”

I turn my body face-to-face with Coraline, who does the same. Once again, I reach both of my hands out. I’m going fifty, and I just need her to come the other fifty.

She takes a deep breath before slipping her hands into mine, giving a cute nod of her head.

“Great.” The judge claps her hands together, lifting up a piece of white paper and reading from it. “Coraline Whittaker and Silas Hawthorne, today you have chosen to enter into the bonds of marriage. Marriage is a commitment to life, to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other relationship can equal. Marriage is not just a ceremony or a piece of paper; it is a covenant between two people to love, honor, and cherish each other for the rest of their lives.”

My thumb rubs the top of her hand as if I were trying to smooth all those years of loneliness out with one simple gesture, letting her know that I’m right here, just as broken, and I’m still not going anywhere.

“Do you have vows prepared, or should I continue reading from the script?”

I flick my gaze to the judge. “Standard vows will be—”

“Actually,” Coraline interrupts, “I have something, if that’s alright.”

I furrow my brow as she pulls out a piece of yellowing paper from inside the front of her dress. The judge behind her lifted desk laughs at her hiding spot.

She clears her throat, cheeks flushed as she begins.

“Silas, I promise to be your peace when the world provides only war. To be your secret keeper and safe haven. Today, I vow to be the one person who accepts you for who you are and who you will become.” She glances up at me, holding my gaze as she speaks the last line. “Till death do us part.”

The paper looks too old to be her own. Regardless of their meaning to her, regardless if they were meant for me, they still make my chest tighten.

How long had it been since someone had been my peace? How long had I been at war with no time to rest?

“Mr. Hawthorne?” the judge says, urging me to exchange my own promises with the woman in front of me.

I watch her fold the paper and slip it back into her dress before taking my hand once again. Coraline leans in, her voice a hushed whisper.

“You can just do the regular ones. I know that wasn’t planned or anything.”

I shake my head, using my grip on her hands to tug her closer to me.

“On this day, I vow to make your rage my own, to weather the storm of your revenge and keep you forever safe. I promise to stand by you. No matter what comes, you will never be alone. Till death do us part.”

Every word is true, every promise I intend to keep. No matter what it costs me. It isn’t just me anymore in this; it’s her too.