He smiles at me.
“But then you came out, the real you.” I take my hand, pressing my palm on the tears. “The soft Max. The Max who opens my door, the Max who makes my coffee without me asking. The Max whose kisses make me want to lift my foot like a princess. The Max who holds me all night just because. The Max who will fight for me and will fight with me. The Max who loves me. Loves me so much I feel it all the way to my soul. The Max who treats me like a princess.” My breath hitches now as the tears flow freely. “I promise to be true to you. I promise to love, honor, and cherish you till my last breath. I promise to be by your side, holding your hand in good times and protecting you in bad. I promise to share my life with you and be the best wife and mother that I can be.”
He leans down and kisses me, as the judge clears his throat.
“I promise you all that, my prince. My happily ever after. ”
“Okay, then, Max, if you will repeat after me,” the judge says and Max shakes his head.
“I know we said traditional and after hearing all that”—he points to me—“I”—he takes a deep breath—“I’m known for a lot of things, but none of them ever good. From when I was growing up to my teenage years, it was all ‘oh, Max, he’s the wrong type of kid. Don’t play with him, don’t go next to him.’ I kept my head down and my heart cold. I had one goal and one goal only, to show them I would be better than them.”
I squeeze his hands.
“I tried but then the bitterness took over.” He shakes his head, blinking away tears. “I never thought anyone would want me or that I could love, only because I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know how. Till you.” He brings my hand to his mouth. “Till you bumped into me. And then called me an asshole.” He smiles. “Then you were everywhere, in my face, in my thoughts, in my dreams,” he sighs out. “I fought it for so long, thinking there was no way that someone so perfect could love me, could want me. But you stood there, in front of me, giving me a chance, showing me how to love, showing me what it felt like to love someone, showing me that for the one you love you sacrifice. I would sacrifice everything that I have to make you happy, to see a smile on your face. I watch you when you sleep. Not in a creepy stalker way, but just to make sure you’re real. Just to make sure you’re there with me. I promise to be true to you. I promise to love you till my last dying breath. I promise to provide for you and our children, and I promise that you will never go a day without knowing how much you are loved. I promise that I will never take you for granted. I promise that I will strive to be the man you deserve, the man you are worthy of, the man you can be proud of. I promise to make you not just a princess but to make you my queen. I promise to give you your happily ever after you deserve and to be the man worthy of you.”
“You are that and so much more,” I tell him as I look back at the judge. “Can I add to mine? I promise to make sure you see how worthy you are of me every single day.”
“Are we done?” the judge asks us as we both nod. “Great, now the rings,” he asks as Max takes them out of his pocket and hands them to him. Giving him my ring, he says, “Repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed.”
Max takes my hand and slides the ring onto my finger. “With this ring I thee wed.” Then the judge hands me Max’s ring and tells me to repeat, so I take the ring and place it at the tip of his finger and repeat.
“With this ring I thee wed.” I smile as it sits on the base of his finger.
“By the authority vested in me by the State of Nevada, I pronounce you to each other, husband and wife.
“You may now kiss the bride,” the judge says right before Max grabs my face in both of his hands. His hard-big hands, holding my face gently.
“I love you,” he whispers right before his lips land on mine, soft, gentle, and full of love. My hands go to his waist as I close my eyes and take in the safety of my husband.