“So, what I realized is that since you and I said our vows, I’ve been trying to live up to my father’s example of being a perfect husband and you’ve been worried that we’ll turn out like your parents and I’ll leave you.”
She stilled, absorbing that, and realized it was completely true. She pulled her hair back from her face, then let it drop. “That’s a fair amount of baggage. Maybe we were always going to fail.”
He cupped the side of her face. “We just needed a clean slate and different vows.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been trying to make everything perfect. Fix things for everyone. For you. But it didn’t need to be perfect, to be right. It just needed to be us.” He took her hands in his. “The thing is, even though I’ll do my best never to give in to painkillers again, I’m never going to be a perfect husband. And I don’t want a perfect marriage. That’s like wanting a fantasy, not a real relationship.”
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small box, then opened it to reveal two gold bands. He took one out and laid it on the flat of his palm.
“Here are my new vows,” he said, meeting her gaze squarely. “I choose you, Harper Lake, to be my wife. Not because you’re carrying my babies, and not because I’m expecting you to be a perfect wife. I choose you because instead of being scared of my darkness, you were patient and persistent and you got me a dog.”
She hiccupped a laugh, and he reached for her hand with his free one and intertwined their fingers.
“I love that you overcame your preference for privacy at work and held my hand in front of all of your colleagues. I love that you tried so hard to bond with Ellie. And I especially love that you stood by me each time the darkness tried to carry me away.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she brushed at them before they could fall. The rest of the world faded away, and all she could see was Nick. He was magnificent, and she couldn’t imagine ever loving anyone the way she loved him.
“If you choose me today, I vow that I’ll always try to make you happy. And even when my demons whisper to me, I vow that I’ll never give up on you. On us.”
He offered her the gold ring on his palm, and she nodded once, so he slipped it on her ring finger next to the first gold band he’d given her. Beyond words, she reached up and found his mouth, found his kiss. She melted into him, wanting the kiss, the moment, to never end.
Eventually, he pulled back. “Harper,” he rasped.
When she’d regained her breath, she picked out the other gold ring from the box in his hand and held it on her upturned palm. Then she looked into his eyes and finally gave her love free rein.
“I choose you, Nick Tate, to be my husband. Not because you’re the father of our babies, and not because I’m expecting you to be a perfect husband. I choose you because I love your noble heart. I love the way you love Ellie. I love that you jumped on board with my plan to rescue Frank before you even knew the details. I love that the people under your command still matter so much to you. I love that even though we disagree on things, you always have my best interests at heart.”
He lifted her hand and brushed his lips across the tops of her fingers.
“If you choose me today, I vow that even though I’ll always want you to be as happy as you can, I’ll accept you as you are, with all your glorious imperfections. And I know there will be bumps along the road for us, but I vow to never give up on you.”
She slipped the ring on his finger, and the sight of it there with all the extra meaning of these vows made the tears that had been welling in her eyes finally burst free. He pulled her to him, cradling her against his chest, and whispered, “I promise you, Harper. I’ll never give up on us.”
“Neither will I,” she said.
Frank appeared and tried to stick his snout between them to work out what the noise was, but gave up and flopped down at their feet.
With a finger, Nick tipped Harper’s face up so he could see her eyes. “By the power invested in me by—” he glanced around “—Frank the Labrador, I now pronounce us husband and wife. For real this time.”
“For real this time,” she echoed and smiled.
And then he kissed his bride.
* * * * *