Chapter 117 The Vows
CAITLYN'S POV
I looked down at the paper in my hands. At the words I had written last night. Words I had thought about for days. Words that came straight from my heart.
"Jason," I started. My voice was shaking. "I have loved you for as long as I can remember. When we were kids I loved you. When we were teenagers I loved you. When I made the mistake of marrying someone else I still loved you. You have always been the one. The only one."
Jason's tears were falling now. He was not even trying to hide them. Just letting them fall. I felt my own tears starting to.
"For so long I thought I had lost my chance with you," I continued. "I thought I had made too many mistakes. That I had ruined everything. But you never gave up on me. You never stopped loving me. Even when I was at my lowest. Even when I was broken. You were there."
I took a breath. Tried to steady my voice.
"You saved my life Jason," I said. "Not just physically but in every way that matters. You saved me from a life of fear. From a life of abuse. From a life without love. You gave me hope. You gave me strength. You gave me a reason to keep fighting."
"Caitlyn," Jason whispered. His voice was thick with emotion.
"I promise to love you honestly," I said. "No more secrets. No more lies. No more hiding. I promise to be your partner. Your equal. Your friend. I promise to trust you. To lean on you. To let you help me when I need help."
I put my hand on my stomach. On our baby.
"I promise to be a good mother to our child," I said. "To raise them with love and patience and kindness. To teach them that real love exists. That good men exist. Because they have you as their father."
Jason let out a sob. Covered his mouth with his hand. Tommy handed him a tissue and he wiped his eyes.
"I promise to never take you for granted," I said. "To never forget how lucky I am. To wake up every morning grateful that you chose me. That you love me. That you want to spend your life with me."
I looked up from the paper. Looked into Jason's eyes.
"I promise to choose you," I said. "Every single day. In every situation. No matter what. I choose you Jason. I will always choose you."
"Thank you for saving me," I said. My voice was barely above a whisper now. "Thank you for loving me. Thank you for giving me a second chance. Thank you for being the man you are. The man I need. The man I love."
I folded the paper and put it back in my dress pocket. Jason was crying openly now. Not even trying to stop. He pulled me close and pressed his forehead against mine.
"I love you so much," he whispered. "So much Caitlyn."
"I love you too," I whispered back.
The officiant cleared her throat gently. "Jason would you like to share your vows?"
Jason nodded. Pulled back. Wiped his eyes. Took a deep breath. He did not have a paper. Had memorized what he wanted to say.
"Caitlyn," he started. His voice was rough. Emotional. "I never thought I would get married. Never thought I would find someone who could love me. Who could see past my mistakes? Who could accept me for who I am?"
He took my hands again. Held them tight.
"But then there was you," he said. "There was always you. From the time we were kids, I knew you were special. Knew you were different. Knew you were the only one I would ever want."
"When you married Hayes I thought I had lost you forever," Jason said. "I thought that was it. That I had missed my chance. That I would spend the rest of my life alone. Wishing I had fought harder for you. Wishing I had told you how I felt."
He was crying again. We both were. Everyone watching was crying too. I could see Tommy wiping his eyes. See Sarah sobbing quietly.
"But then I got a second chance," Jason said. "I got the chance to save you. To protect you. To show you that real love exists. That you deserve better. That you deserve everything."
"I promise to protect you Caitlyn," Jason said. His voice was strong now. Steady. "Not just physically but emotionally. I promise to be your safe place. Your shelter. Your home. I promise that you never have to be afraid again. Not of me. Not of anyone. Because I will always keep you safe."
"I promise to cherish you," he continued. "To treat you like the precious gift you are. To never take you for granted. To never make you feel small or worthless or unimportant. You are everything to me. Everything."
He put his hand on my stomach. On our baby.
"I promise to be a good father," Jason said. "To be present. To be patient. To be kind. To teach our child what real love looks like. What a real man is. What a real family should be."
"I promise to be honest with you," he said. "To communicate. To tell you when I am scared or worried or struggling. To not shut you out. To let you in. To be vulnerable with you."
"I promise to choose you every single day," Jason said. "When things are easy and when they are hard. When I am happy and when I am frustrated. No matter what. I choose you. I will always choose you."
He looked into my eyes. Smiled through his tears.
"Thank you for giving me a second chance," Jason said. "Thank you for trusting me. For loving me. For choosing me. I do not deserve you but I promise to spend every day trying to be worthy of you."
"You deserve me," I said. Could not help myself. "You deserve everything Jason."
"We deserve each other," he said. "And we deserve this happiness. This life. This family."
The officiant was crying too now. She wiped her eyes and smiled at us.
"Those were beautiful vows," she said. "Some of the most beautiful I have ever heard. You two have been through a lot. That you have fought hard to be here. And that you love each other deeply."
She looked at Tommy. "The rings please."
Tommy stepped forward and handed the officiant two simple gold bands. She gave one to Jason and one to me.
"Caitlyn," the officiant said. "Please place the ring on Jason's finger and repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed."
I took Jason's hand. Slid the ring onto his finger. It fit perfectly.
"With this ring I thee wed," I repeated.
"Jason," the officiant said. "Please place the ring on Caitlyn's finger and repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed."
Jason took my hand. His hands were shaking. He slid the ring onto my finger next to my engagement ring.
"With this ring I thee wed," he said.
The officiant smiled. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jason you may kiss your bride."
Jason did not hesitate. He pulled me close and kissed me. Really kissed me. I kissed him back. Wrapped my arms around his neck. Everyone was clap
ping and cheering but I barely heard them. All I could focus on was Jason. My husband. My forever.