Chapter 196 : The End Was Ment to Be.

Chapter 196 : The End Was Ment to Be.


HAYDEN’S POV

Adjusting a bow tie shouldn't have felt harder than executing a perfect sliding tackle in the pouring rain, but my fingers were shaking so violently I nearly ripped the silk.

"Let me get that before you choke yourself, big guy,"

Blake’s voice cut through the nervous hum of the dressing room. She stepped forward, a brilliant, knowing smirk firmly on her face as she batted my hands away and expertly fixed the knot.

She looked stunning in her bridesmaid gown, though she still possessed that sharp, no-nonsense attitude that had kept us all in line since camp.

"Can’t have the star striker looking like he’s being held hostage on his own wedding day."

"I'm not nervous about the wedding," I grunted, my voice rough. "I’m just... ready. I’ve been ready for years."

"We know, man," Amber said, leaning against the doorframe of the suite right beside her.

Amber walked over, resting a hand on my shoulder, while Blake gave my tie one final, satisfied pat.

"You two earned this. Every single inch of it."

Looking around the room, the sheer reality of what we had built out of the ashes of our past finally started to sink in.

Through the open door of the reception lounge, I could hear the booming laughter of our teammates.

It was a chaotic, beautiful symphony of our lives colliding.

The guys from our college squad were currently arguing with the boys from the national training camp about who had the better conditioning stats, while three of our current United FC teammates were hovering by the bar, looking entirely too posh in their matching tuxedos.

Even Lilian and Ella were there, holding fort near the center of the room. I watched Ella laugh, gesturing wildly as she recounted some old university memory to a couple of our rookie defenders, while Lilian looked on with that familiar, warm, sisterly smile that had kept Stephen and me grounded during our wildest college semesters.

They were all here. The people who had shielded us when the world turned into a firing squad.

"Hayden?"

The soft, trembling voice made me turn around instantly.

Mom stood at the entrance of the private dressing room.

The moment my eyes met hers, the breath caught in my throat. She looked beautiful, elegant, and so incredibly proud.

But the second she looked at me, dressed in my wedding tuxedo, the tears she had undoubtedly been holding back all morning spilled over her cheeks.

To the rest of the world, she was Stephen’s mother. But to me, she was the woman who had opened her heart and her home, adopting me into a warmth I had never known before.

She was the mother who had loved me through my roughest edges.

"Oh, look at you," she whispered, her voice breaking as she walked toward me.

"Mom," I breathed, stepping forward and wrapping my arms around her.

Despite her slight frame, she held onto me with a fierce strength, her hands gripping the back of my jacket as she wept against my chest.

They weren't the heavy, suffocating tears of the past—the ones we had all shed when the leaked tape threatened to destroy everything we loved.

These were tears of pure relief.

"My boys," she sobbed softly, pulling back just enough to cup my face with her hands, her thumbs wiping away the moisture on her own cheeks.

"You did it, Hayden. You protected him. You protected each other. I look at you now, and I just... I see the beautiful, brave men you were always meant to become."

"We couldn't have done it without you," I said, the words thick with an emotion I rarely allowed myself to show. "Thank you for never letting us give up."

She kissed my cheek, her smile radiant despite the tears.

"Go get your husband, Hayden. He’s waiting for you."

Ten minutes later, the heavy oak doors of the chapel opened, and the world dissolved into a blur.

The rows were packed to capacity. Side by side sat the legends of our past and the partners of our present….college friends sharing space with professional athletes, all gathered under one roof for one single purpose.

But the moment Stephen stepped into view, my chest tightened so hard I forgot how to breathe.

He was breathtaking. Dressed in a sharp, tailored white tuxedo that contrasted perfectly with my classic black, he looked like absolute light.

His eyes were locked onto mine from the very first step he took down the aisle, completely ignoring the rows of smiling faces on either side of him.

The faint trace of nerves I’d felt earlier vanished entirely, replaced by a fierce, possessive warmth that anchored me right to the floor.

When he finally reached the altar, his hand trembled slightly as I took it in mine. His fingers were warm, and as I squeezed them, he let out a breathless, emotional laugh.

"You look ridiculous," he whispered, a tear already brimming in his beautiful eyes.

"Shut up and marry me, Steph," I murmured back, the corner of my mouth tugging upward.

The ceremony passed like a beautiful, sunlit dream. We didn't need long, drawn-out speeches to explain what we were to each other.

Every trial we had endured, every midnight practice in the freezing mud, every vile comment we had weathered together spoke for us.

When it was time for the rings, I slid the matching platinum band onto his finger, my thumb rubbing against his knuckle.

"I, Hayden, take you, Stephen, to be my husband," I said, my voice echoing through the silent, reverent chapel, steady and unwavering. "In front of everyone who loves us, and everyone who tried to break us. The future is ours, and I am yours. Forever."

Stephen’s jaw clenched as he fought back a sob, his own voice raw as he repeated his vows, cementing his life to mine in front of God and every single person who mattered.

"I now pronounce you husbands," the minister announced. "You may kiss…"

I didn't even let the man finish the sentence.

I stepped forward, grabbing Stephen’s waist and pulling him flush against my chest.

I slammed my mouth onto his, a deep, bruising, triumphant kiss that carried the weight of our survival, our victory, and our absolute devotion.

The chapel completely erupted.

Blake let out a loud, unhinged cheer, Amber was clapping furiously, and our teammates tore the roof off the building with a roaring applause that rivaled the sixty-thousand-strong crowd at United FC.

But as I pulled back, resting my forehead against Stephen’s, the noise faded into nothing.

He was laughing, tears streaming down his face as he threw his arms around my neck, holding me as if he would never let go.

We had started in the dark, fighting for a dream the world told us we couldn't have. We had bled for it, wept for it, and forced our way through the mud until they had no choice but to respect our fire.

I took my husband's hand, locking our fingers tightly together, and together, we turned to face our future.