Chapter 45

Life had a way of lifting them up when they were down. When they were feeling like everything was shit, life would come swooping in to the rescue, finding a way to lift them up.

"What is love? We like to compare it to these wedding rings, a perfect circle, no beginning and no end," the priest began. "But love has to start somewhere. From humble beginnings, imperfect beings. It makes something beautiful where there was once only emptiness."

"You know, I almost didn't show up today," she whispered to him as they faced each other in front of the priest.

"Yeah? And where would you have gone? Stormbrooke?" he asked, chuckling.

"I was thinking somewhere a bit further than that. Like, say, England."

"Hmm. Classy."

"Shhhh," The priest shushed them with an annoyed glare, resuming his speech when they snickered. In her opinion, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than suffer their tomfoolery and shenanigans.

"You know what?" Sebastian suddenly spoke up, halting him. "I'd love to say my vows myself."

With another annoyed frown, he acquiesced, taking a step back.

Sebastian cleared his throat, grabbing her hands in his. "Jane, I found you when I wasn't looking and because of that, I didn't know what it was I felt for you until it was too difficult to ignore. Love has always been a foreign concept to me. I didn't know what it was or what it entailed until I met you. And with a piece of bacon in your mouth and a fiery look in your eyes, you taught me all I needed to know."

She let out a laugh, startled. She had to blink a few times to clear her vision, hoping her make-up wasn't ruined.

"From that day on, I've loved you. And from this day on, I will say it to you as often as I can. You are the love of my life. I will love you unconditionally, through thick and thin, sickness and health. I promise to love you every single day for the rest of our lives—which by my calculations, should be around 36,500 more days if we live to be 130 years old. I promise to adventure the rest of our lives together, side by side. And when we have kids, my heart will skip a few beats every time I hear them call you mom. Let's do this together. Me and you, Kitten. Just me and you."

He spun around and took the wedding band from the best man, whom she figured to be Mitch.

"With this ring," He continued. "I promise to take care of you and love you without condition. I promise to be honest and honor you. I promise to protect you and make you laugh, support you, guide you and challenge you to be a better version of yourself each day. I promise to be yours."

By the time he'd slipped the ring onto her finger, she was bawling her eyes out. "Oh, God. I look dreadful, don't I?" She cried out, wiping around her eyes with the handkerchief Grace handed her.

"Never." He shook his head and she saw that his eyes were misty. "You're beautiful. in and out. Even when you look like a wet dog."

She laughed, staring into his eyes. This man was her destiny. Everything that she was, everything that she'd done, they all brought her to this moment, here and now.

"That day at the diner when you interrupted my dinner, I remember being so pissed off at you that I wanted to hit some sense into you. I remember screaming so hard when you tried to kiss me at the beach and I almost let you. I didn't know it then, but you'd begun warming your way into my heart. And when it finally hit me that I loved you, I didn't let myself believe it. I thought, what was the point? I was only going to marry someone else anyway. You don't know how glad I am that it's you. It's you. It's always been you, Sebastian. From the moment I set my eyes on you till the second you found your way back to me, it's you."

She saw a tear run down his face and her voice cracked. "I love you. I love how you chew loudly even though it's annoying. I love how you make me feel like the only girl in the room, I love how you speak to me with your eyes. I love you with your selflessness and your knack for being a complete dick. I love you, Sebastian. I love you."

She took her ring from Grace, pushing the band onto his finger carefully. "With this ring, I promise that yours will be the only name I cry at night, the only eyes into which I smile in the morning. I promise my undying and unending attention and respect. From this day onward, I will speak your name with gratitude, for it is the mantra of my soul. We are eternal. I believe in the couple we will be together and I will love you unconditionally for the rest of my life."

By the time she was done, the water carried the sounds of sniffs and low cries mixed together with the sounds of the waves crashing.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss—"

"Come here." Sebastian grabbed her waist, kissing her with a passion she hadn't felt before. It felt different from the other times he'd kissed her. Jane chuckled against his lips. It felt like the kiss of her husband.

"Husband, huh?" She whispered, locking her arms around his neck and pulling him close.

"Wife, huh?" He responded, angling his head to the side for better access as his tongue invaded her mouth unapologetically.

"It all worked out well in the end, didn't it?" She pulled away, smiling so wide she thought her cheeks would burst.

Who knew she would enjoy her wedding as much as she was doing?

"I think so." Sebastian laughed, lifting her from the ground. "I love you, Jane Price."

The sound of her laugh reverberated in the air. "I love you too, Sebastian Price."

Who would've thought?

Jane Hendricks Price loved her life after all.