Again

Again
SARAH

And then he goes,
“Sarah,”

I feel my heart skip a beat. He looks nervous, more nervous than I’ve ever seen him.
“Sarah,” he continues, his voice soft. “I know things between us haven’t been easy. Not at all. And I know I’ve made plenty of mistakes. And I know… whatever mistake you made, you made it because of me.”

I open my mouth, but he says quickly, “No. I’m taking the blame for everything. Even though we were both forced to be together, you actually wanted to try. You at least played your part. And I..... I haven’t been a good husband. I haven’t been a good friend. I haven’t been a good partner. And I know I don’t deserve you.”

“But you do,” I whisper.

He shakes his head gently. “But,” he says, “I’m going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you… proving to you.”

I stare at him, realizing my hand is still in his. My heart pounds as the truth hits me, he can’t be proposing. We’re already married.

“What are you doing?” I whisper, my voice trembling.

He smiles, and the softness in his eyes nearly breaks me. “I’ve realized for a long time that I don’t ever want to spend another day without you. I want us to look forward to forgetting whatever happened before. I don’t care what people say or what they think. The only thing I care about is you.”

He reaches into his pocket, and my heart stops. Then he pulls out a small velvet box, opens it, and inside is a ring. The same ring I had before. The same one I thought was lost forever. When I woke up in the hospital, I no longer had it, and I never knew where it went.

“Will you marry me again?” Cullen asks softly. “This time, not because we have to. Not because we’re obligated to. But because we’re in love with each other.”

“Cullen,” I whisper, my voice breaking.

He holds my gaze, still kneeling, still holding my hand like it’s the most fragile thing in the world.
I look at him on one knee in front of everyone, Bella, Cyrus, Mr. and Mrs. Cincinnati, all watching, holding their breath. And I can’t speak. My hand trembles in his, and I can’t tell if it’s from shock, fear… or something close.

He places the ring in front of me, and then he says,

“Sarah Sullivan, I, Cullen Cedric Cincinnati, am asking you to be my wife. I know we didn’t really mean our vows when we got married before. We didn’t want to, and we didn’t honor them. But I promise to honor this promise that I’m making to you now, that I’m going to do everything in my power to make you happy, to protect you, to give you everything that you need in this life.

I’m saying this in front of my parents and my family. This is a promise. So would you please say yes? Would you please agree to marry me so we can begin our new, incredible life together?”

I can’t help it. The tears fall before I even realize it.

“Can I say yes?” I laugh through my tears. “Yes, yes. I mean, we’re already married. I can’t say no, right?”

He laughs too, that soft, warm laugh that makes my heart feel like it’s coming apart. As he slides the ring onto my finger, he says,

“Of course, you can say no. You always get a choice. Whatever you want, it’s all about you, wifey.”

I can’t help it. He’s already put the ring on my finger, and I pull him close, hugging him tight. I’m laughing, I’m crying, and everyone around us is laughing too.

“Hey! Congratulations!”

It’s hugs all around. His mom is crying. Bella is crying. I’m crying.

I guess Cullen wants to cry too, but he can’t, because his father and brother aren’t crying either. But they’re both so happy. His father pours drinks for them and wine for us. Bella gets water, and we cheer.

And then, as we finally settle down, Cullen says,

“Now that you’ve said yes, I just want you to know that I want us to get married ASAP. You didn’t get a chance to go on our honeymoon when we got married before, but I have the best place for us. I’ve already prepared everything. This time, I’m taking you on our honeymoon.”

I look at him, my heart so full I can hardly breathe. And for once, there are no ghosts in the room — no past, no pain. Just us. Just this promise.

“I can’t wait to plan your wedding,” Mrs. Cincinnati says through happy tears. “And you know what? I’ve already got all the flowers in mind. This time, I’m planning my last-born son’s marriage, and he’s getting married for love. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for my two children.... to find love.”

Her voice trembles as she looks between us, her joy spilling over. “I’m so happy for both of you. The two of you have gone toward each other and still ended up finding each other. You’ve made me such a happy mother. Thank you. I wish you all the happiness in the world together,” she says, crying as her husband wraps an arm around her shoulders.

But then I say softly, trying not to ruin the moment, “I’m so sorry to burst your bubble, but… can we maybe have a small wedding?”

The room goes quiet for a second, all eyes turning toward me.

“I know that before we had a huge wedding,” I continue. “It was huge, and, you know, beautiful.... but this time, if you don’t mind, could we do it just with family? Maybe in the backyard or something small, just my family and yours. Just the people who really matter.”

I glance around, my voice growing softer. “Everybody already knows we’re married. I’d just want… the two of our family to be there. Something real. Something that feels like us.”

Cullen looks at me, his expression tender, full of quiet love.

“I love you,” Cullen whispers and comes in for a quick kiss.