He stopped talking and he looked right at Garrett.

And witnessing the expression on Ethan’s face, Garrett felt his chest depress.

“Right now, in front of all of you, I’m gonna make the vows my dad showed me you should make when you fall in love with a woman.”

“Oh shit,” Cher murmured.

Ethan turned and looked down at his bride. “I vow to take care of you. I vow that every day you’ll feel safe because you know that down to your bones, seein’ as I’ll be breakin’ my back givin’ it to you. And I vow to give you shit when you’re bein’ a wiseass.”

Laughter filled the room, but Ethan was not done speaking.

“I also vow to take your shit when I’m bein’ one. I vow to make sure you got what you want as often as I can give it to you. I vow to love the children we make, spend time with them as often as humanly possible, and knock myself out to make them feel safe. I vow to guide them to the right paths in life, showin’ them I’m proud they’re mine, they’re ours, even when they don’t do anything special to make me feel that way.”

His voice dipped before he went on.

“And most importantly, green eyes, I vow to make you laugh at least once every day for the rest of the beautiful life I also vow to give you. I vow to make you do it hard. I vow to give it from the heart so I can make it come from your gut, and you’ll never forget how happy you make me because I vow to bust my ass to make you the same. I love you, baby, and I cherish you, and that’s what you’re gonna get from me until one or the other of us stops breathing.”

“Oh, Ethan!” his girl cried, surging out of her seat, throwing herself in Ethan Merrick’s arms, and shoving her face in his neck.

He wrapped one around her and kissed her hair before he turned to the room, raised his glass, and finished.

“So toast with me, with my bride, to what real love means—care and safety and laughter and givin’ your baby shit when she’s bein’ a wiseass.”

Laughter and applause hit the room as Ethan lifted his glass.

Everyone lifted theirs.

Ethan shifted slightly, aiming his glass and his eyes at Garrett.

Garrett jerked up his chin.

His boy, now a man, now a husband, drank.

So did everyone else.

Then Ethan turned to his woman and kissed her.

Garrett did not drink.

Neither did Cher.

Because, while others were drinking, he was putting his hand to his woman’s jaw and turning her face his way.

Damn.

Pretty.

Even bawling.

His gaze roamed her wet cheeks before it caught hers.

“You’re such a girl,” he whispered.

“I know,” she whispered back.

He smiled at his wife.

Then he bent and took her mouth.

This concludes The ‘Burg series. Thank you for reading.