I smiled up at him. Our compromise was to be wed outside of a church, but by a local pastor. Trex would’ve married me anywhere, but I wanted our wedding day to be as much his as it was mine.

The reverend spoke about love, about commitment, and about marriage in general. He quoted I Corinthians chapter thirteen, verses four through five. Trex didn’t seem to mind. He just gazed at me like it was the first time.

“I’m not good at writing anything,” Trex began. “But I’m good at talking about you, Darby. I’m good at keeping promises, so when you asked me to write my own vows, I knew that it was something I could do.”

“You can do anything,” I whispered.

He took a deep breath. “This is the best day of my life. You are the best thing to have ever happened to me. I love you. I love you more now than the day I recognized that’s what the crazy, antsy, giddy, slightly obsessive feeling I had for you was. That said, I’ll love you more tomorrow and fifty years from now. That’s my first promise to you, Darby. Not only will I love you for the rest of my life, but I’ll show you every day, and I’ll fight for us every day. I promise to love no one else the way I love you. I promise to be faithful and truthful, to honor you, to cherish you in good times and bad; to be a strong, caring, thoughtful husband; to protect you, to be your partner in all things, and even though I can’t promise you’ll never be sad, I can promise to wipe your tears and give you the support you need until you’re not anymore.

“I promise to be a good father and grandfather. I will love Maddie always, and whoever else comes along. Hopefully. Someday,” he clarified.

The guests chuckled, and it took everything I had not to blurt out my news right then.

Trex continued. “I promise to be thankful for our family every night, and to celebrate every new day I get to spend with you. I promise to be your rock, our family’s foundation, to build our life together side by side with you, and to carry our love up hills and over oceans … to the stars if I have to.”

“Darby?” the reverend prompted.

“I thank God every day for you. For whatever reason, you were brought into my life. You loved me before we ever met, and that only strengthens my belief of a good and loving God. I promise to love you always, until we’re wrinkly and old with huge ears and even bigger noses.”

Trex laughed out loud.

I continued. “I promise to celebrate every anniversary with joy in my heart, to cherish you, to honor you, to be your best friend and other half…”