“You know when I first met you, you scared the shit out of me.” She pulls a “whoops” face and glances at the minister, who sighs because he knows us well enough to know this is just how we talk. Then she returns her focus to me and clears her throat. “You were so intense and determined to get to know me and I couldn’t understand why you would want to, for a lot of reasons, reasons that you know about because you know me better than anyone.” Her voice wobbles a little and she lets go of the paper and wipes her sweaty palm on her jacket. “But eventually you sort of wore on me.” Her lips quirk and it makes me grin. “You became my light in my dark life and you made me feel so loved that I’d forget how to breathe. You were the only one who could make me laugh, smile, have fun, not give up. You were always there for me and somehow, through the crazy, intense years, you fought your way into my soul and ended up becoming my everything. You became my lifeline, the one person I could rely on no matter what, whether I was upset or pushing you away—you were always there for me. And I love you for it and for the amazing person that you are, for writing me songs and tattooing them on your skin, for wearing a ridiculous O-ring on your finger,” she says, trying to smile but I can tell she’s getting overwhelmed by her emotions. “And for loving me enough not to let me give up, not matter how hard I fought.” A breath gradually eases from her lips as she stuffs the paper into her jacket pocket.

When she looks up at me, tears are forming in her eyes. She’s overwhelmed with emotion and I’m sure she can see the same emotion mirrored in my face. I’ve never seen her be so open like that and I think, if it’s even possible, I might have just fallen in love with her more.

It’s quiet for a moment as everyone just sort of watches us, and then Ethan lets out a loud cough and I shake my head as Ella rolls her eyes. Lila hisses something at him and then the quietness surrounds us again.

The minister finally continues on to the ring exchange, directing us what to do. I slip the simple silver wedding band on Ella’s finger and her breath falters as she looks down at it and smiles. Then she takes out her ring box and opens it up and it’s a silver one that almost matches the one I gave her, only it’s a little thicker. She replaces the O-ring with it, her hand shaking as she slips it over my finger.