“Hang on,” I say to Brandon and my family. “Could you excuse us? Dean and I need a minute.” I link arms with him, then draw him to an alcove on the right side of the chapel. Taking his hands in mine, I summon the courage to make some promises of my own. “You have no idea how much it means to me that you came here and fought for us. Because that’s what I’m prepared to do too. For so long, I have been resistant to committing to anything, claiming I was being careful, never overselling myself, avoiding mistakes that could change my life forever. I was stuck, Dean. But now I realize that by never choosing anything, I was choosing not to live the life I deserve.”

After taking a fortifying breath, I continue: “So today, I choose you, Dean. You. I’m not expecting easy. I’m expecting fireworks. And bumps in the road. And sweet moments. And mind-blowing sex. And hair-pulling conversations when we forget how to use our words. But I want it all. Every moment, whether it’s messy, tender, maddening, or sublime. I only want that with you.”

He tugs me close and wraps his arms around me. If I could, I’d remain in this moment forever. But too soon, several throats clear, demanding our attention.

“Is everything okay over there?” Tia Viviane asks. “There’s a show at noon we want to see.”

I flinch my head back slightly. “A show? Which one?”

Tia Mariana mumbles her answer; my mother drops her head and covers her face.

I cup my ear. “What? I can’t hear you.”

Tia Viviane steps forward, her chin raised as if she’s daring anyone to challenge her. “Magic Mike Live.”

Dean snorts. I just shake my head.

“Go,” I tell them. “We’ll meet at the hotel later.”

“C’mon, ladies.” Brandon puts his arm around Tia Viviane and waltzes up the aisle. “I’ll make sure you get there on time.”

Minutes later, Dean and I are finally alone.

“Now I need to ask you something,” he says, his mouth curved into a smile that fills me with pure, unadulterated joy.

“What is it?”

He holds my hands and squeezes. “Will you, Solange Pereira, take me as your boyfriend, to have and to hold, through sickness and in health, through the good times and bad, as long as we both shall share a Netflix account?”

I hold back a laugh and nod. “Throw in Apple TV+, and we’ve got a deal.”

“Done.”

I rise to my tiptoes and tug him close. Then we kiss. And it’s magic. The start of something special. A moment that could only happen between us.

Epilogue

One Year Later

Solange

Dean bends to my level and plants a soft kiss on the back of my neck. “Baby, we can’t be late for this.”