Chapter 6 The Vows
THE VOWS
CLARA
I woke up in Eli's arms.
The window was pale with morning. Cold against the glass, warm in his bed. His chest rose and fell beneath my cheek, steady and reassuring, and for a moment, I let myself pretend this was just another Saturday morning in a life we'd built together.
Then I remembered. Today was our wedding day.
"You awake?" Eli's voice was rough with sleep.
"Mmm." I pressed a kiss to his chest. "How long have you been up?"
"Few minutes. Watching you sleep."
I lifted my head to look at him. His hair was messed up, stubble dark on his jaw, gray eyes soft in a way I'd never seen before.
"Any regrets?" I asked.
"About last night?" He traced a finger down my spine, making me shiver. "Not a single one."
"About today?"
His hand stilled. "What do you mean?"
"The wedding. Marrying me for real instead of fake."
He was quiet for a moment, and something cold settled in my stomach. Then he rolled us over, pinning me beneath him, his eyes intense.
"Clara," he said. "The only regret I have is that we didn't do this sooner."
Relief flooded through me. "Good. Because I love you, and I want to marry you, and I don't care if that makes me crazy."
"It makes you mine," he said, and kissed me until I couldn't remember why I'd been worried. Even the weather was collaborating. The storm seemed to be clearing up.
An hour later, we were dressed and drinking coffee when Nash's truck pulled into the driveway.
"He made it," I said, peering out the window.
"Course he did. Nash doesn't let a little snow stop him from anything."
Nash knocked once and walked in, stomping his boots on the mat. He was a big man with graying hair and kind eyes, the kind of person who looked like he could handle any crisis.
"Morning, lovebirds," he said, grinning. "Ready to make this official?"
"Ready," Eli said, and the certainty in his voice made my chest tight.
"Good. Because I've got about six people in town asking when they can come congratulate you." Nash accepted the coffee Eli offered him. "Dolores has been calling everyone since yesterday, telling them about the romantic Christmas wedding."
My palms went cold. I almost stepped back. "But what if they ask questions? What if they want details about how we met, how long we've been together?"
"Hey." He crossed to where I was standing, put his hands on my shoulders. "It's fine. We'll do exactly what we planned. Nash will marry us, we'll kiss, and everyone will congratulate us."
Nash was watching us with interest. "You two okay? You seem nervous for people who've been together long enough to get married."
Heat flooded my cheeks. "We're fine. Just... wedding jitters."
"Normal," Nash said. "I've married a lot of couples over the years. They all get nervous right before."
"How many couples?" I asked.
"Dozens. And you know what? The ones who are nervous usually last the longest. Means they understand what they're promising."
I met Eli's eyes across the kitchen. Did we understand what we were promising? Or were we still figuring it out as we went?
"So," Nash said, setting down his coffee. "Where do you want to do this?"
ELI
We decided on the living room, in front of the fireplace.
Nash moved the coffee table out of the way while I built up the fire. Clara disappeared into the bedroom to get ready, and I tried not to think about how she'd looked this morning—sleepy and soft and mine.
Twenty minutes later, she emerged in a simple blue dress that hugged her curves and made her eyes look like warm honey. She'd braided her hair to one side, and she was wearing the ring I'd forged for her.
She looked like something carved straight from the life I didn’t think I’d ever get to have. Real. Sure of herself. Mine.
"You clean up nice," I said.
"So do you."
I'd put on my best flannel and clean jeans, nothing fancy. But the way Clara was looking at me made me feel like I was wearing a tuxedo.
"You ready?" Nash asked.
We stood in front of the fireplace, Nash between us and the fire crackling behind him. Through the window, I could see snow still falling, but lighter now. The storm had passed.
"Before we start," Nash said, "I need to ask. You both understand what you're doing here? Marriage isn't something to take lightly."
"We understand," I said.
Clara nodded. "We do."
"Good. Because I've known you, Clara, since you were knee-high, and, Eli, I’ve known you since you joined the trail crew, and I've never seen either of you look at another person the way you're looking at each other right now."
My chest tightened. Nash was right. I'd never felt about anyone the way I felt about Clara. Never wanted to protect and claim and cherish someone so completely.
"Clara," Nash said. "Do you take Eli to be your husband? To have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
Clara's eyes never left mine. "I do."
"Eli, do you take Clara to be your wife? To have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," I said, and meant every word.
"Rings?"
I pulled the iron band from my pocket—the mate to the one Clara was wearing. I'd forged it this morning while she slept, a simple band that matched hers.
"With this ring," I said, sliding it onto my finger, "I thee wed."
Clara's eyes were bright with tears. "With this ring," she said, touching the band already on her finger, "I thee wed."
"By the power vested in me by the state of Montana,” Nash said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife." He grinned. "You may kiss your bride."
I stepped closer to Clara, framed her face with my hands the way I had that first night in my kitchen. But this time, when I kissed her, it wasn't practice.
It was a promise.
Her lips were soft under mine, warm and willing. She kissed me like she needed it, like I was air and she’d been holding her breath too long. I deepened the kiss, forgetting about Nash, forgetting about everything except the woman in my arms.
We finally broke apart, when Nash coughed.
"Well," Nash said, clearing his throat. "That was... thorough."
Clara laughed, her cheeks flushed. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize. That's how you kiss your wife." Nash clapped me on the shoulder. "Congratulations, you two. May you have many happy years together."
Many happy years. I wanted that more than I'd ever wanted anything.
"Thank you," Clara said. "For everything."
"My pleasure. And Clara? Welcome to the family."
After Nash left, Clara and I stood in the living room looking at each other. Married. Actually married.
"So," she said. "How does it feel?"
"How does what feel?"
"Being married."
I stepped closer, pulled her into my arms. "Feels right. Feels like I've been waiting my whole life for this moment."
"Even though it started as fake?"
"Especially because it started as fake." I kissed her forehead. "Means we chose this. Chose each other. No pressure, no expectations. Just us deciding we wanted to be together."
She smiled up at me. "I love you, husband."
"I love you too, wife."
CLARA
We were eating breakfast when the first car pulled into the driveway.
"Who's that?" I asked, peering out the window.
Eli looked over my shoulder. "Dolores. And it looks like she brought company."
Three more cars followed, and soon the yard was full of people I recognized from town. Dolores, of course. The Hendersons from the feed store. Sarah and Mike from the diner. Even Dr. Brennan, who had graciously given be a job at his the vet clinic while I get mine going.
"Shit," I muttered.
"Hey." Eli turned me to face him. "We can do this. We just got married. We're happy. That's all they need to see."
"But what if—"
He silenced me with a kiss. Quick, sure, claiming. "Trust me."
The knock came before I could answer.
Eli opened the door to find Dolores holding a casserole dish and beaming.
"Congratulations!" she said, pushing past him into the cabin. "We couldn't let you have a wedding without a proper celebration."
The rest of the group followed, filling the small space with chatter and laughter. Someone had brought champagne. Someone else had cake. In minutes, our quiet morning had turned into a party.
"Clara, dear," Dolores said, pulling me aside. "You look absolutely radiant. Marriage suits you."
"Thank you."
"And Eli seems so happy. I've never seen him smile so much." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "How long have you two really been together? Because this all seems very sudden."
My heart jumped. I looked at the door. Thought about running. "We—"
"Sometimes it happens fast," Eli said, appearing at my side. His arm went around my waist, pulling me close. "When you know, you know."
"Oh, how romantic!" Dolores clasped her hands together. "Just like in the movies."
Dr. Brennan approached with a glass of champagne. "Clara, I have to say, I'm surprised. You never mentioned you were seeing anyone."
Heat flooded my cheeks. "It was... private."
"Well, I'm happy for you. You deserve someone who appreciates you." He turned to Eli. "You're a lucky man."
"I know," Eli said, and the possessive edge in his voice made my pulse skip.
The party continued around us, but I was hyperaware of Eli's presence.
The way he kept his hand on me—my waist, my back, my shoulder.
The way he introduced me as "my wife" like he'd been doing it for years.
The way he looked at me when he thought no one was watching, like I was something precious he couldn't quite believe was his.
It felt real. All of it.
"Speech!" someone called out.
"Yes, speech!" others joined in.
Eli's arm tightened around me. "What do you want to hear?"
"How you knew Clara was the one," Sarah called out.
"When you decided to propose," Mike added.
I looked up at Eli, panic rising. But Eli just smiled, that slow, devastating smile that made my knees weak.
"Easy," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "The moment she asked me to marry her."
Laughter filled the room, but Eli's eyes were serious as they met mine.
"She was sitting on a sidewalk, crying because life had knocked her down.
And instead of staying down, she got up and asked for help.
Asked me to be part of her solution." His voice dropped, became more intimate despite the audience.
"That's when I knew. Clara Chen doesn't give up.
And I wanted to be the man standing beside her when she conquers the world. "
The room went quiet. Someone sniffled.
"Plus," Eli added, grinning, "she makes the best coffee I've ever had."
Everyone laughed, but I barely heard them. I was staring up at my husband, this man who'd just told our entire story in a way that was completely true and completely safe.
He'd protected us. Protected me.
Without thinking, I reached up and kissed him. Hard. In front of everyone.
When we broke apart, the room erupted in cheers and whistles.
"Beautiful!" Dolores called out, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.
"What was that for?" he asked quietly.
"For being perfect," I said. "For protecting us. For making this real."
"It was always real, Clara. From the moment you asked."
Looking up at him, surrounded by friends and neighbors celebrating our marriage, I finally believed him.
This wasn't fake anymore. Maybe it never had been.
This was love. This was forever.
This was ours.