Chapter 30 COLE #2
She takes a breath, then continues. “But then we crashed at the wedding, and for the first time, I saw the man you’d become up close.
Not the boy I remembered, not the crush I carried around like a secret…
but the father who cared more about his daughter’s safety than anything else.
The man who builds with his hands and protects with his whole heart.
The man who looks at me like I’m worth choosing. ”
Her voice breaks. “You loved Aria back to life. And somehow… You did the same for me.” She wipes a tear. “You make me brave, Cole Dawson. You make me feel seen, like the world isn’t too heavy to carry. You’re steady where I’m scattered, gentle where I’m stubborn, solid where I’m scared.”
Her breath trembles. “I promise to love you with that same steadiness. To choose you in every storm. To be your partner in every project, every morning, every season of our lives. And to love Aria like my own, because she is my own.”
Tears run freely down her cheeks now. “I waited twenty years without even realizing I was waiting. And I would do it all over again if it meant I ended up here… with you.”
She squeezes my hands one last time. “I love you, Cole. Today. Tomorrow. For the rest of my life.”
Silence.
Then sniffles everywhere.
Even Beck has both hands over his face like he’s trying to hide the fact that he’s full-on crying.
I try to breathe past the lump in my throat. Then it’s my turn. “I didn’t think love like this was real,” I begin. “Not for a man like me. I came here trying to rebuild my life, and instead, I found you.”
My voice breaks, but I push through. “You taught me that love doesn’t have to hurt. It can feel gentle. Patient. Steady. You brought joy back into my house. You made Aria feel safe. You made me feel worthy.”
Ella’s eyes fill, her breath coming shallow.
“I’m yours,” I tell her, voice low. “In every way that matters. For the rest of my life, I’ll choose you. Every morning, every night, every moment in between.”
Her first tear falls, and I catch it with my thumb. “I love you, Ella Shiloh Morgan. And I always will.”
Beck clears his throat loudly and says something about rings. Ava hands Ella’s ring over with a glassy expression. Zane hands mine over with a grunt that sounds vaguely like, “Don’t screw this up.”
We slip the rings on.
Beck grins. “By the power vested in me, by the Internet, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Cole, you may kiss your bride. Keep it short, this is my baby sister.”
I don’t wait a second.
I palm the back of her neck, lean in, and kiss her deeply, slowly, with everything I’ve been holding in since she appeared at the end of the aisle. Her fingers slide up the lapels of my jacket, her body pressing into mine like she’s been waiting her whole life for this moment.
The crowd erupts. Aria cheers the loudest. Daisy throws the rest of her flower petals in the air and screams, “KISS AGAIN!”
Ella laughs against my mouth, breath warm, body soft and trembling with happiness.
And just like that… we’re married.
The reception is a blur of warmth and noise and dancing.
Ava makes a toast that includes the words “cowboy prince charming,” which makes Ella blush scarlet.
Beck cries loudly during the father-daughter dance, even though it’s not even his dance, and Quinn teases him for it.
Tessa films everything. Zane won’t leave Ava’s side, because the man is still lovesick even after a wedding and a baby.
Aria drags Hank around the dance floor until he’s dizzy, and Mom feeds everyone slices of her famous caramel cake until half the ranch is in a sugar coma.
Hours pass in laughter, music and arms around waists.
But near the end of the night, when the sky is navy blue and the string lights glow warm above us, Ella finds me near the edge of the barn, pulls me by the tie, and whispers, “Come steal a moment with me.”
I follow.
I always will.
She takes me behind the barn toward the quiet pasture where the horses sleep. The night air is cool, the grass soft under our feet, the sounds of the party distant. She turns to face me, a soft smile on her lips, hands sliding up my chest.
“Hi, husband,” she murmurs.
I swear my heart stumbles.
“Say that again.”
“Husband,” she repeats, grinning.
I cup her waist, tug her close. “Wife.”
Her breath catches.
We stand there for a while, wrapped up in each other, letting the world slow down enough for it all to sink in. She tips her head back to look at me, eyes shining with something deeper than joy—something like belonging.
“You happy?” I ask quietly.
Her answer is immediate. “More than I ever thought I could be.”
I lower my forehead to hers, closing my eyes, breathing her in. This is it. The ending she deserved, and the home I never thought I’d get again.
Our beginning.
Ella presses a soft kiss to my lips, fingers curling into the fabric of my suit. “Take me home, Cole.”
I lace our fingers together, and for the first time in a long damn time, I know exactly where home is.
Her.
THE END.
Thanks for riding through Ella & Cole’s story with me—I hope they made your heart race and your temperature rise.