Chapter 53
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Leon
Surrounded by our friends and family who are seated all around us on the ice in a special one-of-a-kind ceremony only Lily could pull off, Erika and I are standing on the rink on a rolled-out cream carpet.
In record time, Lily, Gemma, Lucia and Sofia, gathered in the locker rooms to make sure Erika was showered and ready to be pampered by a hair stylist and makeup artist, then changed into a floor-length white silk dress that caresses her curves.
She looks stunning standing opposite me, her warm hand in mine, as I rub my thumb over her wedding and engagement ring. She’s mine. My wife.
“You’re shaking.” I point out.
“I’m not cold, Leon. I’m excited.” She pulls her shoulders up to her ears, her smile so big she’s struggling to contain it.
Erika must be freezing, but she refused to wear the wrap Lily bought because she loves her dress and didn’t want to cover it up.
“You look beautiful.” I still wonder how she ever said yes to me, and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
“Thank you,” she replies in a whisper.
The world fades away, and then it’s just me and her in this heartfelt moment.
“Leon, you’re first.”
Oh, and of course, the wedding celebrant.
I repeat the words I said all those weeks ago, meaning every single one.
“I vow to be your light in the dark, bring joy to your days, and I promise to support your dreams, laugh with you, and love you endlessly. For me, there is only you. My body, my soul, my heart, my mind. I give myself to you. Forever.”
“You remembered your vows from that day?”
“I told you, I remember it all. The way you hum when you’re enjoying your food, the perfume you wear that I bought you for Christmas, that you’re a savage when you eat fruit because you don’t wash it first.”
That makes her laugh.
“And also, I know that you prefer wearing sneakers over heels, and that is why Lily has a pair on standby for you to change into after the ceremony.”
“You thought of everything.”
“Every thought I have is always about you.”
There’s a pause, the icy air swirling around us, a sharp reminder of how we met: her brother and hockey, the two things that brought us together but held us apart for so long.
I was resentful of that for a while, and now? Now I love how deeply ingrained she is in my past, my present, my future.
“Erika.” The celebrant gently urges her to go next.
“I, Erika Sarah Hill, vow to be your safe harbor in every storm. I promise to love you and cherish every sunset and sunrise, every quiet moment, every hectic day, and I swear to stand by you through every adventure. Today, now, always, and for the rest of our lives, through thick and thin, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, I will love you, support you, and cherish every minute of every day. Forever.”
“Having reaffirmed your love,” the celebrant draws a close to the ceremony, “it is my honor to declare your vows are renewed. May your love mature, deepen, and strengthen with time. May each day be filled with laughter and unwavering devotion. Go forward hand in hand with your hearts open. You may now kiss.”
Reclaiming her lips, I crush mine to hers, our vows sealed with a kiss, branding the memory of us into my mind for eternity.
The sound of our friends clapping pulls us apart, and then everyone is on their feet.
Ash launches himself at me. “Congrats, brother.” He squeezes me hard enough to break a rib, then pushes me out of our hug. “Not sure I’ll ever get used to watching you kiss her though. Makes me feel a little nauseated.” He holds his hand over his stomach.
“You’ll not want to hear what I have planned for tonight then,” I tease because I know he can’t break my face while our family is here.
“Kissing, that’s all you’ll do, right?” He shudders.
“Yeah, just like we did the first time in her dorm.” Fuck, I shouldn’t have said that.
Erika sidles up next to me and loops her arm into mine. “And the equipment room. I was twenty-two, just in case your brain is trying to keep up with that.”
“What?” Ash exclaims, looking confused, his demeanor changing and his eyes widening like a bull’s. An angry one.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, Ash.” Lily sounds exasperated. “Do you honestly think they haven’t kissed before Erika jilted Huck?”
“No, I didn’t.” Ash’s nostrils flare on the verge of charging me and tackling me to the ground.
“About that…” I hold my finger in the air. “Sorry.”
“Sorry?” he snaps, redness blotting his neckline just above the collar of his shirt.
This is too much fun. “I couldn’t help myself. I’ve loved your sister longer than you know.”
Curling his fingers into his palm, he extends two fingers toward me, then toward himself. “I’m watching you. You and I, we’ll talk later about this.”
Lily whisks him away, grabbing his hand and dragging him behind her. “If only you knew how stupid you sound talking to Leon like that. Now, can you help me get the kids sorted? Blaze has just socked Theo in the nose.”
“Those fucking kids will be the death of me,” Ash grumbles.
“Till death do us part, Ash. That’s what you told me all those years ago,” Lily counters.
“Till death do us part, Tiger.” Ash catches up with her and plants a kiss on her lips when she looks up, every part of him softening.
I slip my arm around Erika, letting my hand rest in the hollow of her back, and watch Ash and Lily animatedly talk as they move off the ice. “I love how much she bosses him around,” I say.
“Would you like to boss me around?” Erika asks, sounding amused by my confession.
“Yes, yes, I would, Dr. Hill.”
“Then take me home and make love to me.”
As if I’d say no.