“Ready?” Chad asks, squeezing my arm.
“Yes,” I say, my voice raw with emotion, “I am ready.”
We start walking and Liam moves with us, stepping directly into our path, the full impact of his attention the same as the first time I saw him. His attention is still just as fierce, just as forceful, and he is still money, power, and sex, a man waiting to claim me. A man who makes me want to be claimed, and yet he is so much more. He is love, laughter, and happiness, the other part of my soul; the rest of the room fades, the music disappears, and every inch I travel feels like years instead of seconds.
Finally, we stop in front of him. Chad leans down, kissing my temple, but when he starts to move away, I’m not ready for him to escape. I hold his arm and step to him, hugging him as hard as I can. “I’m so glad you’re here,” I murmur.
He holds me for several seconds, whispering, “I love you, sis,” before slowly releasing me with a smile. He goes to stand next to Gia and gives me a nod. Liam’s hand comes down on my back, the warmth of his love spreading through me, over me.
Inhaling, I face Liam, and he offers me his hand. I press my palm to his, a tingling sensation spreading up my arm, and he gently urges me to him. Our legs align, his hand settling on my waist, a branding I welcome, and when our eyes meet for a few seconds, there is no one else here. Just the two of us. “You look beautiful, baby, and I’m a very lucky man.”
“You look very sexy, Liam Stone. And I love the necklace.”
Dr. Murphy clears her throat, and Liam’s lips curve. “I think she’s telling us we have a wedding to attend,” he says, and we turn to stand in front of her.
Only a few months ago I was alone, so very alone, and now I’m standing next to the man I love, with the people I consider family and friends. Everything has changed. I have changed.
Dr. Murphy’s gaze meets mine, and I see understanding there. She knows what I’ve been through. She knows where I’ve been, and how profound it makes where I am now.
“We’re here tonight to join Liam and Amy in marriage,” she begins. “There is nothing conventional about this night, but then, there is nothing conventional about their relationship or their love. It’s unique and special. It’s a night I could fill with words, but it’s their words that matter. Amy. Liam. This is your time.”
Liam steps closer to me, his hand returning to my waist, my hand settling on the hard wall of his chest, and the way his heart thunders beneath my palm, I know he is as affected by this as I am.
“Amy,” he says, his voice low, gravelly.
“Liam,” I say, barely managing a whisper.
“Before I met you I was living a shell of an existence, broken in ways I didn’t understand, but I now do. I need you in my life, Amy, and I vow to love you with all I am. I know sometimes that will be good and sometimes bad, but whatever the case, it will always be honest. You are everything to me, and I will do everything to protect you, love you, and make you happy.”
I smile tremulously. “You already make me happy—and suddenly I can’t remember the vows I wrote. I don’t want to regret not saying them. I love you, Liam. I love you so much, and—” He kisses me, a tender, sweet kiss full of promise, and when his lips leave mine, he whispers, “Breathe.”
I smile again. “Because of you.”
“Then breathe with me for the rest of your life.”
“Rings, please,” Dr. Murphy says.
Gia steps forward and gives me Liam’s ring.
“Amy Bensen,” Dr. Murphy says, “do you take Liam Stone to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, cherish, and honor him for the rest of your life?”
“I do,” I say, and my hand trembles so much Liam has to help me slip it on his finger.
Then Derek gives my rings to Liam.
“Liam Stone,” Dr. Murphy says, “do you take Amy Bensen to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, cherish, and honor her for the rest of your life?”
“I do,” he says, and slips the rings onto my finger.
“Then the magical moment is here!” She declares, “I now pronounce you man and wife, and you may kiss the bride.”
Liam cups my face, staring down at me. “Mrs. Stone,” he says softly.
“Mr. Stone,” I say, smiling, and when he kisses me the room erupts in cheers.
Apart, Liam and I were indeed broken. But together, we are unbroken.