KEIFER POV — THE WORDS THAT SEALED US
The officiant cleared his throat.
I barely heard him.
Because Jay was still standing in front of me—my Jay—her hand in mine, fingers warm, familiar, grounding. The lace of her dress brushed my knuckles every time she shifted her weight, like she couldn't quite stand still even now.
Of course she couldn't.
She was vibrating.
I squeezed her hand once.
She squeezed back twice.
Then, because she's incapable of being normal, she whispered, "If I pass out, catch me."
I smiled without looking away from her. "You're not passing out."
"Bold assumption."
The officiant smiled politely. "We are gathered here today—"
The words flowed. Love. Commitment. Partnership. Journey.
I'd heard all of it before, at weddings where I'd clapped at the right moments and thought, That's nice. That's sweet.
This?
This felt like someone had cracked my ribs open and poured meaning straight into my chest.
"Keifer," the officiant said gently. "You may begin your vows."
My throat tightened immediately.
Classic.
I exhaled slowly, grounding myself the way I always do—by looking at her. By memorizing the way her lashes cast shadows on her cheeks. The way her lips were already trembling like she knew she was about to cry and was furious about it.
"Jay," I started, voice low, steadier than I felt. "You once told me you weren't easy to love."
She huffed a quiet laugh, eyes shining. "I was being honest."
"I know," I said. "You always are. Even when you pretend you're not."
Soft laughter rippled through the crowd.
"I disagreed then. I disagree now."
Her eyebrows lifted like she wanted to argue—even here. Even now.
"You are chaos," I continued, smiling despite the burn in my chest. "You are stubborn. You overthink. You panic at three in the morning about things that haven't happened yet. You steal blankets like it's a competitive sport. You drink too fast. You talk in your sleep."
She gasped loudly. "Absolutely not."
"You once accused me of stealing your fries in your sleep," I added calmly. "I was in the shower."
The guests laughed outright. Section E lost it.
"But you are also," I went on, voice softening, "the bravest person I know. You love with your whole heart even when it terrifies you. You feel everything deeply, and instead of letting that harden you, you let it make you kinder."
Her smile broke. Tears spilled freely now.
"You make my life louder, warmer, fuller. You make me want to be better—not because you ask me to, but because loving you makes me want to rise to it."
My grip on her hand tightened.
"I promise to choose you on the loud days and the quiet ones. On the days you're fire and the days you're fragile. I promise to protect your heart like it's my own—because it is my own."
My voice wavered. I didn't fight it.
"I promise to be patient when you're scared, to listen when you're angry, and to stand still when you need space and hold you when you don't know how to ask."
Jay's lower lip trembled. She nodded like she was filing every word directly into her bones.
"I promise to love you in the way you need, not just the way I want. And I promise—" I swallowed hard, breath catching. "—to keep falling in love with you even when we're old and gray and arguing about nonsense and you still refuse to admit when you're wrong."
She laughed through her tears, shaking her head. "I'll never admit that."
"I know," I said softly. "I love you anyway."
A beat. A breath.
"I choose you, Jay. Every version of you. Forever."
I slid the ring onto her finger.
It fit perfectly.
Of course it did.
The officiant turned to her. "Jay."
She inhaled deeply, shoulders lifting—and then she smiled at me. Not the polite one. Not the composed one.
The real one.
The one that wrecked me.
---
JAY POV — THE PROMISE I SPOKE BACK
The officiant said my name.
"Jay."
And suddenly the world narrowed to just him.
Keifer.
Standing in front of me like this was exactly where he had always belonged. Like there had never been any other ending possible. His hand was still wrapped around mine—steady, anchoring, familiar in a way that felt older than memory.
I took a breath.
Okay.
Don't cry immediately.
Failing already.
I looked up at him, really looked. At the way his eyes were soft but fierce, like he was holding a thousand emotions perfectly still just for me. At the tiny crease between his brows that only appeared when he cared too much.
"I wasn't planning on crying this much," I said quietly.
A ripple of laughter moved through the crowd.
"But then again," I added, voice trembling with a smile, "I wasn't planning on you either."
His thumb brushed over my knuckle.
I felt it everywhere.
"Keifer," I began, swallowing hard. "You came into my life when I was convinced I had everything figured out—or at least convinced myself I did. I had walls. Plans. Escape routes."
A soft chuckle followed.
"And you walked in like you had no intention of leaving."
His smile deepened, like he knew exactly where this was going.
"You are calm in a way that doesn't silence me. Strong in a way that never scares me. You don't try to fix me when I'm breaking—you sit with me until I remember how to breathe."
My voice cracked. I let it.
"You love me in the moments I don't know how to love myself. You stay when I'm difficult. You listen when I ramble. You hold me like I'm precious even when I feel like a mess."
Tears blurred my vision, but I didn't look away.
"You are my safest place. My loudest laughter. My quiet at the end of the day."
I took another breath, steadying myself.
"I promise to choose you—not just when it's easy, but when it's uncomfortable. When I'm scared. When I overthink. When I shut down instead of speaking up."
He squeezed my hand gently, like I'm here.
"I promise to fight for us without fighting you. To love you loudly when you need reassurance and gently when the world has been too heavy. I promise to be honest, even when it's hard, and soft, even when I'm tired."
A tear slipped free.
"I promise to be your home the way you are mine. To grow with you. To laugh with you. To build a life that feels like us—messy, warm, and real."
I smiled through the tears then, fully, openly.
"And I promise," I added, teasing warmth threading through my voice, "to still argue with you passionately—because let's be honest, I'm never going to stop doing that."
Laughter burst from the guests.
"But I'll always come back to you," I finished softly. "Every time."
My heart pounded as I slid the ring onto his finger.
Perfect fit.
Of course it was.
"I choose you, Keifer," I said, voice sure now. "Not because you saved me. But because you saw me—and loved me anyway."
For a moment, he just looked at me like I'd rewritten the universe.
And maybe I had.
Keifers pov
The officiant cleared his throat, smiling like he'd just witnessed something rare.
"Mark Keifer Watson," he said clearly, ceremonially,
"Do you take Jasper Jean Mariano to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do," I answered instantly.
No hesitation. No doubt. Not now. Not ever.
"And Jasper Jean Mariano," he continued,
"Do you take Keifer Watson to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
She didn't look away from me.
"I do."
The smile that lit her face felt like sunrise.
"By the power vested in me," the officiant said warmly,
"I now pronounce you husband and wife."
A pause.
Deliberate.
"You may kiss your bride."
I didn't wait.
I cupped her face—careful, reverent, undone—and kissed her like this was a promise and a beginning and a lifetime all at once.
The room exploded.
Cheers. Whistles. Applause.
Someone sobbed loudly—Celeste. Grace whooped.
Section E lost their absolute minds. My brothers laughed.
Her family wiped tears.
Jay laughed against my mouth, breathless and glowing.
When I pulled back, I rested my forehead against hers.
"Hi, wifey," I murmured.
She smiled, radiant. "Hi, hubby."
And as we turned toward our future, hand in hand—
I knew.
This wasn't just a wedding.
This was the moment everything truly began. 💍✨