Page 198 of Time & Time Again

“By all means…” He made a small gesture to keep me talking.

“I’m not perfect, and I won’t always get it right,” I said softly as I stared at the man I couldn’t imagine loving more than I did inthat moment. “But I promise that I will always be there… forever and a day.”

Harley swallowed hard, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“I didn’t always know how to love you the way you deserved,” he whispered. “But I do now. And I promise to keep learning, keep growing, and keep choosing you… forever and a day.”

My chest tightened as a lump of emotion rose in my throat. Between us, Aria let out the cutest littleaw,and that smile on her face couldn’t get any bigger.

“True marriage—”

“Can I say something?” Aria interrupted, thrusting her hand in the air like she was in class. Harley playfully knocked it down with a high-five as she giggled.

“You may,” the judge told her. He folded his hands and just stared at her—we all did—but her eyes were on me.

“When Daddy said you were going to be around more, I wasn’t happy with him,” she began quietly. Harley’s hand landed on her shoulder and gave her a soft squeeze. “It’s always been my daddy and me. And Holly, but we’re not talking about Holly right now. And we were happy. But you make things happier. And you give me power tools. And you make Daddy laugh a lot. And I’m really happy you’re my spooky daddy now.”

I let out a shaky breath, emotion wrapping around my heart in a vise. I was fairly certain I’d used up all my luck in life at getting the chance to be a part of their lives.

“I’m really happy to be a part of your family too,” I said softly, and her face lit up.

“You may continue, Mr. Judge,” Aria ordered with a big grin.

“Why, thank you.” Judge Warner chuckled. “True marriage is more than just a piece of paper. It’s a lasting bond forged from companionship, trust, and respect. May you always find strengthin each other, laugh with each other, and find safety and comfort in one another…”

He kept talking, but I didn’t hear him as my gaze drifted up to meet Harley’s. All I could see was him.My Harley.

It had always been him. Through every version of our life, it had always been him. Every bad decision… every wrong turn… every moment wondering what could have been… it led us to this moment.

Through everything that tried to break us and keep us apart, through all the heartaches and wrong turns… we’d made it.

We’d earned our forever and a day.