Page 122 of Choosing Us

“Decide what?”

“Guys, I’ve got this.” Murphy raises his hand to silence his kids. “You are more than capable of walking down the aisle on your own, Harlow. We just wanted to give you options in case you wanted them. I would be honored to escort you down the aisle, if you would like.”

“Or one of your bridesmaids could as well,” Savannah says, gesturing to herself, Vivian, Cami, and Aisha.

“Or…” Liam adds, and Murphy gives him a look. “She was my friend first. I have to make the offer. If you’d like Harlow, I’d be honored to walk you down the aisle. We just want you to know that you can do any of this life on your own, and we respect that, but you never have to do anything alone ever again if you don’t want to. Ryan wanted to come in and offer to walk you himself, but the girls convinced him you would want to walk to him instead.”

They were right—that was the one moment of the wedding I’ve been envisioning in my head.

My parents wanted to use me as a tool in their social game.

Graham wanted to objectify me as something to feed his own narcissistic ego and delusion.

But Ryan?

Ryan sees me for who I am—not my job, not my last name, not my social circle. He doesn’t want me to be someone other than who I am.

He loves me for exactly who I am, nothing more, and nothing less.

Today, I choose to walk down the aisle to him.

And after today, I’m choosing us for the rest of our lives.

“It’s your call, babe,” Aisha tells me.

“There’s not a wrong answer here, I promise,” Savannah adds.

“Okay, well, I appreciate the generous offers, but I think I’ll accept the experienced one, if that’s alright with you, Murphy?”

Murphy puffs his chest out like a proud peacock. “It would be my honor, Harlow. Obviously, I was clearly the logical choice as I’ve done this a few times now.”

“I told you he was going to play that card,” Vivian adds. He likely walked Vivian and Savannah both down the aisle at their weddings—their first and second ones.

We make our way to the barn, and before I know it, the music changes, and I am about to walk to my future and the love of my life as an acoustic version of our favorite song plays.

Ryan is standing at the end of the aisle under a custom archway Finn built for the occasion. His brothers and Walker stand next to him, with his sisters and Aisha standing up for me. The girls all chose different dresses in varying shades of pink from a boutique on Main Street. Ryan insisted on the guys wearing dark navy tuxes, and the rich color somehow makes his smile even brighter today—or maybe it’s just the joy radiating off of him.

He is breathtaking, and I forget to move or breathe.

“Take a deep breath, honey. You’ve got this. But I do need you to breathe, please,” Murphy murmurs so no one else can hear.

I laugh and wipe a rogue tear from my cheek. “That is an essential function required to be alive.”

“Then let’s get living, Doc, shall we?”

I nod, and we make our way down the aisle, with our friends and loved ones beaming smiles at me as we pass, but I only notice in my peripheral vision because I cannot take my eyes off Ryan.

He wipes his own tears, and any hope of me holding it together disintegrates.

Savannah’s husband Theo is officiating, and I’m sure he says wonderful things, but all I see and hear is Ryan—until Theo leans in to tell me it’s my turn.

“Oh! Right. Sorry, I … I got a little lost in the joy.”

Ryan hums and squeezes my hands tighter. It may be tradition for the groom to go first, but we didn’t care about tradition when we planned this.

“Ryan, you are the steady that I always craved but only thought was possible in my dreams. You are my best friend, the love of my life, my protector, my partner, and my future. I promise to honor and respect you, to always assume the best, and to always have your back, no matter what storms life may throw at us.”

But hopefully, that won’t include any additional kidnappings.