Chapter 14
We planned the wedding in three months.
Clara wanted something small, intimate, just family and close friends. I wanted to give her the world, but I agreed—after everything we’d been through, we didn’t need a big, fancy party with hundreds of people we didn’t know. We just needed the people we loved.
We got married in the garden of the house, under an arch of white roses. My father walked her down the aisle, his eyes glistening with tears. James was my best man. Clara’s grandmother was there, sitting in the front row, crying happy tears. Marcus, the staff, a few close friends from the company—everyone who’d stood by us.
I wore a black suit, my shoulder still a little sore, but strong enough to hold her. Clara wore a simple white dress, her hair down, a veil made of lace that had belonged to her mother. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
When the priest asked if anyone objected, the whole room laughed. No one was going to object. Not ever again.
We said our vows, our voices shaking a little. I promised to love her, to protect her, to stand by her for the rest of my life. She promised the same, plus a promise to always make my tea the way I liked it. Everyone laughed again.
When he said I could kiss the bride, I lifted her veil and kissed her, long and slow, while everyone cheered.
The reception was on the back terrace, with string lights and good food and music that made everyone want to dance. I danced with Clara, holding her close, my chin resting on the top of her head.
“Mrs. Hale,” I said.
“Mr. Hale,” she said, smiling up at me.
My father danced with her, too, telling her how happy he was that she was part of the family. James danced with her, making her laugh so hard she snort-laughed, which made everyone else laugh too. Even Marcus danced, awkward but sweet, spinning her around the terrace.
Later that night, after everyone left, we walked through the house together, hand in hand. We stopped in the ballroom, where it had all started, where Vanessa had mocked me, where Clara had knelt down beside me and changed my life forever.
“Remember that night?” I asked.
She nodded. “I thought you’d never notice me. I thought I’d just be the quiet maid forever, watching you from the corner.”
“I noticed you,” I said. “I always noticed you. Even before the accident. I just didn’t know how much I needed you until that night.”
I pulled her close, kissing her again.
“I love you, Clara Hale,” I said.
May you like
“I love you too, Ethan Hale,” she said.
We went up to our suite, the one that had once been mine alone, now ours. For the first time in my life, I went to sleep feeling completely safe, completely loved, completely home.
