CHAPTER 365: END OF THE AISLE (3)

Georgia’s POV

The moment the priest said it was time for the vows, my entire soul froze. My heart thudded so loudly I was convinced the microphone picked it up. I swallowed hard, looked at Nick, and whispered, well, what I thought was a whisper, "You go first. I’m too nervous. I just need a moment."

The guests erupted into laughter. Even the priest chuckled. And then I realized... oh God... it echoed through the speakers. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Nick laughed too, eyes sparkling as he reached for the mic. "You all heard that," he announced dramatically, earning another round of laughter. "And since I am a gentleman, my wife-to-be is adorable when panicking. I’ll go first."

He winked at me before facing the crowd. "Not many of you know this, but Georgia is currently suffering from dissociative amnesia, because of what happened... well, what you probably saw on the news."

Gasps rippled through the guests, followed by soft murmurs. Nick squeezed my hand gently before returning his eyes to me.

"Georgia..." His voice broke immediately. Just one word, and he was already looking up, blinking fast, trying to fight his emotions. The sight alone made my chest tighten.

"I keep asking myself when did I fall in love with you... especially considering you punched and kicked me between my legs the moment you woke up after I saved you from drowning."

Laughter erupted again, mine included.

"But every time I try to pinpoint it, it always leads me back to the moment I saw you floating in the ocean. I think my soul recognized you. Because no matter how many times I wonder why I jumped without thinking, it all leads to the same answer: my body moved because my heart already knew you were my destiny. Even without me realizing it, my heart knew we were fated."

Nick pressed the mic to his chest to steady himself, taking slow breaths before continuing. His eyes, bloodshot, emotional, endlessly sincere, never left mine.

"I thought it was impossible for a man like me to recognize his future in a single moment. But now I know better. My heart recognized you long before my mind ever caught up.

You filled every quiet space, every guarded corner of my soul with warmth I didn’t think I deserved. You made me laugh on days I could barely breathe. You loved me in ways I didn’t know I needed until it was your love I couldn’t live without.

With you, I’m a better man. A softer one. A stronger one. You show me every day that love isn’t a weakness; instead, it’s the greatest courage we can give someone."

His voice cracked again, and that was it. I felt my vision blur.

"Today, in front of everyone we love, I promise this:

I will choose you every single day, even on the heavy ones.

I will protect your heart as fiercely as you’ve protected mine.

I will be your home, your calm, your strength, and the arms you can always fall into.

Doesn’t matter if you can’t remember our past; I promise to give you better ones.

I will love Katie as my own and cherish the family we’re building.

And when storms come, I won’t let go. Not even for a second.

Georgia... you are my safest place.

My favorite story.

And the greatest adventure I will ever live.

For the rest of my life, and whatever lives come after this one... I am yours."

By the time he finished, the guests were sniffling. My bridesmaids were silently sobbing. Oliver was wiping his own eyes. And me?

I was done for. Completely undone.

And it was my turn next...

My tears had already soaked the corners of my smile. The priest handed me the microphone, and Nick gently squeezed my fingers, steadying me in the way he always did.

I took a shaky breath.

"Okay... I’m ready."

A soft wave of laughter rippled through the crowd, encouraging me.

I turned fully toward Nick.

"First... I want to say thank you. For loving me so fiercely, even when I couldn’t remember the pieces of us."

Nick blinked, his smile trembling.

"But there’s something I haven’t told you yet."

The crowd quieted. Nick’s brows pulled together.

"I remember opening my eyes in your ship and seeing you for the first time. I remember the fear, the confusion... and how your voice, steady, calm, stubbornly gentle, pulled me back to myself.

I remember you diving into the ocean during the storm without hesitation just to save me. I remember the island... the way you protected and took care of me."

Nick shook his head, tears spilling again.

"I remember the arguments, the tenderness, the way you tried to act grumpy but burned my food because you were too busy checking if I was okay. The way your arms always wrapped around me at night, even when you were pretending to be cold and distant, just to make sure I won’t get cold and get sick."

"I remember every sunset we watched, every promise you whispered when you thought I was asleep, every moment you chose me... even when choosing me meant losing pieces of yourself."

My own voice cracked.

"And when I woke up in the hospital, even when my memories were gone, my heart still knew you. It kept looking for you. It kept choosing you."

I reached for his hand, holding it over my heart.

"Nick... you are the love that stayed. The love that fought. The love that found me twice."

Tears shimmered in his eyes, falling freely.

"So today, in front of everyone...

I promise to love you with the same courage you loved me with.

I promise to choose you in this life and in every life that follows.

I promise to be your calm, your strength, your peace... and occasionally your chaos."

Laughter spread again.

And I promise that no matter how many storms we face... I will always remember where we began.

In the ocean.

In the firelight.

In a moment that felt like destiny, because it really was."

I smiled through my tears.

"Nicholas Knight... my heart and mind remember you. And it always will..."

******

Thank you for the Golden Ticket!

Apple_Dumpling

Noni_Byz

KATHLEEN_COLL