The Wedding
Three Months Later
ARIANA’S POV
The soft strains of a violin drifted through the open air, wrapping around the blooming garden like a promise.
I could hear the waves lapping gently against the shore just beyond the hedge of white roses. I could hear the rustle of flower petals as the breeze kissed the aisle. I could hear the hush that fell over the crowd—friends, family, loved ones—as the music swelled.
But all I could think about was the man waiting at the altar.
Hardin.
My heart was pounding so fiercely I could feel it in my fingertips. My hands trembled slightly, clutching my bouquet of cream and blush peonies. Every breath I took was filled with lavender and salt and the faintest hint of citrus from the lemon trees that lined the garden walls.
“You ready, sweetheart?”
I turned to look up at my grandfather.
His eyes were damp.
That alone nearly undid me.
“I’m more than ready,” I whispered, tears stinging my own eyes.
He smiled and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Then let’s go make you a wife.”
The music shifted—softer, slower.
The guests stood.
And my grandfather offered me his arm.
As we stepped through the archway, time seemed to pause.
Everything blurred—everything except him.
Hardin stood beneath a canopy of wisteria, golden sunlight dripping through the vines like melted honey. His dark hair was swept back, eyes locked on mine as if I was the only person in the world. He wore a tailored black suit, no tie, two buttons undone. Casual, confident… him.
But it was the look on his face that stole the air from my lungs.
Like he was watching a miracle walk toward him.
Like he couldn’t believe I was real.
Like he was falling in love with me all over again.
I forgot how to breathe.
Tears pooled in my eyes as I stepped closer, heartbeat echoing with every footstep on the white rose petal–strewn aisle. My dress trailed behind me—ivory lace with tiny crystal details that shimmered with every movement. The veil was pinned with my mother’s hair comb. Something borrowed. Something old.
My entire life led to this moment.
Every scar, every heartbreak, every night I cried wondering if I’d ever find peace…
It was all worth it.
Because it led me to him.
And now, I was walking toward forever.
When we reached the altar, my grandfather squeezed my hand gently, then leaned in to whisper, “He’s your home now. But you’ll always be my little girl.”
I kissed his cheek and let go.
Hardin stepped forward and took my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And when he looked at me—he didn’t just smile.
He breathed.
Like I was the air.
Like he had been holding his breath for a lifetime, waiting for this.
The officiant welcomed everyone, but I barely heard her. My world had narrowed to one man and the future shining in his eyes.
When she invited us to speak our vows, Hardin turned to face me, taking both of my hands in his.
His thumbs stroked gently over my skin.
And when he spoke, his voice was low, thick with emotion.
“I’ve been through a lot in my life,” he began, “but nothing has ever shaken me like you. From the moment you crashed into my world, I knew everything was about to change. And it terrified me—because I didn’t think I deserved you.”
My chest ached.
“But you—God, Ariana—you didn’t just heal me. You saw me. The parts of me I tried to hide. The broken, jagged edges I thought no one could ever touch. You held them like they were gold.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
“I vow to never stop choosing you. Even on the hard days. Especially on the hard days. I vow to protect you, cherish you, fight for you—and never let anything come between us again. You’re my best friend. My light. My home. My wife. And I’ll love you until my last breath.”
By the end, his voice was shaking. And so was I.
I blinked through the tears, trying to speak.
Hardin reached up and brushed his knuckles down my cheek, nodding gently.
I took a breath.
And let my heart speak.
“I used to think love was something that came with pain. That it broke more than it healed. But then you showed me what it really meant—to be loved without conditions, without expectations. To be seen and still chosen.”
He swallowed hard.
“You’ve been my rock, my storm, my fire, and my peace. You found me when I was lost and made me feel like I was enough. I vow to never take that for granted. I vow to stand beside you in every fight, in every silence, in every joy. To love you not just for who you are—but for everything you’ve overcome to be him. My Hardin.”
He bowed his head for a second, and I saw the shimmer in his eyes.
“I’m yours, completely,” I whispered. “And I’ll never stop loving you. Not in this life, and not in the next.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the entire garden.
Not even the officiant.
She smiled through her tears. “Do you, Hardin, take Ariana to be your wife?”
He didn’t hesitate. “I do.”
“And do you, Ariana, take Hardin to be your husband?”
“I do,” I said softly, through a sob I didn’t try to hide.
“Then by the power vested in me,” she said, smiling wide, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
My heart caught in my throat.
“You may kiss your bride.”
Hardin didn’t wait a second.
He cupped my face in both hands and kissed me with every ounce of love in his soul. Sweet. Fierce. Breath-stealing. The kind of kiss that promised forever.
Cheers erupted.
Petals flew in the air.
And the world tilted on its axis as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back like my life depended on it.
Because it did.
We pulled back, foreheads pressed together, smiling through our tears as the sun broke fully through the clouds.
Married.
We were married.
The rest of the day blurred into golden snapshots that would live forever in my memory.
Dancing barefoot on the grass under fairy lights.
Laughing with Vera as she twirled around with a glass of champagne in one hand and a brownie in the other.
Hardin stealing kisses every five minutes, like he couldn’t stand to be more than an inch away.
The way he held my hand beneath the table during the speeches, thumb tracing circles, grounding me.
The toast from my grandfather, where he raised his glass and said, “Love like this? It’s rare. If you find it—fight like hell to keep it.”
And we would.
Because no one knew how to fight for each other the way we did.
As the night wore on, the stars came out—bright and endless above us—and Hardin led me away from the crowd.
Down the path, past the lemon trees, to the beach.
We kicked off our shoes and walked barefoot in the sand, the moonlight casting silver over the ocean.
He stopped and turned to me, brushing a curl from my cheek.
“Mrs Richard.” he murmured, voice husky.
I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt. “That’s me.”
“God, I love the sound of that.” He leaned in and kissed me again, soft and slow. “Do you know what I’m thinking?”
“Hmm?”
“That the rest of my life starts now. And it’s going to be the best damn life, because you’re in it.”
My heart could barely take it.
“I love you, I can't believe you're my husband.” I whispered.
To think that there was a time in my life he was my assistant and then my boyfriend and now; my husband.
Wow.
He kissed my forehead, my nose, my lips. “Forever, baby. Nothing will ever come between us again.”
We stood there for a long time—just holding each other, wrapped in the sound of the waves and the promise of forever.
And for the first time in my life…
I knew what peace felt like.
Not because everything was perfect.
But because he was mine.
And I was his.
Forever.
*****
Thank you all for reading. Please note; the following chapters after this is Ronny's story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as you enjoyed Hardin and Adriana’s story.
***
Ronny became a private investigator for one reason—to find the parents who abandoned him. Years after escaping the orphanage and building a life from the ashes, he’s still chasing ghosts. He’s solved everyone else’s mysteries but his own.
Love? Commitment? Distractions? He has no time for any of it.
Until Liliana.
Fiery, sharp-tongued, and impossible to ignore, the redhead barrels into his life like a wrecking ball. Ronny’s always been good at keeping his distance, but she makes the walls he’s spent years building start to crack—and one night in his bed shatters everything.
He wants answers. He wants control.
But Liliana makes him want things he never dared dream of.
Now, with his past closing in and his heart on the line, Ronny must decide: keep chasing the truth or risk it all for a woman who could break him in ways no one ever has.
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