The Edison bulbs hanging from the evergreens cast down a golden glow on the tables decorated with mahogany flowers and plum purples. Darkness settled above us, making it appear as if it were late at night instead of it being two-thirty. A neon light in the distance shined down on the spot where I would kiss Bo. Every time I would look at the Til Death sign, I felt nerves bubbling in my stomach.

A cold breeze swept through the seats in front of me, making the cornstalk entrance sway. Pumpkins were spread along the property. Jack-O-Lanterns sat on tree stumps, giving the walkway my soon-to-be wife would be coming down a pathway of lights. And at the moment, everything seemed to be perfect.

The bonfire scent filled the atmosphere. I could hear the laughter of friends who were more family than anybody with Carson blood. I knew Bo was antsy about making S'mores. That was all she kept talking about last night. She was either counting down the minutes to marrying me or eating S'mores.

This morning, I rolled over to kiss the woman I was going to spend forever with. Before I knew it, her little posey was stealing her from me, and I was driving toward the venue. For the last hour, I listened to my friends talk shit about me getting married. Everyone thought I would be the last one to settle down. They couldn't believe that not only did someone like Bo agree to marry me, but I will be ringing in the new year as a father. But with all honesty, neither did I.

I leaned back in the wooden seat and brought the apple-cider to my lips. Two years ago, I would have never guessed I would be meeting the love of my life, let alone marrying her or having a kid. Now it's all happening, and the more I think about it, I am fucking nervous. My leg was bouncing as I scrolled through my phone.

A text message came through as I stared at pictures of Bo and me. 'Can you sneak me a S'more?'

I smiled as Bo texted a please right afterward. 'Bo, it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony.'

'The baby really wants one.'

The little winky face at the end of her message made me laugh. She is so full of shit. Everyone stared at me as I roasted a marshmallow to what I would say is perfection. John asked me where I was going, but if I told anybody, they would stop me. Luckily, we found an outdoor venue with a building we could get ready inside of.

"Bo?" I knocked on the door.

I heard her shuffling. "Will you leave it outside of the door?"

"On the floor?"

"Well, if we time this right," she sucks in a deep breath. "I have five seconds from the time you leave to pick it up."

"Why five seconds?"

"The five seconds rule!"

I let out a belt of laughter. "Okay, I am going to sit it down and run."

"Tell me when you are leaving."

"I love you," I smiled.

"I love you most."

The second I set it down, I ran away, telling her I was leaving. Even though I shouldn't have, I needed to see her, but I didn't get to. The door was already shutting when I turned back around to sneak a glance. I could hear her cheers of excitement and moans of approval. She sent me another text message, thanking me for bringing her the best s'mores ever. She sent a million exclamation points along with her text. Then I love you followed after.

When I got back to my room, everyone was looking at me with questions. They wanted to know where I went and why I was gone for so long. I shrugged it off and grabbed a new glass of apple cider from the dispenser.

"How is your speech coming along?" I look toward John. "You do know you have to give me one, right?"

"I am more than ready for this speech," he snorted. "What I am most ready for is to see you tripping and stumbling over your vows."

"Not going to happen," I shrug. "Everything is going to work out perfectly fine."

Will it? I could barely talk when I saw Bo in the morning just wearing my t-shirt. What am I going to do when she walks down the aisle in her wedding dress? Surely enough, I will be fucked. I know it. I just didn't want to admit that to my friends, who were praying for an embarrassing skit in my wedding video.

As the time was now, and I was walking towards the half triangle with Til Death glowing in red, everything started to settle in. John's arm was linked with mine, and pictures were being taken, videos were being recorded, and our friends waited patiently. Sweat was beading down my forehead.

When John's arm left mine, I grabbed ahold of him. "What if I can't do this?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I am going to throw up," I admit. "I can't -"

"Kinnick," he placed his hands on my shoulders. "Calm down."

"John, I am freaking out."

"The second she comes into view, you won't be," he shakes his head. "You are freaking out because she isn't by your side."

I pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for everything."

"I love you, kid."

I squeezed him tighter. "I love you too, John."

He left me standing there with Miles as we both waited for my girl. It all started with the gym, a simple question, and blueberry muffins. Now, I am marrying her. Now, I am looking at forever, and everything has changed. The future won't be that bad as long as she is by my side.

Then the moment I saw her, I knew all of the bad days leading up to this very moment were worth it. From the second she came into view, I knew I would do it all again. The pain. The suffering. The long nights wondering if anybody would love me. The days I spent wondering if I was good enough. It all made sense the second her eyes met mine.

Now I felt like I could breathe. A wash of relief flooded over me, allowing me access to fresher air. She was everything I needed, and I could feel the tears welling in my eyes because I noticed that more now than I ever have. With the baby's bump showing through her dress dripping in sequins, there was so much happening.

And I wondered if this is what it would be like to die and go to heaven. How does God feel knowing he doesn't have an angel like this one? That no entrance would be worth it unless she was the one greeting me makes me want to avoid dying. If my hand isn't intertwined with hers, then I can't leave this world because I need my best friend by my side reassuring me everything is going to be okay.

John kissed her cheek before coming to stand by my side. I held out my hands to her. The second her soft hands encased mine, something changed. Today felt like the start of something new. And I have held her hands a million times, but this time, this time made me feel things I have never felt.

A wave of her love washed over the worry and the chaos, putting silence to every voice in my head. Her lips mouthed I love you as the priest spoke words binding us in marriage. I wiped the tears from my eyes before I grabbed onto her hand once again.

"I was made aware you will be speaking on your own behalf," the priest spoke to us. "This is time to do so. Boston, if you would like to present your vows."

She smiled as she stared up at me. "All of those nights I prayed for salvation, hoping I would see a turning point where everything in my life would change, I was sent you. You were the one thing I never saw coming. The one thing in my life that was pure, and I pushed you away at every given chance, wondering if you would stay, and you did. I loved you even though I was scared -"

"I found myself unable to hide from you because you can't hide from somebody who knows you better than you do. And that is scary. I normalized trauma because it felt comfortable for that was all I had known. Then you came along, and you made me a better person before I realized it. You created a part of me I didn't know existed -"

"You came into my life and I felt better because of it. When people say you saved them, I don't think anybody takes it seriously, but you saved me, and I mean that literally. In the darkest days, you were my flashlight, showing me the way back home. In a world full of noise, I heard your voice. In a world full of hate, I found your love -"

"In a world full of problems, I found my solution. With you, I am never going to get my fix. With you, I feel safe. Next to you, I know I can conquer the world and we have. Beside you is where I want to spend the rest of this lifetime and whatever the afterlife has in store for us. Our forever starts now, and I want the days to go by slower. I used to fear getting older but I know I'll be okay as long as we are hand and hand, and shoulder to shoulder. "

I stared at her, wondering how the fuck I was supposed to follow up with something better. She folded her paper back up as I pulled out mine. God, this is not good enough for her. Fuck me.

"A war has been raging in my head since I could remember. Worry has clouded my thought, like the aftermath of grenades going off in my mind. Despite the voices echoing in my ears like gunshots and the opinions staining me like blood after a shootout, your voice was the loudest. Above all of the noise, your laughter was my salvation. Though all of the wreckage from the aftermath, you dusted me off and found something worth saving -"

"When you look me in the eyes, I can breathe. Anytime I am scared or I feel as if I can't do something, you glance at me, and the impossible is suddenly possible. I've gotten through the hardest points in my life with your support. I look forward to every day knowing that you will be a part of it. The days have seemed brighter since you've come along, and I can't seem to remember what they were like before you did -"

"I have been a person everybody wanted to fix as if I was a broken piece of machinery. Yet, nobody had the tools for these parts. They couldn't find replacements. When you came into my life, you were a whole repair manual, knowing me back to front and side to side. You slowly started to heal me with your blueberry muffins and shitty jokes -"

Her hand reached out to shove me. "They are not shitty!"

A wave of laughter erupted through the crowd of our friends as I shrugged. "Just a tad bit, but they are cute. Anyways, as I was saying. You slowly started to heal me with your blueberry muffins and somewhat shitty jokes. When I was falling, you were the cushion, breaking the fall. Your eyes stopped me in my tracks. Your smile brought me back from the edge -"

"I never jumped because I had something worth keeping my feet planted for. You are my resolution, Boston Bennett. My fucking redemption. You are my lover and best friend, all in one. You are my other half. Without you, I don't feel whole. Now because of you, it is well with my soul."