Page 120 of Cut up

It’s quieter here. Just the wind, the trees, and the birds settling in for the night. I can still hear music in the distance, but it feels like it belongs to another world.

This moment? This one is ours.

I sit, letting the lace skirt of my wedding dress spill into the grass, and Lucas sits beside me like he belongs there. Because he does. In every way.

He brushes a blade of grass from my hair. “Happy?”

I look at him—really look—and my heart trips.

He’s mine.

“More than I ever thought I could be,” I whisper. “Husband.”

He kisses the back of my hand, his thumb brushing over the ring that still catches the fading light. My husband. My future.

“I have something to tell you too,” I murmur, voice trembling just a little. “All that wine we got for tonight… it’s going to be wasted on me.”

He blinks, confused. “What?”

I take his hand gently and guide it to rest over my stomach. My heart pounds so loud I wonder if he can hear it.

“I found out this morning,” I whisper. “I’m pregnant.”

He stills.

His breath leaves his lungs like a prayer answered, like I just cracked open some hidden part of his soul. Then his expression shatters into joy, laughter breaking from him like sunlight. He pulls me into his arms, holding me so tight I can’t breathe.

“We’re going to be parents. I’m really going to be a dad?” He asks in awe.

I nod, blinking back the tears. “You’re going to be the best one.”

He doesn’t let go. Just holds me there on that hill, where he once asked me to be his forever. Where our story quietly began again.

His hand stays on my belly, even as the music floats back to us, even as the night deepens and the stars stretch overhead.

And as I lean into him, I remember what he said in his vows—words I’ve tucked into my soul: “You are my best friend and the love of my life. I’ve built houses, but nothing has ever felt like home until you. With you, I found peace, laughter, and a love that grounds me. I promise to keep building a life with you, full of strength, honesty, and endless love. You are my forever. I love you Camille.”

And now, in this quiet moment, I know exactly what he meant.

Because,He is my home.

My husband.

Our baby.

This is the next chapter of our lives.

And I will keep choosing it.

Keep choosing us.

Always.

THE END