Page 167 of Tyler's Rule
Silence held the church.
“Ye were the first thing in my life that ever made sense. The first I’d fight to keep. Ye and our bairn.” He brushed back her hair, revealing a tattooed word behind her ear. “I choose ye. Every day. I’ll be everything ye need me to be.”
Everly let out a quiet sob but didn’t break eye contact with him.
“Be mine forever,” he finished, rushed and choked.
Dixie’s nails dug into my arm. “That’s not fair,” she whispered. “He’s not allowed to be that good.”
I couldn’t answer. Something in my head had gone quiet. The noise. The fear. All of it, gone.
“Everly,” the officiant prompted.
She smiled through her tears. “I had a whole speech planned but he ruined it. I can’t top that.”
A soft laugh flowed through the room.
“So I’ll keep it simple.” She lifted their joined hands. “You were never supposed to be mine. Not in any version of the world that made sense.”
Shade’s mouth twitched.
“But you are. And I’m not letting you go. You don’t scare me. Your past doesn’t scare me. The life we’ve chosen doesn’t scare me.”
She brought him in closer. Shade swallowed hard.
“The only thing that scares me is a world where I don’t get to stand next to you. I choose you too. Every day. Even the hard ones. Especially those.”
Dixie broke into a quiet sob, quickly muffled, but I felt it through me. I stole a glance at her.
She wiped her eyes. “Don’t say a word.”
“Wouldn’t dare.”
But my hand had already found hers once more. She laced our fingers together without looking.
The officiant spoke again, having them exchange rings. “Do you, Connor?—”
“I do,” Shade cut in.
Everyone smiled.
The same question went to Everly, and she answered with the happiest grin. “I do.”
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Shade didn’t wait. He pulled her in, kissed her without any concern for the rest of the room. As if his world had narrowed to that single moment.
Applause broke around us. Cheers and whistles for the happy couple.
Dixie clapped, beaming. “That was perfect.”
I hadn’t expected to agree so much. But my focus wasn’t on them anymore. It was on her.
On the way she believed in them. On the way she’d walked into danger for me without hesitation. On the way she saidwelike it was already decided.
She’d chosen me.
That only meant one thing.
