“Thanks aren’t needed, Jeremy. Just be good to my girl.”

“There’s no other option,” I replied.

“Then what’d you say we have a wedding?” Nick said, glancing at his watch. “You ready?”

“I’ve been ready for longer than you want to know.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Probably a good thing,” he responded. Then he walked through the gazebo and down the walkway to where he was about to lead his daughter to me.

To her future.

Our future.

As cocky as I’d been, I wasn’t prepared for the moment Sierra came into view. I was nearly knocked off my feet, ass in the sand, as soon as I saw her. I don’t know what it was. Every single day, I’d looked at Sierra and marveled at how beautiful she was, but this was different. She was dressed in a flowing, white gown that perfectly molded to her curves. Her smile was radiant as she approached. The white hibiscus flower in her soft, flowing hair gave her the appearance of an angel. My heart leapt into my throat, and I couldn’t believe it. This was my bride.

I was undone.

When Nick gave her a kiss on the cheek then stepped to the side to join our families, I barely registered he was even there. My eyes were locked in on hers, and I’m not ashamed to admit that they might have been swimming with the manliest of tears.

“Beautiful,” I whispered then leaned down and captured her perfect, pink lips with mine. I just couldn’t help myself.

A throat cleared, and I pulled back. She was smiling up at me, her own eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

“I think the kiss is supposed to wait until after the ceremony,” she teased.

I grinned. “Do I look like I care?” Then I turned to Chris, who’d gone online and gotten ordained for this. “Make it quick, man.”

And quick is what he made it. I was dying to kiss Sierra again by the time we got to the vows. When Sierra had insisted we write our own vows, I wasn’t sure what the hell I was going to say. I sat for hours trying to form the perfect poetic words, and frankly, I sucked at it. So after too many hours wasted and sheets of papers balled up, I decided I’d wing it.

“Banks, you’re up first,” Chris said in his usual laid-back style.

Taking Sierra’s hand in mine, I peered down at her, waiting for the nerves to come. This was it. I was finally saying my vows, and in just a few short moments, she would be my wife. But the nerves never came. All I felt was love. Excitement. Joy. And impatience. As much as I loved Sierra in that dress, I wanted to see her out of it. To slowly slide the zipper down as I kissed her bare shoulder…

I was getting ahead of myself—and getting hard in the process. Which Sierra noticed. Her eyes grew wide as she bit her lip. I leaned forward and placed my mouth just above her ear.

“Not helping, baby. You know what that lip bite does to me.”

Her sharp intake of breath was the perfect opening for my vows.

“First,” I said, taking a moment to glance from Chris to Sierra, “I promise to never grow a mullet again without your permission.”

Chuckles sounded all around us, and Sierra’s shoulders shook with laughter.

“Hey!” Chris exclaimed.

I shrugged. “Sorry, man. Wife trumps best friend every single time. No more dares without Sierra’s approval.”

“I think I like where this is going,” Sierra quipped.

Wanting to get to the good stuff, I squeezed her hands and sobered up a bit. “God, I can’t believe we’re finally here. On this day. On this beach. In the very spot we met. It’s so surreal, and if I could spend hours explaining why and how I love you, I would. The truth is…it’s actually pretty simple. I love you, Sierra Sullivan, with every fiber of my being, and I always will.”

Her eyes shimmered again, and as one tear spilled out onto her cheek, I brushed it away with my thumb.

“I promise I will spend the rest of my life loving you. Every single day, I will make you laugh, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep that beautiful smile on your beautiful face. I live to make you smile, and even on our hardest of days, that goal will never change. After all, the sun rises and sets on your smile, and even though I should be, I’m still not used to those dang Ohio winters. But, with you there by my side, that’s all I need to keep me warm. I’d brave polar bears and subzero temperatures if that’s what you wanted. Because, I may be a broken record, baby, but where you go, I go, and that will never, ever change. I love you, Sierra, and I will for all of my days.”

It wasn’t the most eloquent or emotional of vows, but by the beaming, watery smile on Sierra’s face, I knew that it was perfect because it was all me. She sniffled, and when I saw Lexi dabbing her eyes out of the corner of mine, I knew I’d done good.

“Wow. Well, where to start,” Sierra said, laughing. “I guess I should thank you for not growing a mullet for our wedding day—no matter how much you wanted to recreate senior prom. There was no way I was wearing that dress again, and as much as I like John Stamos, I couldn’t be happier to be marrying Jeremy Jordan Banks, here, today, in this spot, in front of the people who mean the most to me.”

“MacGyver?” I questioned, and she rolled her eyes before softening them.

“I’d say that I can’t believe I’m standing here in front of everyone as I become Mrs. Jeremy Banks, but that would be a lie. Since I was eight years old, I’ve loved you and known you were the one for me. I sat down with you on this beach and never wanted to leave your side. So I never did. And I never will. After this, you’re stuck with me. This is your last chance to make a run for it.” She leaned in and placed her hand on my arm, gripping tightly. “But I’m warning you. I give good chase. Because it’s true for me, too, Jeremy. Where you go, I go. For the rest of my life, I want to be with you. Living. Laughing. Loving. You’re it for me, and you always will be.”

I placed my hand on top of hers and pulled her in close, moving my other hand to the small of her back. “Not going anywhere, babe,” I responded before leaning down and kissing her on her lips.

“Good,” she responded. “You’re my best friend, Jeremy. You’re my family. You are the greatest love of my life. I promise to cherish you, adore you, and laugh at all your jokes, and every once in a while, if you really want, you can get your mullet on.”

I smiled. “MacGyver,” I whispered.

She returned my smile. “I love you, Jeremy Jordan Copper MacGyver John Stamos Banks, and I always will. Now, will you finally put a ring on it so I can call you mine?”

So I did as she’d asked. I put a ring on it, Chris declared us husband and wife, and when I pressed my lips to hers, I sealed it with a kiss.

Sierra Banks was my wife.

Nothing could have made me happier.

2007

IT WAS AN ORDINARY night. I’d been on rotation, and it was my last night shift of the week. After four grueling years, I’d become a nurse, and now, I worked in the ICU at Good Samaritan Hospital. We’d lost a patient that night, and after I’d tried for hours to hold back tears, exhaustion seeped from my pores. All I wanted was to strip my scrubs off, take a hot shower, crawl into bed, and wrap my arms around my husband, stealing his warmth until he had to get up in the morning. Then I’d whine until he hit snooze for fifteen minutes. And then we’d have a proper good morning. The thought alone was enough to perk me up—at least a little bit.

I was thinking about what color teddy I’d put on when I was pulling into the drive. My hand hit the garage door opener, and I frowned when the light didn’t turn on. Strange, I thought. Jeremy was usually on it with the upkeep, and like a lot of ’90s kids, I was afraid of the dark. With silent trepidation, I parked in the garage, took a deep breath, and exited the car.