The world fell away. Standing under the soaring glass arch of the Conservatory, William took Sophie’s hands. His manic energy was gone, replaced by a profound, quiet peace.
“Sophie,” William began, his voice amplified by the perfect acoustics. “For a year, I lived in a winter without end. I thought my heart was buried in the snow. But you… you dug me out. You loved the broken parts of me until they were whole again.”
Tears streamed down Sophie’s face. She squeezed his hands, her guilt transforming into a fierce, protective love.
“William,” she choked out, reading from the paper she had stained with tears that morning. “I promise to stand by you when the storms come. I promise to be your shelter. No matter what the past holds, or what the future brings… I am yours. Completely.”
“I, William, take you, Sophie…”
“I, Sophie, take you, William…”
They exchanged the rings. The officiant smiled. “By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife.”
William pulled her into a kiss that sealed their fate, just as the sound of screeching tires echoed from the street outside. They were married. And the storm had just arrived.