Rhys
I raised my head slowly as I stood at the front of the altar, gently rubbing my hands together. My heart was pounding so hard against my ribs that I could feel the heavy rhythm vibrating up into my throat. Even though the air conditioning in the private hall was turned down low, creating a cool chill in the room, an intense heat was burning right beneath my skin. My nerves were completely on edge as I waited for him to finally appear.We had booked an exclusive private hall that was decorated like a total dream. The space was dressed in soft royal blue and elegant cream, with fresh orchid flowers arranged in full blooms everywhere—filling the entire room with Kayden’s sweet, familiar scent.
Beautifully framed pictures of us were placed at every corner of the hall, capturing our journey from locker room glances to quiet mornings together.
Even though the hall was huge, we kept the guest list strictly private and small. Outside the venue, hundreds of fans and eager paparazzi had gathered behind barricades, but not a single one of them was given access inside.
The only people sitting in the rows were those who truly mattered to us: our families, friends, our teammates from the Northern Avalanche, Coach Reddick, and our CEO.
I lowered my head for a second, pressing a hand flat against my chest as I struggled so hard to keep my breathing steady and make sure I didn’t let my excited alpha pheromones flare out in front of everyone.
Then, slowly, the instrumental notes of A Thousand Years began to play softly through the hall.
I raised my head back up, looking straight ahead toward the heavy double doors at the entrance. The first figure to walk down the aisle was our Maine Coon kitten, Starlight.
A proud smile spread across my face as I watched her.
Starlight was dressed beautifully, wearing a tiny cream ribbon around her neck as her fluffy tail swished happily with every step.
Right when she was about to reach the midpoint of the aisle, Raymond stepped out, winked at me with a grin, and gently scooped her up into his arms to keep her moving.
Next came Soren, walking steadily while holding Rio’s hand. They were followed by Nico and Alaric, then Leo and Miller walking side by side.
And then, I let out a deep, shuddering sigh as Kayden finally appeared at the top of the aisle, holding a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in his hands.
My whole body froze.
I was completely blown away, standing there in utter awe as I took in the sight of him. His custom wedding suit fit him like a dream, accentuating his radiant skin, his soft curls, and the tiny curve of his bump. He looked so breathtakingly handsome that my chest actually hurt.
Rhoda had her arm warmly entwined with his, walking him down the aisle with a proud, tearful smile on her face.
Tears instantly welled up in my eyes just staring at how beautiful he looked. I tried to hide it. I tried to pretend that everything was under control, pretending that my chest wasn’t completely overwhelmed and screaming at me to react, to scream out loud and jump straight into Kayden’s arms.
But I couldn’t stop it, so I just let the tears stream freely down my face.
They weren’t tears of sorrow at all. They were tears of pure joy that made my heart beat even faster than before.
This was my man. My husband in just a few minutes.
The music grew louder and richer until he was standing right in front of me at the altar. I couldn’t hold back the emotion anymore, so I lowered my face, crying quietly as the tears kept falling.
Kayden reached out and touched my shoulder, squeezing it gently. "It’s alright," he muttered softly, his own eyes shining. "If you continue to cry like this, then I shall cry too."
I shook my head quickly.
The absolute last thing I wanted was for him to cry and ruin his beautiful face.
"No, don’t," I muttered, using the back of my hand to wipe a lone tear from my eye. "I am just so happy right now seeing how far we have come. Finally, you are right here in front of me looking so handsome, and knowing that you are mine is more than enough to make me cry! The outfit looks so good on you, Kayden. I wish you could wear this every single day."
Kayden chuckled, placing both of his hands comfortably on my shoulders. "If you want, I could wear it every day."
"Say your vows first before you strip each other off right there on the stage!" Leo shouted out loudly from his seat in the crowd.
A collective chuckle escaped from my lips along with the rest of the room. I stretched forth my hand, offering an open palm for Kayden to take.
"Shall we?" I asked him slowly.
"We shall," Kayden responded softly, slipping his warm hand directly into mine.
We turned together and walked up to the officiating priest. As soon as we reached the front, the priest smiled at us and began speaking to the room.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today for the holy matrimony of our dearest Rhys Calder and Kayden Vale. Marriage is a promise to stand by one another through every high and every low, in total love and devotion."
The priest looked toward me first. "Rhys Calder, do you take Kayden Vale to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, honor him, and keep him in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," I responded, a bright smile breaking across my face as my eyes refused to leave Kayden’s for even a single second.
The priest then turned his warm gaze toward Kayden. "And Kayden Vale, do you take Rhys Calder to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, honor him, and keep him in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Kayden sniffled softly, letting out a watery laugh as he smiled back at me.
Hearing those words come out of his mouth made my heart pound even harder against my chest, filling me with a wave of relief so massive it almost took my breath away.
"May I now have your vows?" the priest asked smoothly.
I cleared my throat, taking both of Kayden’s hands in mine and rubbing his skin gently with my thumbs.
"I had written my vows down on paper and had fully wanted to read them out here today," I began, my voice clear and steady. "But standing here looking at you, I changed my mind. I wanted the words to come straight out of my heart just as I feel them right now."
I paused, letting out a small breath as I held his gaze.
"Kayden Vale... or, as I usually call you, my softie."
A bright chorus of laughter rippled through the seats behind us, but I didn’t care. I kept my eyes locked right on him as I continued.
"I am so proud to be your man. I am so unbelievably happy to have you in my life. Meeting you as your captain was the single best thing that has ever happened to me. Even though we didn’t start out well in the beginning, I want you to know that I love and cherish you with all of my heart."
I took a slow step closer, my grip on his hands tightening with warmth.
"You taught me how to fall in love, Kayden. Before you came along, I never knew what real love was because I never experienced it while growing up. But you showed me what love is all about. You showed me what love should feel like, and every single day, you make me feel so special."
I took another quiet pause, swallowing down the lump in my throat.
"I learned to love you, and now you are about to be mine forever. Kayden, today I promise to cherish you until the very end. I will always love you—only you and no one else. You are the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I will love you as your lover, your husband, and your absolute soulmate."
I looked down at his bump for a second before looking right back into his beautiful eyes.
"I hope our future turns out amazing, and I promise that our child will grow up in a world that loves him completely. I promise to always be there for you, my love. I love you now and forever."
"Oh, Rhys..." Kayden muttered the very second I finished speaking. Fresh tears were already rolling down his flushed cheeks.
I immediately pulled a clean white handkerchief out from my suit pocket. Reaching up, I wiped his face clean, moving slowly and gently so I wouldn’t mess up his styling.
"Don’t cry, my love," I whispered softly to him.
"Say your vows too, Kayden! Don’t let him win!" Leo shouted out yet again from the crowd, his loud voice ringing through the hall. "Medically speaking, emotional distress causes immediate elevated tear production, so hit him back with your own speech before his heart rate spikes any higher!"
The ridiculous medical joke cracked through the heavy emotion in the air, making Kayden burst into a bright, genuine laugh.
I smiled down at him, resting my hands comfortably against his. "Go on, softie. I want to hear you."
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