And as they exchanged their vows and claimed one another with their rings and confirmed their commitment in front of everyone they loved, Becca knew this was what happily ever after felt like.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the chaplain called out when they’d said everything that needed to be said, “may I present the new mister and missus Nick and Becca Rixey. You may seal your union with a kiss.”
As applause erupted, Nick slid his big hand behind her neck and slowly pulled her in. The kiss was deep and soulful and claiming, full of love and heat, the kind of kiss she would remember as an old lady, the kind of kiss that would make her remember that, once, she’d really lived.
But living was what she was all about now. And this kiss was what their happily ever after was going to feel like all the time. Full of life and passion and love.
And if they ran into some hard times along the way, they’d fight through them together. Side by side. Surrounded by their friends.
After all, hard ever afters were good, too.
Because hard is good.