~ Eleven Months Later ~

Theo

"Why the fuck is it so hot in here? Can someone turn the air conditioner on for fuck's sakes!"

"It is on." Dante retorts calmly as I pace around the front of the mirror.

I stop pacing and stand in front of the mirror. "This looks good, right? Maybe we should trade it in for another one, yeah?" I ask, fidgeting with my fingers.

Fuck. I'm getting married today and nervous was an understatement. I've been antsy all morning. I tried writing in my journal to calm myself down as it usually did, but for once, it didn't. Meaning, I didn't need it. Fucking finally.

The only other way I knew how to calm down was Lily. I haven't seen her in two days, instead I've been around Micheal, Seth, Dante and a bunch of other people I couldn't give two shits about. I fuckin' need Lily.

"It looks normal. Calm your ass down."

I begin pacing at his calmness. I run a hand through my hair. "Call Lily." I demand.

He takes a sip of wine and places one of his hands in his suit pockets. "No." Is all he says.

"The fuck do you mean, 'no'? Call my fiance. I'm freaking out here, man."

"I am not doing that shit."

I stop pacing. "You've got zero point five seconds to tell me why the hell or not or I'm going to throat punch you, Dante."

"You know how much this fairytale wedding shit matters to Lily. She said the groom is not supposed to speak to the bride at all before she walks down that aisle. I'm not letting you fuck that up."

Why does he have to be right?

I only flip him off as a response before turning back around to my reflection in the mirror. I glance at him through the mirror after a moment and do a double take.

"Are you fuckin' crying?"

"No. What the hell?"

"There's a tear right th-"

"I'm not crying, fucker! I just have something stuck in my eye." He stands up and rubs his eye as he pats my shoulder. "Cassidy would be proud of you, man. Getting married and stuff. Doing good for yourself. She'd be proud. Her though. I'm not proud of you at all."

I nod and face him with a smile. "Thanks, bro. That means a lot."

The door opens and Micheal walks in with a bottle of wine. "I fucking love weddings. Free alcohol, hot chicks, good food. I'm basically in Hawaii-" he pauses and stares at us with a look of disappointment. "Are you guys serious? Were you fucking crying? Where are your goddamn balls!"

Dante moves back to the chair he was sitting in and clears his throat. "Nobody was crying. I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Mike."

Lily

I fidget with my fingers eagerly, waiting for Diddy to walk me down the aisle. He appears out of nowhere behind me and I smile widely. When he sees me, he pauses and my heart drops when I see tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Diddy don't cry! You're gonna make me cry!" I say, as he steps closer and start to feel tears form in my eyes.

He shakes his head and wipes his eyes. "You just look so beautiful, princess. Like an angel."

I smile and glance down at my dress. It was a gorgeous pink long A-Line Tulle Strap that Muffins mama had chosen for me. It was so beautiful that even Diana cried when she saw me in it.

A tear falls down my cheek and I hug Diddy as my favorite song, bubbly, plays. I told the DJ he didn't have to play it, but I know Muffin must have told him to.

Diddy gets out of my hold and places the veil over my face before lacing in his arm between mine. I inhale a deep breath as he turns to me. "Ready?"

I nod happily. I don't think I've ever been so sure about some in my whole life. "Absolutely."

Diddy and I begin walking down the aisle slowly. I resist the urge to skip instead as I hear gasping and clapping. Looking up from the floor, I search the altar for Theo. When my eyes meet his, an infectious happiness soaks through my body like one I've never felt before.

It starts as a tingle in my fingers and toes and instead of worrisome or fear, it's warm. As I near the altar, memories of Muffin and I flood my head. From the moment I crashed my car into his porch, the day he said my first name for the very first time, our first kiss, the first time we made love, the time we nearly died together, and so many more.

Diddy presses a kiss to my cheek before letting me go as I reach the altar and stand across from Theo. He stares at me with red eyes from trying to hold in his tears. Muffin looks down and shakes his head. When he looks back up, a tear falls down his face and I think I fall in love all over again.

"Fuck." He mumbles, blinking away the tears. His eyes dart to mine after a moment. "I wish I could explain to you how in love I am with you, in words. But I can't, so I'm going to spend the rest of my life showing it to you, baby, I promise." He says, and I hear his mom cheer.

Jesus - Oh my God. This man is so adorable. Oh my goodness, my heart!

I hold my heart at his words as the music stops and our priest, Dante, clears his throat.

"Dearly beloved, we meet here today to witness a sacred ceremony: the union of and with great reverence, we come together to celebrate the love and devotion shared by these t-"

Muffin holds a hand out to Bear and takes my hands. "Skip that shit. I don't like eighty-five percent of the people here."

I laugh as Bear nods and skips pages in the binder he is holding. "If anyone has cause to object to the forming of this union, speak now or forever hold your peace." His head lifts up from the binder and he glares at the guests. "If one of you fuckers object, you're not walking out here alive."

Diana hits his arm, making him turn back to everyone with a fake smile. "That's a joke." He says and mouths 'No, it's not.' when Diana isn't looking.

He turns to me. "You may now begin with your vows, Lily."

I giggle. "We're doin' that in private. Theo's is a little inappropriate."

Last week, when he was telling me about his vows, his exact words were;

"I'll put a bunch of lovey-dovey bullshit. Then a list of ways I'm going to fuck you now that you're my wife."

"All right, then." Bear brings his attention back to the paper. He glances at Muffin. "Under the eyes of God, do you take Lily Hernandez to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to support her completely and love her unconditionally, so long as you both shall live?"

Muffin smiles widely. "I do."

Bear turns to me. "Lily, under the eyes of God, do you take Theo Acquire to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to support her completely and love her unconditionally, so long as you both shall live?"

I squeeze Muffin's hand. "Yes, I do."

"It is now time to exchange the rings. The circle formed by each ring is a symbol of your love and eternal commitment to each other. May these rings remind you always of these sacred promises you've made to each other today in the company of your family and friends."

Diana hands the ring for Theo to me and Micheal hands the ring for me to Theo. Dante faces Theo. "Repeat after me as you place the ring on the hand of your loved one."

I move the ring he gave me for our anniversary to my index finger and Muffin places the wedding ring on my ring finger. He repeats the words Dante tells him from the paper. "I, Theo Acquire, give you this ring as a symbol of my love, commitment, and the eternal vows we have made today to each other. With this ring, I thee wed."

I follow his actions. Once I'm done, Dante clears his throat and stands up straight.

"By the power vested in me, by the state of New York and by the New Life Church, I pronounce you, Lily Hernandez and Theo Acquire as husband and wife, lawfully wedded before God. You may now kiss the br-"

Before Bear can finish, Muffin pulls me forward by my waist and his lips hit mine eagerly. Cheering and clapping commence as we kiss. When he finally breaks away, Muffin lifts me up bridal style and I yelp.

He faces Dante. "We'll be back in thirty minutes." He says and begins walking down the aisle.

His mom and some of my aunt's throw flowers as we leave the church. I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck. "Where are we goin', sugar?"

"Wanted to give you a little something." He replies.

Muffin carries me all the way to the park where he first apologized to me. Since it wasn't that far from the church, I figured it wouldn't take us long to get back. Which meant I would be able to give him his wedding gift soon.

He sets me down on the bench and reaches for something in his jacket. Theo reveals a dark blue journal before sitting down next to me. As I look closer, I see it is the journal he writes in.

He takes my hand and places a delicate kiss on it. Muffin turns it around and puts the journal on top. "I want you to have it." He says.

I shake my head in disbelief. "I can't take this, Theo. I-"

"Please. Cass said I would know who to give it to. And she was right. You're the only person I want to give this to, Lily."

My eyes water and I nod, accepting the journal. I flip the journal open gently and it lands on a random page.

Entry number fifteen:

Pain. That's all I feel. I'm so fuckin' miserable. The only happiness I've felt since you left is when I'm sleeping. I need you, Cass. I need you so bad.

My heart shatters and my mouth opens slightly. I turn to him and he stares at the ground. I place my hand over his as I turn to another page.

Entry number two-hundred-ten:

She said yes! She said yes to the date, Cass! Fuck, what am I going to wear? Where should I take her? Should I kiss her? I'm going to mess this up, aren't I?

I glance at Muffin again and he scratches the back of his head. "Uh, you didn't see that."

I laugh and flip to another page close to the end.

Entry number two-hundred-eighty:

I want this woman to have my children. That's it. That's the entry.

I blush and kiss his cheek before going to the last page.

Entry number three-hundred-eleven:

Getting married today, Cass and holy fuck, I'm nervous. It's a happy nervous though, you know? I'm like a kid again, giddy and antsy. Lily's got me feeling this way. All the time.

Forgot to mention, this is my last entry. Thank you, Cass. For everything. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had the courage or inspiration to fall in love with the woman who changed my life.

My eyes are blurry from all the tears escaping my eyes. I close the journal and rest my head on his shoulder. I squeeze his hand. "Thank you." I whisper.

I think I've found my new favorite book.

I know Theo isn't perfect. Neither am I. But I believe he is just right for me.

He presses a kiss on the top of my head. "I love you, Lily Acquire." He says.

I pat his hand. "And I love you, Muffin Acquire."

Imperfectly right for me

~~~𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓔𝓷𝓭~~~