FLYING | Sequel of FALLEN (NaNoWriMo 2022 WINNER)

51.

"Marrying Grace won't change anything." She sighs, softening her tone. My heart tightens in my chest. Although I am getting excited about the idea of eloping, she is right... I sigh as well and I look at him.

"It will change everything for me. Don't you understand?" He looks at her through the rearview mirror. I see his knuckles turning white around the wheel. He is conflicted.

"You are just like him, you know... Your father. He was relentless. And passionate."

"What would he do?" He finally asks. Edith doesn't add a word. She doesn't object. Her silence is the answer. "I would like you to come with us."

"I can't leave the office, Marcel."

I look at him, at his hold on the wheel. I see his Adam's apple bob, and I take it upon myself to rectify this situation. I see just how pained he is, and I can't let that slide. Not today of all days.

"Edith?" I risk myself. "Your son, Marcel, just told you he is going to get married and he's asked you to be there for him. Do you realise how hurtful it might be for him to hear yet again that you prioritise your job over your own blood?"

"That's not what I'm doing. We all have responsibilities. I can't just–"

"Edith? Let me be clearer, as kindly as I can. You are a mother first. Everything else comes second. Your son wants to share the most important day of his life with you. You will be there. Your son has been desperately seeking your presence everyday since that day twelve years ago. You have denied him every step of the way. Now is the time to earn your forgiveness for every time you haven't believed in him. Now is the time to grieve and to start fresh. Now is the time to be a family again."

I might have made a strong speech, but I can't find the strength in me to look at Edith. So I try to occupy my mind by looking outside my window so that I don't overthink what I've just said. I feel Marcel's hand on mine on my thigh. I look down at them. He laces our fingers together, and brings our joined hands to his lips to peck.

And just like that, I feel ready. I debated earlier if getting married now was the right thing to do. I debated whether I wanted to change my name or not. I don't want to be his property. I want to be his equal. I want to be his everything. I want to share a forever with him. I want to be his family as much as he is mine.

And just like that, with three simple squeezes of my hand, I know I want to be known as Grace Wright for the rest of my days.

-

I open my eyes and realise that this is not a dream. Marcel stands proudly in front of me. He smiles as I have never seen him smile before. Two gorgeously deep dimples dig his cheeks. His eyes are so happy, I can barely see the white in them, his jade orbs sparkling brighter than ever. Edith proudly gives him the rings from a Tiffany blue box.

We had to wait twenty-four hours after requesting our marriage licence before getting married. During that time, we went shopping. We made sure to book his mum a hotel room across the hall from us and not next door, because I think our insatiable love-making would have traumatised her.

Marcel takes the ring and recites his own vows in front of the New York City clerk. He dives his fingers into the blue box to pick the smallest ring. He reaches for my left hand and holds the ring at the tip of my wedding finger.

"Grace Hemingway. Never in my life have I felt worthy of love. Never in my life have I felt understood. Never in my life have I felt this good about myself. Until you came along. You saw love and potential in me. You listened to me. You fought for me. You saw me even when I was lost. You gave me purpose. You gave me my life back. You are the sunshine in my grey London days, and you are the moon to all my sleepless nights. You are the life in my existence and I wouldn't want to walk through this life without you by my side. In this lifetime and the next, you are the one I am destined to. With this ring, I promise to cherish you. I promise to love and adore you. I promise to fight for you. I promise to protect and take care of you. And I promise to search for you in every other lifetime."

He slides the ring onto my finger until it rests next to his parents's engagement ring. I blink away the tears to clearly see my left hand. I blink a couple more times and look up at Marcel. Edith steps closer to hand me the final ring in the box. I return her smile and gaze up to her wonderful son. I put the ring to the tip of his fourth finger and sigh deeply.

"Mace..." I can only say before tears prick my eyes again and get blinded instantly. "Odd for me to be at a loss for words..."

A chuckle and a sob choke my throat at the same time, and leaves me speechless. I blink quickly, fighting the tears. I take a deep breath in and exhale loudly. My eyes find him again, and my heart races immediately.

"For so long I thought myself unworthy of you. I realise now that I was just scared to be dependent on someone again. You made me realise that it was safe for me to do so. That we were two broken souls that were destined to find each other. That we needed each other to be complete. You taught me how to embrace myself. You taught me how to love myself. You taught me to be free. You taught me what it was like to love. But most importantly, you taught me what it was like to be loved. You let me be reborn. Not only have I found a lover and a best friend, but I have found a home with you. We were made for each other. You are my soulmate. And I can't imagine going through this life without you. You are my Greek God. You are my muse. You are my everything. So with this ring, I promise you, Marcel Wright, to love you for as long as our souls roam this Earth. I promise to help you, guide you, argue with you, wonderstruck with you, and be entirely devoted to you. In this lifetime and all others. You jump, I jump."

With trembling hands, I push the ring onto Mace's sweaty hand I held throughout my speech until it sits beautifully on his finger. I gaze up at him, my heart racing in my chest.

"With the power vested in me by the Office of the City Clerk and the state of New York, I officially present Mister and Ms. Wright. You may kiss the bride."

Mace's hands wrap around the sides of my face to pull me to him with fervour. Our lips connect lovingly. I step closer on the tip of my toes to embrace him closer to me. I press my heart against his, loud beatings echoing each other's. He sways his tongue inside of my mouth, deepening the kiss to our usual passion. But it's different now.

"You're mine." He murmurs against my lips.

"And you're mine." I respond before I reconnect our lips once more, needing his kiss like I need air to breathe.

"I'm all yours. I've always been yours." He adds, and my heart skips a beat, and a couple more after that. I open my eyes, parting from his kiss, the time for me to realise the true depth of his words. He submits to me. He has always been submitting to me. Memories of us screen in my mind as I hear him add, "I love you so much."

I blink, and focus on his beautiful face. I raise a hand to his cheek and caress him tenderly, eyes filled with absolute love. "I love you more."

He leans into my touch. He closes his eyes, ravishing, and responds, "I love you the most."

I press a final longing kiss to my husband's lips before he takes my hand, and then his mother's, and walks us out of the little ceremonial room. He stops once we reach the closest window, and looks at the metropolitan horizon. Snow falls slowly outside. I can't keep my eyes off him.

"You see? This, in New York, this is the birthday I wanted you to have." He murmurs, his gaze leaving the window to look at both rings on my finger.

"You have given me more than that. With you as my husband, everyday will feel like a birthday, just because we get to share the rest of our days together."

"In this lifetime and all others."

"We always find our way back to each other."

"Grace Wright." He savours each word like fine wine.

"That's me." I smile brightly, and I catch a glimpse at his mum behind him. I reach for her hand, and pull her to our embrace. "The three Musketeers. The Wright family."