Not in the Script

4

Brylee sobbed, hands trembling against Colin's suit.

And Colin—Colin couldn't take it. He turned, cupping her face in both hands, pressing his forehead to hers like he needed the contact, like he needed her to understand—

She was never going to be alone again.

And then Kaitlyn delivered the final blow.

"Brylee, for the first time ever, you didn't ask me if you were allowed to stay.

Because now, you know the answer."

Silence.

Not just from them. From everyone.

The entire room—family, friends, hundreds of people—was motionless, caught in the gravity of this moment.

And Colin?

Colin turned fully in his chair, wrapped Brylee up in his arms, and sobbed into her shoulder.

Not quiet tears.

Not sniffles.

Full-body, world-ending, "I have never loved anything the way I love you" sobbing.

Because this woman—this woman who had never believed she was worth staying for—had finally, finally let herself believe it.

Kaitlyn wiped her own tears, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"So, if you ever forget, Bry Bry—if you ever have a moment where you start thinking maybe love is something that can be taken away—just look at the man sitting next to you."

Brylee did.

And Colin—already wrecked—leaned in, kissed her forehead, and whispered, "I'm never leaving."

Kaitlyn smiled.

"You're home, Brylee.

And this time, you never have to leave."

And as the night went on, with music playing, glasses clinking, and laughter filling the air, Colin and Brylee stole a quiet moment outside.

"You're my wife now," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers.

Brylee grinned. "You're my husband."

"Sounds fake, but okay," he teased, making her laugh.

She shook her head, pulling him into another kiss. "Best decision we ever made."

And in that moment, under the twinkling city lights, they knew—this was only the beginning.

-----

Colin stood in the middle of their new living room, hands on his hips, surveying the absolute disaster zone that was their house. Boxes were stacked against every wall, some labeled neatly, and some... not so much.

Brylee walked in from the kitchen, holding up a random remote she'd just found. "Okay, serious question - what does this even go to?"

Colin squinted at it. "I have no idea, but I refuse to throw it out. We might need it."

"Colin, you don't even know what it's for."

"Exactly. Which means it could be very important."

Brylee sighed, tossing it onto the growing pile of Mysterious Husband Objects that she'd already decided would be his problem to deal with.

"Alright," Colin said, clapping his hands together. "We need a game plan. What do we unpack first?"

Brylee looked around. "Well, the bed is still in pieces, and unless you wanna sleep on a pile of jackets tonight-"

Colin gasped. "You're saying we can't just sleep on a nest of our own clothes like some kind of raccoons?"

Brylee gave him a look. "I married this man."

"Yes, you did," he said proudly, kissing the top of her head. "No takebacks."

As they started working on assembling the bed, it quickly became apparent that neither of them should be trusted with an Allen wrench.

"Okay, hold that side steady." Colin instructed.

"I am holding it steady."

Then why is it moving?"

"Because you're moving it."

"...Oh."

They both paused, looking at the half-assembled frame. Brylee sighed. "Okay, so the good news is, we're halfway there. The bad news is, I think we built this entirely wrong."

Colin inspected their work. "Yeah, I don't think the headboard is supposed to be at the foot of the bed."

After an hour of struggling, some light cursing, and one brief break where Colin laid dramatically on the floor whispering, this is my home now, they finally got it assembled.

By the time they made their way back to the kitchen, it was almost midnight, and neither of them had the energy to start unpacking dishes.

Brylee sighed. "Pizza?"

Colin grinned. "Now that's why I married you."

They sat on the floor, eating straight from the box, leaning against each other. The house was still a mess, but somehow it already felt like home.

Colin looked around, then at Brylee, and smiled. "We actually did it. We have a house."

Brylee nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, and despite the fact that you own an alarming amount of mystery cables and remotes, I still love you."

Colin grinned. "Good, because I was gonna say the same thing about your twenty throw pillows."

Brylee gasped. "The throw pillows are essential."

He laughed, pulling her in closer. "Welcome home, Mrs. Jost."

"Welcome home, Mr. Jost."