PSA: this takes place after the epilogue, on their honeymoon :)
Blake sits cross-legged in the sand, smiling up at her husband. He kneels in front of her, his hands shaking slightly as he unfolds the crinkled paper.
"You're nervous," she teases, watching him swallow slowly. "It's cute."
"Shut up," he groans. "You're the one who said you were too nervous to say our vows in front of our families, chérie."
"They can't know how I feel!" Blake laughs, grabbing his free hand. She didn't want to pour her heart out in front of all of them, that kind of vulnerability was reserved just for Ethan. "It's just me, Dolan. You know you can tell me anything."
"Yeah," he says in a whisper, the words getting sucked from his throat. "I love you, Blake."
She tilts her head, smiling at him. "I love you too, Ethan." He lifts her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles, feeling the cool metal of her rings against his lips. "Now c'mon, let's hear it. The sun is setting, if we wanna be sappy..."
"I'm starting to think that you just wanna hear me praise you and stumble over my words."
She feigns offense, giggling into her virgin margarita. Ethan's eyes roll as he glances back at the paper and back up at her. He crumples it up and places it to the side to throw out later.
He doesn't need some pre-written vows to tell Blake how much he loves her. He knows what he needs to say just by looking at her.
"Blake, I met you when we were 18, but I didn't bother getting to know you until we were 21. I think that's one of the biggest regrets of my life, because I missed out on those extra years with you," Ethan starts, recalling their first meeting at a party freshman year of college. Blake licks her lips, but holds back any interruption. "Who knows what would've happened then--but I don't wanna dwell on that. You know I'm not great with words. When I did finally get to know you, I fell head over heels faster than I think I even realized. The moment you walked out of my... admittedly dingy room at that frat house, I couldn't get you out of my mind and you haven't left it since.
You've made me a better man every day just by knowing you. You made me realize how much more there was in the world, and I wanna experience all of it with you. I'm so excited to live the rest of our lives together, with whoever is growing in you right now. I promise to change their diapers when you're sick," he pauses to laugh, and wipe at her wet cheeks, "I promise to hold your hand when things get hard, I promise to love you more every day, Blake. You're my best friend, and the person who taught me what love really means. Thank you."
Blake sniffles, pouting up at Ethan with a shake of her head. "That was fucking rude."
He laughs, pulling his wife into him to kiss her forehead. All of his nerves evaporate, just filling him with more love. It wasn't as scary as the suspense beforehand--it was comforting being able to say all of that to her.
When it's her turn next, she takes a deep breath to calm herself after hearing his words. During the ceremony, they did traditional vows. They wanted something so personal just between them. No long essays, but real promises and memories that mean more than the generic words.
"I chose you, Ethan. Which is a big deal for me, because I never saw myself getting married or having kids--there was a long time when I was younger where I didn't think anyone would love me enough for that to happen anyway," she has to pause and press her finger to his lips to stop his furrowed brows from interrupting. "I was okay with that, honestly, but then you showed up, Ethan. You chose me before I could even think about it, and I don't think you'll ever know how much that meant to me.
Thank you. Thank you for choosing me, and loving me, and being who you are. You've always been authentic and unapologetic, and you've taught me to let loose like that too. So I promise I'll always encourage that, in both of us and our child. I promise that I'll still love you... even if you're eating mac and cheese in our bed in 40 years. I promise to always be honest with you, especially when I'm stressed, and that nothing will ever be boring with us. I love you, Ethan. I'm so glad we're spending forever together."
He bites his lip and groans. "You're right, that was rude."
Blake laughs again, leaning in to brush their lips together. Ethan's damp cheeks press against hers, his hands cupping her face to keep her against him. The sun sets below the horizon, turning the orange and pink sky to a slowly darkening blue. Though the earth darkens around them, their eyes stay shining as they pull back to grin at one another.