Nic stood quietly in the wings of the old church. He and the minister had exchanged a few words. It was awkward, at least for Nic. They quieted to wait for the music to change. His hands were damp. Fuck, he'd been through one hell of a lot in his life but the big things… losing his mom, his leg… if it hadn't been for Jade, he doubted he'd still be a functioning member of society. The woman had been his touchstone in a miasma of lost perspective, misery, self-doubt and depression so damn strong it almost pulled him into its black depths. Jade's will had prevented it. Her determination had pulled him out of that abyss.

Nic tensed when the Christmas carols stopped and the guitar music announced the beginning of the ceremony. Nic watched, unseen, as Jade's mom stood with the rest of the church. At the murmured voices, she turned her head. It took several seconds before she realized what was happening. Amanda's hand rose to her mouth as she watched each couple walk in and split at the altar. He could see realization hit her when Dani walked in on Christian’s arm. Amanda turned around and lifted on her tiptoes to see above the people blocking her view.

Chad smiled and changed music once again. Nic followed the minister out and took his place. Amanda glanced back at him. Tears streamed down her face unabated. The rest of the people, people he knew and some he loved, turned to watch his future wife walk down the aisle. Chad sang while he played. Nic was sure he recognized the song, but the need to identify the title fled his brain when Jade and Frank appeared at the end of that five-mile-long aisle. He locked his knee and forgot to breathe until Jared nudged him. Air burst into his lungs and a smile he couldn't prevent blazed across his face.

Frank kissed Jade's cheek, and Nic reached out his hand, giving her assistance up the stairs. She joined him on the dais and turned to him. Nic lowered and swept his lips against hers. Laughter rippled through the church.

"Well, now that we have that out of the way, maybe we should marry these two." The minister's comments registered, and Nic felt Jade's laughter under his kiss. He lifted away but kept his focus on the woman of his dreams.

The minister spoke about the sanctity of marriage and delivered a message of love and caring, although Nic would never be able to recall the exact words. His mind was fixed firmly on the woman beside him. At his name, he blinked.

"Nic and Jasmine, no Jewell… I mean Jade... I'm sorry, all these J names give me a fit." The minister's face reddened to rival a beet. He closed the bible in his hands and laughed. "Ladies and gentlemen, the bride and groom have written their own vows."

He turned to Nic and nodded. Nic drew a steadying breath and smiled. "Jade, when you seduced me—" Jade's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. Her eyes slid toward her mother without her moving her head. The entire wedding party snickered, and there were several laughs from those in attendance. Nic chuckled along and continued, "You changed me. In an instant, my world was filled with life-sustaining warmth. You are epically outrageous, fantastically uninhibited, and one hundred percent what I need to exist. I know life with you will never be boring, nor will it be easy, but I don't want boring or easy. I want the hair-raising, unbelievable adventure that surrounds you, and I am profoundly grateful to be the recipient of the love you try to hide. You are the love of my life, and I'm honored that you chose me." Nic turned and extended his hand to Jared for the ring.

Jared gave a startled jump and patted his pockets. Soft laughs echoed until Jared smiled with relief and reached in his front pocket. He pulled out Jade's wedding ring, a diamond encrusted band with stones cut to match her engagement ring. Nic grabbed the small ring and turned at the same time Jade was moving to give her bouquet to Jasmine. The flowers caught the ring and flicked it down the aisle where it rolled under the front pew. Everyone in the front pew ducked, looking between their feet.

"I'll give twenty bucks to the first kid who finds that ring." At Jade’s words, Talon, Reece, Tristan, Tanner, Elizabeth, and Kadey disappeared. Squeals of laughter from the children mixed with the unabated laughter of those who had to lift their feet as the kids scurried under and around the pews.

"Got it!" Reece stood, lifting the ring in his hand.

"Excellent, bring it here, dude." Jade waved him up. Reese gave her the ring before Nic could grab it. "Oh, no, you owe little dude here twenty bucks." Jade shoved the ring onto her finger and held it up, winking at the crowd.

Nic reached into his suit pocket pulled out his wallet and lifted the bills he had inside. "I only have a fifty."

Jade plucked the bill from his hand and gave it to Reece. "That's a tip."

The minister lifted his hands trying to still the laughter that echoed through the sanctuary. When it finally quieted he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and sighed dramatically before he blinked his eyes open and looked at Jade. "Your turn."

"Ah.” Jade turned to Nic and winked. She pivoted towards the people in attendance. "I'm Jade, by the way. I'm the one marrying Nic. It is my name on the marriage license, so I figure the reverend's botching my name isn't that big of a deal. As for you." The laughter the minister had tried to quell returned. She turned to Nic and lifted her hand pointing at him. "You told my mom I seduced you. She could have lived her entire life without knowing that." She glanced at her mom. "Right?"

Amanda, laughing behind her hand, nodded and waved Jade back to Nic. "See? You know you are an amazing man, Nicolas DeMarco, and it is a good thing you're so damn pretty, otherwise..." Nic threw back his head and laughed at the standing joke between them. "But, I'd like to be serious for about thirty seconds." Jade took both of his hands in hers. He waited until she lifted her eyes to his and his breath caught in his throat. The pure emotion that showed in her eyes was a rare gift. "You, Nic, are my beacon of sanity. You ground my life and give it meaning and purpose. Before you, there wasn't depth, or connection, or the desire for either. You split my soul open and gave it a place to reform, whole and alive with hope. You are the foundation I needed, the love I didn't deserve, and the man I will cherish and adore until my last breath."

She turned to Jewell who had his ring. Every last kid in attendance jumped up. Jade turned to them and lifted an eyebrow.

"Awww… come on, Aunt Jade! I wanna chance!" Talon begged.

"How much money you got in that wallet, DeMarco?" Jade glanced at his wedding ring. The devil danced in her eyes, and that absolute joy and impetuousness was the reason he loved her more than life itself. He glanced from Jade to the minister. The man glowered at him and shook his head.

Nic didn't fight the smile that split his face. "More than enough." He grabbed his wedding band and flicked it down the aisle.