Wretched Roses √

Chapter 72-Ceremony

Third POV
She inhaled, then exhaled, giving her parents a smile. Traditionally, the dad would walk down the aisle with the daughter, but Leona had always hated that. First of all, she wasn't her dad's property to give to her 'husband', or wife in this case. Second of all, she wanted both her parents by her side. Although she did understand that people wanted to follow the tradition or simply just wanted their dad there, she figured, a same-sex wedding was already breaking the norms, so why not break one more. If her sister was alive, she'd be escorting her down the aisle. It had been their plan. But alas, Layla wasn't there, so her parents were by her side instead.

The doors opened and she made eye contact with Freya for the first time in over a day. She looked like a darn angel, was her first thought. Everyone else watching them no longer crossed her mind, and she was all that mattered. Leona couldn't help the tears that that formed in her eyes as she got closer and closer to her.

They were in a beautiful white venue with white chairs and blue flowers hanging from the ceiling. It was elegant and had multiples floors opened up with balconies decorated with blue flowers and a high ceiling. She felt like she was in a fairy tale.

When Freya's eyes met Leona, she almost gasped at how stunning she looked. Her eyes teared up and she felt so corny but at that moment, it was just the two of them. Freya had never felt so lucky knowing she would get to spend the rest of her life with Leona. She'd done a lot of things she regretted, but kissing Leona was by far the greatest choice she'd ever made. Freya brought a hand to her mouth, allowing a tear to fall. She slid her hand down to her chest, smiling widely with tears in her eyes.

And then they were in front of each other, with their family and friends by their side. They gave the flowers away and held their hands together. The officiant, Micaela, started speaking. Before they knew it, the time for the vows began.

"Leona Hart," Freya started. "That night, all those years ago, I met the love of my life. At a college bonfire, of all places," they laughed lightly. "We ran into each other and you quite literally fell for me. 'Am I in heaven?' Were your exact words and I'll never let you live that down. I'm flattered, truly, that just the sight of me made you think you were in heaven."

"And then, perhaps by destiny or some beautiful coincidence, we became dorm mates. Although we had a rocky start, with me already being in a relationship and us both being at difficult stages in our lives, I wouldn't have changed anything about it. I stopped wishing that past me would have kissed you. Maybe we weren't ready for each other just yet, I'm not sure, but I can't change the past and I don't want to, knowing it led me to this day."

"I love you, Leona, so, so much. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. So, to answer your question, I'm not sure if you're in heaven but it sure as hell feels like I am. You make me so unbelievably happy, love, you're my heaven, my earth, my whole damn universe."

"If there's one promise I can keep, it is that I will love you til' my last breath, through thick and thin, darling. I won't promise you that we'll be perfect or that we won't fight but I can promise to be your best friend, your forever wife, the one you can lean on during your ups and downs. I promise to love you even when you push me aside to make room for our cat or when you sometimes seem to prefer her over me. Because I love that about you, you're sweet, caring and you love with your entire heart. I love you, Leona and I'm here for you, always."

Leona laughed, smiled, and wiped away tears throughout my vows. "Fuck, I'm crying now," she half-chuckled, half-cried, and took a deep breath before she started.

"Not only are you my soon wife, but you're also my best friend in the entire world, the love of my life, and dare I say, soulmate. The concept of soulmates is interesting, perhaps even frightening, considering the concept of having one's soul bound to another may be a bit scary to some. However, I can't believe I have the privilege of saying that there's no doubt in my mind your soul is bound to mine. It doesn't scare me because I love you so much it's simply obvious that we're connected in more ways than one. You have the power to cheer me up, to make me feel like I matter so darn much, and to make me laugh so hard I'm crying."