"I won't—” He froze and I had to do my best not to laugh. "What?"
"You heard me. I wasn't supposed to tell you yet but Ava and I have discussed it and we both wanted you as the godfather of our child."
Ethan remained like a statue, except for his eyes that were blinking rapidly.
"Ethan?"
"Godfather?"
I nodded. "Of course. Unless you don't want to an—”
"No, no! I want to. I mean, I don't think your child could find a better godfather. It wouldn't be right not to give him such an opportunity." Ethan looked away sharply, clearing his throat.
I frowned. "Are you crying?"
He shook his head, clearing his throat again. "Don't be stupid, Hugo. Now we better go before Ava comes to her senses and changes her mind about marrying you. "
I nodded and breathed deeply. "Lead the way. I want to see my bride."
I was waiting by the altar when Ava appeared on her father’s arm.
I thought I was ready but seeing her walking toward me in her glorious white dress, her pregnant belly proudly enhanced, happiness written all over her face as she came closer, took my breath away. I kept my eyes locked with hers and my smile widened as she walked closer.
"I still can't believe she is marrying you," Ethan whispered.
"I know. I can't believe it, either,” I replied as I grabbed Ava’s hand. "You are stunning," I whispered to her as we turned toward the pastor.
I was glad we settled for a short ceremony because all I could think of was her hand in mine, her flowery perfume and the dress that was giving her the most delicious décolletage.
"The bride and groom have decided to write their own vows," the pastor announced, and whilst I was nervous to bare my heart to anyone other than Ava, I also realized I was minutes away from her officially being my wife.
"Oh lord," Ethan muttered.
The pastor turned towards Ava. "Ava?"
She took a deep breath.
"Hugo, if anyone would have told me just a few months ago that I would be standing here in front of you, feeling the way I feel, I would have told them they had gone mad. And yet here I am, happier than I ever thought I could ever be, about to give birth to our baby. Hugo, I never thought I could love anyone the way I love you."
I squeezed her hand, my vision getting blurry with tears.
She continued as her voice broke and the tears fell. "Hugo, I promise to be your lover, companion and friend, your partner in parenthood, your ally in conflict, your greatest fan and your toughest adversary."
"I will be your comrade in adventure, your student and your teacher, your consolation in disappointment, your accomplice in mischief. This is my sacred vow to you. I will always be by your side, no matter how hard it might become, no matter what you need. I will be there. I will walk with you hand in hand wherever our journey takes us. You’re nothing short of my everything."
I had to use all my power to restrain myself from pulling her to me and kissing her in front of everybody. I settled for lifting her hand to my mouth and kissing it.
"Hugo?" the pastor encouraged me.
"Here goes nothing," Ethan whispered and it made me smile, grateful that his little aside, whilst not very flattering to my emotional capacities, helped take some of the edge off.
"Ava, you know me better than anyone else in this world and somehow, still you managed to love me. You are my best friend and my one true love. I remember one day we discussed love and I told you I didn’t believe in such a thing. I remember your shock and the pain, and I can understand that now. It was probably the biggest lie I have ever said. How could I not believe in love when I had been lucky enough to have met you? Perfect, beautiful, loving and sweet Ava. I always thought I was a smart man living in a world of idiots, but I was the idiot. An idiot for not realizing that you would become the most important person in my life, the person I would love more than reason should allow the first moment I set my eyes on you. There is still a part of me today who cannot believe I'm the fortunate man who gets to marry you. I see these vows not as promises but as privileges—I get to laugh with you and cry with you, care for you and share with you. I get to run with you and walk with you, build with you and live with you. Lao Tzu said, 'To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.' No truer words have ever been spoken, as I've never felt braver or stronger as I do on this day, declaring in front of everyone here, that for the world you might be a person. For me, Ava, youarethe world."
Ava's pregnancy affected her hormones, which I had to admit to being very grateful for in the privacy of our home where I was taking as much pleasure as she did when I satisfied her multiple bursts of lust. I didn’t even try to stop her here, in front of her parents and our close friends, when she didn’t show the same restraint that I did and enthusiastically pulled me into a kiss.
"Too early, sweetheart," her friend Jessica chuckled, tugging her away from me.
Once the pastor was done and declared us husband and wife, I felt like something had shifted in the world. My logical mind knew that it was just a piece of paper, it was insignificant, it didn’t alter my love for her, and yet it changed so much more than I anticipated. The primal part of me roared with satisfaction at the legitimacy this moment gave us.