Finn stood under the book archway anxiously awaiting the sight of his bride walking down the aisle. He wasn't nervous, just excited to make Rory his wife. His mom walked into the room and joined his dad standing on one side of the aisle runner. They'd opted not to use chairs since the ceremony was going to be short and private, and Finnegan had told him about his and Amelia's surprise for Rory while he was getting ready. He was delighted to hear that Lorelai would be there; he knew Rory would regret it otherwise.
He heard "At Last" by Etta James begin playing and his breath caught in his throat as he saw Rory walk into the room on Lorelai's arm. It seemed like time froze for a minute when his eyes met hers. He hadn't known what to expect from her wedding dress, but even in his wildest dreams he couldn't have imagined the vision floating down the aisle toward him. She looked absolutely breaktaking - she was classy, ravishing, gorgeous, and a million other adjectives that his brain couldn't recall when she looked like that. The dress was just low-cut enough to make Finn look forward to their wedding night while still being classy, and it clung to her every curve. He'd never seen her look so amazing.
Finn smiled and leaned over to kiss Rory on the cheek as she and Lorelai arrived next to him. Lorelai hugged Rory and then placed her hand in Finn's as she wiped away a few tears. Finn took both of Rory's hands and they turned to each other as the officiant began speaking about marriage. Finn couldn't concentrate on his words, only on the woman in front of him.
"Finn and Rory, have you come here willingly and of your own accord to give yourselves to each other in marriage?" the officiant asked.
"We have," they said in unison.
"Finn, you may make your vows to your bride."
Finn smiled and looked into Rory's beautiful blue eyes and took in a shaky breath.
"Rory, I thought I was happy before you came into my life, but you have shown me what true happiness is. I promise to encourage your compassion, because that is what makes you unique and wonderful. I promise to nurture your dreams, because through them your soul shines. I promise to help shoulder our challenges, for there is nothing we cannot face if we stand together. I promise to be your partner in all things, not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole. Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust, for one lifetime with you could never be enough. This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things."
He reached over and gently wiped the tears from Rory's eyes.
"Thank you, Finn. And now, Rory, you may make your vows to Finn."
Rory tightened her grip on Finn's hands and willed her tears to stop so she could speak clearly.
"Finn, you have shown me that there is so much more to life than I ever dreamed. I believe in you, the person you will grow to be and the couple we will be together. With my whole heart, I take you as my husband, acknowledging and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do mine. I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family's love and happiness my priority. I will be yours in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph. I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring. You are my person—my love and my life, today and always," she managed to say through tears.
"You may now exchange rings," the officiant said. Finnegan stepped forward the placed the rings in Finn and Rory's hands and then resumed his place next to his wife who was dabbing her tears with a handkerchief, as was Lorelai.
Finn took Rory's wedding ring and slid it onto her finger as he recited his vow.
"Rory, this ring I give to you as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your faithful husband. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours."
Rory smiled and slid Finn's wedding ring onto his finger, repeating the same vow.
"Finn, this ring I give to you as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your faithful wife. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours."
"Rory and Finn, you have made your solemn vow to one another and exchanged rings. Cling to those vows on the good days and the bad days. May your love for each other grow with each passing day. It is my joy to declare that you now are husband and wife. Finn, you may kiss your bride," the officiant finished.
Finn smiled and took Rory into his arms. He gazed at her lovingly for a moment, stroking her cheek with his thumb, and then kissed her tenderly. He smiled as he felt his wife melt into his embrace. After a bit longer than would have been societally acceptable, they pulled apart and he kissed her forehead.
"You're mine forever now, Mrs. Morgan," he whispered, his voice full of emotion.
"I've been yours forever for a while, but it is official now, Mr. Morgan," Rory replied softly.
Finnegan, Amelia and Lorelai watched the tender moment between the new husband and wife and smiled. The young couple was so obviously in love, and it was so touching to watch the tender way they interacted with one another.
Finn bent and kissed Rory once more, relishing the thought of her now being his wife, and then they joined hands and turned toward their parents.
"Thank you all so much for making this happen. Today has been absolutely perfect - I wouldn't change a thing," Rory said gratefully.
"And thank you for thinking of me and getting me here to see my only daughter get married," Lorelai added with a laugh. "Welcome to the family, Aussie. I couldn't have chosen a better son-in-law if I'd tried," she finished as she embraced him.
"And you, Rory - welcome to the Morgan family. We've considered you to be a part of our family since the day we met you, but now it's official," Finnegan added. Rory moved to hug her new in-laws and smiled.
"Thank you guys so much. I am so grateful to be a Morgan," she said tearfully. She moved back to her husband's side and smiled up at him. "Now, let's go celebrate!"
"You two take your time; we'll meet you at the hotel," Finnegan said with a wink toward the newlyweds.
Finnegan, Amelia and Lorelai walked out of the room and Finn and Rory were left alone. She snuggled into his arms and laid her head on his chest.
"I love you so much, Finn. I can't believe we're married," Rory whispered.
"It is a little surreal, isn't it? I can't imagine the looks we get when we return home and we're married," he chuckled.
"We'll have a lot of explaining to do, huh?" Rory giggled.
"I should say so."
Rory turned and looked around her. It was easily the most beautiful library she'd ever been in, and she'd been in more than her fair share. She walked over to the shelves and ran her fingers over the spines of the books. Finn watched as she pulled a book off of the shelf and leafed through it every few minutes, already lost in the world of literature. She suddenly gasped as she picked up a book and opened it.
"Oh my gosh! This is my favorite book!" Rory said excitedly.
"What is it, Kitten?" Finn asked. He knew there was no way they'd make it out the door without Rory spending some time looking at books.
"It's called Unexpected Love. It's a great book."
"I've never heard of it. What's it about?" he asked.
"It's about a woman who had given up on love. She'd been burned and couldn't bring herself to be vulnerable again. An old friend comes back into her life and friendship turns to love. It's just...it's so beautiful, and it really resonates with me," Rory shared passionately.
"Wow, that's quite a story, Love," Finn said softly.
"It really is. Anyway, we have a wedding to celebrate. I'm just going to find the restroom and I'll be right back," Rory said as she put the book back on the shelf. She walked out of the room and Finn quickly retrieved the book from the shelf and went off in search of a librarian.
Rory returned to Finn a short while later and she and Finn walked to the door of the library hand-in-hand, both overjoyed at their newlywed status. He stopped her at the door and picked her up bridal-style and carried her to their waiting limo. They were going to the Mayfair Hotel, one of their family holdings, where they would celebrate with dinner in their private dining room before proceeding to the honeymoon suite for their last two nights in Australia.
"I love you, Mrs. Morgan," Finn whispered huskily as he kissed her in the back of the limo. The parents had taken a separate car in order to give them privacy.
"And I love you too, Mr. Morgan."
