Day Four: Kiss

A/N: This is a continuation of the last chapter! But others will be standalone.

When Juliet had pictured her wedding day, it had been something grandiose and full of fun, laughter, and family. Instead, she'd gotten a stiff church service that felt more like something that was being required of her than something she had any control over. But she supposed, at the time, that that must just be what adulthood looked like - you never really get what you expect, in the end.

When that had ended, she'd never really thought she'd get married again. It hadn't bothered her. It had just become something… assured. Something that had passed her by, as she'd already had her turn.

But that didn't mean she hadn't hoped for love. It just felt like too much to ask for, to want the one. She always hoped she could settle for good companionship, and that felt like a lofty enough goal to set her sights on.

But then she'd found James. He'd changed everything. He'd been the one thing she'd never seen coming after being trapped on the island. The one thing that made living worth it. He'd turned her inside out, stringing his lights within her and illuminating her like a beacon. She shone for him, because of him. But, he also encouraged her to find her own light, too. And god, that made the world of difference.

Now, as they stood together on the beach, on the island in 1977, she felt surrounded, infiltrated, and lifted by nothing but raw, unfiltered joy. The sunset was warm on his face. There was a small crowd of friends gathered in white chairs, with Horace standing before them at the water's edge. She wore an off-white dress, loose enough to hide her burgeoning belly, with her long hair braided back with wildflowers. James, dapper as ever, wore a white linen shirt that would have once reminded Juliet of funerals, but now only served to show off just how tan his beautiful skin was. His khaki pants were rolled up at the ankles and they both remained barefoot, happy to squeeze their toes in the soft sand.

It was nothing like she'd ever imagined. But it was also everything she could have ever asked for.

Her vows were short. She was never one for public speaking. There was so much she wanted to say, but felt inclined to hide in mixed company. So she stuck to the basics, and hoped he'd see through her words and read her actual meaning.

"James," she started, and her throat instantly closed up. She had to take several deep breaths before she could continue. "You've saved me, in every possible way one can be saved. You are everything I could ever ask for, as both a partner, and a friend. I will love you for the rest of my life, and through whatever comes after. I promise to honor and nurture you, and have your back through anything life throws our way."

James's jaw was hard, gritted against the emotion threatening to overtake him. Juliet could see it in his eyes, the way he was holding himself back. She could also feel it, in the way his hands were shaking and sweating, clutching onto hers for dear life.

Horace asked James to say his vows, and with one hand, he pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket. It looked like it had been folded and refolded dozens of times, and she couldn't help but wonder if it reminded him of anything. She hoped it didn't.

He cleared his throat before reading. "Juliet. I ain't good at this kind of stuff, but I do know you. I know how kind and smart you are. You're beautiful and clever and good." He sniffed, and Juliet saw his face flicker, wavering just for a moment. "I ain't ever trusted no one the way I trust you. I don't deserve none of the time you give me, but I'll take it, and I'll treasure it, for as long as I'm on God's green earth. I promise to honor and nurture you, and have your back through anything life throws our way." His eyes flicked down to her belly, and Juliet smiled widely. He'd ad-libbed the last part, and it brought her immense warmth that he'd given the same oath she had.

Horace was smiling at them both, and after slipping the note back into his pocket, James grabbed her hand once more. They weren't shaking anymore.

"Well then, by the power vested in me, I do think it's high time we pronounce you husband and wife." The crowd cheered, but Juliet could barely hear them. Horace could barely utter the words, "You may now kiss your bride," before Juliet was launching herself up into James's embrace. She wove her arms around his neck, his arms gripping her lower back. He picked her up, holding her body tightly against his, and everything in Juliet's body sang at the emotion and light filling her up inside.

Their first kiss as husband and wife, she thought. It was going to be the one to beat.

When he finally put her down, his hands moved to rest on either side of her face. He kissed her three more, perfect times, before finally resting his forehead against hers.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips.

Juliet sighed, trying to pull herself back from the haze left behind by that perfect kiss. "I love you back," she said.

And she'd mean it forever.