Perfectly Wedded (Perfect Crush #1)

Bonus Epilogue SLOAN

Wedding Ceremony

“I guess this is it,” I say to my dad as the music begins. I wait beside him in the backyard, behind a large azalea bush and watch as my two bridesmaids, Mia and Jaz, walk down the aisle.

My hand tightens around my bouquet, the soft scent of roses swirling in the air.

Dad pats my hand looped through his arm. “I hope you don’t feel any pressure about asking me to walk you down the aisle.”

“Dad, I want you to do this. It means so much that you would be here for my wedding day even if it was Vale who asked you.”

Dad brushes a strand of hair out of my eyes and tucks it behind my ear just like he did when I was little.

I let out a nervous breath. It’s not the same sort of nerves I had the first time I walked down the aisle—if you could even call it that. Rushing into that pink chapel in Vegas, I remember feeling like a total imposter, someone who was making a terrible mistake just for the sake of medicine I couldn’t afford.

No one was there to cheer us on. Just us, Eunice and Clarence, and a vow that felt more like a joke than a promise. I remember how my heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear my own thoughts. Standing in that chapel, I felt like I was on the edge of making a huge mistake. My mind was spinning, second-guessing everything. Was I really doing this—with my best friend?

I feel a smile curve my lips, remembering that I almost kissed Vale’s chin at the altar, but the swirl in my belly and the way Vale made me feel when our lips finally met overwhelmed me. It was as if I meant something to him, and the look in his eyes told me he was willing to make this sacrifice for me, even if it hurt him.

But today’s ceremony is different. The sight before me—the soft murmur from the guests, the rustle as everyone turns to look at me, fills me with so much gratitude that I want to cry. Rows of familiar faces, people who’ve known me and Vale for years, are smiling back at me, including the entire hockey team. They’ve watched us grow from best friends into something neither of us saw coming, and now they’re here to witness our big day. This is how it was meant to be—a celebration surrounded by family and friends.

With my hand clutching Dad’s arm, I glance up at him, catching the pride in his eyes. He missed the first wedding—they all did—but I’m giving them this now.

As everyone stands for our grand entrance, I can’t help but think about that neon-lit chapel in Vegas. How surreal it was, standing next to Vale while a stranger married us. We barely looked at each other, too caught up in the whirlwind of it all. It was fast, impulsive—like everything about us back then.

But this? This is the wedding I didn’t know I wanted.

My eyes find Vale at the altar, and my heart does that familiar flip. He looks too perfect in that tux, with a hint of a smile pulling at his lips. His eyes lock on mine, and for a moment, it’s just us again, like it was that night he kissed me in the hot tub. But this time, everyone we love is watching. (And we’re definitely not in the hot tub—thank goodness for that!)

As we reach the altar, Vale steps forward, offering me his hand. My dad leans in, presses a kiss to my cheek before I turn to Vale. His fingers wrap around mine, warm and steady, just like they’ve always been. He’s always been my rock, the one who kept me grounded and safe when my brain injury threatened to consume me.

When we turn to face each other, I forget about the guests, the flowers, even the nerves—I barely notice anything but Vale.

“Ready to do this?” he whispers, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.

“More than ever,” I whisper back, giving his hand a squeeze. Because after I almost left town heartbroken over the thought of ruining Vale’s career, I want this life with him more than anything. I want to be his wife, for real this time.

Vale smiles at me, that soft, reassuring grin that always makes me feel like I’m a kid on a carousel. I’m so caught up in him, wanting time to slow down and speed up simultaneously, while holding on to every word.

When Vale begins his vows, which he wrote himself, my heart stutters in my chest.

“I, Vale MacPherson, take you, Sloan Summers,” he begins, his voice steady, “to be my best friend, my partner, and my wife—even if legally you were already my wife. I promise to stand by you through the good, the bad, and the crazy. I promise to love you when you’re at your best and when you think you’re not. And I promise to never forget how lucky I am that you took that crazy chance with me in Vegas.”

The crowd laughs lightly before he continues, “I loved you when you didn’t even remember how we ended up in bed together that first morning of being my wife.”

I laugh as he goes on, “And I’ll keep loving you every day, because you’re it for me. You’ve always been my one and only. My wife. There is no end date for my love for you.”

His eyes lock on mine, the emotion building in my chest as my throat tightens. I breathe through it, but this time I don’t feel the urge to run. I’m not scared to wed the man of my dreams. Trust is earned, and Vale has proved himself to me time and again.

I let out a breath, my hands still in Vale’s, the warmth of his smile reassuring me. “I, Sloan Summers, take you, Vale MacPherson, to be my husband,” I say, my voice growing stronger with every word. “I promise to love you in every way that counts—when we’re laughing, when we’re fighting, and especially when we both make mistakes. I promise to stand by you, even when life throws us curveballs, and to remember that you’ve been by my side through the biggest one yet.”

I pause, a lump rising in my throat. “I thought, for a long time, that I didn’t deserve you. That you were too good for me, too patient, too…perfect. But I know now, that we’re perfect together.”

Vale’s gaze softens, his lips curving into a smile.

“I was scared when we got married in Vegas,” I admit, my voice trembling slightly. “I didn’t know if we were making the right choice, since it didn’t feel like it was for the right reasons. But now? This feels right, and you’re right for me. So I promise you, I’ll cherish every moment, and I’ll remember how lucky I am that you chose me.”

I meet his gaze, and all the fear and uncertainty from earlier today is gone. In its place is something stronger, something unshakable.

“I love you,” I finish, my voice soft but steady. “And I can’t wait to spend forever with you.”

This time, there’s no rush, no fear, no second-guessing. This time, I mean every word of it.