Ally makes faces at me as the pastor speaks about love and other promises. It reminds me that Ally is dedicating her love to me, in front of all of our closest friends and families. Out of everyone on earth, she’s decided that I’m the person she wants to be united with. It’s not something I deserve—she’s not someone I deserve—but I’ll take it because I’m a selfish asshole.
In the front row, I see Ally’s parents and I know that, even though there’s little love lost between us, we all love Ally and they’re entrusting me to take care of her. That’s a trust I will never break.
“Now, you’ve both written vows,” the pastor says. “So, I’ll let you take over. Lev?”
“I love you,” I say bluntly to Ally. “I’ll do everything within my power to protect you and take care of you. You’re letting me into your life in a way that is more than I could ever ask for and you’re trusting me to be a good husband, so that’s what I’m going to be. I promise you that I’m going to be good to you for the rest of our lives.”
She smiles at me, the faintest shine in her eyes.
“Allison?” the pastor prompts.
“I love you,” she echoes. “Sometimes, I’ve had this fear that one day we’ll drift apart—that we’re swept away by infatuation or everything we’ve been through. I’m afraid to lose this intimacy that I’ve never had with anyone else because I can’t imagine feeling it with anyone else and it’s … it feels like part of me. It’s the only time I feel complete. But when we’re together, that fear is gone. And I know we might go through hard times, but I also know I want to spend the rest of my years with you. I want to struggle with you, to feel pain with you, to feel that intimacy with you, and I want to love you forever. It’s all I want.”
“Wonderful,” the pastor says, clapping his hands together. “Lev, do you swear to love Allison, to cherish her, and to walk with her throughout her best and worst days? If so, say I do.”
“I do,” I say.
“Allison. Do you swear to love Lev, to cherish him, and to walk with him throughout his best and worst days? If so, say I do.”
“I do,” she says.
As the pastor talks about the wedding rings and how they’re a sign of our love, Ilya steps up to give me Ally’s ring while Julia steps up to give Ally mine.
When we exchange them, her hands are shaking. I grasp her fingers, squeezing them for a second before I let my arms drop and her hands clasp in front of her. They stop trembling.
The pastor claps his hands together again. “Beautiful. By the power vested in me by the city of New York, it is with great pleasure that I declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
We kiss. I scoop up my new wife and she wraps her arms around my neck. We kiss again, only letting the wind come between us.
* * *
After everyone has fallen asleep and the exterior lights behind Tide & Shore have shut off, Ally and I run out onto the beach.
She unzips her wedding dress as she runs. All that remains after it falls is her underwear—white lace—as she bounds toward the beach. She glances behind her, giving me a shameless smile as she runs straight into the waves, barely letting them slow her down before she dives.
I shed my tie, my shirt, and my pants. I take a deep breath before running into the ocean with her.
Ally has swum out further, her dark hair nearly invisible in the water but her skin glowing like a reflection of the moon.
I swim out toward her, the water starting to feel warmer. She sinks down, so only her eyes are visible above the water. Bubbles form in front of her. Then she launches herself at me, grabbing my shoulders and wrapping her legs around my waist.
We kiss, the taste of salt on her lips. The wedding was intense and gratifying, but I’d rather be alone with Ally for a night than have a dozen weddings.
I am in love with this woman.
She dives under the water. She tugs on my boxer briefs until she gets them down to my knees. Treading water, I pull my knees up to get them off the rest of the way. Her head bobs back up to the surface, her dark hair slick as it clings to her shoulders. She tugs on my arm until it’s straight in front of me. She slides her underwear onto my wrist before diving back underwater. I watch her swim back up, heading back toward the shore. I pursue her, deeply invested in whatever her intentions are.
When her feet hit the sand, I watch her ass bounce as she runs. She settles onto her dress, lying down on her back with her knees up.
I collide against her knees, but she quickly opens them, inviting me in. My hard cock rubs against her wetness. I’m drunk on everything—her beauty, her warmth, the night, the ocean, the thought of making love to her on her wedding dress on our wedding night.
“I have to tell you something,” she says as my lips move down to her throat.
I stop, looking up at her. “Should I be worried?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t know,” she says. “Lev, when I was in the hospital, the doctors confirmed something for me. I’ve been waiting to tell you … I should’ve told you immediately that day, but you were so exhausted after surgery. And then you needed all your energy for rehab—”
I sit up. “Ally. Just tell me what’s going on. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m sorry, yes,” she says. “Lev … we’re pregnant.”
The cold water shocked me less than this. Last month it was on my mind constantly, after she first told me she
