Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

She bit her lip, her eyes bright with unshed tears, and my throat felt tight, like I might lose it if I said another word. But she gave my hand at

reassuring squeeze, like she was grounding me, steadying me, just as she always had.

Then it was her turn, and as she looked up at me, her gaze steady, her voice clear and strong.

"Luke." she began, her voice barely a whisper but full of conviction, "you've been my constant, my protector, even when I didn't want you to be When I lost my memories, when I lost us... You've seen me at my worst and still somehow saw someone worth standing beside. A tear slipped down her cheek, and I lifted a hand, brushing it away with my thumb, unable to keep from smiling. The whole world seemed to melt away until it was just the two of us, our hands intertwined, our hearts in

sync.

The officiant smiled, looking between us. "Luke, Jessica, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Luke, you may kiss your bride."

And I did, without a moment's hesitation, pulling her close, my hands framing her face as I pressed my lips to hers. The cheers and applause from our friends and family faded into the background, and all I could feel was her, warm and soft and perfect. Jess's arms slid aro "I love you, Mrs. Reynolds," I whispered, my heart feeling like it might just explode.

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DONUS

"I love you too, Mr. Reynolds," she replied, her voice filled with happiness, her eyes shining with all the love I felt in my own.

to face our family and friends, a sea of familiar faces that had seen us through everything. But as we walked down the

been. And for the first time, I knew with absolute certainty that every moment, every heartbreak, every

A NEW START

A NEW START

JESS

coffee drifting into the room, gently coaxing me from sleep. Buried beneath a ridiculous pile of pillows-Luke's doing, no doubt-l stretched and yawned, taking a

dreaming. But then I remembered: This is my life now. Two months into marriage, waking up

bedroom. The cool floor woke me up a little more with each step. As

were on full display,

of his grey pants, and my

Reynolds," he said, his voice still a little rough from sleep as he slid a mug

tried to keep my cool, but every time he called me that, it

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A NEW START

over the rim of my

his arms over his chest. "Thought you already had," he said, watching me