Chapter 21

(A/N: wedding reception dress above. Literally I was going to pick a different dress but I only chose that one bc it had the name Nova in it. Literally no other reason 💀 also, if y'all think the dresses and such are ugly, please feel free to imagine something of your own

"I, Ethan, give you, Nova, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you." He says, slipping a different ring onto my finger after removing the other one and placing it on my other hand.

Two rings?

After I repeat the same thing, slipping a ring onto his finger, my mind goes blank as I just wait for the words that signify the official-ness of our marriage.

Also, I love the dress, but I cannot wait to change out of it. Nobody talks about how heavy these things are.

A prayer is said as the closing, and then finally the words I've been waiting to hear are uttered.

"By the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

I wrap my arms around Ethan's neck, the heels I'm wearing making him not so much taller than me anymore.

"Nova..." Ethan wraps his arms around me, taking me by surprise when he dips me. "How in the world did I ever get so lucky?" He murmurs before pressing his lips to mine.

This is it. We're married now.

I have a fucking husband.

Feeling my knees weak from the surprise of it all, I hold on to Ethan's arm as we start to walk down the aisle together.

"I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Agosti!" The pastor announces and the guests stand up to cheer.

I smile happily as we enter the reception hall.

Almost immediately Ethan pulls me into a different room. Once again, I am met with a collection of dresses.

"Change into something easy to move in. You can take off your heels as well." Ethan ushers me to sit down in a chair.

Despite telling me I can do it, he gets down and lifts my dress to take them off himself.

"Ethan." I look down at him in a state of awe.

"Yes? Mrs. Agosti." He grins.

I stand, pulling him up with me. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, leaning up and connecting our lips.

He places his hands behind me, slowly working to untie the dress for me.

"We're married." I whisper, pulling away from him. "You're my husband now."

"And you're my wife." He chuckles, pecking my lips again.

"I'm so..." I trail off, tears stinging my eyes. I refuse to cry though, I can't ruin my makeup again. "I'm so happy. I'm so so happy!"

Ethan beams at me, sliding the dress down my shoulders and helping me step out of it.

"Me too." He pulls me to his chest. "I've never been happier. I love you so much." He murmurs, dipping his head down and placing a few kisses along my collarbones.

"I can't wait for us to move in together." He stops himself, raising his head. "But right now we have to get you changed. If you stand in front of me like this for even a little bit longer- I think I might go crazy." He sighs, making me laugh as I walk away from him to look at the dresses.

"Heh, you're the one who took my clothes off. It's not my fault." I grin, turning away from him and walking around the room.

"I was just trying to be a good husband and help." He hums, following me as I look at the dresses.

Husband.

I still cannot believe that Ethan is not my boyfriend anymore- or the fact that he was only my fiancé for like, half an hour.

I don't really mind any of the dresses so I end up putting on the one Ethan had looked at for the longest. Once I was dressed, he grabbed my hand and lead me out to the reception hall. Almost immediately were we pushed to the middle of the room, a soft love song playing in the background.

"We're going to start off with the Bride and Groom dance! Everyone please take your seats, the food will be out shortly." Someone announces and Ethan looks at me in a slight panic.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't have this planned. We can just go sit down. I know you don't like to dance, and especially if this many people will be watching." He gulps, taking my hands and already beginning to lead me away.

I quickly plant my feet to the ground, making him turn to me with confusion written all over his face.

"This is our wedding. Of course I'm not going to let this opportunity pass me up." I chuckle, pulling him to me and wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"But you said you don't like it. I don't want you to be uncomfortable." He wearily places his hands on my waist.

A small smile takes over my lips as I stare up at the guy in front of me. He's always worried about me. It's always about me having to be comfortable, or about what he thinks is best for me.

He has to be a little selfish sometimes.

"But you do, right? Since you like it, I can put up with it. I want the both of us to enjoy tonight. I don't want to have any regrets later just because I felt embarrassed." I chuckle softly.

Ethan lets out a small sigh in what I can only describe as relief.

He pulls me closer to him, leaving no distance between us as he guides us around the dance floor.

"So...I know this is all super last minute since I didn't really tell you about my plan...but do you want to leave for Greece tonight? Or in the morning? Unless you have other ideas about our honeymoon."

A quiet snort leaves my lips and I look up at Ethan in amusement.

"You're crazy. Absolutely insane, you know that?" I ask, watching as a grin comes over his face.

"Only for you." He smirks, leaning down and pecking my lips.

"We can go wherever...we can go to Greece. Or we can go to Italy again and you can show me around where you plan to move us after we finish college." I hum, leaning my head on his shoulder, careful not to get my makeup on him. "Speaking of, you have to teach me Italian. I can't just move somewhere without knowing how to communi-"

I cut myself off due to Ethan vehemently putting his hands on my shoulders and pushing me so he holds me at arms length.

My eyes widen, surprised and caught off guard at the sudden act. Ethan is gaping at me, his jaw almost hitting the floor as a fire burns in his eyes.

"You're serious about that? Do you really mean it?" Ethan asks, a great deal of uncertainty laced in his voice. "You'll move to Italy with me?"

"I said I would before..." I respond quietly, a bit flustered at how he's acting.

"Holy shit!" He exclaims, pulling me to his chest and keeping me there. "I know you already agreed before, but hearing you talk about it without me asking and sounding so serious about it makes me happy. Thank you."

A small giggle escapes my lips, and I hug him back.

Soon enough, we're told to take our seats as dinner gets served. Of course, it being Ethan's family who planned the wedding, there's a 5 course meal in place, and multiple bottles of the finest wine set at the tables.

"I really have to thank you, son." Ethan's dad says as we sit at the main table.

I think, originally, the table was reserved for Ethan and Kaitlyn's parents along with the married couple, but now it only consists of Ethan, me, his father, and the guy who was Ethan's best man.

"Why?" Ethan asks, raising an eyebrow.

"You finally got that woman out of my hair." He groans, and I can only assume he's talking about Ethan's mother.

A slight frown comes over my face as I hear this. Where was Ethan's father in all of this? Was he mean to Ethan as well?

"It isn't something I'm proud of. It's just something that had to be done." Ethan grumbles, turning away.

"Sorry for not introducing myself to my new daughter in law. My name is Ron, Ethan's father." He holds a hand out and I gingerly shake it.

"I'm Brett, Ethan's best friend since middle school. I have to say, I'm very impressed with how today's events played out. You must mean a lot to Ethan for him to have pulled a stunt like that." He chuckles a bit.

"Of course she means a lot to me, she's my wife." Ethan rolls his eyes.

I wish at least one of my friends were sitting here too. I feel awkward being with people I don't even know, especially with Ethan's dad staring at me every few seconds.

I feel like he's trying to burn holes through my skin.

"We really didn't grow up around Black people, you know? Being in the suburbs and all. But it's not that surprising to me that Ethan ended up with a Black girl. He was always respectful. Us two don't see color." Brett looks like he's actually proud to say this.

Being in the suburbs? As if Black people don't live in the suburbs? What the hell is this guy saying?

I just give him a small smile, not wanting to say anything that might cause a disruption to the wedding, or something that Ethan might not want me saying to his friend.

Ethan though, doesn't seem to care.

"You sound stupid." Ethan lets out in a seemingly tired breath, taking a sip of the wine on the table.

His father doesn't say anything about it despite him being underaged, so I also take a small sip.

"That phrase really pisses me off too. How can you not see color? Black and brown is a color. If I say I don't see color, then I can't really see Nova. It'd be like I'm saying that I'll choose to ignore that part of her, when its actually really important. A lot of Black people go through things that we don't, and will never, understand just solely due to their skin color. For someone to say they don't see color- it just protrudes the privilege they hold." He sits up, turning to me and grabbing my hand. "And how can I not want to see this? It's like one of the most desirable riches in the world." He grins, placing a kiss to the back of my palm.

My heart melts, watching as Ethan passionately talks and educates his friend. He really is so different from before and even willingly ready to learn.

This is why I love him so much.

"O-Oh...okay. I won't say that anymore then. Sorry."