“I know you’ve been troubled by what the priest said. I’ve felt it too.
“But I’m not asking you to marry me because of him. I want to give you a home.
“A home that’s legally recognized. I want you to be the one who has the right to make decisions if I’m ever critically ill.
“Maya, marry me. I’m putting my life in your hands.”
He spoke with such sincerity that I was overwhelmed with emotion.
From that moment on, we began planning every detail of our wedding together.
We tried on wedding outfits, and I remember Jack couldn’t take his eyes off me.
“You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen, Maya.”
At that time, we were truly excited about our dream wedding. We personally handled every detail, from hotel tastings to selecting the gift box designs for the guests.
No matter how busy we were, we made time to do everything together.
In our spare moments, we’d talk about what we’d be like on our wedding day after knowing each other for a decade and dating for five years. I’d joke about whether I’d end up crying during the ceremony.
I would snuggle up in his arms, discussing how many kids we’d have and what we’d name them.