Ch.44 With This Ring, I Thee Wed

It was time.

Dean stood there at the altar fidgeting with his cuffs. He was nervous- not nervous to be marrying Camille- but almost a feeling of anticipation. A need to get to her, to see her, to have her there with him.

Dante stood next to him as his best man. There were still so many things between them unspoken. But Dean wouldn't have changed it. There was something grounding in having his brother here, like it was the way it was meant to be.

Dante hadn't hesitated when Dean asked him to be his best man, grateful for the honor.

Behind Dante stood Jackson, Scott, Jayden, Isaiah, Ray, Jimmy, and Henry.

On the other side Daniella stood where she would be next to Camille. As her maid of honor. She was practically jumping for joy when Camille asked her.

Then in a line behind Daniella was Clara, Bianca, Mya, and Eva.

In the audience was Samantha, Laura, Mr. And Mrs. Washington. Dean's great Aunt Sandra, and the boyfriend's of Camille's friends. Camille's father would join that audience.

As they said before, they didn't need some big grandiose wedding. It just needed to be something that celebrated their love.

Dante had the rings they'd exchange in his suit pocket. He had especially made sure he had those. And he was nearly as nervous as Dean.

Not only would it be his first time seeing Camille, but also it was his first time seeing his little sister Daniella. And he was still a bit emotional from seeing his mom.

The guests had settled, the murmurs fading into silence as the music shifted. Dean swallowed hard, shifting on his feet, his fingers twitching at his sides. This was it.

Behind the doors, Camille stood with her father. She hadn't expected to feel so tense standing beside him. It had been just a few months since she'd last seen him, but it had been years since she had last looked to him for anything, let alone support. And yet, here he was, offering his arm to walk her down the aisle.

Her fingers trembled as she adjusted her grip on her bouquet. She had already processed his presence, already accepted that he would be here. But standing next to him now, on the verge of something so monumental, made the past creep up on her in ways she hadn't expected.

"Are you ready?" her father asked, his voice quiet.

Camille inhaled deeply, exhaling just as slowly. She turned to him, meeting his gaze. "I've been ready."

The doors opened.

A collective breath seemed to be taken by everyone in the room. Camille stepped forward, her arm looped through her father's, her dress flowing effortlessly with each step. Her gaze locked onto Dean's almost immediately, and the rest of the world blurred away.

Dean felt like he had stopped breathing the moment he saw her. Camille, his Camille, walking toward him like she had been made for this moment. Her beauty was undeniable, but beyond that, it was her. The girl who had he had lost. The girl he got to see grow into this amazing woman before him, the girl he had promised himself to, the girl who had saved him just as much as he had saved her.

He barely registered Camille's father handing her off. Though, he turned towards her father. He had an unreadable look in his eyes, however he still thanked Dean and shook his hand. Dean nodded at him glad to be given the approval.

He barely heard the words being spoken by the officiant. All he knew was Camille's hands in his and the way she looked at him like he was the only thing that mattered.

And then it was time for the vows.

Camille took a steady breath, her eyes shining with emotion as she held onto Dean's hands.

"I didn't know you as a child," she began, her voice steady yet filled with warmth. " I met you just this year, when we were still in high school, when everything in my world felt dim and uncertain. And then you appeared, and suddenly, everything was brighter. You brought light into my life in ways I didn't even know I needed. You showed me love, adventure, and a future I never thought I'd have."

Her grip on his hands tightened.

"You saved me, Dean. And not just in the big, dramatic ways—though you've done that, too—but in the quiet, everyday moments. In the way you look at me, the way you listen, the way you remind me that I am never alone. You are my best friend, my heart, my home. And I promise to love you, to stand by you, and to choose you every single day for the rest of our lives."

Dean's breath hitched, and for a moment, he was sure he wouldn't be able to speak past the lump in his throat.

But then he squeezed her hands back and started.

He smiled lazily as if he knew what he said would be amusing to her. As if it would be easy for him to say.

"Camille," he said, her name alone carrying so much love, "I have loved you in ways that I can't even put into words. Since the moment you walked into my life, you've been everything to me. I would go to hell and back." He chuckled. "Sometimes I feel like I have. But it didn't matter to me so long as it meant my result would be you. I'd do it again, in a heartbeat."

His voice was thick with emotion, but he pushed through.

"You changed me. You made me better. And I swear to you, with every part of me, that I will always be yours. In this life and in every life after."

A tear slipped down Camille's cheek, and Dean reached up, brushing it away with the gentlest touch.

The officiant smiled at them. "And now, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. With this ring, I thee wed."

Dante walked up infront of them. Opening the box

Dean took the ring from the small velvet box, and Camille took one as well.

With his eyes locked on hers, he slid the ring onto her finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Camille followed suit, her hands trembling slightly as she placed the ring on Dean's finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

The ceremony continued, the words of forever spoken, the rings exchanged, and then—

"You may now kiss the bride."

Dean didn't hesitate. He pulled her close, his lips meeting hers in a kiss that sealed everything they had just promised to each other. The world erupted into cheers, but all he could feel was Camille, his wife.

And in that moment, nothing else mattered.

.....

Later, at the reception, after the laughter and the dancing, Camille spotted her father standing alone against the wall. She hesitated for only a moment before walking up to him.

"You actually stayed," she said, stopping beside him.

He glanced at her, then back at the floor. "Of course I did."

She folded her arms. "I'm surprised you're here at all."

Her father sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I deserved that."

Camille exhaled sharply, her voice laced with years of pent-up emotion. "Why?" she asked, looking at him fully now. "Why did you leave Mom? Why did you cheat on her? Why couldn't you be the father I needed?"

He flinched, his face etched with regret. "There were… things between your mother and me that couldn't be fixed. But I never should have let that affect you. I never should have abandoned you. I know that I wasn't there, that you grew up without me. But Camille James, you were and you are my little girl. I'm so so sorry. It was something that made me feel guilty. I ran away from your mom and I ran from you, and eventually it got easier to run than to face what was chasing me. But it doesn't excuse it. I know it doesn't."

Camille swallowed, a part of her wanting to hold onto the anger, but another part… a tired, aching part, just wanting closure.

"I hated you for a long time," she admitted. "For what you did to her. For what you did to us." She paused, her voice softening. "But I don't want to hate you anymore."

He looked at her, something raw in his gaze. "I don't deserve forgiveness, Camille."

"Maybe not," she said. "But I'm willing to try."

For the first time in a long time, her father smiled—hesitant, uncertain, but real.

And for the first time in a long time, Camille felt like maybe, just maybe, she could let go of the past and move forward.

Because today was about love. About second chances.

And she wasn't going to waste them.

...

Laughter and music filled the air as guests celebrated, but Laura found herself standing slightly apart, watching her daughter from across the room.

Camille stood beside her father, the two of them locked in conversation. Laura couldn't hear their words, but she could see the tension in Camille's shoulders, the way her father's head hung slightly, as if weighed down by guilt.

For a long time, Laura had been consumed by her own anger, by her own heartbreak. The betrayal had been unbearable, the resentment simmering for years. And in that pain, she had pushed Camille away, let the bitterness cloud what should have mattered most—being there for her daughter.

She still regretted it. She always would.

But Camille had let her back in, had given her a chance to make things right. And now, as Laura watched her daughter extend that same chance to Mike, she felt something unexpected—relief.

Despite everything, Camille deserved this. A chance to make peace with the past. A chance to have some form of a relationship with her father, however imperfect it might be.

Laura's hands clasped together as she exhaled, her chest tight with emotions she couldn't quite name.

She didn't know if Camille and Mike would ever have a perfect relationship. But at least, here, in this moment, they had the chance to try.

And for that, Laura was grateful.

....

It was time for Camille and Dean to have their first dance.

They both knew what song they would dance to. The same one they danced to in the rain, back at campground.

~Georgia, wrap me up in all you. I want ya, in my arms oh let me hold ya…. I'll never let you go again..… I would never fall in love again until I found her~

They swayed slowly to the sound just like they did before.

Camille smiled at him as if she were talking to him. And Dean fully understood her. He knew what she was thinking. How far they'd come since then.

~Heaven when I held you again, how could we ever just be friends….~

Here they were surrounded by family and friends. The only thing that really mattered.

The night went on. Camille had her dance with her father. Though it was a bit awkward for them both. She was glad. She knew looking back on it she would've regretted had she not. Dean also danced with his mother.

Dante met Daniella again.

She had been standing next to her mother and Dante approached. He looked a lot like their father. His dark black hair. Which was longer and came in wisps around his eyes. His tan skin and green eyes.

"Hi Daniella."

Daniella didn't really know what to say. "Hello."

Samantha walked away, sensing this needed to be a private moment between them.

Dante was quiet for a moment and then said. "You've grown up little sis, you were so small the last time I saw you."

Daniella nodded. "Well if you never left then you would've seen me grow."

Dante nodded. A bitter chuckle left his lips. "I know, I know, I deserved that. But I want you to know it wasn't easy at all. I loved you all more than myself. But back then I was just tired, I couldn't handle it anymore and no matter how many times I tried to convince mom she didn't hear me. She didn't want to leave him. So the only option for me was to go. I still remember the look of Dean's face. Man that broke me, almost made me stay."

Daniella looked up at him. He had a tearful look in his eyes. She followed his gaze. He was looking at Dean and Camille. Particularly Dean who had a big grin on his face as he spun Camille around.

Daniella spoke. "I was mad at first. I felt like I didn't really know you. I don't remember much of having you around. But I saw how much it hurt mom, how much it hurt Dean. But at the same time I understand you. If I was in your shoes I probably would have left too…. I just wish you would've stayed in contact with us."

Dante nodded. "Yeah me too… just felt easier to go and never look back. I wouldn't have been able to stay away as long as I did if I kept it touch. I guess I was hoping for one of you to do it first. I got a new phone and a new number. But I kept the other phone serviced just in case. I couldn't believe it when Dean finally called me."

"Well I'm glad you're here now, you better stick around this time." Daniella joked.

"Wouldn't prefer it any other way little sis." Dante replied with a smile.

It was a new chapter for everyone. There were so many feelings of Resentment. Hurt. Betrayal. Forgiveness. Love. Everything surrounding these families. But they were working through it. Embracing one another and looking to the future, leaving the past behind.

There was so much more to come.