𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞

each time rhett complimented her, her cheeks turned a light pink and her heart skipped a beat like it was the first time she’d ever heard the words in her life, and this time was no different. a shy smile on her lips, milena brushed off the skirt of her wedding dress as she jokingly played off, “in this old thing? i just put on the first thing i saw this morning.” turning more serious, she leaned in for a soft kiss, murmuring, “you’re pretty handsome yourself, you know.” the brunette laughed as she lightly shook out stray wisps of hair to the sides of her face, “i don’t want to fight you on it! you’re stuck with me till the end of time. i hope you know what you signed up for.” she gave him a warning look with wide eyes, as if he hadn’t already dealt with her highest highs and lowest lows --- been there to hold her when she fell into uncontrollable sobs, and somehow dealt with her craziness, especially when she had a couple too many glasses of wine with friends. she knew there were few stones unturned between them at this stage, but it didn’t stop her from being scared that there would be a breaking point one day, when he woke up and regretted waking up next to her. but, today of all days was not the day milena was letting her irrational fear of rhett leaving her win. she was ecstatic to be seated on his lap as his wife, the reflection of the light off his new wedding band catching her eye every so often. “it carries more weight,” she reasoned with a quiet giggle, “it really drives the point home when i use your full name.” her smile widened at the name he used for her -- milena theodora barlowe. “now that’s a good name,” she teased, only slightly joking. she went ahead and opened the packet of cookies as he drank his water, absentmindedly reaching up to wipe a corner of his lips when he finished. “hey!” she laughed mid-bite as the bag of trail mix went flying. “what if i wanted that?!” she had no particular yearning for it, but it was more amusing to make a fuss out of nothing. “if only your opponents knew they could take you down with raisins,” she said in jest, lips parting instinctively when rhett’s hand drew closer with food. the brunette accepted the almond carefully to avoid getting any remaining lipstick on his fingers, offering him a tender smile before she returned the favor with the second half of the cookie between her fingers.

“a kiss? always,” milena joked, knowing he wasn’t responding to what she had said and, instead, was asking about the little one, given how her expression probably gave away instantly how infatuated she was with the puppy that already seemed attached to rhett’s side. regardless, she exaggeratedly pursed her lips and leaned forward to wait until he returned the action. sitting back once she received her kiss, the brunette looked down at the golden, her heart melting at the way he leaned on rhett. maybe they wouldn’t ever have a human baby, but right now, it felt like this puppy could come as a close second. “i know, and a puppy means training...” she added quietly, torn as she reached out to stroke his fur. “but i think i do want him,” milena admitted with a momentarily scrunched nose as she looked back up at rhett. “is that bad? will you hate me? we have the space, and teddy and batman would love him, and...” she shrugged, unwilling to voice the thought that he could be the only baby they took care of together.

unable to stop herself, milena beamed as rhett spoke because any reminder of what had just happened, that she was now a barlowe, was all it took to get her to radiate joy. her dark chocolate orbs fixated on the band around his finger. that small space had been empty for so long. even when they’d gone to get their rings fitted, she hadn’t thought about the day when suddenly, he would be wearing a ring from then on. and while it was just a piece of jewelry at the end of the day, it signified his commitment to her -- a physical representation of their relationship, the vows they’d made privately -- and it lived on his finger now. it was overwhelming to think about, despite the fact that her left ring finger had been occupied for quite some time now. her heart skipped a beat as she continued to trace the band absentmindedly, only tearing her eyes from the view when he spoke. “yeah, there was a lot happening back there,” she agreed quietly in agreement as she subconsciously ran her fingers through his hair. it had been a lot of stimulation for her senses, and she was much more social than rhett was to begin with. her eyes scanned the room at his next answer, quickly landing on the congratulatory gift basket the venue had left for them. she landed back on her feet, standing off of her husband’s lap to grab the first snacks she saw from the basket -- chocolate covered almonds, a small packet of cookies, and a bag of trail mix -- and bottles of water. she hummed softly as she returned to his lap, head instinctively tilting to the side to let him access her neck as a small smirk grew on her lips. the brunette’s cheeks flushed as she let him guide her gaze to him, still blushing like a girl with an undying crush on her high school sweetheart when he said things like that. “i still don’t get it, but i won’t fight you on it,” she murmured honestly, nuzzling her cheek against his palm ever so slightly before accepting his kiss. she wasn’t just being modest. she truly couldn’t understand to this day why he wanted her, but she had learned to stop questioning it. after all, she was the real winner here with rhett becoming her husband. “i love you, rhett griffin barlowe,” she promised as she pressed another kiss to his lips, lingering for a moment before pulling back enough to open a bottle and hand it to him as she laid out the snacks in her lap. “what do you want first? it’s no dinner, but maybe it’ll help until we get out there,” she reasoned.

milena’s eyes narrowed slightly, not enough to imply that she thought he was serious. after all this time, she knew what rhett thought of her, and that he likely  wouldn’t be with her if she was a hollywood diva, but her expression was still enough to border on being offended at his insistence. the danger of nearing a bad mood was only broken when he squeezed her cheeks, causing milena to giggle and pucker up for what she knew was coming next. “well, is it working?” she asked lowly back with slightly arched brows before their attention was pulled back to the energetic dogs around them. “oh come on! i think the little guy deserves a kiss or two,” she smiled endearingly as she watched the puppy clearly focus on rhett, something she couldn’t blame it for. “yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” she teased with a wave of her hand, though the smirk on her lips gave away that she most definitely agreed. “i don’t think he’s going to let you leave without him,” the brunette warned with a bright laugh, only half joking.

no matter how much milena tried to savor every moment, things were a blur from the adrenaline, excitement, and pure euphoria of the ceremony. they had made it. not just through the engagement, but all the years of their relationship --- they had made it through the hardest parts when they had to watch their every move, through her damning insecurities that had gotten the best of her too many times, through an actual separation that she hated thinking about, and through a second chance that she still wasn’t convinced she deserved. but against all odds, they were here, married, promised to each other, and she wouldn’t want it any other way. caught up in her own thoughts of gratefulness and surrealism, the brunette stopped in her tracks the second they were inside the suite she’d requested they could have for themselves as a space to catch their breath when they needed a quiet moment to soak in what this day was. a wide grin emerged on her face at hearing her new name from rhett’s lips. “thought you said you were gonna stick to calling me walker,” she teased, completely in jest when she couldn’t hide how happy it made her to know she was now officially and forevermore mrs. barlowe. without second thought, she slipped her hand into his, immediately noticing the feeling of the new band on his finger as they made contact, and let him lead her towards him as she left her heels behind. milena settled onto her husband’s lap, an arm wrapping around his broad shoulders as she hummed at the feeling of his lips against the side of her head. quietly, she looked down, reaching for his left hand and pulling it into his lap. slender fingers traced the ring on his finger slowly, like if she went any faster, it would vanish into thin air. “we’re married,” she whispered at first in disbelief, almost immediately bubbling into quiet giggles as she looked up to find rhett’s gaze again. “we’re married!” she repeated, a little louder with more emphasis. “how do you feel?” she asked, a genuine question given she knew a ceremony where he was the center of attention wasn’t exactly his cup of tea, but also simultaneously joking as if there were any other acceptable emotion than overjoyed at the moment.

milena glared at him, feigning offense with furrowed brows. “i don’t have an attitude!” she argued back, despite knowing he was just poking fun at her at this point. still, after a lifetime of knowing people expected her to behave one way before even meeting her simply because of her family, it was second nature to defend herself. the brunette smiled triumphantly when he took her hand, pulling gently to get him to join her on the floor. “mm, i don’t think i do,” she played dumb with a growing grin for the purpose of teasing rhett. she followed up the second statement with an innocent shrug in his direction just as a second dog came leaping up to the now seated pair, a young golden retriever no longer a tiny puppy not quite grown either. “oh my gosh, you have a new fan!” milena laughed, an endearing expression on her face as she watched the dog reach up to try and lick rhett’s face.

with a soft chuckle and one last wipe (for now) under her eyes, milena remarked truthfully, “she did and i still don’t think it’ll be enough.” unlike her fiancé, she had always been the emotional one, wearing her heart on her sleeve and letting her feelings generally come out transparently. even when she was guarded, it was hard for her to fight back tears once they formed, a known fact now in the relationship. smiling, she straightened her back off the door and turned slightly towards it, waiting a moment as she heard him shuffle on the other side before pushing the door open just enough to slip her arm through the crack. the familiar warmth of his palm against her own sent an immediate wave of relief and comfort through her body. the touch’s effect was instant, especially when it felt like they’d been apart for longer than she could remember them having to deal with since she’d returned from tour over a year prior. whether or not it was physically possible, it felt like her heart grew in her chest at rhett’s words. even as they sat here on their wedding day, she couldn’t believe he’d fallen in love with her, that she was, as he claimed, the love of his life. her dark eyes instantly welled with tears again -- happy, of course -- as she gave his hand a subtle squeeze subconsciously. “i love you with my whole heart, rhett griffin barlowe,” she murmured quietly, head propped against the pane around the door so her soft voice could still carry to him even when she was still hidden behind the wood. out of habit, milena hummed softly as she felt his lips against her palm, eyes shutting for a moment in pure ease. “and i’m yours, forever. no matter what, we will always figure it out,” she responded thoughtfully, each word chosen intentionally and as a promise. her gaze fell to her vows now sitting in her lap as she sat in comfortable silence with rhett, still processing that this day was here, that by the end of it all, they would finally be officially married. it felt like a new, highly anticipated chapter was on the verge of beginning, while simultaneously thinking it was about time they got through the formalities because they were already married in every other sense of the partnership. rhett’s voice drew her back out of her thoughts, sparking an instant smile on her lips. “see you out there,” she agreed with a small nod, turning her hand in his to give it a light squeeze when she remembered he couldn’t see her, “i’ll be the one in all white, counting down the seconds until you’re my husband.”

“everywhere, the lie is everywhere!” milena replied instantly and emphatically, a flourishing wave of her hand for added dramatic effect even though she had witnessed teddy’s behavior since they moved into rhett’s home full-time for herself. “look at us!” she pouted harder as he looked away, pushing her cheek closer to the puppy’s face like she was personally offended that he would look away in this moment. “i don’t see what the problem is,” she teased as she finally turned her head to look directly at the dog, an endearing smile spread across her lips as she cupped its face and ruffled its fur behind its ears. “agreed about what?” she asked, feigning ignorance despite having brought up the promise that they would not be leaving with a dog herself back in the car. looking back up at rhett, she reached out a hand that she silently encouraged him to take so she could pull him down towards her, “just come play with him for a little! that’s all!”

“i suppose it is,” milena replied softly, feeling a wave of love for rhett still mixed with an apologetic weight that he had ultimately done something he flat out didn’t want to for her. she loved him dearly for it, for always putting her and her desires first, but this was one thing that she’d tried to let go, and he’d seen right through her. “yes, okay, i’ll shut up,” she obliged, adjusting in her seat to lean against the closed door. if she couldn’t hold his hand or stand in front of him when they exchanged vows, she was at least going to try and get as close to him as she physically could even with a literal barrier between them. she waited with bated breath at the sounds of rustling paper and rhett clearing his throat. some parts made her chuckle, but it all made her smile, only broken when she bit her bottom lip to try and stop the tears that wet her eyes as he continued. her heart swelled as she listened, unable to believe how he could love her so much but grateful that she got to experience it and be his wife. “wow, okay...” she breathed out, sniffling as she dabbed at the bottom of her eyes carefully. “i thought you said they weren’t going to be poetic and romantic,” she half teased, really poking fun at herself for getting so teary so quickly. waving her eyes dry as best as she could, she reached into her dressing gown pocket for her own handwritten sheet. after another pause to collect herself with a quick deep breath, she started to read: “rhett, to say you’re the love of my life feels like an understatement. it’s an inadequate phrase when you are the love of my world, my universe, and my life a million times over.” milena’s voice cracked as more tears flooded, forcing her to take another quick breath to work up the ability to continue without crying. “you are my soul, my heart, my home, my everything. our love is greater than i can fathom in one lifetime, and i promise to never let a day go by that i don’t show you that love, tell you i love you, and remind you of how loved and special you are. i know i can be difficult to deal with, but i promise to do my best to bring you the joy and peace you deserve. you have done nothing but support me from the day we met, even when it means we are apart for too long, and i vow to support you in whatever you want to do for the rest of our lives. i vow to make sacrifices, to compromise, and to work with you each and every single day because you are all i want. you are all i need. and i promise to give you what you need, to listen and learn from my mistakes, and to be by your side through the best days and the worst. i promise to respect your boundaries and try not to push too hard, and i also promise to be there, whatever you need, holding your hand from near and far. i can’t promise i’ll get it right every single time, but i vow to never stop trying. because being with you and being your wife is now my ultimate dream come true, and i can’t believe i get to live my dream with you. thank you for loving me. thank you for choosing me. i will always choose you and i can’t wait to be your wife for the rest of my life.”

milena narrowed her eyes at him playfully, as if her petite self was actually considering taking him up on the challenge. of course, there was no way she could or would ever seriously fight rhett. “this is rude! blasphemy!” she declared instead with a flourishing wave of her hand before she turned back to the puppy getting comfortable in her lap. “not as adorable as this little guy!” the brunette cooed, cupping the animal’s face as she leaned closer to the dog. despite rhett’s warning, she turned her head up to look at him with an even more dramatic pout. “but look at this smoosh!” she whined, her cheek pressed to the top of the dog’s head as her own eyes unknowingly widened into a pleading expression along with the jutted bottom lip.

milena’s cheeks flushed instantly, shaking her head even though the action was futile. “that’s not what i meant!” she replied defensively, despite knowing rhett was just kidding too. he knew her better than to think she suddenly had let her ego get the best of her. “i just mean you have made good choices. you’re successful and i hope happy, and... have a good life, i think, with or without me,” she explained quickly. naturally, she much preferred his life with her in it, and while they were sitting here on their actual wedding day, she still believed that he could live the life he wanted without her. it would be selfish of her to stand in his way if that was the life he chose. “mm, my dad did always warn me to steer clear of gold diggers,” she hummed back as if she was seriously considering the consequences, the teasing smirk on her lips practically audible in her tone of voice. “i know,” the brunette acknowledged softly. their difference in communication styles had caused them to butt heads numerous times throughout their relationship, especially at the beginning, when she had to learn to interpret his actions first and foremost and he had to learn to verbally share with her. “i guess that’s why i thought you meant you didn’t want to write anything at all,” she admitted, wishing even harder that she could physically wrap her arms around him. she paused briefly, brows furrowing as she suddenly tried to recall previous conversations about their vows. milena knew she hadn’t done the best job of hiding her disappointment about not exchanging vows during the ceremony, but she thought she’d at least somewhat convincingly accepted that they wouldn’t be. “you didn’t feel forced to write something, did you? i’m sorry if i made you feel like you had to do this for me when you didn’t want to. i didn’t mean to...” her voice dwindled, the heightened emotions of the wedding day only accelerating her unnecessary worries about pushing rhett too far. her eyebrows raised slightly at the start of his answer, only to end with an eye roll and laugh. “rhett!” she whined, though she shouldn’t have expected anything else from her fiancé, “vows are supposed to be romantic.”

“watch yourself, barlowe!” milena clicked her tongue as she pointed a finger directly towards rhett, leveled up to meet his eye level. “that’s my baby you’re talking about!” she shook her head, like she was instantly deciding his arguments were wrong even though she could picture the exact scenario that he described. “she would share if batman wanted to! it’s not like she’s kicking him out!” she protested on her puppy’s behalf before turning her attention to the dogs surrounding her as she stooped closer to their level on the ground. even while distracted by their excitement and adorableness, milena shot a glance back at rhett at his comment, rolling her eyes playfully. “i guess you can be pretty cute, too,” she quipped back before checking the ground behind her to make sure it was clean, then landing cross-legged on the floor. one puppy in particular leaped straight into her lap, causing milena to coo loudly and pout as she held the pup close.

“you’ve done alright for yourself, barlowe,” milena quipped back with a half grin on her lips, though he couldn’t see her on the other side of the door. she couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at his observation, dark eyes glancing around the bridal suite that she’d spent the majority of the day in. nothing about this pointed towards an elopement. everything was carefully planned, meticulously curated, and, she hoped, resulted in a culmination of the best representation of both of them. despite knowing a big party wasn’t exactly rhett’s preference, after everything they’d been through, she liked to think today would be the celebration they deserved. “just a little,” she agreed softly, adding jokingly, “that catering deposit was no joke.” milena listened carefully, trying to recall the exact conversation they had had at this very venue months, maybe even over a year, earlier. knowing fully well that he was a man who picked his words carefully, she knew to believe him --- but she had also been convinced that it meant there would be no vows. of course, she had written hers for him. that had always been the plan, as she’d made clear in that very conversation, but to think he had sat down at some point without her knowledge to write out something for her made her heart swell. “i thought that meant you didn’t want to write any...” she admitted quietly, still unable to hide the disappointment in her voice at that thought even when she literally knew better now. “no!” milena jumped in quickly, “of course i want you to read them. being a songwriter has nothing to do with it. i just want to know what’s on your mind... are you going to read them now?” she paused, feeling her heart quicken and race in her chest despite not having anything to be nervous about. she’d been ready for this moment since falling in love with him four years ago. she just hadn’t contemplated it would happen like this, when she wasn’t even expecting it at all anymore. “can i open the door? just to hold your hand. i don’t want you to feel so far away when we say our vows.”

her jaw dropped, an exaggerated response to his comment that did have an underlying truth to it. “excuse you! teddy is not a menace!” milena argued, hitting his forearm lightly as she shook her head, feigning disappointment in rhett that he could speak about her dog that way. “she doesn’t boss batman around, she just wants to play with him!” she explained, like it made any difference or could change rhett’s mind at all. the brunette kept her eyes narrowed in his direction for a moment longer before turning to the space where the shelter kept their dogs. a smile spread on her features as she let go of her fiancé’s arm to crouch down towards the animals, arms outstretched for whichever puppy leaped towards her first. “hi, babies, aren’t you all the cutest,” she cooed in an automatic baby voice that seemed to emerge without thought around animals. she swept her hand over each dog’s coat, giggling quietly as she did her best to dodge puppies getting too close to her face.

“oh yeah, you made the right call there,” milena played along, nodding as if he could see her and she thought he was serious about the decision. she laughed lightly, her hand dropping from the knob as she slowly sank to her knees to mirror rhett from the other side of the door, sitting on the floor pressed against the door. the combination of his voice and words --- hearing him call her his future wife, knowing that they could drop ‘future’ modifier in just a matter of hours --- calmed the brunette instantly.  “a man can come sit outside the room of his future wife,” she hummed back in response, turning so she faced the crack of the door, like that would solve the literal obstacle currently between them. “i know, it sucks. i’m sorry,” milena sighed quietly. while she had been just as insistent about him not seeing her today before the ceremony, especially not in her dress, spending the night apart hadn’t exactly been her wish either, but so came the territory with traditional parents and older relatives in town on both sides. “no, have you?” she asked, laughing slightly because she was still aware that this whole pomp and circumstance wasn’t exactly rhett’s cup of tea. considering he hated the attention, she wouldn’t be surprised if he did think about leaving out the window -- as long as it wasn’t to avoid getting married to her. “i’m not going anywhere,” she promised, putting more earnestness behind her words like she was still subconsciously making up to him for the one time she did actually leave years prior. “she did, but she also knows better and knows i don’t plan on going anywhere except up that aisle to marry you,” she replied, then froze, blinking once, then twice, as she repeated what he said in her head. “your vows?” she clarified as she lifted her head from resting against the door to stare at the surface like she suddenly had x-ray vision. “i thought you weren’t writing any... that you didn’t want to say them,” milena spoke methodically, trying to understand what rhett meant when she had just spent the better part of their time engaged silently working on coming to terms with only saying ‘i do’ at the altar without personalized vows.

“not even close,” milena assured him with a smile, lips pursing as she leaned across the center console between them in the car to peck his lips. holding back a giggle, she conjured up a pout in response, knowing it was the one thing in her arsenal that she could rely on when she did need to convince rhett of something. “you are more than enough to cheer me up, honey, you know that,” she pleaded still with a teasing tone despite the truth in her words. the brunette gave an innocent shrug, a look on her face that read that she simply couldn’t help herself of what he said. “because they’re so cute!” milena reasoned as she stepped out of the car, walking around to the front and reaching her hand out for rhett’s as they met in the middle. “i’ll just think of batman and teddy. they wouldn’t know what to do with another dog at home,” she nodded, as if it were a perfectly logical explanation when the two dogs had more than enough room to share. her eyes lit up as they walked inside, the faint sound of barking from the back already reaching her ears. “we’re so close to puppy time!” she smiled excitedly, subconsciously giving rhett’s hand a squeeze.