The Calm Before The Storm

The Golden Hour

~Chloe~

-One Year Later-

"Do you, Chloe Elizabeth Price, Take Maxine Caulfield to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The minister asks. I nod, "I do,". "And do you, Maxine Caulfield, Take Chloe Elizabeth Price to be your lawfully wedded wife?". "Hella yes," She says staring deep into my blue eyes". "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Wife and Wife. You may kiss the bride". We both smile and kiss each other to the point where I lift Max up off the ground. We decided to have our wedding on the cliffside by the lighthouse, very appropo if you ask me. With the sun setting behind us, this moment couldn't get any more special. Max pulls away first and grabs my hands, "We made it, Babe, We're married... wowsers". My heart flutters when she says this, I'm married... I have a fucking wife... finally. "I love you so much, Max, " I say, tearing up a bit as I look at how beautiful my partner is. Her hair is pulled back into a tight braid, which rests on her left shoulder. The doe necklace I'd given her all those years ago hangs gracefully from her neck. Her beautiful dress is puffy and sleeveless, just like she'd always dreamed it would be. "I love you, too," Max whispers, resting her head on my chest. Our families are all clapping cheering for us, My mom sits in the front row, holding a picture of William. David sits beside her in full on tears. Ryan and Misty are in the same row, along with Jennie, the twins and surprisingly... Derek. Kate is in the crowd too, along with Victoria, Dana, and a few other of Max's Blackwell friends that we met up with a few years back. Finally, we pull away and smile, giving each other another quick kiss before leaving the makeshift altar and walking hand in hand down the cliff. Once there, everyone shuffles into their cars and prepares to head over to the reception, which is being held at my childhood home. Before we hop into the truck, Max pulls me aside and kisses me passionately, her hands sliding into my tux jacket, "You look amazing," she mutters between kisses, "And I dig the rainbow bowtie,". I chuckle a bit and pull her, "I knew you would,". We continue to make out until Derek walks up to us, "Come on, put the tongues away for a minute would ya?" He asks, shielding his eyes. I pull away and straighten myself up, "What do you want Derek?". He sighs and turns to Max, completely ignoring me, "We can't stay for the reception. I've got a big meeting in Chicago that couldn't be rescheduled and we kinda have to leave now if we want to catch the next flight". "Oh... well, that's okay, I understand. We're really glad you could make it," Max says with a smile, "Say goodbye to the twins for me okay?". He nods and turns away, only to stop after just a few steps. "Congratulations by the way... I... we're all really happy for you guys and... uh... this is from all of us,". Derek hands me a CD case and says: "That's our part of the Reception video. I thought we'd put a little something together since we weren't able to stay". I smile and look up at him, "Thanks, man, This means a lot to us". "Yeah, yeah, Whatever," He says, trying not to show much emotion, "Have fun and stay safe, okay? I'll see you around". Max and I watch as he walks off and joins his small family. "Wow, That was really nice of him," Max says, handing me the CD. "Yeah, but do you think he meant it?" I ask, opening the passenger side door and watching as Max picks up the folds of her dress as she hops in. "He might be an asshole on the surface but, I'd like to think he has a soft side". I shrug and give my wife a quick peck on the cheek before hopping in the truck myself. I pause for a second, feeling like I'm forgetting something. Max reaches over and rests her hand on my shoulder, "You okay, babe?" she asks. "Yeah... yeah, it's just... I'm so used to having her with us all the time", I say, "It feels... weird going anywhere without her". "I know, it's hard for me too... Blue was a good dog, and 10 years is a long life for a shepherd". (No one's really sure of how old Blue was but she had to be at least ten). I nod and sigh, starting the engine without another word, pulling out onto the seemingly endless road that leads back to town. *sigh* Blue passed away about a month ago and we're still not over it. I mean, we've had her for a little over 5 years ( Max and I took her in in 2015 and she was about 2 or 3) and nothing has been the same without her. We've debated on getting another dog since Blue was kind Max's therapy dog. You know, in the years since the tornado, I discovered I wasn't wrong when I said that people who go through traumatic experiences are never the same afterward. Max... she... she... *sigh* Let's just say that the dog could tell there was something wrong with her... mentally, I mean... and Blue would alert me if Max was panicked or something. That's why David gave her to us... he could see there was something off about my partner, Mom could see it too... they could see her trauma. *Ahem* Anyways, I peer back at Max as we drive down the road. The ever fading light makes it look like there's a spotlight surrounding her. She's beautiful. "What's that look for?" Max asks, catching my gaze. Her eyes shine brightly... like fire. I shrug again and smile, "Oh, I don't know... I'm just tripping on the fact that I just married the world's most beautiful woman,". She blushes and turns away a bit, "You're such a ham... but, that's why I love you".