Chapter Thirty-Eight

Brayden

One year later.

The orchestra has already started up, seated under the largest oak tree on the ranch. Facing them are about a dozen rows of chairs, each filled by our family and friends, and I am in the back, taking it all in before I walk down the covered path that leads to my future.

"Are you ready for this?" Jake asks beside me. He's wearing a cowboy hat, just like I am, just like all the groomsmen are. He's also wearing a grey suit, the most dressed up I've ever seen him look. I give him a thumbs up. I've never been more ready.

I haven't seen Nina yet. She stayed at her parents' house last night, our first night apart since we moved into our modest cabin, which we lovingly refer to as the Winters Suite. I missed her in my bed last night, and I can't wait to unwrap her tonight before we leave for our honeymoon tomorrow.

She insisted on Italy, and plans to eat her way through the country .

Along with her parents, Nina spent the evening with her maid of honor—her cousin. It's funny to think that Jordy will be in my wedding after all, just not in the way we originally planned. She's living in New York now, but she and Nina have talked almost every day since she came back from her travels. I even talk to her sometimes. It's interesting to get to know her as a friend. She's told me on numerous occasions that if I hurt Nina, she'll hunt me down and cut off my balls. I believe her. But I'd die before hurting Nina.

Forrest and River skirt around us, each holding the arm of a beautiful woman—my mom and Nina's mom. My mother pauses next to me and kisses me on the cheek.

"I'm so proud of you, son," she murmurs. "You got the girl, and she's just so special. Thank you for bringing her into our family."

"I love you, Mom," I say, kissing her back before Forrest leads her to her seat in the front row. I can feel the tears stinging my eyes, and I know there's going to be a lot of that today. It's not every day you get to marry your best friend.

Poppy squeezes my hand before it's her turn to walk. "You make my daughter so happy," she tells me with a smile. "Thank you for all the ways you've loved her."

I squeeze her hand back. This past year has been one of healing, and Nina and her mom have made huge strides in their relationship. It's still not perfect, but it's so much better than it was. I'd say it even borders on normal.

River leads Poppy down the path, and then I hear the shift of music. It's my turn. I'm not nervous at all, but my heart is racing, nonetheless. In just a few minutes, I'll stand in front of the love of my life and make her vows I'll keep forever. Soon, she will be Mrs. Antonina Dorotea Winters, and I have never heard a lovelier name.

I walk down the path, taking my time to look at everyone who's supporting us today. There are all the workers from the ranch, from the stable boys to our horse groomer to our housekeeper. I spy a few people who have stayed on the ranch as guests, including the Jones family and their young son. He's playing his Nintendo Switch, but I'll overlook that. Weddings aren't the most exciting things for kids.

Jordy's parents are in the second row, right behind Poppy and Steve. Lil is wearing a fascinator, just like her sister. I realize I owe Nina five dollars thanks to her bet that they would.

I reach the huge oak tree, and there's my dad in his wheelchair. I stand near him and place a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you for doing this," I say. He pats my hand. He's also in a suit and cowboy hat, but where I'm wearing a striped grey tie to match my suit, he's wearing a bolo tie with a metal medallion in the center. He looks sharp.

"Thank you for asking me," he says. "I love Nina. She's been an incredible part of this family. It's my honor to marry you two."

Thanks to the good old Golden State, anyone can perform a wedding ceremony. However, as soon as I asked my dad to officiate, he quickly went online and became an ordained minister. He's even made us call him Minister Pete the past few weeks, much to our amusement. My dad is a praying man, but he'd drop dead before setting foot in a church. To him, nature is his church, which makes this ceremony on our ranch all the more sacred.

Jordy is next, escorted by my best man Jake. She's radiant, even if I only have eyes for Nina. There's something about her now that wasn't there when we were together. A true happiness. Absolute freedom. She winks at me, then takes her place on the other side of my dad while Jake stands next to me.

Nina's friend Maren follows, escorted by Levi. It's hard to miss the huge rock on her finger, which she has been wearing since Mac proposed last month. She told him she was never getting married but would make an exception for him. Her only stipulation is to wait until her tour is over next year, since she's headlining her own sold- out concerts across the United States.

Claire is after that, holding the arm of River, and man is she glowing. Her small protruding belly might have something to do with that, which looks lovely in the pale pink dress Nina had her bridesmaids wear.

My sister comes next, walking arm in arm with Forrest. With her copper hair and freckles, I'm blown away at how beautiful Hazel looks in her pink bridesmaids dress. For a moment, I imagine what it would be like if Amber were here to see this. How the girls would be together. Seeing Hazel grow up into the woman she's becoming, I get a glimpse of who Amber would have been, but also a reminder that she's forever seven years old and will never see a day like this.

The last of my wedding party to come down the aisle is Nate, and he holds something small in front of him. As he gets closer, tears sting my eyes. He's carrying a photo of Amber and Hazel hugging each other, and when he reaches the front, I can see he's visibly affected by this important task. I forget my place and move forward to hug him, the tears spilling down my cheeks, even as I try my hardest to hold it together. Fuck man. This is hard. But I'm so glad they thought of this.

Nate rests the photo on the chair in the front row right next to my mother, then takes his place at the end of the line.

Finn is next, though I can tell by the look on his face that he believes he's too old for the job of ring bearer. He stomps down the aisle, thrusts the pillow at me, then makes a beeline for his dad instead of standing next to Nate like we'd told him to. The audience loves it.

Last is Ariel, the two-year-old daughter of our housekeeper, Rosa. She's wearing a doll-like white dress and holding an Easter basket full of petals. Last night at the rehearsal dinner, she cried until Rosa finally took her home. To my relief, she toddles down the aisle, dropping a petal at a time. At this rate, we're going to be here until next week.

" Date prisa mija," Rosa says from her seat. Ariel looks at her mother, and then at everyone watching her, and I watch in slo-mo as her mouth form an O and a silent cry forms into air. But then the shriek follows. Rosa scoops her up, takes handfuls of petals, and tosses them while scurrying down the aisle. She crosses in front of us and keeps going until she reaches a safe distance to soothe her screaming child.

Everything is perfect, especially as the music shifts again.

Nina and I had gone over every romantic song there was out there, but together we could not come up with something for her to walk down the aisle to. I finally asked her to trust me to pick a song, and she let me.

Maren takes her place next to the orchestra as they shift songs, going from something unrecognizable to something I've listened to dozens of times. When I sat and listened to this song again a few weeks ago, I knew it was everything I felt about Nina, and I knew it had to be Maren to bring this song to life.

"Something in your smile, speaks to me," Maren starts, beginning the song by Tony Bennett. I know it's my favorite, not hers, but it just incapsulates so perfectly all the ways I feel about her. I hear an audible sigh from the audience at the sound of Maren's whiskey voice taking on the old crooner's lyrics, the cool, dark tones of her singing. It's this voice that now owns the Top 100. You can't turn on the radio without hearing Maren Huerta belting out the latest rock ballad.

But now she's here, singing at her best friend's wedding. I keep my eyes trained on the back of the audience until finally a vision in white appears a few yards down the way. Nina is all I see, from her hot pink hair to the form fitting ballgown she's wearing, to the pink high-tops that peek out from under her skirt. Her face is beaming, her eyes locked on mine as she stands holding her father's arm, the photographer clicking away. Then she's moving, so slowly I want to run to her, pick her up and get us married. But I wait, savoring the beauty of my bride, not sure how I convinced her to be mine.

When we first came back together, she told me we couldn't be engaged yet. After all, I had just come off an engagement, and needed time and distance from that relationship before asking her to marry me. But I knew she was mine from the day I first saw her. There was no denying how I felt about her.

So I waited a week, then asked her. She said no.

I waited another week, then asked her. Again, she said no.

We did this several more times. Sometimes I waited a week. Sometimes a day. Every time, she let me know it was too early and to be patient.

Patience has never been my virtue, but finally, I listened. I waited months, saying nothing about wanting to marry her, all the while holding that engagement ring in my pocket just in case the moment ever arose. Apparently I waited too long, because one night we were at home having dinner, Cherokee at my feet waiting for food to drop. It was such a normal night, not one thing special about it. But she asked me if I was ever going to ask her to marry me again.

That ring was upstairs in my dresser drawer, but you better believe I ran up those stairs, two at a time, to grab it before flying in front of her, landing on one knee. I'd had this whole speech set up and kept thinking up romantic places I could pop the question. But in that moment, on our concrete floor, the rain pounding on our windowpanes while we ate a spaghetti dinner, I knelt in front of her and simply asked her to marry me.

And she said yes.

That was three months ago, and we threw this whole wedding together in record time .

Now she's standing before me, her father kissing her cheek before releasing her to me. Steve shakes my hand, holding on to it for a moment.

"Welcome to the family, Son," he says. I nod my head, because at this moment, I have no words, and I can't keep my eyes off Nina.

Up close, she's even more beautiful. I'd told her to pick whatever dress she wanted; I'd pay for it. She reminded me that she has her own money and could buy her own dress, and this is the dress she chose. It's covered in lace, tapered to her waistline then billowing out in tulle. Her hair is in soft curls, covered by her veil. In her hands is a beautiful bouquet of daisies, which I recognize as Amber and Hazel's favorite. I'm touched by the sentiment, but it's Nina's face I can't look away from. This is the face I get to see every day for the rest of my life. I'll get to see it change as she ages, and I'll always think she's beautiful. This is the face of the woman I love, and I've never seen anyone so stunning.

"I love you," I whisper.

"I love you," she whispers back. Then she plucks a daisy from her bouquet and hands it to me before taking one for herself. "We have one more thing to do before we get married." She hands Jordy her bouquet, then takes my hand and leads me to that chair up front with my sister's photo. She nods to it, and I understand what she wants. Carefully I place my flower next to the photo, and Nina does the same.

"Thank you for being here," I say to that chair, then look up to the sky. I don't know if she's actually here, but for a moment, I feel her. A breeze blows through the trees, caressing my face, then disappears as quickly as it came.

My father leads the ceremony with meaningful words about love and marriage and what it means to be in a partnership. When I'm not looking at Nina, I look at my dad, who moves his eyes to my mother often as he talks about love .

We get to the vows, and this is the part where I do get nervous. Nina and I chose to write our own vows, and I'm not the best at making public speeches. But I do know how much I love Nina, so I tried not to think of other people as I just wrote down what I felt.

But now that we're here, my nerves are getting the better of me.

"Breathe," she reminds me in a whisper, and I realize how tense my face must look. I smile at her, then take out the piece of paper from my pocket. It's just a formality, though, because I know my vows by heart.

"Ours is an unlikely love story," I begin. "It starts with the most beautiful girl in the world who finds herself in a dangerous situation. Enter a wannabe hero who comes to save the day. Since then, we've been on a crazy journey together. We've made mistakes, burned some bridges, then rebuilt everything with the help of our families. We've grown together, learning what it means to be a daughter, a son, and a cousin, what it means to be part of a family. We've cried a lot. Laughed a lot. Fallen down only to get back up again. But in all this time I've loved you, I've realized I'm not really the hero. You are, as you've saved me every day you've been in my life. It's because of you I've learned what it means to be a true partner, who knows how to give and take, to win and lose, and to understand that true communication means not agreeing with everything you say, but listens before everything else.

"So on this day, when I stand before God and all our friends and family, I make these promises to you.

"Antonina Dorotea Chance, I promise to be slow to speak and quick to listen, to hear you completely when you have something to say.

"I promise to tell you the truth, even if it's hard, and even if we don't agree.

"I promise to build this life with you, not just for you, because we are equal partners, and this is our life together.

"I promise to reserve Meredith only for you, since she was your horse all those years ago, and she's still your horse now."

Nina laughs, wiping away tears as they fill her eyes.

"I promise to bring you coffee in bed every time I wake up before you, and I promise to accept coffee in bed anytime you wake up before me."

Everyone laughs this time, as Nina bites her smile.

"I promise you will never need to ask me to do any chores because this is both of our home, and both our responsibility.

"The same goes for our future children. You will never need to ask me to care for them, because they are ours .

"I promise to be the best father I can be to our children.

"I promise to be the best husband I can be to you.

"I promise to never forget to romance you, to remind you in little ways how much I love you.

"I promise to continue dating you, even when we're old and grey and our children are making families of their own.

"Most of all, I promise to love you every day, in every way, until the day I die. But even then, I will go on loving you into eternity. You are the woman who called to my soul, and all I could do was answer, and now we get to create this beautiful life together."

Nina frantically dabs at her eyes, looking at me with furrowed brows. "Damnit, Winters, do you know how long it took to do this makeup?" She smiles as she whispers it. I blow at her face, and she jerks back in surprise and gives a confused laugh. "What the hell?"

"It works for babies," I say. "Makes them forget what they were doing. I thought it would help you stop crying."

"You're an ass," she laughs.

She collects herself, then addresses the crowd. "I have no idea how to top that, but I guess this isn't a competition. Here I go."

She brings out her own piece of paper, but this one looks old and weathered, as if she's been holding this for years.

"Many of you know my cousin Jordy. We've been close since we were young, and our favorite movie of all time is Practical Magic . There was this one night we watched the movie, and Jordy thought it would be a great idea to come up with our own lists for the man of our dreams."

"Oh my God, the list," Jordy laughs behind her. "I thought you lost it!"

Nina turns around, shooting Jordy a grin. "Not exactly," she says, then she continues.

"The thing is, I had just experienced something that convinced me I would never fall in love. So, just like the lead character, I came up with things that were so specific, there was no way any guy would match up. I'd like to read that list for you now."

Nina unfolds the paper, and I nervously watch her, not sure what to expect.

"He will make me feel safe," she reads, then looks at me. She doesn't lower her gaze back to the list as she shares the rest.

"He will call me Sugar. He'll like country music, and he'll have a good singing voice. He cares for animals." She smiles at me, then cups my face. "He has deep dimples, and he listens with his eyes and his ears. He has ties to San Francisco where my grandmother met my grandfather." She smiles softly, while my jaw drops. Then she moves her hands to my hair, tugging on my curls. "He will have curls I can wind my fingers through." Then she looks at everyone in the crowd. "He'll like Tony Bennett, just like my grandmother did." She looks at me then. "Just like the song you chose for me to walk down the aisle." She smiles and takes my hand. "My love for you started with this list before I even knew you. When I met you, I recognized you immediately, but I couldn't tell you, because it's all so crazy, right? Except, it isn't. Every day I'm with you, I'm introduced to a new kind of magic that can only exist within the safety of loving you. Because my love started with that list, but every day I've learned so many more things to love about you. Still, I can't help feeling like that list is a sign that our love was written in the stars."

I am speechless at this. At the list, at everything she said, at how obvious fate had a hand in our meeting.

"You really wrote that list when you were young?"

"She really did," Jordy pipes in. She looks at Nina. "Oh my God. It was Brayden this whole time."

The realization takes my breath away. It's a sign. I have believed Nina was the one since that very first day. But hearing her list, something she came up with years before she met me? It just solidified the meaning of our union.

"I love you so much," I say.

"I'm not finished," Nina returns with a grin. "I still have vows, you know."

I remain quiet, but I'm bursting with so much love for this woman, I can barely contain myself.

"Brayden James Winters, I don't have a long list of promises to give you. All I can promise is that, in everything I do, from the most mundane of chores, to any arguments we may have, to the good and bad times, the hard and easy times, and every other time in between, I promise to do it all with love for you in my heart. I will remain grateful that you chose me, and I chose you to love in this life, and I will never take that for granted. I promise to stay by your side, to support you and accept your support, and to love you through all your strengths and faults, and accept your love in all of mine. I promise to love you loyally and fiercely—as long as I shall live."

"Sweetheart," I breathe, taking her hands in mine. I don't even bother wiping away the tears. There's more where those came from.

My dad clears his throat, and Nina and I shoot watery grins at each other .

"Before we get to the good part, I thought I'd find an Italian prayer to honor Nina's heritage, and this one fits the bill," my father says. He clears his throat, then continues.

"Brayden and Nina,

"Now you will feel no rain,

"For each of you will be the shelter to the other.

"Now you will feel no cold,

"For each of you will be the warmth to the other.

"Now there is no more loneliness for you,

"Because now you are no longer lonely.

"Now you are two bodies,

"Yet there is only one life set before you.

"Go therefore into your dwelling place,

"To enter into the days of your togetherness.

"That your days may be good and beautiful and long upon this earth."

My father folds the book in front of him, then looks at me.

"It's time," he says softly.

"Thank fuck," I say, and he laughs.

My father runs us through the ring ceremony, and I am there but not there, barely listening as I place the ring on Nina's finger, and she does the same. I look in her eyes the whole time, realizing that this is it. I offer her a small, secret smile, and she returns it. I almost feel like a kid who's getting away with something big, not sure if anyone's going to catch on that I don't deserve this woman. Still, she said yes.

"I do," I answer automatically, my eyes locked on Nina's.

"I do," she says a few moments later, her eyes once again filling with tears.

"Therefore, it is my privilege as a minister and by the authority given to me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Brayden, you may kiss your bride."

I hold Nina's hand in mine and lean my face down to hers. Her lips are soft, parting slightly as we share our first kiss as a married couple. I deepen it, not caring about anyone else in this room, wrapping my arms around her and losing myself. My father clears his throat, and I laugh against Nina's mouth while she does the same. Reluctantly, I break away.

"Ladies and gentlemen," my father booms out, "it is my privilege to introduce to you for the first time, my son and new daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Winters."

The wedding reception is a blur of happy faces, good food, and a carefully curated music playlist Nina put together. The trees are lit up with tiny fairy lights, and numerous heaters keep the place warm so we can remain outdoors. I'm ready for all of it to end, though, and to take my wife to bed. I can tell by her face she's exhausted, and it's possible we might wait until the honeymoon to consummate our marriage. I don't mind. We have a lifetime together.

"Great wedding," a voice says behind me, and I smile. I turn to Jordy, and she's holding a glass of champagne for me. I take it and clink glasses with her before taking a sip. "Nina is positively glowing," she says, turning toward my wife, who is gabbing away with Maren and Claire.

"She is," I say, nodding.

"No. I mean, she's glowing ." Jordy nods in her direction. "Don't think I haven't noticed she hasn't had a drop of champagne. When it comes to bubbles, Nina is not the type to pass it up. So…" She gives me a pointed look.

"I'm not supposed to say anything to you," I hiss, but I can't help the proud smile that breaks through. We found out just two weeks ago that she was expecting. Apparently she'd missed a pill, and it was just enough of a lapse for that little bugger to squeak through. Even though it's early, we already have names—Juniper if she's a girl and Ocean if he's a boy. "If you want to know anything, just ask her."

"I'll wait until she tells me," Jordy says, then winks. "Congratulations, Dad. You're going to make an amazing father."

I reach out and squeeze her hand. But there's no sadness on her face. Just a happy smile.

"What about you? What's going on in the Big Apple? Anything exciting?" I glance at the table where she was sitting, where a man with dark hair and eyes only for Jordy sits, waiting for her to return. She glances over at him, offers a little wave. Then turns back to me.

"Several someones," she says, flipping her hand dismissively. I raise an eyebrow, and she laughs. "Come on, I can't settle down now. Besides, Paulo knows this is all for fun. He returns to Italy next week, and I suspect I'll never hear from him again. But while he's here…" She winks. "Besides, I'm too busy building Flourish to have time for romance. Business is great. Every time I show clients the photos from Nina's store, they book me in an instant."

"She practically lives at Polka Dots," I say. "So the fact that you could take her vision and make it something even grander than she expected, it's just amazing. You should see her there. She's in her element, and you should be proud of what you did."

It's actually a huge gift that Jordy even decided to do this. She'd already moved to New York, but she still flew in every week to help Nina design the store of her dreams. Now Polka Dots is one of Sunset Bay's cornerstone clothing boutiques, and it became the start of a lucrative design business for Jordy.

"Well, it's not completely altruistic," she says. "I do own a quarter of that store."

The evening starts winding down, and I cross the patio to find my bride with that kid who can't get off his electronics. But he does for Nina, and the two of them are engrossed in a conversation about who is the best bender in Avatar: The Last Airbender .

"I mean, Katara can blood bend. Imagine that kind of power," Nina says.

"Yeah, but air? Aang can freaking fly. Plus, he's the last of his kind. I think that deserves extra points."

"Mrs. Winters, I hate to interrupt this important conversation, but we have a toast to make before we call it a night."

"We're not finished," she says to the boy, who grins at her and waves his arms like he's flying.

"Oh yes you are, or we're never getting to bed tonight."

"Mr. Winters, is someone getting impatient?" Nina grins up at me, and I can't help but kiss her smile.

"When it comes to you and getting you alone, always."

We reach our table, and I tap my knife lightly against the glass. The talking around us quiets to silence, and I wrap my arm around Nina's waist as I face our family and friends.

"My wife and I would like to thank all of you for joining us as we celebrate our love for each other. We'd like to end this night with a special toast to all of you who are here with us. This past year, Nina and I have both come to understand the importance of family, and what it really means to be a part of these connections, whether by blood or by friendship. Tonight, you all are our family, and we are so grateful for each and every one of you." I raise my glass, as does Nina, and everyone does the same.

"Before we drink, I want to add to that," Nina says, "tonight is a celebration of our love. But it's the love of our parents that brought us here, and their parents before that. Tonight I'd like to add a toast that not only celebrates family, but the love that connects all of us to each other."

"Here here!" my father calls out, and we drink .

"I have a toast," Jordy calls out, and again everyone is quiet. Nina and I turn to Jordy, and she holds her glass in front of her.

"In our collective lifetime, I've learned that not everything we deem important is meant for us, and not everything that's meant for us feels important." She looks down at her glass, pausing before continuing. "I've learned that sticking to a set path is not always the right way, but forgiveness always is. Always ." She smiles at both of us. "We've had a hell of a year, haven't we?" I nod, and I feel Nina nodding too. She wipes at her eyes, and I squeeze her waist. "But in the end, knowing it led me to friendship with both of you, and being able to witness your love story without any kind of resentment…" She waves her hand. "Sorry, I'm not talking about that. But you know what I mean. I'm just so happy for the both of you, and grateful to be in your lives. I love you, Nina and Brayden."

"We love you," Nina says in a shaky voice.

Everyone drinks again, and I look at my wife.

"If we don't make our escape now, we might be stuck here all night."

"I got you," Steve says, my father sitting next to him. Nina's dad turns to the crowd and lets out a whistle.

"Everyone say goodnight, the happy couple is leaving the ranch!" Steve yells.

"He does know we're just going up the road, right?" Nina hisses.

"Shhh, or they might follow us." We both wave as everyone cheers us on. We get into Nina's car, a Lexus ES she bought brand new earlier this year when she traded in the Cadillac. Tied to it are beer cans that I recognize as the ones my crew drinks in our off hours.

"Don't worry, boss, we'll make sure everything is taken care of while you're gone," Jake says, clapping me on the shoulders. The other guys are there, and I grab them all into a group hug. "That's what I'm afraid of," I say, but laugh. With my dad here, there's no way they'll get into too much trouble. Besides, I trust these guys with my life, let alone my ranch.

"Get out of here," Jake says, nodding at Nina who's waiting in the passenger seat.

"I'm trying, but you keep yapping."

I get in the car and close the door. It is blissfully quiet in the car as we drive away, save for the gravel under the wheels. I take Nina's hand, resting it on her thigh.

"How are you feeling?" I ask. It's the first chance we've had to really talk tonight.

"I'm tired, but good." She yawns, leaning her head against the window. Her hand covers her still flat belly. I add my hand to the top of hers, caressing her soft skin, holding our child with her.

"But tired," I say when she yawns again. We reach our home, and there's Cherokee, waiting for us on the porch. He gallops down the steps, meeting us as we exit the car. He follows as we enter the house. I set up the coffee, changing the alarm for a few hours early since we have a flight to catch. Then I guide my tired wife up the stairs and into our room. I can tell she's absolutely drained. I wasn't around Jordy much in her pregnancy, something I regretted often, but couldn't change due to circumstances. This time around, I'm studying everything and doing whatever I can to make Nina more comfortable. I'd read that the first trimester can often feel like the hardest because it takes so much energy to grow a baby.

Tonight, I help Nina undress. I unlace the corset of her dress, with all the millions of layers that are both sexy and tedious at the same time. But sex is the furthest thing from my mind as I finish removing my wife's clothes. I help her to bed, and then when I'm undressed, I turn off the lights and wrap myself around her. She kisses me, then pats my hand.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes, but I shush her .

"Sugar, holding you on our wedding night is both an honor and privilege. Now go to sleep so tomorrow can come quicker."

I feel the rumble of her laugh, but soon she falls into heavy breathing. On the floor, Cherokee is lightly snoring. My hand rests on Nina's belly while my face is nestled in her hair. It's how we've slept almost every night we've lived together, so in a way, nothing has changed. Except, everything has changed. Nina is now my wife and the mother of my child—and I'm the luckiest man in the world.

This is the thought I keep as I drift off to sleep, starting my new life as the husband of Nina Winters.