The woman nodded. “I’m a wedding planner. Your husband hired me to organize a surprise wedding. For you.”
My confusion deepened. “A wedding?”
Ethan nodded earnestly. “It’s true. I’ve been working with her to plan the wedding you deserve—the one I couldn’t give you when we got married at city hall. You weren’t supposed to know. When we overheard you outside the ward, I panicked and told her to hide.”
The planner, Jessica, added apologetically, “We were just finalizing details—flowers, music, everything Ethan thought you’d love. I’m so sorry for scaring you.”
Ethan reached for my hand. “I wanted it to be perfect. I found our old wedding photo and realized how much you’ve sacrificed for me. I just wanted to give you the day you deserve.”
Tears welled in my eyes as his words sank in. “You were planning a wedding?” I whispered.
He nodded, his voice cracking. “For you. For us. I know I should’ve told you, but I wanted it to be a surprise.”
I laughed through my tears, wiping my face. “Do you have any idea how close I was to calling the police?”
Ethan chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah, not my best idea.”
Jessica slipped out, leaving us alone. Ethan looked at me, his eyes full of emotion. “So… are you mad?”
“Mad?” I said, squeezing his hand. “No. But you owe me an explanation. And maybe a glass of wine when we get home.”
He smiled, his laughter filling the room. “Deal. And Sam, I love you.”
“I love you too,” I replied, leaning in to kiss him. “But next time, leave the wedding planner out in the open.”
We laughed, and in that moment, everything felt perfect—a beautiful reminder of the love we shared.