22. I DO

I DO:

 Powerful two little words that actually mean, ‘I will love you, take care of you, serve you, protect you, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live.’

Before I joined my parents, I looked at Ryder and said, “Thank you, Ryder. You’ve been very kind to all of us. I guess this is the last, huh? I'll call my parents after a week to tell them that it’s over. Don’t worry. I'll make sure nobody blames you. I’ll tell them that I want to stay single for a while. To… date around…”

“Do you?” he asked bitterly.

I raised a brow. “Do I what?”

“Want to date around?” he asked.

I laughed… to cover up the pain that I feel inside… and to hide the truth behind the lie that I’m about to say.

“It’s been a while, hasn&rsquo