All my life I've searched
hoped
prayed
for the kind of connection I saw
in Disney movies I grew up with
in the books I clung to so desperately to escape reality
in the eyes of my grandparents when they spoke to one another...

I fell into the trap of my past
with abusive lovers of all kinds
giving my heart to those who threw it aside
to shatter into shards like a thousand sparkling rubies
without a second thought

You came into my life as a cloud passing across the sky
adding something new to my horizon
without me knowing just how much you would grow
to influence my life

Over time we grew to be thick as thieves
you became my closest and dearest friend
I didn't know that whole time you were falling in love with me
patiently waiting for me to see what you already knew

Three years you waited
battling your problems as well as mine
staying by my side through the worst of storms
ever waiting until my past finally cleared
and recognition occurred.

My heart and soul recognized yours
in the way I'd always been told would happen:
I just knew.
I finally opened myself up to the purest, deepest emotion I'd ever felt
and let you in.

Deep in my bones
I know
I will spend my life with you
laughing, playing, adventuring, growing
carving our friendship, our love, into the fabric of this world
and creating a path together through sun and storm.

I will love you with every fiber of my being
in this life and the next

I've given my heart away for the last time
to my best friend
to my dashing rogue
to my lifemate.