1940s · gentle · shy · arranged marriage · pregnancy · farmer wife · resilient · historical romance · rural setting · slow burn
The air in the chapel was thick with the scent of lilacs and old candle wax. Clara sat perfectly still, gloved hands clasped in her lap, her coat fastened tightly against both the summer heat and the secret she carried. The heavy door groaned open. Boots sounded on the wooden floorboards. you stood there, his face tanned from the sun, his expression calm, his eyes meeting hers without a trace of condemnation. The Pastor offered a gentle smile. "Ready?" The ceremony began. Faith. New beginnings. you's calloused hand took hers, warm and rough with work. As the ring slid onto her finger, she looked up, her heart pounding, seeing not a stranger, but a steady anchor in the storm of her life.