Chapter 29 The Wedding Morning
I woke before dawn. The house was silent, the children still asleep. Beside me, Damian breathed steadily, his face soft, his hand resting on my stomach. I watched him for a long moment, memorizing the shape of his lips, the way his hair fell across his forehead.
Today, we would marry.
I slipped out of bed and padded to the kitchen. Rosa was already there, arranging flowers in mason jars. She looked up and smiled.
"Couldn't sleep?"
"Too nervous."
She poured me coffee. "Good nervous?"
I wrapped my hands around the warm mug. "The best kind."
By seven, the house was awake.
Lily ran through the halls, testing her flower crown. Leo practiced his ring bearer walk for the hundredth time. Max ate three pancakes and demanded a fourth. Rose sat at the kitchen table, her poem hidden under a napkin.
Eleanor arrived with bags of last‑minute supplies. She hugged Damian, kissed my cheek, and immediately began directing traffic. "Rosa, the food needs to go to the garden. Damian, get dressed. Ava, you need to eat something."
I laughed. "Yes, ma'am."
She pointed at me. "I mean it. No fainting at the altar."
At nine, I retreated to the yellow room to get ready.
Rosa helped me into my dress. Cream lace, simple, perfect. The girls wore white. Lily spun in front of the mirror. Rose stood still, watching me.
"You look pretty, Mommy," Lily said.
"Thank you, sweetheart."
Rose walked to me and touched the lace on my sleeve. "Are you ready?"
I knelt to her level. "I think so."
She studied my face. "Daddy is nervous too. I saw him pacing."
"He'll be fine."
She nodded. "I'll take care of him."
I pulled her into a hug. "I know you will."
The garden was transformed.
White chairs filled the lawn. Roses climbed the arch. Fairy lights sparkled even in the daylight. The children took their places. Leo stood at the front, clutching the ring pillow. Lily practiced dropping petals. Max held Rose's hand.
I stood at the back of the aisle, my heart pounding.
Rosa squeezed my arm. "Ready?"
I looked at Damian. He stood under the arch, his eyes fixed on me. He was smiling, but his hands were shaking.
"Yes," I said.
The music began.
I walked slowly, the grass soft under my feet. The guests were few: Eleanor, Rosa, a handful of family. But I saw only Damian. His face blurred as tears filled my eyes.
When I reached him, he took my hands. "You're here."
"I'm here."
Rosa stepped forward, her voice warm. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness something extraordinary. Two people who lost each other, found each other, and built a family from the ashes."
I squeezed Damian's hands.
"Love is not about perfection," Rosa continued. "It is about showing up. Forgiving. Choosing each other every single day. Ava and Damian have done that. And today, they choose forever."
Leo presented the rings without dropping them. Lily threw petals at the wrong moment. Max announced that he needed to use the bathroom. The guests laughed. Damian and I laughed too.
Rosa smiled. "Ava, your vows."
I had written them on a small card, but I did not need it. The words had been in my heart for months.
"Damian, five years ago, I left you. I was scared and broken. I thought I was protecting myself. But I was also protecting the girls from a man I didn't think could love them." I paused, steadying my voice. "I was wrong. You are not the man who let me go. You are the man who stayed. Who fought. Who became a father to our children before you even knew they were yours. I love you. I will love you for the rest of my life."
Damian's eyes were wet. He swallowed hard.
"Ava, I wrote vows too. But I can't read them." He pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket. "My hands are shaking too much."
I laughed through my tears.
He took a breath. "I was a fool. I let you go because I was scared. I spent five years regretting it. And then you walked back into my life, and I knew. I knew you were the only one. I love you. I love our daughters. I love this family we have built. I will spend every day making sure you never doubt that again."
Rosa wiped her eyes. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Damian kissed me, soft and certain, while the children cheered and the fairy lights swayed in the breeze.
The reception was small, perfect.
Rosa's food filled the tables. Eleanor's cookies were devoured. Leo gave a speech about how happy he was to have sisters. Lily danced with Max until they fell down. Rose read her poem, her voice clear and strong.
Before, we were two. Now we are six. Before, we were missing. Now we are fixed.
The yellow room has paper stars. The porch has room for all of us. The swings go high, the garden grows, and love is not a fuss.
The guests clapped. Rose bowed, then ran to Damian and hugged him.
I stood at the edge of the garden, watching my family. My husband. Our children. The life we had built.
Rosa appeared beside me. "Happy?"
I looked at the ring on my finger. At Damian lifting Lily onto his shoulders. At Rose holding Max's hand.
"More than I ever thought possible."
That night, after the children were asleep, Damian and I sat on the porch. The fairy lights still glowed. The garden was quiet.
"We did it," he said.
"We did."
He took my hand. "I love you, Mrs. Blackwood."
I smiled. "I love you too, Mr. Blackwood."
We sat in silence, watching the stars. Somewhere inside, our children dreamed. Somewhere in the distance, the city hummed.
We had lost each other. We had found each other. And now, we were home.