Together.
When Kane pronounced us husband and wife, my girl leapt fromRemi’s arms and ran straight to us, tugging on my pant leg until I scooped her up between us.
It wasn’t polished.
It was perfect.
Later, as the music played and the string lights flickered on, I watched from the edge of the dance floor as Remi spun with our daughter in the grass, her laughter bright and light. She leaned down and whispered something that made our little girl gasp, hands clapping with delight.
Ava slipped up beside me, sliding her hand into mine.
“She looks happy,” I said.
Ava gave me a contented sigh and said, "She is... happier than I have ever seen her."
She nudged me. “You ready to dance, Chief?”
“I don't know, my wife might get jealous.”
She laughed, and I pulled her close. "Ok, one dance, but then maybe we can sneak away and see if we can't start working on baby number two."
Her eyes lit up, and she whispered, "That sounds like a plan, husband."
That word from her lips almost had me undone.
I pulled her onto the dance floor, wrapping her in my arms as the band played some old love song I couldn’t name. Our daughter ran around us in dizzy circles while Remi watched with that quiet, unshakable smile as her fiancée made his way across the dance floor to her. A look on his face that said everything anyone needed to know about how he felt for her.
We did it.
We didn't just survive. We were living. Loving and creating the lives we had never dared to hope could actually be real.
Everything felt settled.
The world felt right.
I soaked it all up with the love of my life held close in my arms and the family we weren't born into but found along the way, surrounding us.
