"We're only going alone for the first week."
She blinks. "What?"
"The second week, we're coming back for you."
Now she looks confused. "Why?"
Colby grins.
"Because we love you and we're taking you to Disney World."
For a second she doesn't react. Then realization hits. The squeal that erupts from her could probably be heard three towns away.
"DISNEY WORLD?!"
People clap. Someone laughs. Mrs. Bellamy starts crying. Liam and Toby do a hockey man dance step or two.
Jillie bounces so hard that Colby nearly loses hold of her.
"WITH CASTLES?"
"Yes."
"AND PRINCESSES?"
"Probably."
"AND RIDES?"
"Definitely."
She turns toward me. "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"
I can't stop smiling. "Yes, Bug?"
"We're going to Disney World!"
Then she throws her arms around both of us at once.
And standing there beneath the string lights, surrounded by family, friends, laughter, and far more happy tears than I ever planned to shed in one day, I realize something wonderful.
This isn't just the start of a marriage.
It's the beginning of a forever family.
***
Later, when the sun begins to set and the string lights flicker, music drifts soft and slow through the open air. Colby comes up behind me, wraps his arms around my waist, and presses a kiss near my temple.
“Dance with me?”
I lean back against him. “At our own wedding? Bold.”
“I’m feeling brave.”
So am I.
He leads me beneath the lights, and the world softens around us. Jillie spins nearby with her petals basket on her head like a hat. People laugh. Someone claps. And I sway in my husband’s arms while spring opens all around us.
