For half a second, every worst-case scenario I’ve ever rehearsed flashes through me.
No. Impossible.
He takes a few steps forward, descending the patio stairs. He stops on the sidewalk, his eyes meeting mine.
Fear rises, choking me.
Laughter bubbles up from the patio as Ivy appears with a huge smile on her face.
I watch in complete astonishment as she vaults over the railing in her wedding dress.
She holds her dress up just enough to clear the edge, white glittery sneakers flashing beneath layers of soft fabric. She lands lightly, like she’s done this a thousand times before.
The yard erupts in cheers and laughter.
Drew bends forward, laughing so hard he has to brace his hands on his knees. I feel it hit me all at once—relief, disbelief, and joy—until I’m laughing too.
Ivy grins like she’s pulled off a successful heist.
She slips her arm through her father’s, and together they walk toward me.
When she reaches me, she leans in just enough that only I can hear her. “I had to,” she whispers. “For old time’s sake.”
I lower my voice, a wide smile on my face. “You’renotclimbing the bedroom balcony tonight.”
Her eyes sparkle. “We’ll see.”
Mr. Pickles chooses that moment to yowl loudly and bat at my shoe, as if reminding us this ceremony cannot proceed without his approval.
The officiant pauses.
Drew wipes his eyes. “That tracks.”
Ivy takes her place in front of me, radiant and real and exactly who she’s always been. I take her hands, grounding myself in the warmth of her fingers, the steady truth of her.
And on a sunny early June afternoon, we pledge our hearts and lives to one another.
Later—after the vows, the kiss, and Mr. Pickles’s attempt to steal a canapé and being escorted away with his dignity barely intact—I pull Ivy close under the string lights, her head tucked beneath my chin.
“Still glad I stalked you?” she murmurs.
I kiss her hair. “Always.”
She smiles up at me. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
I pull her closer, a smile on my face. “Every day. Even when you climbed my deck and balcony railing.”
She giggles, her eyes shining. “Still have the mask?”
I wiggle my brows before whispering, “It’s in my pocket.”
She sighs and melts against me.
I glance at the sky. For a moment, I swear I hear my dad’s voice, whispering that he’s proud of me for marryingIvy. I know he would’ve liked her. He’d understand why she broke every rule I ever built.
I meet Drew’s eyes. He’s dancing with the new bartender from the bar where I first saw and saved Ivy. They look pretty cozy. Hopefully, something good comes from it.
Ivy’s dad spins Elizabeth in a circle. She giggles and then kisses him. I suspect they’ll be next to get married. Elizabeth caught Ivy’s bouquet, so it tracks.
