Page 282 of Triplet Babies for my Ex's Best Friend

The wine, the heartbreak, the fury, the sarcastic pilot beside me in first class, one reckless mistake, one impossible beginning.

Oliver squeezes my hand tighter and walks me down the aisle.

Halfway there, Ethan actually laughs shakily under his breath.

“You’re crying,” I whisper when we finally reach him.

“So are you.”

“That’s because your children are emotional terrorists.”

“Our children,” he corrects softly.

Oliver beams proudly before taking his seat beside Luci, who is openly sobbing.

The officiant starts speaking. I barely hear any of it because Ethan keeps looking at me like I’m sunlight, like I’m home, like loving me saved him too.

Then finally…

Vows.

Ethan takes my hands carefully.

His voice is rough immediately. “Addy.”

That’s all it takes.

I’m crying again.

The guests laugh softly.

“I spent most of my life believing love meant protecting people from the worst parts of yourself,” he says quietly. “Then you walked into my world and loved every damaged thing anyway.”

My throat closes.

“You gave Oliver joy again. You gave our children a home filled with laughter. You gave me back a future I stopped believing I deserved.”

Tears spill down my cheeks freely now.

“You were never too much,” he whispers fiercely. “Not your heart. Not your madness. Not your love. You were the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Well… I’m emotionally deceased.

Luci is loudly crying now too. Sophie hands her tissues without looking away from us. I squeeze Ethan’s hands hard enough to matter.

Then somehow it’s my turn.

I inhale shakily.

“You know,” I say tearfully, “when I met you, I thought you were the most arrogant man alive.”

The room laughs.

Ethan smiles. “That feels unnecessary during vows.”

“You survived.”

More laughter.