Page 148 of Sterling Stone

Taxi has taught me to look deeper at the colors all around me. The kaleidoscope of our lives.

But one color will stand out above the rest today.

Periwinkle.

I’ve learned what the color looks like and appreciate the subtle mix of blue and white, which makes the soft purplish hue that highlights the features of my future wife.

My wife.

The thought alone might make me nervous, but it doesn’t. It’s something I’ve been wanting my entire life without ever voicing it, without believing it could happen for me.

But Tallulah Alexander is about to become my wife.

Surrounded by our two families and a small gathering of friends, my backyard has been transformed into an intimate space where Taxi and I will vow to love one another forever.

“Nah,” I finally answer Clay. My best man. My best friend. And the best brother. We’ve come a long way from the hungry, angry kids we were, running around this property, causing innocent havoc, and eventually raising our family.

The Sylver Seed & Soil is thriving. Each of my siblings has a partner and children of their own in some form or other.

I’ve witnessed all those happy moments, but today is my turn to celebrate. To promise, before my family and underneath the heavens, to love and honor someone who makes me a better person.

This is the biggest commitment of my life. I’ve avoided this kind of bond in the past but now I look forward to embracing it. I’m ready to race toward a beautiful future.

Taxi already lives with me. The house is our home. One filled with our entire family every Sunday and intermittently filled with overnight visits with Simon and Hudson. Occasionally, my other nieces and nephews stay over, giving another couple in the family a deserved break and allowing Taxi and I to play house for a while.

But at the end of the day, we are each other’s home, and we don’t mind the quiet when we are on our own.

A slow smile blooms on my mouth as images pop into my head of all the ways we make our own noises in the absence of others.

The places we’ve fucked and the ways we’ve made love throughout the house I’ve always lived in.

While the minister stands near me, an arch of flowers behind him, I survey the guests assembled to witness our wedding.

Trudy, of course, and Simon, along with our families. The Haven clan. Emerson Milton, whose secret temporarily derailed my romance with Taxi, but who has now become a good friend to her. Art Simms, whose maker’s studio provides a regular outlet for Taxi’s creativity and became an additional reason for Taxi to remain in Sterling Falls. Art introduced Taxi to the Dean of Fine Arts at a local college, who, in turn, offered Taxi a position as visiting professor, fulfilling her desire to teach.

The people present today represent community, something Taxi always wanted for herself. Their presence in our lives strengthens the roots she was ready to lie down. The promise of our future amid these special guests gathered here fills my heart.

However, my attention fixes on the back door of the house, breath held but not anxious. I’m just . . . excited.

Any minute, Taxi is going to walk out that door. Walk toward me. Where we will chase the future together.

First, though, comes Vale. My sister is radiant in her own right. Smile wide and eyes seeking Cortland, who sits in the front row of white folding chairs.

With such a large family on my side, having everyone stand with me was just too much. My brothers are here, supporting me in every way, whether they stand at my side, like Clay and Judd today, or sit among the gathered guests.

Vale winks as she approaches me, her mouth forming words she’s easily given over the years.

I love you, big brother.

The backs of my eyes burn.

Vale has always been more than my sister. She’s been the child I nurtured from birth and my roommate when she had a child of her own. We’re close in ways some might not understand, and yet, I’d never change a single thing about our relationship.

Next down the aisle comes Genie, Taxi’s new best friend. Her sister from another mister. The one forever friend Taxi never knew she needed. Their combined love of art and Judd has brought them closer, along with Simon’s help. He’s been the glue to put so many people back together again. Genie smiles at Judd, standing on the other side of Clay, as Taxi’s once brother-like best friend.

Taxi toyed with asking Simon to walk her down the aisle. Then, she thought about asking Trudy. But in the end, Taxi wanted to walk herself toward me. Her bridal march making it clear she was giving herself to me and not being passed along by someone else.

“Might even skip down that aisle,” she teased me the other day.