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She gives me a quick hug then lowers my veil, arranging it around my shoulders before she goes to the door to walk down with Winnie, who we unconventionally put on Deacon’s side.
Lola walks down with Sofia, who also sprinkles petals on the stone pavers.
I touch Valeria’s arm before she steps out to meet Uncle Antonio. “See, we didn’t even need decorations.”
She gives me a squeeze. “Look what you did. You healed us.”
“I’m glad I broke my promise.”
“Me too.” Shaking her head, she steps into the courtyard as the string quartet continues with Pachelbel’s Canon.
Beto steps to the door, peeking in the room. He’s dashing in a black tuxedo, his dark hair swept back from his intense face, dark scruff on his cheeks.
“Ready?” I turn, and his expression goes from startled to proud. He exhales a soft whistle. “You look beautiful, Sis.”
Warmth settles in my chest as I reach for his arm. I’m no longer a child.
The sun is setting behind the mountains, and the sky is painted in the colors of twilight, the colors of my mother mixed with the colors of my soul.
We step out into the courtyard, and he looks up at the horizon. “Our mother’s mountains.”
“She’s here with us.” I whisper, tightening my hand in his arm as the music changes to the Bridal March.
Deacon turns to face me, and when our eyes meet, my head gets light.
He stands in front of the priest, blue eyes smoldering with love and lust and pride. My brother passes me to him, and he leans in whispering, “You take my breath away.”
My hand is on his arm, and my body vibrates with so much happiness.
The priest guides us through our vows. We discussed writing our own, but in the end, we decided to go traditional. Everything else has been so untraditional, this felt like an easy choice.
We only omitted the part where the bride is given away. As hard as we worked bringing the family together, we decided to keep it that way.
With the vows recited, the priest holds his hands over our heads and pronounces us man and wife. Only one thing is left.
Deacon lifts the veil from my face, and cups my cheeks in his hands. His eyes glow with so much love, it radiates through my heart, down through my torso, into the heart of our baby.
“You have always been everything I’ve ever wanted.”
Blinking fast, I can’t stop the tears leaking from the corners of my eyes. “You’ve made all my dreams come true.”
With that, full lips cover mine, soft and warm. The group bursts into applause, and I hug him closer. “We did it.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
We’re still holding each other when two little arms wrap around my legs. “You did it, Cee-cee!”
I start to laugh, reaching down to place my hand on Sofia’s little back. Suddenly another pair of arms, then more arms surround us. We’re engulfed in a group hug of family, and the small audience of local friends starts to clap again.
Lifting my chin, I see the one holdout is Winnie. She’s standing back beside the arch with her arms crossed. Her expression is a mixture of surprise and confusion… so stubborn. Still, I won’t let her deter me. I stretch out my hand from the clump of my cousins.
Our eyes meet, and she glances down at my palm then to my eyes again. I give my hand an insistent shake, and after another second, she relents. Her arms drop, and she shakes her head, stepping forward to take my hand.
I give her a firm tug, and she stumbles forward—to be immediately surrounded by the love of this expanded new family. Mi familia…
We feast on fresh local cuisine, tacos with red peppers and corn. Tortillas stuffed with chicken or fish and fresh guacamole. Sofia’s favorite is the grilled Mac & Cheese a’la Carmen, which is, you guessed it, Deacon’s special dish with my added spices.
The sun sets, and the arbor turns into a glowing yellow arch. The DJ plays a mixture of local music and pop tunes.
