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Dad nods and goes to join Mom and the others gathered around us.
“Family and friends,” Judge Donlon says, smiling. “It’s a great honor to be asked to preside over this joyous occasion in which two people who were clearly meant to be together pledge their lives and love to each other. Austin and Maria shared their incredible love story with me, and I was so moved to learn they met because of beautiful Miss Everly, who owes her life to Maria.”
“Rie!” Everly says, making us all laugh through our tears.
“That Austin and Maria found each other this way is just amazing, and it’s my pleasure to help them take the next step on their journey. They’ve chosen to write their own vows, so I’ll turn things over to Austin.”
I give my bouquet to Dee while Austin hands Everly to his brother Ash.
As I face the man who will soon be my husband, I see no one else but him.
“I thought I was all set for this until I saw you coming in with your dad, and it kind of hit me in this tidal wave of emotions, going back to the day we got the terrible news about Everly’s illness through to the miraculous day when your donation saved her life, and then six months later, when I first got the chance to finally thank you for your selflessness. You gave me back my daughter, and I loved you forever for that before I knew there were so many other reasons to love you. A year after the transplant, when we could finally talk to each other about anything and everything, in a matter of days, you became my favorite person to talk to. I waited for your emails and texts like a lovesick teenager.”
A ripple of laughter goes through the group, even as more than a few of them wipe away tears.
“I wanted to know everything about you, and the more I learned, the more I loved your big heart, your huge, crazy family and your amazing career taking care of people who need it so badly. All I wanted was to find a way to be part of your life for as long as I possibly could. And that was before I got to meet you in person.”
That generates more laughter.
“Our first night together was the single best night of my life, right up there with the day Ev was born. Nothing in this world will ever compare to knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that you were the one for me. I knew it before I met you. I knew it for sure that first night, and every day since then has just been further confirmation that there is simply no one else in this world who can compete with Maria Giordino. You’ve given my daughter the most incredible mother she ever could’ve asked to have, and we both know how lucky we are. I’m the luckiest guy, and Ev is the luckiest girl who ever lived, because we get to spend the rest of our lives loving you and being loved by you.”
Jeez Louise.
Dee hands me a tissue I badly need. He’s wrecked me.
“I, Austin Jacobs, take you, Maria Giordino, to be my wedded wife. To love and honor you for the rest of my life, come what may. I’m here for it.”
“That was beautiful, Austin,” the judge says. “Maria?”
“Am I expected to actually say something after that?”
Everyone cracks up.
“Just skip to the part that makes it official,” Austin says, smiling.
“I will, but first, I want to say that you and Everly have made my life complete. I can’t imagine a day without the two of you. I think all the time about those first few days we were finally allowed to really talk to each other, and if you were like a lovesick teenager, I can’t imagine what I was like. I couldn’t wait to hear from you either. Sometimes I still can’t believe how fast it happened, but the part I like the best is how we were already in love with each other before we met in person.”
“Best thing ever,” he says, releasing my right hand to brush the tears off my face.
“Can we have Everly back for this next part?” I ask him.
He turns to retrieve her from his brother.
“Hi, Pooh.”
“Rie! Married!”
“I know! I’m so excited to not only marry your daddy, but to adopt you. Do you remember what that means?”
“You’ll be my mommy forever.”
“That’s right, and I will love you and take care of you and protect you and swim with you and do anything else you want to do together. I am so, so happy that I get to have you as my daughter.”
She leans toward me, and I wrap my arms around her sturdy little body, thankful every day for her good health. “Love you, Pooh.”
“Love my Rie!”
Laughing and crying and happier than I’ve ever been, I hand her back to Austin, who extends his free hand to me. Looking at them both, I say, “I, Maria Giordino, take you, Austin and Everly Jacobs, to be my husband and daughter. I promise to make our family the most important thing in my life for as long as I live. I love you both to the moon and back a million times.”
