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The sun shone well into the afternoon, all the guests commenting on it as they arrived. It really did make the grounds of the estate beautiful. The florists and gardeners had done a great job with decorating. Everything was perfect — right down to the string quartet playing romantic classics as people took their seats.
I was waiting outside the room where Sadie was getting ready, hoping to get a glimpse of her. She’d had her phone confiscated by Jonathan early on, who called me from it to inform me that I was “a sick and hopelessly obsessed idiot” for trying to contact his sister when I’d be with her if I could just wait a few minutes.
Finally, it was Mamachka who came out, carefully guarding the door with her body and quickly easing it shut so I couldn’t sneak a peek at Sadie.
“You’ll see her soon enough,” she said, shaking her head and laughing at me. “Now, come on. We have places to be.”
Those places were the places — the ceremony was set to begin.
I escorted Mamachka to her seat at the front of the garden — the chair of honor.
“No tears, please,” I told her even as her bottom lip wobbled. “I will walk you right back up that aisle, so help me God.”
She laughed. “I’m so glad it was you, Misha.”
“I’m sorry we snuck around for so long.” And for everything bad that had happened. For everything we had almost lost.
It would never happen again. I was sparing no expense on security measures.
“I always considered you a part of this family,” Mamachka said. “But this makes it official, son.”
Suddenly, I was the one whose eyes were pricking and throat was burning.
“No crying, Misha,” Mamachka teased.
“That’s just brutal,” I joked when I was sure I could trust my voice again. “Now I know where your kids get their cruel streak from.”
I hugged her tightly and made sure she was comfortably seated before taking my place by the minister who nodded at me.
“This is a beautiful home,” he said. “I can already tell that the love is there — you are going to make a very happy family.”
“Thank you,” I said.
The string quartet transitioned into another song, and I couldn’t hide my grin. It was a beautiful cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and the triplets were marching down the aisle to it. We’d tried to give them different roles in the ceremony, but when the boys found out that Fern would be in charge of tossing flowers, they immediately protested that they wanted to do it too.
So we had three flower children. The more, the better.
The guests cooed and laughed as they realized the children were singing along to the song as they pelted the carpet — and some unfortunate people who were trying to snap closeup photos — with petals.
“We did it, Mush!” Cooper said triumphantly, shaking his empty basket for emphasis. Tristan promptly threw his last handful of petals directly at my shoes to make sure his basket was as empty as his brother’s.
“We’re supposed to sit by Grandma now,” Fern reminded her brothers — responsible as always.
I waved and gave my children a thumbs-up, my heart close to overflowing.
And then, it spilled over.
Sadie stood at the end of the aisle, adjusting her veil as her brother offered her his arm. She literally stole my breath with her beauty. She’d selected a form-fitting ivory gown that swept down to the floor, hugging her curves.
Well, I’d had convinced her to choose this dress. She’d wanted something more conservative. I’d had to go to the fitting with her to … persuade her. I could be very persuasive.
She walked down the aisle, keeping her eyes on me, unable to do anything but beam. Jonathan grinned at me as he approached, finally handing off his sister.
“Take good care of her,” he said, shaking my hand. “I’m glad you’re my bratan.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said, slapping his back.
