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For there’s more to the Drexels than Dax being my first love. Mama was their housekeeper for over ten years and Pearl and Daniel treated me like one of their children. Whenever Gabe and Dax played their video games, I usually sat with Pearl in her workshop, watching her throw clay on the wheel and turning something shapeless into a plate or a vase. I still have the mugs and bowls she made for me, treasures I’ve kept long after Dax and I broke up.
But that’s life for you. Beautiful and complicated.
As we reach the altar, everything becomes a blur. Mama tearfully giving me a kiss before sitting down, Gabe handing me off to Trevor as my father would have done.
Suddenly everything fades in the background and all I see is Trevor. Almond eyes, thick lashes, and a smile that melts my heart. How did I manage to convince myself he’d only be Mr. Right-Now?
“I love you,” Trevor murmurs, “more than words can ever say.”
“And I love you,” I whisper as he squeezes my hand. “Guess we’re really doing this.”
“We sure are, baby,” he says, grinning. “Because there’s no way I’m letting you go now. You’re stuck with me forever.”
“No,you’restuck with me.”
The song ends and Trevor lets go of my hand, the ceremony officially beginning as the priest welcomes everyone. As he speaks, the charm with my father’s picture brushes against my fingers and I cover it with my other hand. It feels like he’s right here with me, feeling my joy and witnessing all the love in the room.
For in the end, isn’t that what matters, love and family, whether connected through blood like the Romeros, the Vasquez, and the Drexels (even my nosy but caring aunts) or through friendships like what Trevor has with the men he calls his brothers standing alongside him, always having his back.
Love, family, loyalty… and as soon as this ceremony is over, a whole lot of laughter and food, too.
THE END
