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It makes the backs of my eyes prickle again, but even through the moisture, I can see the way Thaddius’ eyes go buttery soft, the amber lights reflecting the stars when he looks at me. “I thought my purpose in life was to avoid all this, but that was just my pride talking. Grandma would call it talking out of my ass.”
There go the tears again, sliding down cheeks that are already crusty from all the salt I’ve cried today. Joy cries. People don’t call this the happiest day of their life for nothing.
“I didn’t realize how much of my life was me letting my parents protect me and decide everything for me,” I admit. “Leaving home was the first thing I’d ever fully done on my own.” That wild flight across the country brought me to this farm.
And two years later, it brought me right here. Literally, two years because, of course, we picked the day I showed up as our wedding day.
“No one should be a bystander in their own life, but that’s what I was doing too.” He caresses my cheek, wiping away the tears. “You brought the sunshine and happiness, love.”
“And the clown shirts,” I add.
“And the llama.”
“Technically, I just saw her at that rescue. You went and got her.”
“You write the best books about this place,” Thaddius says adoringly.
“Only because it was you who gave me the idea, under this very tree, to write happy kids’ books about farms and farm animals.” Everyone here has a place in my stories. Even that death-defying rescue of Bokmaster made its way in.
“What are we doing over here? Secret trysts before it’s even midnight?”
We both jump at the sound of Thaddius’ grandma’s voice coming from behind him. Somehow, she went from jiving away on the dance floor to ninja grandma and snuck her way over here.
“This is one good party,” she says. Her hair is soaking wet, a gray mass of curls now gone completely flat and wilted. Her dress looks soaked through, too, drenched with the humidity of the hot summer night and from all that dancing. “Even both your mothers are getting along. And everyone else too. Everyone is happy. This is the happiest wedding that was never supposed to happen that was always supposed to happen that I’ve ever been to.”
God, it hurts when I smile again. The cheeks. They can’t take any more of this.
Her grandmotherly eyes sweep over my dress. I wanted something twenties inspired, with silk and lace. I had it custom-made in Seattle since Thaddius’ grandma knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who could make costumes and dresses, and they agreed to give it a try. I was never all that worried about the experiment going wrong because we got engaged over a year ago, which left us lots of time to plan. As soon as I graduated, the night I moved from my apartment out to the farm, Thaddius brought me out to this tree. We had a midnight picnic just like that first time, although it was earlier in the day then, but there was sheep cheese and crackers, and he officially asked me if I would spend the rest of my life with him.
I said it was a good thing we never wrote up a contract saying that we officially wouldn’t. And then, of course, I said yes.
The dress looks like air, with lace and pearls. Thaddius’ grandma gives me the softest smile. “You look beautiful, my darling. Simply stunning. With your hair down like that, all golden and curly, you look like a fairy standing under this tree.”
Thaddius’ arm slips around my waist. “She looks like the strongest, funniest, most beautiful woman in the world.” He kisses the top of my head. “You look like a woman who hoped and laughed and never gave up on me. All the glitter farts and rainbows included. You look like my wife. My Nina.”
Thaddius’ grandma isn’t like other people. She doesn’t mind the mush one bit, and she also doesn’t give us a second of privacy. “Are you going to toss your bouquet soon? Because I came over to request that the married stipulation be dropped. I’m planning on catching the bouquet myself, never mind all the tosh that I’ve been a bride for decades now. It’s never too late to renew the romance.” She wriggles her hips like I just saw her doing while she was dancing. “You know, put a little bounce back in the mattress.”
It's a good thing I learned to perfect a game face around Thaddius’ family a long time ago. They’re much more open and direct than mine are, and while it can be hilarious, there are literally almost no boundaries with them.
Filters? What filters?
My bouquet is sitting on the ground under the tree because I didn’t know what to do with it when I walked over here. I should have left it on the table, but it felt a little bit like I’d be abandoning it. Thaddius picked these flowers for me early this morning. Wildflowers. They don’t last long, and they’re looking a tad wilted now, but a vase of water would probably set them to rights.
I bend and gather the flowers, then walk over and give them to Thaddius’ grandma—my grandma now too. Then, I open my arms and hug her hard. We’re both teary-eyed and sniffling after a few seconds.
“Thank you for making this happen,” I tell her. “It might have been the most scheming, oldest of notions, and it might have been the craziest plan. It might not have worked out with the generation you wanted or gone the way you thought it would go, but thank you for tearing up the contract and giving us a chance to choose. Thank you for always being the best of friends, you and my grandma, because that broughtustogether. In so many ways, this day wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for you both—you and my grandma.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” I’ve never seen Thaddius’ grandma go full-on into tears, but it looks like the dam might burst at any second. She slowly starts to unwrap the ribbon holding my bouquet together, but I don’t ask her what she’s doing because I trust her. She splits the flowers carefully into two piles, nods at me, and then walks back over across the yard.
We have rustic tables set up from dinner, and my grandma and grandpa are taking a break at theirs. Thaddius’ grandma goes straight over there and hands my grandma one-half of the bouquet.
Damn it, I think the tears are starting up again. The whole scene blurs, but I watch as they both start laughing, and I imagine she said something about putting some spring into her mattress too. I can so easily see how they were as girls. As if all the years had just been erased. There are so many decades between this moment and that first meeting. A whole lifetime. My lifetime, my mom’s, my grandma’s.
“Destiny is such a funny thing,” I whisper.
Thaddius sets his hand on my back. “Who needs destiny when you have sheep?”
“And sheep cheese.” That was the highlight of our wedding. We might have had to go out and buy sheep milk from local farmers because there was no way we’d have enough, but we wanted to serve it at our wedding.
