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Then, we both look back at the aisle.
She's a vision in white. Everything I've ever wanted. All those years—all those hard years—I wondered what she was doing, where she was living, if she was happy. Those years were hard, but they got us here. I'd do it all over again if I had to. I'd live without her knowing she'd be the forever I was hoping for.
When Iz and Matt reach us, Matt takes a breath before placing his daughter's hand in mine.
"This time," Matt pauses, "I know I'm giving her to the right person."
Something like fatherly affection fills his face and I can't hold back the tears anymore. My relationship with my dad was complicated. My relationship with Matt has always been complicated. But now, we're family. We're connected by more than just Iz. There's a baby, too. One that's strategically hidden behind my bride's bouquet.
"You look...stunning," I say to her as I move to kiss her.
"Wait until after you say 'I do'," Matt hilariously interrupts as he reaches for Brianna. She huffs as he takes her from me and takes a seat beside Fallon in the front row. Iz hands her bouquet to Ava before reaching for my free hand.
"Dearly beloved," Liam rings out. "We're gathered here today to celebrate the second nuptials of two starcrossed lovers."
The crowd erupts with laughter as Izzy smiles up at me.
"This tale doesn't begin like all the others," Liam dramatically reads from his notepad. "This fairy tale starts when a boy sees a girl from across the room and instantly falls in love. Why, Liam? This sounds like a regular fairy tale to me. Whatever do you mean?"
More laughter.
"I mean, dearly beloved, that our heroine, Isobel, didn't realize that her journey to this exact moment, wedded bliss with a handsome prince, would take 12 years, 4 months, and 3 days. Most fairy tales only last what? An hour?"
Izzy throws her head back and laughs.
"You're terrible!" I hear Ace yell from the crowd.
"Fairy tales," Liam grins at my wife, "aren't always about happy endings and slaying dragons. Some are about finding out who you are, even if it takes you a few years. Some are about knowing that when a family can longer sustain itself, breaks are bound to happen. Those breaks aren't endings, though. They're chapters. Chapters that lead us here, to this moment in time."
Tears stream down Izzy's face.
"Brady didn't only get the girl at the end, he got a daughter, too. One he has to share with Steve," Liam clears his throat as my eyes land on Steve in the crowd. He's grinning like a fool while tears are streaming down his face, too.
"There's a lot of sayings in the Thompson family," Liam smiles, "but I'd like to borrow this one from my favorite childhood classic, The Princess Bride. 'Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay for it a little while.'"
"Horrible!" Taylor laughs.
"Iz, Brady," Liam glances at each of us, "I know when you parted ways nine years ago, it felt like a death for both of you. But like all fairy tales, true love wins in the end. It wins here. It wins now."
I don't hear much else as I stare into Izzy's green eyes. They remind me of the rain-soaked pines in the spring. Of snow-covered garland in the winter.
I hope our son has her eyes. I hope he looks just like her.
I recite my vows, and then Izzy goes. We decided to keep them short and sweet. Our love is anything but that. It's big and bold and brazen. We just like to keep that part of us safely tucked away.
"You may kiss the bride," Liam finally announces.
I reach for her at the same time she reaches for me. She giggles as I bend her and kiss her.
Some moments are perfect. Just like this one.
