Chapter 14
Three years to the day after I’d walked out of Diane’s house with Emma’s hand in mine, David proposed.
We were in the backyard of our house.
The kids were playing on the swing set.
The sun was setting.
It was perfect.
Simple.
Real.
He got down on one knee.
Pulled out a small ring.
Not too flashy.
Just right.
“I know you’ve been hurt before,” he said. “I know trust doesn’t come easy for you. And I know I can’t promise that everything will always be perfect. But I can promise that I will always be honest with you. That I will always respect you. That I will always show up for you and Emma, every single day. Will you marry me?”
I looked at him.
At the man who’d been my friend first.
Who’d let me heal at my own pace.
Who’d loved me and my daughter like we were his own.
I looked at Emma and Jake, laughing together on the swings.
And I knew.
“Yes,” I said. “A thousand times yes.”
He slipped the ring on my finger.
And then he kissed me.
The kids came running over.
“Does this mean you’re getting married?” Emma asked, her eyes wide with excitement.
“It does,” David said, smiling.
“Can I be the flower girl?”
“Of course you can.”
Jake looked thoughtful.
“Does this mean Emma’s my sister for real now?”
David and I looked at each other.
“It does,” I said.
Jake grinned.
“Cool.”
The wedding was small.
Just family and close friends.
My parents walked me down the aisle.
Emma was my maid of honor.
Jake was David’s best man.
Lisa was there, of course.
Amanda Chen was there too.
Even Michael’s siblings came.
We’d built a tentative friendship over the years.
They’d proven themselves to be good people.
People who’d made mistakes but were trying to make up for them.
Sarah wasn’t there.
But she sent a card.
A simple one.
With just two words.
“Be happy.”
I’d heard from our mother that Sarah was doing well.
Still working at the bookstore.
Still in therapy.
She’d started volunteering at a shelter for troubled teens.
Trying to make amends by helping others.
I was happy for her.
Truly.
But I was also happy with where we were.
Not close.
Not enemies.
Just two people who shared a history and were now living separate lives.
Peacefully.
The ceremony was beautiful.
Simple.
Honest.
When David and I said our vows, I meant every word.
And I knew he did too.
This was real.
This was love.
Not the fairy tale kind.
Not the kind that’s perfect and easy.
But the real kind.
The kind that’s built on friendship and trust and hard work.
The kind that shows up every day.
The kind that lasts.
As we danced at the reception, Emma came over and squeezed between us.
David lifted her up.
And we danced together.
The three of us.
Well, the four of us, if you counted Jake, who came over and joined in too.
I looked around the room.
At my parents, smiling through their tears.
At Lisa, raising her glass to me.
At all the people who loved me.
Who’d stood by me.
Who’d helped me build this life.
And I felt my heart fill with so much love and gratitude that I thought it might burst.
I’d been through hell.
May you like
I’d lost everything.
But I’d gained so much more.
