Then I knelt down to Leo. “And you, my brave, wonderful boy, today we’re celebrating me being your mama and becoming Chloe Mitchell, so we all have the same name. That means I’ll be here for scraped knees and homework help, for bedtime stories and teenage drama, for graduations and first dates and everything in between. You chose to trust me, and I choose you right back.”
Leo’s eyes lit up. “Forever and always?”
“Forever and always,” I said, pulling him into a hug.
Leo threw his arms around me, squeezing tight, and the entire gathering erupted in joyful applause.
“You may kiss your bride,” the judge said finally, and Sam cupped my face in his hands like I was something precious.
“Hello, Mrs. Mitchell,” he whispered against my lips.
“Hello, Mr. Mitchell,” I whispered back, and then he kissed me while our family and friends cheered and Leo shouted, “They did it! They’re married! Matching rings!”
The reception was everything I’d dreamed of and nothing like what I’d originally planned. Instead of a formal sit-down dinner, we had a casual celebration with food from The Copper Fox, music from Jack’s carefully curated playlist, and tables scattered throughout the grounds where people could mingle and dance and celebrate however they wanted.
“So,” my mom said, appearing at my elbow with a glass of champagne and a knowing look, “when are you going to tell everyone about the baby?”
I nearly choked on my sparkling water. “How did you—”
“You’re my daughter. I notice things.” She smiled, kissing my cheek. “Besides, you have that glow.”
“Leo figured it out, too,” I admitted. “We wanted to get through the wedding first.”
“Smart,” Mom said. She looked over at Sam, who was laughing with Jack by the drinks table. “That boy is a winner, Chloe. I always knew it. I knew you weren’t meant to marry that rat.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Dot told me Sean and Kaitlyn got married. But Sean cheated on her and got another woman pregnant - a married woman. Kaitlyn’s back home with her parents, and Sean disappeared after the woman’s husband confronted him.” She shook her head. “Karma.”
Before I could respond, Mom’s expression softened as she watched Leo across the garden. “But look at you now. About to give my first grandbaby a little brother or sister.” Her eyes misted. “Leo made me a grandmother. Biology doesn’t matter one bit.”
I blinked back tears. “Mom—”
“Don’t you start crying or I’ll start crying, and then everyone will know something’s up.” She squeezed my hand. “Now, you might want to tell them soon. Before everyone starts gossiping!”
I glanced across the garden to where Harper was helping Emma chase fireflies, but I caught her exchanging meaningful looks with Jack - the same careful expression she’d worn when Leo mentioned “Baby Mitchell” before the ceremony.
“Mama!” Leo ran over, grass stains on his knees and pure joy on his face. “Did you see me dance with Emma? She stepped on my feet, but I didn’t mind.”
“I saw,” I said, pulling him into a hug. “You’re a very good dancer.”
“Daddy says we can have cake soon, and then Uncle Jack is going to show us how to catch fireflies in jars. Can we keep them?”
“We can catch them and look at them, but then we have to let them go,” I said. “Fireflies need to be free to find their families.”
“Like how you and Daddy found me,” Leo said matter-of-factly, and my heart melted completely.
As the evening wound down, I found myself sitting at one of the tables with Sam, watching Leo run around with the other children while the adults lingered over coffee and wedding cake. The fairy lights twinkled overhead, creating the magical atmosphere I’d dreamed of, but it was the laughter and conversation surrounding us that made everything perfect.
“What are you thinking about?” Sam asked, taking my hand and playing with my new wedding rings.
“Just… all of this,” I said, gesturing to the scene around us.
“It’s something special,” Sam agreed, lifting our joined hands to kiss my knuckles. “Mrs. Mitchell.”
“I love the sound of that.”
“Good, because you’re stuck with it forever.” Sam’s expression grew serious. “This – tonight, this family, this life we’ve built – it’s better than anything I imagined when I was planning that first proposal. What we have now is real in a way that fairy tale romance never could have been.”
“I know,” I said softly. “We earned this.”
“We did.” He leaned over to kiss me, slow and sweet. “I love you, Mrs. Mitchell.”
