"Emma," I began, my voice unsteady. "A year ago, I was convinced I'd spend my life alone on this mountain. I thought that was what I wanted. Turns out, I was just too scared to want anything else." I looked up from the paper, meeting her eyes. "You walked toward the classroom door covered in glitter, and you looked at Sarah like she was something precious instead of a problem. And I was done for."
She laughed, a wet, shaky sound.
"You taught me that vulnerability isn't weakness," I continued. "You showed Sarah that being afraid doesn't mean you can't be brave. You climbed this mountain when every stepterrified you, because love mattered more than fear." I had to stop, swallow hard. "I promise to be your safe harbor. To face every storm beside you. To remind you, every single day, that being courageous doesn't mean never being scared. It just means being scared and showing up anyway."
Emma was crying openly now. So was Maggie. So was Tom. I was fairly certain I was, too, but I was going to deny it later.
"Also," I added, folding the paper back up, "I promise to keep fixing things around the house. Because you're terrible at it."
She laughed again, louder this time. "That's fair."
Her vows were simpler, but they wrecked me.
"Cole," she said, her voice trembling but clear. "You waited for me. When I pushed you away, you waited. When I was too scared to love you, you waited. You showed me that the mountain could be beautiful, not just terrifying. You gave me a family when I thought I'd lost everything."
She paused, glancing at Sarah, who gave her an encouraging thumbs up.
"I promise to keep climbing," Emma continued. "To face my fears instead of running from them. To love you and Sarah with my whole, unprotected heart, even when it's scary. Especially when it's scary." She reached up and touched my face, her palm warm against my cheek. "You're my home now. Both of you. And I'm never running away again."
"Do you, Cole Brennan, take Emma Reed?—"
"Yes," I said, before the officiant could finish.
Laughter rippled through our small crowd.
"I need to finish the question," the officiant said mildly.
"Sorry. Yes. Continue."
"—to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"Yes. Still yes. Absolutely yes."
More laughter. Emma was grinning through her tears.
"And do you, Emma Reed, take Cole Brennan to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"Yes," she said. "A thousand times yes."
"Then, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her deeply, thoroughly, not caring that people were watching, not caring about anything except this woman, this moment, this impossible, beautiful life we'd built from the wreckage of our grief.
Sarah threw her remaining flower petals at us, which mostly ended up in my hair. I didn't care about that either.
We took photos by the pine tree. Emma pressed her palm against the carved letters of her sister's name and whispered something I couldn't hear.
Then she turned back to me, eyes bright and a wide smile on her face.
The reception was at our new house, a sturdy, sun-filled place exactly halfway between my mountain ridge and the school. It had a porch for evening coffee, a garden Emma was slowly filling with flowers, and a big backyard maple tree perfect for the tire swing Sarah had been begging for.
Sarah's room held photos of both her mothers now. Rebecca was on the bedside table, watching over her dreams. Emma and her building a snowman, framed on the wall. Two mothers. A heart that had expanded to fit them both.
Tom gave a toast that had everyone reaching for tissues.
"My daughter spent a year hiding from life," he said, his voice thick. "She thought that was the only way to survive the claws of grief. Then she met a stubborn mountain man and his extraordinary niece, and she remembered how to live." He raised his glass. "To Emma and Cole. May you have a lifetime of adventures, and may you always climb toward joy."
All our loved ones cheered, and animated conversations filled the air. I was talking to Tom about the different ways to spot good honey when I noticed Emma was no longer in the hall.
