“I’ll back every word up,” he murmurs against my hair. “It’s snowing, Chlo.”
I can still smell the farm on him, pine-and-citrus clinging to his coat.
Giant flakes tumble around us like confetti, dotting his lashes. Harper mentioned fertility and prosperity if it snows on your wedding day. Considering this isnotreal and fertility is a complete non-issue, hopefully, this means we get double the prosperity.
“You two—look this way and smile!” Harper calls as she lifts my camera. I press my cheek to Aiden’s, and the shutter clicks.
Like we’ve swapped places, she guides us through standard wedding poses. I never imagined a time when I’d be on the other end of this experience, and I’m grateful someone else is capturing my moment.
Ourmoment.
I’ll have to thank Abby later for pushing. I want to tuck this whole morning away in a safe place and hold it tight to my heart.
“You two really are the sweetest,” Harper sighs. “Inside before you freeze, okay?”
Aiden corrals me toward the café, a warm wall at my back, unconsciously protective. It makes me giggle, and that surprises me, too.
“I don’t even know how to say thank you,” I tell Harper as she returns my camera. “I brought this to shoot your shop as a thank-you?—”
“You will do no such thing today,” she laughs. “Bride privileges. We’ll trade later.”
“I can’t possibly let you do all this for nothing.”
“You didn’t let me do anything. I wanted to.” She winks. “This was fun. I don’t usually get to create without much direction.”
“Well, we’ll never be able to thank you enough,” Aiden says, tucking me under his arm like he’s already gotten used to the weight of me there.
“I have one more thing.” She lifts a small white bakery box. “I don’t do wedding cakes, but Finley does. I added edible flowers.”
“You made us a wedding cake?” My throat gets tight.
Good memories. I get good memories today.
We sign the marriage license, say our goodbyes, and hurry back to the truck. The rings feel cool and solid on my finger, like proof. Of this marriage, of something in Aiden, shifting. Something inside me, too.
In the span of an afternoon, everything is officially different.
Is it wrong that I already don’t want it to change back?
twenty-six
CHLOE
We arrivedhome to quite a bit of fanfare. Cheers, a banner that said “Congratulations, Newlyweds!”, and a small cake Abby finagled out of Finley at Storywood Sweets.
Aiden and I decided to follow tradition and put ours in the freezer to eat on our one-year anniversary.
I cycled the Thanksgiving foods they’d picked up in town through the oven while they started on last-minute Opening Day projects, and we enjoyed our first family meal at the kitchen table.
Owen even remarked how nice it was to all sit together.
Now, I’m standing in the kitchen, watching them work outside, and wondering how I can help. I’ve scrubbed what few dishes we used, and since everything was in takeout containers, there wasn’t much to do.
My whole body is buzzing with the need todo.
The patio door opens, and Aiden stomps his boots on the mat before he comes inside.
His cheeks are red from the cold, but he looks…lost. Like he’s not sure what he should be doing.
