“Poppy.” He waves, turning to show me his tux proudly.
“You look so handsome,” I tell him, and I mean it with my whole heart.
Ollie quietly walks up and stands beside him, and my breath hitches when I see him.He looks devastatingly handsome with a fresh haircut, his tux is sharp and tailored, hisshoulders broad, his posture proud and steady. His eyes meet mine, and something flickers there. A hint of awe, relief, and love fills his face as his eyes meet mine and shine with pride.
I choke up instantly as I put my arms around him and pull him in for a hug. His arms tighten around me. “You look so beautiful, baby,” he whispers in my ear and then kisses my forehead.
Owen tugs at his collar again, and Maggie gives him a look, one eyebrow lifting in silent warning. Owen grins mischievously and freezes in place like he’s being perfectly behaved.
I smile through the tears. And this time they’re happy tears. Owen stands next to us, proudly, belonging and happy.
I love the way Ollie loves us. The quiet guidance and humor. The steadiness in the way Owen watches him, like he’s learning how to be a good man just like Ollie.
If there ever was a man I could dream of marrying, it’s Ollie. He’s the only person I could ever see fitting into our world, sliding in like he was always meant to be here.
We stand together before the clerk. The words are simple. The vows are quiet and sincere. When Ollie says my name, it sounds like a promise.
When he slides the basic gold wedding band onto my finger, my hands shake. We picked them out online, and they’re not real, just something we could get quick. Just like our wedding, I try to remind myself. But it doesn’t feel pretend. This feels very real to me, anyways.
When it’s time to kiss, he pulls me in slowly, one hand settling at my waist like he’s steadying us both. His other hand comes up to tip my face, thumb warm at my jaw, giving me a second to breathe him in. Then his mouth meets mine, unhurried and sure, the kiss deepening a fraction at a time. It’s soft and deliberate, like he’s memorizing the feel of me, like he has nowhere else to be. I feel it everywhere, the quiet intensity of it,the promise in the way he stays, and I know I’ll remember this kiss for the rest of my life.
He leans in and presses his forehead to mine. “You okay?”
I nod. “Yeah.” I’m more than okay.
Later, before the reception, I step away for a moment. I find a quiet corner and let myself feel it again. The missing. The wishing.
I close my eyes.I wish you were here, Mom.I wish you could see him. See Owen. See us. I know you’d love Ollie. He’s the best.
Maggie finds me like she always does.
She doesn’t say anything at first. Just wraps an arm around me and lets me lean into her. “Ready, sugar?”
My makeup and hair are touched up, and Maggie smiles proudly as she leads me to our reception that already has soft music playing.
“Hey, all that sappy yappy is gross,” Owen complains from the doorway. “Are we almost ready? I’m hungry.”
“Come here, bozo,” I tell him and pull him in for a hug.
“You look pretty, Pops,” he says in my ear.
“And you look so handsome, buddy. Are you ready to have fun tonight?” I pat his back and pull back.
“Yeah, you should see all the food! Walker said I can have as much as I want!”
I laugh. “Okay.”
“Are you missing Mom?” he asks wistfully.
“Yeah, I am. But I feel like she’s here with us,” I tell him.
He nods. “It feels like a good day. I’m glad you’re marrying Ollie. We need him, and he needs us. Did you know that today was his grandma and grandpa Wilder’s anniversary? Kinda cool you guys got married on their anniversary.”
I bite my lip and admit. “I didn’t know that was today.”
“I had a weird idea,” he says, and looks around. “What if Ichanged my name to Kendrick, too? I don’t want to be a Murphy anymore, Poppy.”
My stomach twists because I don’t either and I can’t blame him. Sully tainted our family name and no one respects it.
