Sunny, seventy-five degrees, not a cloud in the sky. Lucy took it as a good omen.
The morning was chaos—Rei doing her makeup, Mae organizing the dress, Uncle Walter crying in the corner.
"Pull it together, Walter," Rei said. "You can't walk her down the aisle if you're sobbing."
"I'm not sobbing. I'm just—emotional. My Lulu is getting married."
Lucy looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was simple—lace and silk, fitted but not tight, elegant without being fussy. Her grandmother's jade bracelet on one wrist, Jake's whisk-and-hockey-stick necklace on the other.
"You look beautiful," Uncle Walter said. "Your grandmother would be so proud."
"I wish she was here."
"She is here. In this bracelet, in your strength, in everything you've become. Lulu, you honored her legacy by living your own life. That's what she wanted."
The ceremony was small and perfect.
Emma was the flower girl, taking her job very seriously. Marcus was Jake's best man, crying through his entire speech. Rei was Lucy's maid of honor, crying through hers.
When Lucy walked down the aisle, she saw Jake waiting—looking nervous and happy and exactly right in his suit.
"Hi," she whispered when she reached him.
"Hi. You look incredible."
The ceremony was short. Traditional vows, simple promises, two people choosing each other in front of the people who mattered most.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Jake kissed her, and the church erupted in applause.
They were married. Really, officially married.
Lucy Chen-Morrison. (She'd decided to hyphenate. Honoring both her grandmother's name and her new life.)
The reception at Giuseppe's was exactly what they'd wanted—good food, good wine, good people. Dancing and laughter and celebration.
"Speech!" someone called during dinner.
Jake stood, looking nervous. "I'm not good at speeches. But I'll say this—four years ago, I walked into a bakery for pork buns. I left with the best thing that ever happened to me. Lucy, you've made me braver, happier, more myself. Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for coming home. Thank you for being exactly who you are."
Lucy stood and kissed him, not caring that everyone was watching.
"My turn," Lucy said. "Jake Morrison, you taught me what commitment looks like. What partnership looks like. What love looks like. You were patient when I was scared. You believed in me when I doubted myself. You supported every dream while helping me stay grounded. I promise to choose you every day. I promise to show up. I promise to never run away again. Because home isn't a place—it's you."
More applause, more tears, more celebration.
Around midnight, after the party was winding down, Jake and Lucy snuck outside.
"We did it," Lucy said. "We're actually married."
"We're actually married."
They stood in the parking lot of Giuseppe's, holding each other, watching Timber Falls sleep around them.
"No regrets?" Jake asked.
"Not one. You?"
