Destiny had found her person.
Somewhere out there, another kid was still waiting for theirs.
Millie stood near the altar in her sage green junior bridesmaid dress, something she and Zoe had picked out together after four hours of shopping. She was eighteen now. She'd had her birthday last month, and I'd made her a cake and cried into the frosting because she was going to college that coming September.
She'd grown up in my apartment. In my life. She was part of this family, whether she'd planned on it or not. And now she was moving into a dorm across the river, close enough to visit but far enough to build her own life.
I was proud of her. I was also a wreck about it. Both things could be true.
And Zoe.
My daughter stood at the altar as my maid of honor, pretending to be mortified by the attention but glowing underneath. She was fifteen now. She'd had a birthday last month, too, and Shane had bought her a cake shaped like a fire truck as a joke. She'd laughed so hard she snorted, then threatened to murder us both if we ever told anyone.
She was beautiful. Grown up in ways that terrified me. Still my baby in ways that made my chest ache.
I looked at the room full of people who had shown up for me.
For so long, I'd felt alone. Even in crowds. Even surrounded by colleagues and students, and the constant noise of a life that never slowed down. The loneliness had been a constant companion, a voice that whisperedyou're too much, you're not enough, no one's going to stay.
But looking at this room, at my daughter, my students, my friends, I realized the voice was wrong.
I was never alone.
I just hadn’t let myself believe it.
The music started. I took a breath.
And walked toward Shane.
He was standing at the altar, watching me like I was the only person in the world. His eyes were wet. He didn't try to hide it.
I reached him. Took his hands.
"Hi," I whispered.
"Hi." His voice was rough. "You look incredible."
"You're crying."
"So are you."
I laughed. He laughed.
And we turned to face the officiant together.
The reception was chaos, in the best way.
Dancing that was more enthusiasm than skill. Brian's toast, which started sentimental and devolved into stories that made Shane hide his face in his hands while the crew howled with laughter. Shane's mother laughed harder than anyone, adding details Brian had missed, utterly unrepentant when Shane begged her to stop her.
Zoe was doing some kind of victory dance with two fourth-graders. Captain Rodriguez's kids found the cake early, and no one having the heart to stop them.
I found a quiet moment with Shane's mother near the dessert table.
"He used to talk about wanting this," she said, watching Shane across the room as he let Rodriguez's daughter stand on his feet while they danced. "A family. Someone to come home to. After his father died, I worried he'd given up on it." She turned to me, her eyes bright. "Thank you for giving my son back to himself."
I didn't trust my voice. I just hugged her.
"Now." She pulled back, dabbing her eyes. "When am I getting more grandchildren?"
