Well, he’d also done it for Taryn. He loved her and would do anything for her, and since she would do anything for me…
I blinked as tears stung my eyes.
Taryn tugged me forward as our guests burst into spontaneous applause.
I caught sight of my mother. She’d changed out of her lavender pantsuit and now wore a psychedelic sixties-style short dress. A nod to Lewis Carrol’s supposed use of mind-altering drugs. Something up for debate, if I remembered correctly. Although after having read Alice, I certainly couldn’t find another explanation for the imagery in the book.
Dad still wore his tan suit, while Taryn’s mom wore a pale-pink dress and her husband wore a dark suit. Very classic.
We’d opted not to have a receiving line and, instead, we had everyone gather in a circle as we made our way around. This felt more intimate and meant everyone heard all the comments. The lack of formality suited our sensibilities.
Also, with so much face paint, it prevented cheek kisses—which were Taryn’s least favorite form of showing affection.
“I’m so happy for you.” Carmela grasped my hands. As my eldest sister, she’d clearly taken the first spot so as to maintain supremacy. At least that was my guess based on Ruby and Rosita’s annoyed glances when they thought I wasn’t looking.
“Thank you.” I gripped my sister’s hands. She was so much older than me that she was more of a mother figure—gone from the house before I turned five.
Taryn pressed a supportive hand to my back as I blinked back tears.
Carmela turned her attention to my wife.
Wife.
Oh, how I loved the sound of that.
Ruby hauled me in for a hug.
Rosita giggled.
Dickens, from the bookshop, and his husband, Spike, were a little more circumspect with their congratulations.
Noel, Cooper’s boss, and his husband, Aaron, wished us well.
Taryn’s coworkers Maddie, Holly, and Amber were all hugs and smiles. They’d accepted me the very first time I’d stepped into their repair shop—treating me as if I was one of them. To my surprise, Taryn was the first of their group to get married. Maddie was bi, while Holly and Amber were, to the best of my knowledge, straight.
Dean snagged my hands and held me out, as if for inspection. “Lovely.” His Australian accent was adorable.
His husband, Adam, offered me a shy smile. “Yes, I just love the Alice theme.” Adam’s shyness worked well as a foil to Dean’s enthusiasm.
Finally, we were with my parents. My father kissed my cheek, then did the same for Taryn.
She rolled her eyes…and smiled. “Thank you.”
“We’re so excited to welcome you to the family.”
“Oh yes.” My mother’s vibrations made her dress pattern rotate in weird ways.
I blinked.
“Now we just need to get Cooper paired up.” Mom bumped against Dad as if asking for his agreement.
“Uh, he needs to sow his wild oats.”
Taryn’s eyes widened.
Mom whirled on Dad. “That’s very sexist.”
He scowled. “I said the same for the girls as well. It’s not my fault they were all married by the time they were twenty-four.”
