After the talking and laughing had died down, Harrison stood up to give his speech. “I don’t really want to follow that, to be honest. But, of course, I will. I’ve had the pleasure of being friends with you both since eighth grade. There were a couple of rough years in there, but Drake stood by me and convinced Melinda to give me another chance. For that, I will be forever grateful.” He paused to take a sip of water. The room had gone quiet. Everyone knew what he was talking about. “Never take your love for granted. Always treat it like the special thing, the gift, that it is. I’ve had the experience of having love and losing it. It’s awful. It will bring you to your knees and make you wish for second chances. Losing the love of a woman like Melinda wouldn’t happen quickly, because she is loyal and steadfast. But that love, once gone, will leave you emptier than you can ever imagine.
“So, when you find the love of a beautiful woman, treasure it. You have that, Drake. And I don’t just mean that Melinda’s beautiful on the outside. She is, of course. But I’m talking aboutthe more important parts. I’m talking about who she is on the inside. She is your soul mate. Your split apart, as Plato would say. Your lobster, as Phoebe fromFriendswould say. She’s your person. She’s loving and kind, smart and funny, caring and compassionate. She is, in short, the type of woman you want to spend your life with. The woman you want to raise a family with. So, always make sure she knows it. Treat her the way she deserves to be treated.
“My wish for you is to love each other deeply every day for the rest of your lives. And I have no doubt that is exactly what will happen. I love you both. Cheers!”
I watched Harrison as he sat down. A lot of people did. Somehow, he’d managed to fit a bit of our story into his speech without taking away from celebrating Melinda and Drake. Without even saying my name, he’d publicly declared how badly he’d screwed up by losing me. And he did it in front of the very people in this world who would most understand what he was talking about.
I felt seen and respected. I felt cared for. I felt… loved. Over the past few months, Harrison had shown me time and again that he had returned to being the guy I’d first fallen in love with when I was thirteen.
I’d never been much for second chances when it came to love. If love didn’t work out the first time around, I’d always thought there was probably a reason the couple wasn’t meant to be. But what if I’d been wrong? What if, in some special cases, the couple found their way back to one another? What if their love was worth taking a leap of faith?
I bit my lip as I walked around the table and took the hand Harrison was offering. Together we walked over to the table with the rest of our friends while Melinda and Drake danced their first dance together as a married couple. As we sat down, Harrison leaned over. “What are you smiling about?”
“Can’t it just be about that?” I asked pointing to our friends dancing and looking so in love with each other.
“Itcouldbe. But I don’t think that’s all it is. Spill.” He had his arm over the back of my chair, and I remembered the feeling of comfort and protection that had always given me.
“Okay, fine. I was just thinking about second chances.”
He lifted his eyebrows and smiled. “What about them?”
“I think in some cases, they might be warranted.”
“Sunshine, you’re killing me. Take me out of my misery. Is this one of those cases? Do we get a second chance?”
I nodded, trying not to get teary eyed, though weddings always made me cry anyway. “I think so. What do you think?”
He leaned over and kissed me in a way that left no doubt about what he thought. In the background, I heard a murmur of excitement. We pulled away and looked around. I thought Melinda and Drake had done something to get everyone riled up.
But they were all looking at us, smiling and clapping. Even Melinda and Drake, who’d just finished their first dance were beaming at us and clapping.
Embarrassed, I hid my face against Harrison’s chest. He surprised me by pulling me up and joining several other couples on the dance floor.
“I love you, Sadie,” he said, as he pulled me into his arms. “And I want to spend forever proving it to you.”
I was too overwhelmed to answer. Instead, I just nodded and threw my arms around his neck.
Much of the rest of the night went by in a blur. I danced with Harrison often and felt the weight of the stares on us. It felt like the entire town of Indigo Falls was watching us. I also knew our little town, and I was betting almost every person in the country club that night was rooting for us to get back together.
I glanced over at a table where his parents and mine were sitting together, not even pretending to look anywhere but at us.I’d thought my parents would be wary, but they looked almost as hopeful as his did.
Melinda and Drake would be spending the night at a luxury hotel near the Atlanta airport before flying off to the Bahamas the next day. We waved them off in a flurry of sparklers and cheers.
The party went on well after the happy couple made their exit. I was having so much fun with Harrison, I didn’t even notice that we’d literally danced all night. Someone pointed out that the sky was lightening, and the remaining guests started leaving as the venue was packed up by the event staff.
Even though I’d been with him all night, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Harrison yet. Even if it was only for a few hours. He must’ve been feeling the same way, because he looked down at me with a sweet smile.
“Do you want to go for a walk along the river?” he asked me.
“Sure,” I said, putting my hand in his.
We left the reception hand in hand. We walked along the well-lit path by the river in the early morning hour, enjoying the slight chill in the air. It felt symbolic, as if we were walking away from the past that almost destroyed us. And as the sun started to come up on the horizon, it seemed like a fresh start. We were walking towards a future that would be as bright as we’d once hoped it would be.
EPILOGUE
Ten Years Later
“Mommy, hurry up!” Addison called over her shoulder, her little legs pumping as she tried to keep up with Asher.
