He appears in the doorway, hair flattened on one side, pajama shirt twisted, eyes half open. He blinks at me like I'm a confusing math problem. "Mom," he says, voice thick with sleep. "Is it wedding day?"
"Yes," I tell him.
He nods like he has been expecting this, then shuffles closer and presses his forehead into my stomach. He's taller now. His head hits higher. Every week, he does something that makes me realize he's leaving babyhood behind, and it still catches me off guard.
"Are you gonna be Mrs. Gabe?" he asks.
I snort. "That's not his name."
He lifts his head, frowning hard. "Then why do you call him Gabe?"
"Because that's his name," I say, and then I pause because I can see his brain working.
He narrows his eyes. "So your name will be Lena Gabe."
"That's not how it works," I say, trying not to laugh.
Jace sighs like I'm the slow one and shakes his head. "Adults make things too hard."
"You're not wrong," I tell him.
He climbs onto a chair and watches me sip my coffee. "Do I have to wear the suit?"
"Yes."
His face collapses. "But it's itchy."
"It's not itchy," I say.
"It is," he insists. "It touches my neck."
I put my mug down. "Buddy, you wore a dinosaur costume for three hours last week and didn't complain once."
"That was different," he says, serious. "I was a dinosaur."
"Today, you're a ring guard," I tell him. "That's important."
His eyes brighten. "Like a security guy?"
"Exactly," I say. "No one gets past you."
He nods, already convinced he's the most powerful person in town.
A knock comes at the door, and my stomach flips even though I know exactly who it is. Gabe doesn't come in right away. He always knocks at my house, even now. It's one of those smallthings that tells me he understands what this home means to me. It's mine. It's Jace's. He's been invited in, but he still respects the line.
I open the door, and there he is, holding a pink box in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other. He's in a dark suit that fits him the way it should, but his hair is still a little damp like he washed it and didn't have the patience to wait for it to dry.
He looks at me like he's trying not to stare.
I look at him and fail immediately.
"Hi," he says.
"Hi," I reply, and my eyes mist over just a little.
Jace pops up behind me and beams at his dad. "Donuts?"
Gabe's mouth twitches. "In the bag. But you gotta brush your teeth after."
