Tomorrow is the day.
The day Lizzie and I get married.
The last three months have been a whirlwind. A whirlwind of falling in love. The kind where every week held something new—learning each other, choosing each other, working through what it’ll actually mean to build a life together.
Happily ever after takes work. I know that. I’m not walking into this blind, pretending the past doesn’t come with us. I’m very aware of the things I carry into this marriage—the joys, the scars, the lessons I learned the hard way.
That’s part of the reason we’re eloping.
I didn’t want my kids to feel like they were being asked to sit front row feeling like I replaced their mother. I didn’t want a big wedding to feel like a loud announcement that life was moving on without them having time to catch up emotionally… or that I was moving on fromthem.
They’ve met Lizzie. They like her. But I can see it in Bea especially… feeling the weight of things shifting and changing—the quiet processing, the careful watching. The way she studies Lizzie when she thinks no one is looking. Not out of dislike. Out of loyalty. Out of love for her mom.
That’s natural—for any kid who’s in her position.
All I can do is pray for her. Pray that God steadies her heart in the middle of change. That she feels safe, secure, and deeply loved through all of this.
Because she is.
But even with all of that… everything still feels worth it.
God took my mess… and somehow turned it into hope.
Hope in Him.
Hope that He’s still writing good chapters, even after the painful ones.
I’m dropping Bea and Daniel off at their mom’s house after her ballet recital.
“Did you like it, dad?” Bea asks from the backseat.
I glance at her through the rearview mirror, catching the hopeful sparkle in her eyes.
“Of course, Bea. You were amazing out there.” I grin, and she immediately smiles back, shoulders lifting just a little taller.
We pull up in front of the house, and I hop out to open her door. Daniel runs straight into my arms the second his feet hit the pavement.
“It was so good to see you tonight, dad.”
I squeeze him tight. “I love you, kiddo.”
“Love you too, dad.”
He spots his mom at the door and darts toward her, already launching into things he’s been thinking about.
Bea steps forward next. I crouch down so we’re eye level and wrap her in a hug.
“You did great tonight, Bea.”
“Love you daddy.”
“Love you too.”
I stand and give Iris a small wave. She nods once in return. I turn to head back to the car, already mentally shifting to everything that still needs to be ready for tomorrow.
“Wait, Nate.”
I pause mid-step. There’s something in her tone that makes me stop fully. Not sharp. Just… heavy.
