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“Honey, you’re starting to scare me,” Micah whispered, squeezing Emery around the waist.
“I’m…so…fucking…happy.” The words came out between sobs and Micah fought the urge to laugh at how adorable this moment was. Emery finally pulled away and wiped at her cheeks aggressively, like that would hide the evidence of her tears. Her heart was bursting at how much love she felt for her teenager. Well, Emery was now a high school freshman. Where did all the years go?
“You okay, kid?”
Emery nodded at Fletcher, flashing him one of her broad smiles even though her eyes were still brimming with tears. “Thank you for staying, for choosing us, for choosing me,” she whispered and Micah blinked back tears at the words. Fletcher shook his head, fighting back tears of his own before he pulled Emery into his arms again. Stepping away from the moment, Micah let Sadie and Tatum engulf her in their arms.
When Fletcher told her about the conversation he and Emery had at Christmas, about him staying with them forever, Micah had been so emotional. She knew how much Emery craved having a father, how much she hated that her own father hadn’t claimed her or wanted her. In the short time that Fletcher had been in her life, Emery had gotten attached and that was even before Micah’s relationship with him came to light. Besides, Fletcher was the kind of guy you loved at the first meeting so to know her daughter felt that impact said a lot.
Watching her husband and daughter hold each other, both crying and laughing at the same time made Micah’s heart swell.
She’d made it fifteen full years as a single mother. She’d found the job of her dreams. She had the best friends a person could ask for. She had a home that was constantly filled with love.
Most importantly, she was now married to the only man who’d ever had her heart.
A year ago, when they’d talked about writing vows on their big day while fireworks burst above their heads, she hadn’t believed they were going to be planning a wedding. That was before they spoke to Emery about their plans a few weeks later. Micah wanted something small and simple, and if it were up to her, they would have eloped to Vegas and let Elvis marry them in one of his many chapels. But one morning over breakfast, Fletcher asked Emery if she wanted to go ring shopping with him and then all hell broke loose. Her daughter was excited at the prospect and dragged him out of the house as soon as she was ready. When they came back, Emery also announced that Fletcher was moving in with them and spent an hour giving Micah a run down of what ring shopping was like.
Of course her daughter also insisted that Fletcher put the ring on Micah’s finger right there. So without ceremony or a big fancy speech, Fletcher said, “Let’s get hitched, love bug. Let’s make this damn thing official.”
There was no part of her that believed she would get married again. She was closing in on forty, raising a kid all on her own and working her ass off every single day. A husband and a marriage never factored into the way she planned her life. But for Fletcher Kelley? She’d make all the adjustments necessary to have him look at her that way for the rest of their lives.
They started off the new year moving Fletcher’s stuff into the George household. Then did some work to Hank’s old house so Fletcher could put it up on Airbnb—Emery made sure to update the listing to mention that it was owned by a former rockstar. When Valentine’s Day rolled around, Emery started dropping hints about a wedding. She was quite subtle about it at first—asking about flowers, the best time of year for a backyard wedding, what kind of cake Fletcher liked. When neither of them took the bait, she got more aggressive; wedding magazines started popping up all over the house and Micah knew that a Vegas elopement would never happen. Not when Emery was set on being part of the whole thing.
To be fair, Micah’s first wedding wasn’t much to write home about either. They’d exchanged vows in front of thirty of his family members, her parents, Sadie and Tatum. So a bigger celebration, with more people and all the fanfare wasn’t the worst idea. When she agreed with Emery’s suggestion, she saw Fletcher flinch. He would never deny her daughter anything. But, the poor man was already thinking of what it would be like to be the center of attention for a whole day and he clearly hated it.
Emery worked her butt off for six months, planning every tiny detail to make sure that it was the best day ever. Micah and Fletcher only got involved when payments had to be made—if Sadie and Tatum hadn’t taken over that part already—and let Emery handle everything. For the first time in her life, Micah was completely hands-off when it came to something her daughter was doing. Because after raising her for fifteen years, she knew what Emery was capable of. And watching her little girl grow into this young woman was completely blowing her mind.
Just like she predicted, Emery had planned the most gorgeous wedding. She’d invited Micah’s parents, people from Haven Clinic and even sent out personalized invitations to Fletcher’s bandmates—Jack, Soren and Brandy—insisting that they be there for the big day. Because they didn’t do anything traditionally, Micah and Fletcher planned to walk down the aisle together. But they did have bridesmaids and groomsmen. So when they came down the stairs and the members of The Rescuers were waiting for them, Micah saw Fletcher tear up for the first time that day. Hugs went around and all three of them laughed about how they knew she and Fletcher would end up together.
And the day itself was absolutely beautiful.
Emery had transformed Hank’s backyard into a stunning venue, using the big tree in the middle as the backdrop for the whole thing. Edison bulbs were strung up along poles scattered across the space. Tables had been set up in clusters, allowing guests to sit wherever they pleased. A long table was being used as the bar—which Micah was assured had been Sadie and Tatum’s department—while caterers had commandeered Hank’s state-of-the-art kitchen to prepare the meal. There had been no rehearsal, there was no time to get cold feet (though Fletcher promised her he would never think twice about marrying the love of his life) and definitely no time for her mother to ask her a million questions about whether or not this was the right decision.
Micah might not have wanted it soon after her divorce. But when she looked into Fletcher’s eyes and thought about how much he loved her, there was no doubt in her mind—spending the rest of her life with him was vital. They didn’t need any of this or a marriage license to have that, but Fletcher was already talking about adopting Emery and for that they needed all the paperwork and bureaucracy that came with it.
As for their surnames? Micah had never taken Geoffrey’s name and even though his name was on Emery’s birth certificate, they’d hyphenated it for their daughter. The minute the divorce was finalized, Micah filed all the paperwork necessary to remove the hyphen from Emery’s name. Along with getting Geoffrey to hand over his parental rights.
“What do you think about Fletcher George? Do I sound like an old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn?”
Micah had laughed at his expression—face all screwed up and lips turned sideways—and shook her head. “Like Boy George, without all the glamor.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“I love you, honey, but we’re not changing your surname.”
He’d pouted, scooting closer to press his nose against hers. “But how will everyone know I’m yours?”
“The fact that you call me love bug in public? Or we can get my name tattooed on your forehead,” Micah had suggested, brushing her hand over his bare chest. “Or maybe by the fact that my ring is on your finger.”
“I can’t wait to wear your ring.”
She’d hummed, pressing her mouth to his. “How about we hyphenate?”
“Can we do that?”
“As long as we file the necessary paperwork, we can change our names to whatever we want.” He’d grinned and Micah covered his mouth with one hand. “We’re not changing your name to Stallion.”
“You’re killing my buzz here, babe.”
