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“We knew.” My mom smiles softly.
“What?” I whisper.
“Sweetheart, you’re my daughter. I know you better than you know you. There was no way you kept a boyfriend or a guy you’d been seeing from me. Then we had dinner, and you ran into Merrick, and I could just tell.” She shrugs as if it’s no big deal.
“Why didn’t you say something?” I ask.
“Oh, I did. To these three.” She laughs.
“And none of you thought to tell me that you knew?”
“We figured you had your reasons,” Chloe speaks up.
“And we could see it,” Dad chimes in. “Only a fool wouldn’t be able to see the chemistry between the two of you. Merrick looked at you like I look at your mother, and Rodney, your sister. Why would we mess with that?”
“All this time I carried this guilt, and you all knew?” My shoulders fall, and my hands release from their tight grip at my sides.
“Courtney.” Mom stands and rushes to me, hugging me tightly. “We knew you had your reasons, and I knew that I was a big part of that. I know I come on strong. I just wanted to see you happy. Merrick did that. We knew it was real before either of you did.” She smiles, and all the tension leaves my body. “I’m sorry I made you feel like you had to lie to us, but it did bring Merrick into our lives. Into our family. I’d say he’s a pretty perfect fit if you ask me.”
“I love him.”
“We know you do.”
“You’re not mad at me?” I ask her before making eye contact with my dad, then Chloe and Rodney.
“Never.” Mom shakes her head.
“He makes you happy.”
“We’re happy for you.”
“You. Even when we went out on double dates, you knew?”
Rodney wraps his arm around my sister. “We knew,” he confirms. “It was easy to see from the outside looking in.”
“I love you guys,” I say, breathing out a deep breath to hold off my tears. My family rushes around me and we form one giant group hug.
“Okay, back off. We don’t want to wrinkle the dress,” Chloe says, stepping away.
“He wouldn’t care.” Rodney chuckles. “Trust me. I know.” He winks at my sister.
My heart is so full, it feels as though it might burst. I link my arm through my dad’s and smile up at him. “Let’s get moving. My man is waiting for me.”
Everyone starts to laugh, and I’m glad I went with my gut. My family loves me, and I’m worthy of that love. Merrick taught me that, and I plan to spend the rest of my life showing him my appreciation by loving him with my whole heart.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look, wife?” Merrick asks, leaning in close, his lips next to my ear.
“And you, my husband, are looking dapper.” I smile up at him as we sway to the slow tune on the makeshift dance floor at Kincaid Central.
We wanted a small wedding. I didn’t want all the fanfare. Merrick, me, and those we love the most were there to witness us pledging our love to one another. The day was perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for anything else.
“You know we’re behind, right?” he asks, leaning down and kissing my neck.
“Behind on what?” I tilt my head, giving him better access. I don’t care that our families are here. This man, he’s my husband, my everything, my real, and I want to savor that. It is our wedding day, after all.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, barely able to think about anything other than his hands and mouth all over my body. However, even with my mind in the gutter, I know what he’s talking about. I just want to hear him say it. We’ve talked a lot about what’s next for us, and we’re both on the same page.
“Babies,” he says, kissing the corner of my mouth. “I’m the last to get married, so they all have a head start on us.”
